New to Vaping - some newbie questions

[mikeswife]

I have been lurking for a month now - thanks for taking the time to read this - I hope I have posted to the right forum.

My husband Mike and I have smoked since we were 16, every day, for the last 27 years. We live in NYC (I believe medical MJ is allowed under severely strict circumstances - hoping that will change within a year or 2???)...........Anyhow, while bopping around NYC over the last year or so I have noticed more and more people using vapes......intrigued! I thought they were e-cigs but I could smell that quick but distinctive halo of Kush - gosh I love that smell. For about a year, I have been asking him to look into it - he finally did and his friend had a couple of spare "e-cig" vapes lying around for us. (I am learning the lingo - bear with me lol). We got 2 of them exactly 10 days ago and we're hooked.

My tincture..............in 10 days I went from getting gifted the best cartridge to trying to make my own lol - I don't kid around ........Seriously..........A couple of our friends bought the MBM2 as they are fighting/fought/continue to fight cancer and they can't smoke. I have had some decent edibles the last year so I too bought one (but I suck at cooking/baking). My first attempt with MBM2: I tried to make a VG glycerin tincture (which I did) and with that product - I made a cartidge for use in my new pen. I did a great job but mine was a "5" on a scale of 1-10 while our gifts were a solid 10PLUS. Mine smells and tastes like Kush and but it doesn't have the dark amber color - it is more a light gold.

It would also work should the need arise to "cut" the Kush cartridge. That was so good, there are more arriving so we'll go that route for now.

As for mine, whie I do have my own pen vape made and have used it now and again the last week, I have instead used the MBM2 tincture as follows:
2 tsp in my tea; 2-3 tsp in my coffee; 2-3 tsp in my Nutrabullet breakfast (frozen fruit mix, etc.)..........

anything that calls for a touch of sugar. It's been working great for pain and sleep. BUT, I have no energy, not high head-wise, - all I want to do is RELAX.

Ingredients:
In the MBM2 VG tincture: 20 grams of Kush; 240F for 1 hour decarb in oven with thermoiter; 16 ounces of VG oil (food grade only) - cook tincture for 8 hours at 160.

For my first try, my thoughts were to use the VG infused tincture in the newly purchased empty cartridges/vapes from the local smoke shop. I did cut it with 20% of PG oil too. It works but it's weak.

My overall impression is that the MBM2 works well if you can figure out your dosage. The tincture I made - I take 2 to 3 tablespoons a day (when I am working from home) and apart from work nothing else seems to get done (my work is barely done)..........I am that relaxed! So I had to reign that in!

On the other hand when we received the gifted Kush pen vaporizers 10 days ago - for 2 full days I was smiley, happy, energetic.........

once I took the meds orally via tincture, I'm not "as" high at a 5 but I am definitely relaxed, not stressed out, etc.

Any ideas why the 2 differing heads considering the product in both were of a similar strain (kush cartridge and same herb in the MBM2). Thanks in advance. Finally, my goal is to get off of the smoke - it's killing my lungs - is it in my head that this vaporizer is working for me lol? Cheers, Mike's Wife.

 

[CarolKing]

I have the MB and have been using mainly to make canabis coconut oil. I've been happy with it so far. It takes a while to get the dosage down for the oil too.

One of the things that we discovered on the Magical Butter thread in the cooking section on FC is that @MrNaturalAZ found that decarbing your cannabis in the BM at 220 for one hour. We have been using coconut oil with the cannabis while doing the decarb. This works better than doing the decarb in an oven. It's a more controlled environment than an oven. I see you decarbed in the BM too. There has been some question as to what way is better.

I just recently made a new batch of oil a couple weeks ago and it turned out well. I had 3 oz of Hindu Kush shake. I don't mind the taste of the oil by itself. My dosage is a little over a teaspoon.

I tried using glycerine once but my tincture turned out too weak. It was when I first received my BM. I made some lemonade with it.

I have waisted my share of cannabis trying to get things right with my oil. There are so many ways to screw things up.

A couple days ago I made some shortbread cookies. They turned out a light green color. My oil is a dark green color. I drizzled them with chocolate to help hide the cannabis taste. They turned out good.

Have you thought of getting a vaporizer to use with cannabis? It would be easier to get the dosage down if you vaporize the cannabis flower. It's just a suggestion. There are several vaporizers out there. Check it out if you are interested.

@mikeswife welcome to the forum. Glad you were able to find us.

 

[mikeswife]

I have the MB and have been using mainly to make canabis coconut oil. I've been happy with it so far. It takes a while to get the dosage down for the oil too.

One of the things that we discovered on the Magical Butter thread in the cooking section on FC is that @MrNaturalAZ found that decarbing your cannabis in the BM at 220 for one hour. We have been using coconut oil with the cannabis while doing the decarb. This works better than doing the decarb in an oven. It's a more controlled environment than an oven. I see you decarbed in the BM too. There has been some question as to what way is better.

