Everything you need to know about vape pens and how they work.
Vape pens have burst into the cannabis market in a big way, as more and more consumers turn to vaping as a healthier, more discreet way to enjoy their dry flower, extract, and oil.
Here we look at the parts that come together to make up your vape pen, how these parts work, and the variety of options that make different vape pens unique.
The Battery
The battery is the power source for your vape pen. The vape pen will use the stored electric power in the battery and convert it into the heat necessary to vaporize your dry flower, oil, or extracts.
Vape pen batteries come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from slim ink pen styles to large, powerful units, and every size in between. Some consumers prefer the functionality of customizable units, while others prize vapes that are discreet and easy to carry.
Most vape pens use rechargeable lithium ion batteries due to their high energy density, allowing them to reach the high temps vape pens need to reach. Vape pen batteries typically use some form of USB charger, either plugging in to the battery or screwing on to the battery’s threaded connection.
Any buttons, sensors, and other electronics for the vape are mostly stored in the battery. These sensors and electronics control variables like temperature, duration of heating, and more, adding the functionality and customization consumers want in their vape pen.
The Atomizer or Heating Element
The atomizer is the part of the vape pen that converts the battery’s power to heat. It is in the atomizer that your vape material is turned into flavorful vapor.
In a wax or oil vape pen, the atomizer is most often a set of coils, sometimes wrapped around a ceramic or cotton wick. Power is fed through the coil, turning it red hot and vaporizing your wax or oil. Some vapes are turning to a coil-less atomizer that heats vapeable material indirectly without creating a red hot heating point.
Dry flower vape pens function in a similar way, using the vape’s battery to generate heat to bring ground flower to the cannabinoids vaporization point. Vaporizers that are designed to vape dry flower take advantage of the pen’s heating element to pass heat evenly over your ground dry material without burning it.
The Chamber or Tank
This is the part of the vape that holds your vape material. In an oil (liquid) vape, this is usually called a tank if refillable or a cartridge if disposable and comes as a single unit with the atomizer. In a wax or dry herb vape pen, this is usually called the chamber. Regardless of what you call it, this part of your vape pen is where you load your vape material.
Some smaller wax vapes don’t have a chamber or tank, so you load your vape material directly onto the atomizer. Because they only hold a small amount of extract, these types of vapes need to be reloaded after each use or so.
The Mouthpiece
The vape pen’s mouthpiece is its tip, the place where the vapor is funneled to the user to be inhaled. Mouthpieces vary in shape, but are usually designed to fit comfortably in the lips for a smooth hit.
Picking the Right Vape for You
Knowing the parts of your vape pen is helpful for understanding how to load, clean, and otherwise care for your vape. Now that you know how each part of the vape functions, you are ready to start shopping for your perfect vape with our Vaporizer Buyers Guide or visit our online vape store here.
You can also learn more about topics like this on our Cannabis 101 page.
The vape products and vaping advice featured in Medical Marijuana, Inc. posts are specifically for people looking to support their health with legal natural botanicals and are not created with nicotine or tobacco users in mind.
