Concentrates for Noobs - Q&A

[Ramahs]

I have a Terp Pen V2 coming this week. I'll see how pleased I am with that to fill the niche I need it to fill. If it does not fill the need, then I'll probably go pick up a Puffco Plus locally and see how that does. I really like the idea of the dabber built into the cap.

 

[invertedisdead]

IME for truly portable, pocketable devices these load as you go pens offer almost no benefit over a good cartridge other than maybe price.

Much rather hit an e-rig if I’m going through the motions of loading and cleaning a dab; and the relative stagnation of the LAYG market seems to suggest the same.

 

[Ramahs]

IME for truly portable, pocketable devices these load as you go pens offer almost no benefit over a good cartridge other than maybe price.

Much rather hit an e-rig if I’m going through the motions of loading and cleaning a dab; and the relative stagnation of the LAYG market seems to suggest the same.

I must admit that the whole reason I am looking for a decent wax pen is because I have felt let down by every cartridge I have tried since I have had access to quality concentrates.

The cartridges all never seem to taste as good as the straight concentrates made from the same strain. I don't know if it's an additive that is needed to get the thick wax to the viscosity needed for the cartridge to wick up, or if it's just something about the nature of the coils used or what...but they always taste off.

And furthermore, for some reason cartridges always feel harsher on my throat.

For the above reasons and more, I'm looking for a wax pen so I can just vaporize the concentrates that taste great to me while I'm on the go.

 

[FlyingLow]

I look forward to your feedback, but have VERY low expectations.

I don't favor pens either, but IMO there is nothing more foul tasting than a pen atomizer after a few uses. One needs more than luck to keep that terp pen tasting fresh and clean.

 

[Ramahs]

I look forward to your feedback, but have VERY low expectations.

I don't favor pens either, but IMO there is nothing more foul tasting than a pen atomizer after a few uses. One needs more than luck to keep that terp pen tasting fresh and clean.

That's exactly the kind of worry that has kept me from pulling the trigger on the hundred dollar wax pens. This Terp Pen was only twenty five dollars, so if I don't like it then I'm only out the cost of a movie with popcorn and drink. So, I figured it was worth a shot.

 

[florduh]

I'm tempted to just order the Divine Crossing's new V5 one or the Sai and be done with it.

The v5 is excellent. The AVS M22 is technically better, but without the availability of their proprietary mod, it's easier to temp control the v5. I installed my extra v5 heater in my M22 atomizer housing, lol. So now I basically got 2 v5's for the price of 1.

Divine Tribe is offering the same tech as the Puffco Peak Pro "3d Atomizer" at a fraction of the cost. The entire v5 setup costs less than ONE Puffco 3d atty. Replacement v5 heaters cost a couple bucks each.

But... it doesn't really work for taking quick hits on the go, and then immediately putting it back in your pocket. The thing just gets too hot. To make the v5 a true portable, you need to have a bag or fanny pack with you.

The cartridges all never seem to taste as good as the straight concentrates made from the same strain. I don't know if it's an additive that is needed to get the thick wax to the viscosity needed for the cartridge to wick up, or if it's just something about the nature of the coils used or what...but they always taste off.

Yeah, a problem with buying carts over normal dabbables is it takes a little more research to have a good time. You can probably buy a gram of any "live" dabbable in a jar and it will be enjoyable. But with carts, you need to make sure the extractor isn't just using distillate with veggie terps, or deploying shitty hardware.

I don't like using carts with any metal in contact with the oil. There are some new cart designs coming out that basically function like a self loading quartz banger. There's no cotton, metal, or silicone involved.

Here's an IG post showing off some of that hardware:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZhaRdBpL5b/

That's exactly the kind of worry that has kept me from pulling the trigger on the hundred dollar wax pens.

This is more of a worry with exposed, twisted metal coil vapes. Because you can't swab them out with a q-tip, so eventually you're tasting degrading reclaim. Crucible vapes don't have that particular problem.

 

[Ramahs]

All I know is that nothing in the carts (or that I could imagine would even work in the carts) has the consistency of the types of concentrates that I like to vaporize. Hell, some of them that I like to stick in my bangers are literal little crystal rocks! How the hell would you get that or other drier and or more crumbly extracts into a cartridge without doing shit to it to change its consistency?

 

[florduh]

How the hell would you get that or other drier and or more crumbly extracts into a cartridge without doing shit to it to change its consistency?

You're right, they do have to further process the material in most cases. But any extractor worth their salt wouldn't add anything to the oil. With Live Resin, they'll mechanically separate the diamonds from the terps, decarb the diamonds, re-add the terps. This will flow in carts and taste identical to the original dabbable material.