I just recently made a new batch of oil a couple weeks ago and it turned out well. I had 3 oz of Hindu Kush shake. I don't mind the taste of the oil by itself. My dosage is a little over a teaspoon.

I tried using glycerine once but my tincture turned out too weak. It was when I first received my BM. I made some lemonade with it.

I have waisted my share of cannabis trying to get things right with my oil. There are so many ways to screw things up.

A couple days ago I made some shortbread cookies. They turned out a light green color. My oil is a dark green color. I drizzled them with chocolate to help hide the cannabis taste. They turned out good.

Have you thought of getting a vaporizer to use with cannabis? It would be easier to get the dosage down if you vaporize the cannabis flower. It's just a suggestion. There are several vaporizers out there. Check it out if you are interested.

@mikeswife welcome to the forum. Glad you were able to find us.

I have the MB and have been using mainly to make canabis coconut oil. I've been happy with it so far. It takes a while to get the dosage down for the oil too.

One of the things that we discovered on the Magical Butter thread in the cooking section on FC is that @MrNaturalAZ found that decarbing your cannabis in the BM at 220 for one hour. We have been using coconut oil with the cannabis while doing the decarb. This works better than doing the decarb in an oven. It's a more controlled environment than an oven. I see you decarbed in the BM too. There has been some question as to what way is better.

I just recently made a new batch of oil a couple weeks ago and it turned out well. I had 3 oz of Hindu Kush shake. I don't mind the taste of the oil by itself. My dosage is a little over a teaspoon.

I tried using glycerine once but my tincture turned out too weak. It was when I first received my BM. I made some lemonade with it.

I have waisted my share of cannabis trying to get things right with my oil. There are so many ways to screw things up.

A couple days ago I made some shortbread cookies. They turned out a light green color. My oil is a dark green color. I drizzled them with chocolate to help hide the cannabis taste. They turned out good.

Have you thought of getting a vaporizer to use with cannabis? It would be easier to get the dosage down if you vaporize the cannabis flower. It's just a suggestion. There are several vaporizers out there. Check it out if you are interested.

@mikeswife welcome to the forum. Glad you were able to find us.

Thanks CarolKing for your reply and for your warm welcome. I guess that would be the best option for me - to invest in a vaporizer. I still find myself coughing with the gifted vape pen but not as bad as I cough by lighting up. I did buy the Ismoke - it's "ok" but seeing as how I know nothing about vaporizers, I will look around the threads and invest in something for use at home and use the Ismoke for out and about - I don't want to spend that much more $$ as it's been expensive to use the MBM machine. A friend is giving me some homegrown stuff which I will try in the MBM but I will try an oil or butter for baking this time. Again, thanks for your great reply and welcome!

 

[macbill]

Do you have a source for concentrates (i.e. shatter, wax, BHO)? There is a Forum Topic under "Concentrates" that gives step-by-step instructions for making a concentrated solution you use in e-cigs, etc. In fact, there are instructions on how to make concentrate without blowing yourself up (QWISO,QWET). Welcome.

ps. once you get into vaping flowers and buds, you'll never go back to flame.

 

[His_Highness]

Flowers only for me but I have to admit....I would love to experiment if I was in a legal state and had better access. At this stage it's just too expensive and hard to come by for me and I know I would have a learning curve to deal that will cause me to waste some. I never get anything completely right the first time.

Big props to @mikeswife for jumping right in like that. And...welcome aboard!

I agree with @macbill and @CarolKing - Flowers are a lovely way to go......

 

[mikeswife]

Thanks MacBill & His Highness. Noted. I cannot get BHO (but I am not sure what the cartridge is - it is definitely a concentrated Kush for vaping). The refills run $55 - does that seem about right? From my reading, I would guestimate that there is 3.5 g of product which the cook condensed. When we get to know them better, I will ask. In the meantime, my husband won't allow me to cook another $400 of the good stuff so what is the best way to vape this? Get the Pax 2, Haze 3, etc. (I am also reading the threads.......I stopped in another tobacco store and they were selling an ELeaf that looked interesting). I wouldn't need it for wax or hash (don't know what wax is - have an idea and haven't seen hash in 20 years! Miss that!). Thanks for the welcome - nice to meet you both.

Thanks MacBill & His Highness. Noted. I cannot get BHO (but I am not sure what the cartridge is - it is definitely a concentrated Kush for vaping). The refills run $55 - does that seem about right? From my reading, I would guestimate that there is 3.5 g of product which the cook condensed. When we get to know them better, I will ask. In the meantime, my husband won't allow me to cook another $400 of the good stuff so what is the best way to vape this? Get the Pax 2, Haze 3, etc. (I am also reading the threads.......I stopped in another tobacco store and they were selling an ELeaf that looked interesting). I wouldn't need it for wax or hash (don't know what wax is - have an idea and haven't seen hash in 20 years! Miss that!). Thanks for the welcome - nice to meet you both.

