Home vaporisers are made for desktop use and vary greatly from portable kits that work with special fragrant liquids. You need to consider a number of factors that will influence everything, from the aroma itself to the money you spend on herbs.
Vaporiser versatility
A desktop vaporising device can only be used at home. You cannot take it everywhere with you. While it may not be portable, it should be versatile enough to let you customise the experience as desired. Choose a vaporiser that can be fit with more than one intake piece. For example, there are models with a simple mouthpiece, while other types can accommodate the classic mouthpiece, as well as balloons, bags, whips or water pipe extensions.
Conduction or convection?
This is about the way the device gets to heat up the herbs. The conduction method has the heated element come in direct contact with these. There is the risk that the material may burn instead of being vaporised. For this reason, experienced vapers prefer the convection method, which implies a heated element that does not come in direct contact with the material. Instead, the heat passes through the given medium to reach the herbs and gently heat them up to release the aromatic compounds. Convection is more expensive because it has superior results.
The materials
The best materials are the safest. You should definitely choose a vaporiser made of “food grade” materials, meaning the ones safe enough to come in contact with food, beverages and anything you might ingest/inhale. The type of plastic should always be specified by the manufacturer. The typical Volcano vaporiser is not only made with food grade materials, but these are also heat resistant. There is no flavor coming from it under any circumstances, so it will not alter your experience. Other materials can modify the taste and aroma once heated up.
Temperature controls
Do you really need this feature? Yes. With a little bit of research, you can find the ideal vaporising temperature for each herb or spice that you’re using and set the device at the desired level. You should select a vaporiser with either an adjustable knob or a digital display for greater precision. Some brands will advertise devices that adjust the temperature on their own, but they don’t do it based on the type of herb; automatic temperature adjustment is based on your own inhalation speed.
The power source
This will greatly influence the way you’ll be using your device. Most desktop vaporisers rely on wall adapters and there are no big differences from one brand to another. Be warned that some run on butane; do not pick this kind unless you are equipped to handle it. Luckily, most are simply functioning with batteries. The best are the rechargeable ones and here’s where the brand factor comes in. Not all such batteries are made equal. Internal batteries are riskier than the ones that can be replaced. Do not opt for such unless the warranty covers it.
All vaporisers come with the basic accessories to get you started. It makes sense when you do shopping to choose a more expensive unit if it’s made of high quality materials and needs smaller quantities of herbs to produce vapour. Models with loads of customisation options aren’t necessarily better.