Here's another method for live rosin carts:

 

[Vitolo]

Qomo with a quartz bucket from VPM.

Tight package, good dabs!

Terp Pen V2

Great bedside final dab or wake up tool!

almost no benefit over a good cartridge other than maybe price.

Don't forget flavor!

I'm looking for a wax pen

One of my favorites is the Aovape Canva for price and function (magnetic top too).

One needs more than luck to keep that terp pen tasting fresh and clean.

The terp pen is very easy to clean. I put a small interdental brush through the atomizer air inlets... the unit comes apart, and the inner path is easily wiped down with an Iso prep pad.

 

[Ramahs]

Well, my Terp Pen just shipped out from Puffitup (along with my first Dynacoil as well) today, so hopefully I'll have had a chance to use it by the end of the week. If I'm not impressed, or don't feel it will fill my mobile needs, then maybe I'll look to get a Puffco Plus or something similar.

 

[FlyingLow]

Well, my Terp Pen just shipped out from Puffitup (along with my first Dynacoil as well) today, so hopefully I'll have had a chance to use it by the end of the week. If I'm not impressed, or don't feel it will fill my mobile needs, then maybe I'll look to get a Puffco Plus or something similar.

there will be a RiO in your future... all roads eventually end there as it relates to portable setups.

 

[Bad Dog]

I might have a alternative option for you @Ramahs , might sound a bit weird but hear me out. first lets start with a question, what exactly is a cart and what does it do????? a cart is just a heating element that is in contact with resin soaked cotton and a reservoir holding additional resin. I've been vaping with cotton a while and I like the technique , but I would never think of reusing the same cotton every time but that is what a cart does. and while the reservoir is convenient because it lasts a long time, all it does mix the fresh resin into the cotton with the ass leftovers from your last hit. to me this would be like loading a dab in my Vrod , enjoying it, wanting another dab but not qtiping the dish clean before putting the next dab in???? madness I say!!!!!!!!

these dab pens sound a bit dubious to me and things like the Sia seem unwieldy for out and about, though there are people that stand by all of those devices. so what alternatives are there ??? is there anything as convenient as a cart?? can we adapt the tech of some other product??? why not something like a V3 pro or tinymight? loaded with concentrate in cotton??? why not! to me the hole point of a cart is to take a quick hit here and there anyway, not vape a big session. so why not adapt a on demand device to bend to our will???? I know what your thinking, does this actually work? yes and its not bad. I've done poor mans twaxing in my tinymight many times, just placing a little concentrate on top of the herb using a wpa. but I haven't used cotton in either my tinymight or V3 until tonight. I loaded up a half rice grain dab of my CO2 resin, wrapped in a small piece of cotton and placed it in the micro dosing hack I have in my V3. first hit the dab was melting, little vapour, next hit was good though you can't pull off the quick mouthpull and back in the pocket trick. its more like flower vaping and needs a longer hit but even with the V3 a 5-10 second hit will give vapour, bigger hit more vapour.

you also get the advantage of being able to bring weed and concentrate and switch back and forth all you want with only having to bring one device.

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

I must admit that the whole reason I am looking for a decent wax pen is because I have felt let down by every cartridge I have tried since I have had access to quality concentrates.

The cartridges all never seem to taste as good as the straight concentrates made from the same strain. I don't know if it's an additive that is needed to get the thick wax to the viscosity needed for the cartridge to wick up, or if it's just something about the nature of the coils used or what...but they always taste off.

And furthermore, for some reason cartridges always feel harsher on my throat.

For the above reasons and more, I'm looking for a wax pen so I can just vaporize the concentrates that taste great to me while I'm on the go.

I've noticed an overheated oil flavor in distillate cartridges. My last cart was a high quality live resin in a wickless ceramic cart. The off flavor was barely there, but I didn't treat the cartridge well (storing it at hot temps during the summer) and it lost its flavor and potency.
I'm gonna try another rosin cart soon. I picked up one of those Yocan Uni's and can set the voltage down to 2.0v now. I have also found cartridges harsh on the throat. Probably due to high voltage and lack of cooling.

I have a Terp Pen V2 coming this week. I'll see how pleased I am with that to fill the niche I need it to fill. If it does not fill the need, then I'll probably go pick up a Puffco Plus locally and see how that does. I really like the idea of the dabber built into the cap.

@Ramahs, this is a wise purchase. I have said many times, my little terp pen is the best $20 (sale) I've ever invested in vaping. In fact, when PIU was selling off inventory I bought two more. They are both unused because the first just keeps going. At 12 bucks for two replacement tips, I don't bother with cleaning. I gave up on those long burn off cleaning sessions. After several weeks of use when they start to get nasty, I toss it for a new one.

