How cannabis vaporizers are evolving
Humans have been vaping cannabis since before Christ. In histories, the Greek writer Herodotus narrated the details of a ritual performed by the ancient Scythians of Central Asia, dating from around 600 BC.
A few thousand years later, vaping has definitely gotten a lot more technical. Weed vaporizers continue to evolve to this day, and technology is making vaping more and more of a joint smoke and dabs. But what does the future of vaporizers look like?
For an insight, I reached out to several players in the vape category: Storz and Bickel, DaVinci Vaporizer, Airgraft, Vessel, and AirVape. After discussing where the vape market is headed, one common answer became clear: personalized experiences.
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The history of the vaporizer
During vaporization, a heating mechanism heats cannabis oil to activate cannabinoids and terpenes. Smoking weed or burning it uses a flame to do the same thing, but with flowers on fire, harmful smoke and carcinogens are ingested. Vaping is considered a healthier alternative to smoking, and that’s how inventors started developing it in the last century.
There is controversy over who should be considered the founder of modern herbal vaporization, but research suggests that the first e-cigarette was invented by Joseph Robinson in 1927.
Then in 1963 the first “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette” was developed by Herbert Gilbert. And the first portable herbal vaporizer called “Shake and Vape” was developed in 1993 by Eagle Bill Amato. Shortly thereafter, Storz and Bickel launched the famous tabletop Vulcano vaporizer in 2000.
In 2003, Chinese researcher Hon Lik developed advanced e-cigarette technology that eventually spawned 510 thread vape cartridge technology, and in 2007 Pax Labs – originally called Ploom – created a cannabis vaporizer that eventually became the Closed Loop system of. introduced proprietary cartridges, like the PAX era for cannabis. The rest is still history in the making.
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The future of vaporizers
In talking to several vape companies, I’ve learned that the future of vaporizers will be in personalization. While neither company was willing to tell me what updated technology they will use to crush the game next (for obvious reasons), they were all able to tell me how they improved their current products based on customer complaints and requests.
That means dosage control, temperature control, colors, size, shape, discretion and more. Dosage control enables consumers to know exactly how much THC or CBD they are consuming; Temperature control allows different temperatures for different logs; and options in terms of color, size, and shape depend on the simple aesthetic and whether you want something to hide in the palm of your hand or to fit in your pocket.
Dry herbal vapes in hand
Most people consider oil carts and vapes to be superior to flower vapes because they are discreet, have reduced odor, and because many allow specific control over temperature, session, and dosage.
In the future, portable dry herb vaporizers will fill this gap. For example, companies like AirVape have devices that allow you to choose a specific temperature. Roland Szegi, the owner of AirVape, suggests anywhere between 410-415 ° F. Also, they invented the AirVape cup, a kind of little tote bag that fits around the device to block out any post-session aromas that make you smell like weed – it works just fine too!
“The X Shell, and later the XS GO Shell, were designed with the intention of keeping the vaporizer completely odor-proof, and it also became a distinctive element of the product with its protective capabilities,” said Szegi.
DaVinci’s vaporizer may not have a case, but it has created a food-safe device that allows you to add certain foods and flowers with terpenes to mask odors. “Our IQ series vaporizers are equipped with the zirconia aroma chamber to which you can add your favorite herbs or fruit peels,” said Shannon Wachter, Brand Reputation Manager for DaVinci Vaporizers. “This will improve the consumer’s overall terpene intake – we always say your vapor smells better.”
In addition, DaVinci’s IQ series devices come with a smartphone app that allows you to personalize your session based on the exact ratio of THC and CBD you are ingesting, a necessary tool for medical cannabis patients.
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Desktop vaporizer for dry herbs
When it comes to vaping cannabis at the crib, Storz and Bickel’s Volcano has been the epitome of quality for decades. I asked them what complaints their customers have and what upgrades they are hoping for in the future. Most of the time, their customers complain about the price.
“The Volcano still outperforms anything on the market in terms of pure vapor quality,” said Vatra Syla, marketing director for the vape juggernaut. “People complain about the price, but it’s expensive because it’s well made.”
In the future, the device is likely to stay at the same price level considering how expensive it is to build, but the desktop devices can come with more color options. “Last year we celebrated the volcano’s 20th anniversary [with a gold plated version], and we brought out the food grade, ”said Syla. “There is potential for further additions to the volcano.”
510 cartridge batteries
510 thread vape cartridges are the most common form of vaping cannabis. The future of 510 batteries will place more emphasis on temperature and aesthetics.
Originally, 510 batteries only heated cannabis oil to one temperature. The thing is, each strain of cannabis has its own temperature range that makes the most of it. This means that a battery must be able to adjust the temperature.
That is why there are advanced 510 battery systems like Vessel’s 510 batteries. Vessel batteries come with 4 different temperature settings to activate the variety of cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis oils.
For those less interested in the long and sleek aesthetics of traditional vape pens, 510 cartridge companies are dropping palm-sized batteries – Vessel, for example, now has the Compass.
“It’s very attractive to have pen-style devices, but we knew there was a large, emerging audience that wanted small, compact, and mobile devices,” said Vessel Founder and CEO James Choe. “When you feel it in your hand, it feels like it’s molded on the palm of your hand.”
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Closed vape systems
Closed-loop vape systems, also known as proprietary pods, are systems where a company’s battery will only work with certain non-refillable cartridges from the same company. Examples of closed-loop systems are the PAX Era and the Airgraft 2.
These systems incorporate some of the most advanced heating technologies and allow most adjustments in terms of temperature and dosage, resulting in extremely flavourful and smooth vape sessions.
The biggest problem with proprietary pod systems, however, is the price of both the device and the pods. Half a gram of oil for a closed system can cost the same price as a full gram of the same oil in a 510 cartridge.
Airgraft is addressing this problem by introducing its new subscription service, which enables huge savings on full-gram carts. When you factor in the expense of cartridge manufacturers, extractors and taxes, cartridges can get expensive.
“For every dollar I charge, the consumer has to pay $ 4.50 on the other side,” said Mladen Barbaric, founder and CEO of Airgraft. “Members pay us $ 10 a month and they have access to unlimited pods. This leads to a sales price that is significantly lower on our platform than on other platforms. ”
Access to high quality products at reasonable prices is the goal of every cannabis user. Should Airgraft’s membership system prove superior to other purchase options, it could very well become the new industry standard.
Dante Jordan
Danté Jordan is a former member of the Leafly Subject Matter Expert Team and is currently a freelance writer, video producer, and media consultant specializing in cannabis culture, strains, products, education, and everything else related to this little green flower. Contact him at smokewithdante on Instagram or datenetworks (at) gmail (dotcom). His website is www.dantejordan.com.
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