How to Use a Dry Herb Vaporizer

Load it up, turn it on, and hit it, right? While the entire process seems simple (and it is), there are a few tips & tricks to get the best performance from your herb vape. We go over some fundamentals as well as some lesser known tricks to let you know how to use a weed vape the best way possibly!
Check out our post on what is a dry herb vaporizer to understand the differences of convection vs conduction vapes, vaping vs smoking, and portable vs desktop vapes! 

Grind consistency
Probably the biggest factor to getting good results from your herb vaporizer, the grind consistency will play a big role into the results you get! There are a few different ways to load your chamber or stem up with ground material, and here are the differences between them;
·Fine grind: A fine grind is definitely best for conduction vapes like the Pax 3 or Utillian 421. This gives the most surface area for extraction and will give you better results. This will not work quite as well with convection based vaporizers.
·Medium-coarse grind: Definitely better for hybrid or convection vaporizers, this lets air pass through the herb much better than a fine grind, and causing less draw restriction. Convection vapes like the Firefly2+ or Utillian 722 will definitely work better with this type of grind consistency.
·Scissors or unground: If you have no grinder around, then you may have to rely on scissors to do the work for you. While this won’t work so well with most devices, certain units like the Arizer Solo 2 will do pretty fine with this, and even work alright with whole/hand-picked herb. You’ll still get better results with a grinder though! 
Most grinders will grind medium-coarse. To finely grind herb, just flip your grinder upside-down and keep cranking it until you get your desired results! While scissors and hand-picking will do alright, you’ll really notice a big improvement when using a grinder.

Packing technique
Also depending on the type of herb vape you have, the packing technique will influence your results quite strongly. In general, there are two distinctly different packing techniques for the type of herb vape you have, a firm pack and a loose pack.
·A firm pack: This technique works much better for conduction vapes, and it allows conductive heat to more evenly cook your herb. With a fine grind and firm pack, you’ll really notice a significant difference with a lot of conduction vapes. Keeping the chamber full on a conduction vape is recommended for better vapor production as the dry herbs can fly around inside the half full chamber instead of being pressed against the host surface.
·A loose pack: This technique on the other hand greatly favors convection vaporizers. Allowing the hot air to easily pass through the herb won’t affect the draw resistance and give you a much more even cook. A loose pack and medium-coarse grind is definitely better for most convection and hybrid vapes.

Temperature control
Temperature of course plays a big role into the affects you get from your herb vape. In general, most people prefer to start low at a temperature of around 160-170°C, and gradually pump up the setting throughout the session. This allows you to get the good flavors right away, though you will get less vapor as a result.
Low temperatures can also give you a different high – more energetic and of a headhigh. This is better suited for daytime and afternoon use where you want to remain functional and focused.
High temperatures will give you more of a couch-locked body stone, way better for evening and after-work sessions. Flavor will taste more like roasted-popcorn and you’ll be spewing out much thicker plumes of vapor. 

Cleaning
Instrumental to getting good and consistent results from your vaporizer, keeping on top of cleaning and maintenance of your dry herb vape is quite important. Thankfully, it’s very easy and simple to clean an herb vape.
A bottle of 90%+ isopropyl alcohol can be bought from most pharmacies, drug stores, and supermarkets for around $5. Some cleaning tools or cotton swabs and a few minutes is all you need to clean out the herb chamber and mouthpiece properly. This can improve flavor, airflow, and overall performance quite significantly.  Alcohol wipes also work great in a pinch and easy to find everywhere!
We recommend cleaning your herb vape every 5-10 sessions, or whenever you notice performance dropping off significantly. This can be a day/night difference you might’ve not noticed right away. Keep it clean and happy and your vape will keep you baked and happy!

Other tips and tricks
·Changed mouthpiece/stem: Some vapes like the Boundless Tera benefit massively from a different mouthpiece like that from an Arizer Air, improving flavor and smoothness.
·A water pipe adaptor (WPA): Transforming the experience entirely, a WPA can give new life to an old device. Pairing a vape with a bubbler for vapor bong hits can lead to massive hits and heavy highs all while being smooth on the lungs.
·Fully charged battery: Some units will perform better on 100% charge than on 40% charge in terms of heat-up and power delivery. Most units will perform the same across the board, but it’s definitely a good idea to always have it fully topped up just in case!
·Humidity of your herb: Playing a big factor in smell, taste, and even vapor production, throwing in a 60% humidity pack with your herb in an air-tight jar is a good and cheap way to have a better experience! Humidity packs are very cheap ($1-5 each) and certainly worth it. You wouldn’t drink warm beer, would you?

Summary
And so there you have our tips and tricks on how to use a dry herb vaporizer! Some of these are pretty basic, but a humidity pack alongside a proper grind and packing technique will really transform the performance and experience you get from your weed vape. Keep it clean and charged up, and feed it the best herb you can find!