It is not my DD or my preference around the house. But it holds a very important niche. It is the absolute best when you need a good fucking hit very quickly and discreetly. You can load a tiny dab, put the cap on and have it in a pocket without worry. I carry a small concentrate jar with it and you jab a little on and blast away.

The key to maintaining flavor is to keep it well fed. You don't need to glob it on, but every 1-2 hits you give the tip a little jab of concentrate. Once you hit the pen with very little left, that's when you get the bad coily flavor. The solution? Put more on! You'll get the hang of it. My terp pen has never let me down and it holds a charge forever. The car, the beach, camping, concert, bedside ... that's the niche. The only issues are the lack of temp settings and the use of the old tech coils. But it's not meant to be a DD.

Most silcone adapters fit the mouthpiece. Jam it in a bubbler or a J-hook too.

 

[Ramahs]

there will be a RiO in your future... all roads eventually end there as it relates to portable setups.

Unlikely. I don't ever want a fixed torch.

I might have a alternative option for you @Ramahs , might sound a bit weird but hear me out. first lets start with a question, what exactly is a cart and what does it do????? a cart is just a heating element that is in contact with resin soaked cotton and a reservoir holding additional resin. I've been vaping with cotton a while and I like the technique , but I would never think of reusing the same cotton every time but that is what a cart does. and while the reservoir is convenient because it lasts a long time, all it does mix the fresh resin into the cotton with the ass leftovers from your last hit. to me this would be like loading a dab in my Vrod , enjoying it, wanting another dab but not qtiping the dish clean before putting the next dab in???? madness I say!!!!!!!!

these dab pens sound a bit dubious to me and things like the Sia seem unwieldy for out and about, though there are people that stand by all of those devices. so what alternatives are there ??? is there anything as convenient as a cart?? can we adapt the tech of some other product??? why not something like a V3 pro or tinymight? loaded with concentrate in cotton??? why not! to me the hole point of a cart is to take a quick hit here and there anyway, not vape a big session. so why not adapt a on demand device to bend to our will???? I know what your thinking, does this actually work? yes and its not bad. I've done poor mans twaxing in my tinymight many times, just placing a little concentrate on top of the herb using a wpa. but I haven't used cotton in either my tinymight or V3 until tonight. I loaded up a half rice grain dab of my CO2 resin, wrapped in a small piece of cotton and placed it in the micro dosing hack I have in my V3. first hit the dab was melting, little vapour, next hit was good though you can't pull off the quick mouthpull and back in the pocket trick. its more like flower vaping and needs a longer hit but even with the V3 a 5-10 second hit will give vapour, bigger hit more vapour.

you also get the advantage of being able to bring weed and concentrate and switch back and forth all you want with only having to bring one device.

Since I don't have a wax pen, the cotton in your vape with a tiny bit of concentrate thing is what I've been doing for years. Mainly in my Dynavap vapes, but I've put concentrate in cotton in just about every vape I own for the last couple of years. Hell, I was just doing that with my Toad the other day.

I still want to step up to a proper wax pen that doesn't have the damn cotton I have to deal with, and the taste of the cotton when I get it a bit too hot.

In short, been there, done that because it's been my only option for a long time now. And I'm looking to graduate to something better.

 

[LesPlenty]

I've been having lots of fun using the DabLamp.

Me too, so much easier to live with than the Daab...SiC is great!

One needs more than luck to keep that terp pen tasting fresh and clean.

No luck, just don't starve it!

After several weeks of use when they start to get nasty, I toss it for a new one.

Iso in a plastic test-tube suspended in an ultrasonic cleaner works wonders.

The key to maintaining flavor is to keep it well fed. You don't need to glob it on, but every 1-2 hits

This should be in big red letters on the Terp Pen box, very wise words.
I only use butane for quickly cleaning SiC, never got to like gas torches...too noisy and dangerous for these butterfingers.

 

[VapeEscapist]

RE: specifically pre-filled carts

Just my 2 cents, though I didn't read everything here... but I didn't see live resin carts mentioned in 2 pages.

I've never had a distillate cart that tasted pure at all. But the extremely expensive live resin carts I got from Cresco Labs @ Rise dispensary in MA were fantastic. The only prefilled cart I've had that tasted like a pure concentrate, and from beginning to end. No leakage, no clogging either. $80 half gram carts. I could blow through those waaaay too quickly lol.

RE: wax pens

For years I used Kanger 510 Stainless Cartomizers; ancient tech from the birth of vape. You could fit a gram in one of those but it had to be maintained and carefully traveled with and was very temperature sensitive.

