Ever since dry vaping herb has become a thing there has been a debate over whether you can actually save money by vaping as compared to smoking, and if so, how much you can save. Given that an ounce of quality buds in a dispensary is going to set you back anywhere from $250 – $350, and that you can expect to fill your bong bowl about 100 times with that ounce (at $2.50 – $3.50 per bowl), it’s an important question. Below, the crew at the 710 Pipes vape shop in Denver investigate the issue.
Do Vaporizers Save You Money?
Since cannabis first became wildly popular in the 1960s combustion has been the preferred method of extracting its benefits. In recent years, however, that has changed. The advent of vaping technology has provided people with concerns about inhaling any type of smoke with an alternative method of copping an epic buzz. But they’re not the only ones in Denver drawn to vaporizers. Many others have heard that dry vaping is a more efficient method of enjoying weed, one that enables you to cop an equally outstanding buzz using less weed. The result? Your weed goes farther and you spend less. But is that true?
How it Works
Essentially, a bong is like a grill and a vaporizer is like an oven. With a bong, you expose your weed to a direct flame and burn it (a process called combustion), with the all-important THC contained in the resulting smoke which you then inhale. With a vaporizer, you bake the weed by exposing it to high temperatures (a process called convection). This produces a THC-laden vapor which you then inhale.
Is Vaping Really More Efficient?
Vapers will argue strenuously that their method is both healthier and more cost-effective. We’ll give them the healthier point (although smoking herb is nothing like smoking cigarettes it’s still not risk-free), but what about cost-effectiveness?
Well, we’re sorry to disappoint traditionalists but the vapers are right on this account as well. It’s a scientific fact that burning your expensive herb to extract the miracle molecules of THC is going to waste more of it than vaping it. This is due to the nature of combustion. Applying extreme heat in the form of a flame to a bowl full of herb is going to incinerate many of the compounds that make the cannabis experience what it is. Everything from terpenes to THC may be broken down by the extreme heat and rendered inert.
Vaping, on the other hand, is much kinder to your weed. In most cases, vaporizers will be set to anywhere from 350° F to 410° F (180 – 210° C). At this temperature the active compounds in the herb will vaporize forming a cloud you can inhale. None of the herb will be reduced to ashes negating its native potency and aroma, and you should be able to achieve an equally impressive buzz using less herb.
So How Much Will You Actually Save?
The only honest answer to that question is, it depends. “On what?” you ask. On a lot of things actually, starting with how much you pay for your herb.
Let’s say you’re paying $350 an ounce and an ounce lasts you two weeks. That means you’re spending $175 a week on weed (we’re assuming you have some friends you share with). Now let’s say you’re able to get the same buzz using half the weed. In theory, that means your ounce of weed will now last a month, cutting your weekly expenses from $175 to $87.50. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
On the other hand, let’s say you’re paying $100 per ounce for less than premium ganja and that ounce also lasts you two weeks using a bong. That’s $50 per week. Now if you reduce consumption by 50% your weekly weed costs will drop from $50 to $25.
So depending on the cost of the weed you’re vaping your weekly savings could be as much as $87.50 per week or as little as $25 per week, based on those two scenarios. Of course, if your response to the greater efficiency of the vaporizer is to up your weed intake then all bets are off.
There are a couple of other ways to increase the efficiency of your vaporizer. The first is to simply increase the temperature a bit. Unlike with a joint or a bong, vaporizers give you precise control over the temperature. If you normally bake your weed at 370° F you are probably leaving some active compounds behind in the herb. By raising the temp just a bit, to say 400° F, you will extract every bit of the active material and have to use less weed to achieve the same buzz you’d get at 370°.
Another way to enhance the efficiency of your vaping is to modulate your inhalation a bit. When you draw too heavily on the device you remove heat from the convection process and undermine the bake. Slow, steady inhalation will enable a more efficient bake and better results.
Our Smoke Shop Team’s Final Thoughts
Vaping will enable you to make your expensive herb last longer while tasting and smelling better. 710 Pipes has an unmatched selection of vaping devices that will help you successfully transition from smoker to vaper and save money in the process. If you’re in Colorado just search for “vape shop near me” to find our location.