Several years ago I was at a family function and my cousin's boyfriend pulled out this interesting looking contraption and said lets smoke! He called it a Volcano, we packed the herb into a chamber that reminded me vaguely of smoking a traditional hookah. Then he attached a large cellophane bag on its top and turned it on. The next thing I know the bag fills up like a hot air balloon and we were passing around this bag inhaling the vapor inside, getting very stoned. The real amazing thing about it was that the smoke it produced was so minimal but the weed tasted so fresh. The vapor smoke didn't burn or bite the back of my throat like smoking a pipe or a joint normally does. This got me thinking... 'how have I not heard of this thing before?!?'.
Then the flood gates opened with all these portable and set top vaporizers in the market place. There were so many different types of vaporizers available. So a couple years ago I decided to get my father a portable vaporizer for Christmas. I bought him one called a Wispr. This small hand-held piece of equipment is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and ran me roughly $120. He loved it, everyone who used it also really enjoyed it, my only complaint was that it made the herb taste stale. Honestly, with the high cost of kind buds, whats the point if you aren't able to get the great flavor.. oi vey!
So what does the average person to do? Well I am not your average person.. I make it a point to try as many vaporizers as I can get my hands on! There are big ones and small ones, vapes that are super simple to super high tech. Below is a list of the different vaporizers I have tried, though there are so many more out there. I also have at the bottom a couple vaporizer comparison charts I found on the interwebz..
I would like to add a side note that would apply to any way of enjoying herb.... Invest in a good grinder!
PAX
This sleek and portable vape is by far my favorite. It is very simple to use and really does a good job of preserving the taste of the herb. The vapor it produces is smooth on the back of the throat and it does a great job of not wasting the herb. It is about the size of an eye glass case and is very quiet and discrete. This one needs to be charged often with heavy use but can last up to a week or more with moderate usage. It comes with a mini-usb cable and small charging cradle.
WISPR
The Wispr is one of the first vaporizers I tried and is still one of my favorites because of its ease of use and size. I don't use it as my main vape anymore because it is a little clunkier than I am now accustomed to. However it does a great job of producing a good vapor without wasting much. However, it tends to hit the back of the throat with a bit of a bite. It is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and does good a good job of being discrete in size. However it is not does not emit a whisper as the name suggests, instead a low audible hum can be heard. It uses butane to heat the heating element and has a pretty large fuel chamber so a full tank with moderate use can go for several days.
VOLCANO
This vapor beast will always be dear to me because it was my inaugural fling. The Volcano as the name implies is quite large and produces a lot of vapor, though it requires a good amount of herb to get it going. It is great with a large group of people, one full bag of vapor can indulge 7 or more before being refilled. It does a good job of retaining the fresh taste of the herb and gives a smooth hit.
IOLITE
The Iolite is one of the first portable vaporizers to hit the market. It is small and reminiscent of a walkie-talkie so it is quite discrete. Both the Wispr and the Iolite are made by the same company and operate pretty much the same way. Like the Wispr, the Iolite is not very quiet and uses butane to heat the heating element. The Iolite was superseded by the Wispr mainly because it is quieter.
VAPIR NO2
This portable beast can easily satisfy the novice to the high tech. It already had predecessor when it was released, however it was the first of its kind in terms of its capabilities and when something gets endorsed by the likes of Willie Nelson it naturally will get lots of attention. The Vapir NO2 uses a battery to give an electric charge to heat the copper heating element. The digital display allows for the user to set how hot the heating element gets. I had great experiences with this vape as it gives a smooth hit but, it is a bit too clunky to really be considered portable. Because it has a variable voltage setting you decide how efficient it is with your herb and doesn't hit the back of the throat harshly at all, however if that is your thing you can crank up the voltage.
VAPIR ONE
The Vapir One is one of the original portable, techno-savvy vape's to hit the market. It has a digital display to allow the user to set the heating element to their desired temperature. It is by far the strangest looking device I have ever used to smoke. This vaporizer uses a fixed electrical cord to power it so it really cant truly be considered portable. However, because of it's size and ergonomic shape it is definitely hand-held. The variable voltage switch is one of the coolest features this little guy offers as you can really control how much herb and how quickly it burns through your stash.
Here are a couple pictographs I recently found surfing the interwebz. There are many other vapes out there.. Big thanks to: Mr. Vape Life & Portable-Vaporizers.net
More Detailed info graph comparison courtesy of: Portable-Vaporizers.net
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