I imagine some of you know what these are. The BHO would totally "skunk" from beginning to end in those. The first half tasted decent and then it lost a lot of terps and got more and more "hashy". The biggest benefit was the convenience. Load it once and you have dabs on demand. I used to hit it in all kinds of public settings.

I currently own a Puffco Plus, which works fairly well but is a pretty old design.

I have so many questions about concentrates, I actively avoid this thread.

 

[Ramahs]

Well, at least my Terp Pen in transit left Ohio yesterday. Not expecting to have it till Saturday though.

I have a Dynacoil coming with it as well, as I've been rolling up a piece of steel mesh and using it in my Dynavap vapes since long before Dynavap came up with the Dynacoil, but I figured I'd give Dynavap's little coil a try anyway.

 

[invertedisdead]

The cartridges all never seem to taste as good as the straight concentrates made from the same strain. I don't know if it's an additive that is needed to get the thick wax to the viscosity needed for the cartridge to wick up, or if it's just something about the nature of the coils used or what...but they always taste off.

Are you evaluating with a proper low temp (<2v) battery? Someone posted similar sentiments a few posts above about not having a great cartridge experience, and it turns out they were using a battery which only outputs at a fixed 3.7 volts. Guaranteed to have compromised flavor with a high output like that.

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

Quality carts are popping up everywhere around here lately, but some of these live resin and hash rosin carts can get pricey. You can get a disty cart that tastes like blueberry muffins for half the price, but I don't want that shit. I picked up a no-additive sauce cart by a local cultivator that tastes pretty damn good, along with a nice mellow stone. I think I can get used to these things. Gotta find an adapter to get my pen on a small bubbler. My Yocan Uni gets the voltage down to 2v which tones the hit down nicely.

One thing I picked up in one of these threads was a comment about holding your hit longer with cartridges? I can't remember why, but I do notice a faster onset when holding my hits longer than with other methods.

 

[VapeEscapist]

holding my hits longer

Old myth. People are feeling lack of oxygen imo. High times debunked this ages ago I think.

There's nothing that should be different, especially in a no additive cart, that would make holding hits better as well.

does holding cannabis hits get you higher - Google Search

I dunno, sift through the google results. Seems pretty one sided.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Yeah it's not about holding it in, it's about a deep breath, and you could try to then bring in fresh air after you're hit to then further inhale deeper, but it's not holding the hidden that is going to help (but to inhale quickly and exhale quickly doesn't really seem as effective as holding it at least for a second with a deep inhale of convection vapor at least, I doubt high times was measuring that??)

Anyway my bro in Pittsburgh said that their dispensary is not going to be selling cartridges anymore because they have to study and test to find a way that they are safe for everyone since people, some people, seem to be having lung issues with some of them, some of the additives, they couldn't guarantee that they were going to be pure, and this was a medicinal dispensary that I really thought had a nice quality oil and such... Sounds like they won't be using cartridges from anywhere even if I send them from California now, some brands are reputable, but still this was interesting to hear??

 

[VapeEscapist]

it's about a deep breath

P much.

This is why slide carb water pipes actually do get you higher than anything else and why bowls with carbs are usually better than without.

With slide carb bongs the smoke streams straight down to the bottom of your lungs splashing down and curling back on itself building in density.

Now imagine with a joint/bowl/vape; the smoke gets about halfway, and then creates a thinner swirling cloud near the top.

 

[invertedisdead]

Arizer killer....

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

Live hash rosin is all the rage around here, at least for those seeking the highest quality dabs. I got drawn into it these last few weeks and spent some time researching and seeking out sources. As I understand it, live hash rosin is quite expensive because of the number of steps and time needed to make it. Prices range here from $60 up to $90 for a gram, with $70 being common. I picked a couple samples up and think they are very nice, but not so earth-shattering to pay twice the price compared to a live resin or a cured badder. I guess I'm not sure if my senses are sharp enough to notice the difference in taste or effects if they exist.

A number of suppliers here have a large selection of very tasty looking live resins for around $30-$35, and if they have hash rosin the options are few and expensive. I may stick with seeking out the quality cured badders and live resins and save on my wallet. They still provide me with an excellent high with great flavors. Hell, I bought some shatters for $20 a gram recently that tasted great too.

 

[Squidge]

Well, at least my Terp Pen in transit left Ohio yesterday. Not expecting to have it till Saturday though.

I have a Dynacoil coming with it as well, as I've been rolling up a piece of steel mesh and using it in my Dynavap vapes since long before Dynavap came up with the Dynacoil, but I figured I'd give Dynavap's little coil a try anyway.

Don't you have a Vapman? Concentrates work well in that. Ok, it's not a "true" dab but it works well with the sieve - and they (the sieves) are relatively cheap ($8-$10) and are pretty easy to clean.