PS: Just to clarifying it would be for dry bud - what works to turn that into vape besides Volcano (I will work my way to that if I continue to enjoy it - right now the vape still making me cough so weighing what cough I can tolerate).

 

[CarolKing]

The Solo is a nice first vaporizer that I suggest for flowers. It's around $150, it's a portable that can also be used plugged in like a desk top. It really saves on the cannabis budget. You will save money if you stop combusting and strictly vaporizer your cannabis. There are several good vaporizers out there. I've been checking out the Haze3. It's around $250 retail price.

My cannabis budget was cut in at least half, probably more when I started vaporizing.

With the MB you have to use so much cannabis for a batch. I get good deals on some of my flowers or I wouldn't be able to afford it. They need to make a mini BM for small batches.

 

[macbill]

There are many ways to vape. I prefer to vape a bowl of flowers at low temps first (360-380 F). At this temp range, you really get a few good hits of flavor, because the flavinoids "sloughs off" or vaporize first. Then I increase the temp to 410 F and get a few more good hits. Some folks prefer to speed up the process, and go to high temp., high vape hits. All ways are good. Find the way you like to vape: practice makes perfect.

 

[His_Highness]

+1 for Solo and suggest contacting Randy at PuffItUp for a price match on the Solo after you find the cheapest price you can. You won't be sorry.

Match up the Solo with a cheap D020-D bubbler from dhgate or another of the bubblers touted in the Solo thread to eliminate some harshness if you need to or want to. Personally I only break out the bubbler for special occasions because the Solo all by itself is not very harsh for me. Some folks use the bubbler as a part of their everyday but for me it increases the herb used although not by any crazy amount. All of this is fairly inexpensive....especially when you take into consideration how much money you'll be saving on MJ.

 

[vapebuddy13]

+1 for the Haze, though it may be a little pricey for a first vape, it works great with not just dry bud but with concentrates as well (along with the crazy good CS)

 

[CarolKing]

I'm a flavor chaser and I prefer cannabis flowers over waxes and shatter. Of course I like the medicinal affects as well, there are many vaporizers out there that will medicate but they aren't all a like in the flavor department.

If you are interested in a desk style vaporizers the log vapes such as the Under Dog and the the Enano give excellent flavor. I personally have the Enano so I'm partial to that log vape.

I suggest the Solo because it's well built and it can be used as a portable or a desk style. It's like 2 vaporizers in one. It's not very expensive and it gives good flavor IMO. It also pairs well with a water tool. A second vote for Randy at Puff It Up! Vaporizers.

I haven't bought the Haze yet but there are many happy folks over in the Haze thread. @scottg402 an FCer is a Haze representative who liked the vaporizer so much he decided to work for the company. That's quite a testimonial.

 

[little maggie]

I confess that I keep buying vaporizers and end up not using most of them. Of the ones I use regularly I think any of these would be great for a new user: solo/air. I know they aren't quite the same but to me they are close enough. The advantage of the air is changeable batteries. Otherwise, the solo is more affordable.
The Haze: customer service is incredible (see Scott on the Haze thread). Even though it's more expensive that the Solo it has some great features. I only use dry bud but if you want to try something else like a concentrate anything will work on the Haze. There are 2 compartments that work separately and it's easy to carry "loaded" canisters that just pop in. It also has an upgrade system so you can always have the current version. Last would be either an underdog or enano log vape. They need to be plugged in but are totally simple, beautiful, and work well with water. I leave mine out and use them for essential oils. I tend to use the underdog more because it came with many different stems including one for water.

 

[mikeswife]

I confess that I keep buying vaporizers and end up not using most of them. Of the ones I use regularly I think any of these would be great for a new user: solo/air. I know they aren't quite the same but to me they are close enough. The advantage of the air is changeable batteries. Otherwise, the solo is more affordable.
The Haze: customer service is incredible (see Scott on the Haze thread). Even though it's more expensive that the Solo it has some great features. I only use dry bud but if you want to try something else like a concentrate anything will work on the Haze. There are 2 compartments that work separately and it's easy to carry "loaded" canisters that just pop in. It also has an upgrade system so you can always have the current version. Last would be either an underdog or enano log vape. They need to be plugged in but are totally simple, beautiful, and work well with water. I leave mine out and use them for essential oils. I tend to use the underdog more because it came with many different stems including one for water.

PS: Ah, able to type - thanks for the tip - I was over there - I am going to keep the machine and try another oil using Everclear one day when I have 24 hours alone MW

Do you have a source for concentrates (i.e. shatter, wax, BHO)? There is a Forum Topic under "Concentrates" that gives step-by-step instructions for making a concentrated solution you use in e-cigs, etc. In fact, there are instructions on how to make concentrate without blowing yourself up (QWISO,QWET). Welcome.

ps. once you get into vaping flowers and buds, you'll never go back to flame.