The Pros & Cons of Weed Pens

Since their evolution from e-cig technology circa 2003, weed vape pens have provided cannabis consumers with a safe, smokeless way of getting the benefits that the cannabis plant provides. So much so that oil vape pens have grown to be one of the most popular categories of today’s cannabis market.

In fact, according to Headset’s state-by-state data market data, vapor pens are usually each state’s second best-selling sector, right behind cannabis flower. With that comes a lot of interest in using vapor pens from both novice and experienced cannabis consumers alike.

If you’re looking to expand into vape pen consumption, whether it be for health or specific preferences for consumption, here are some pros and cons of weed pens. They can help you find the best vape pens for weed accessible to you.

The pros of vaping with weed pens

Cannabis vapor pens, simply called vape pens, are handheld devices that allow you to consume processed cannabis oils through a simple delivery mechanism. They have many advantages to them, most of which revolve around smokeless consumption, discretion, and ease of use.

The biggest win of using weed vape pens is that you’re inhaling vapor, not smoke. Smoke is the product of burning materials, which puts more than just plant compounds in your body.

You’re inhaling paper residue, as well as potentially harmful carcinogens, which can have negative effects on your lungs and respiratory system, according to the CDC.

With vape pens, you’re only inhaling vapor from non-combusted oil, which you should only buy from a legal, authorized dealer that can verify a product’s authenticity with a Certificate of Analysis.

There’s still much to be known about the pros and cons of smoking cannabis flower versus vaping cannabis flower and oils, so no real health claims can be made.

One thing is for sure, weed vape pens don’t smell as loud as flower, allowing you to discreetly consume cannabis pretty much anywhere you are. These places include hotels, bars, restaurants, clubs, and even churches (though you may get kicked out of each of these places for vaping).

Weed pens are also extremely portable. You can toss them right into your pocket and just go. Or if you’re traveling, they fit right into your backpack like any ol’ regular ink pen.

Lastly, the ease of use with weed vape pens, cartridges, and pods is unmatched. Vape pens are usually composed of cannabis oil cartridges, a battery for heating, and one power button on the battery that you click when inhaling. It takes away all the rolling of joints and loading of dab rigs that might intimidate someone who’s just starting their weed journey.

For people that are ready to start vaping, the first thing you’ll need to learn is the different types weed pens. They basically break down to disposable pens for one-time use, and reusable vape pen and vape pod systems. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. 

Why people love disposable weed pens

Disposable weed pens are good for one-and-done usage. If you don’t want to keep up with weed pen batteries, weed pen chargers, and a bunch of half-used cartridges, these are a great option for you. Plus, the technology and functionality of a disposable pen are already optimized for the type of oil inside it.

Another reason people love disposable weed pens is the price. Up front, a single disposable will cost less than buying both a 510-thread cartridge and a 510-thread battery, or a proprietary pod and matching battery, like STIIIZY’s pods and battery. However, this price advantage will change in the long-run if you plan to use weed vape pens on a continued basis.

Lastly, disposable weed pens are usually more compact and easier to hide than the longer 510-thread batteries. No one likes to have bulging pockets when they walk around.

Why people love non-disposable weed pens

Still, even with all those reasons that people love disposable pens, they usually love reusable ones more. It’s like if you know you like drinking water, at a certain point you buy a refillable Hydroflask and stop buying single-use Aquafinas. Same goes for regular weed pen batteries and pod systems versus disposable ones.

Plus, with 510-thread batteries like Vessel’s Expedition and Craftsmanship series, you’re able to use various temperatures that allow you to adjust each consumption experience to the type of cannabis concentrate you’re vaping.

The same goes for proprietary vape pod systems, many of which come with Bluetooth app capability that allows you to select specific temperatures, and really dial in the size of your clouds and the levels of your flavor.

If you want to truly enhance your flavor and vape carts, battery systems that work with specific types of carts are the way to go. It won’t taste as good as some straight-up fire dabs, but it’ll get the job done if you just need a little pick-me-up.

The cons of vaping with weed pens

With most things in life, there are always cons that offset the pros.

The cons of vaping weed pens are that they simply don’t get the job done like flower, dabs, and even edibles when it comes to potency. They are lighter in effect unless you sit and hit it 20 times, and the effects tend to be pretty short-lived.

If you take one hit of flower, one hit of dabs, and one hit of a vape pen, the vape pen will lose the effects/potency battle 10 out of 10 times.

It doesn’t necessarily matter what the type of pod or cartridge type, whether it’s a STIIIZY, or a PAX pod, it still will not be as potent and long-lasting in effects as smoking and vaping flower or dabbing cannabis concentrates.

Also, sometimes bad weed pens/cartridges get clogged or leak, and then you can’t use the $40-$100 cartridge that you’ve just bought.

The issues with disposable weed pens

Disposable pens become unpleasant if you hit them too hard and then suddenly there’s a big burnt taste in them forever. That’s a waste of money and also now you’ve just got more wasted natural resources, thanks to the single-use nature of disposables.

Why people might not prefer weed pens

Weed pens can be limited if you want to get super high. The only people who prefer them are people who simply want the effects of THC, CBD, etc. without all the work to get it, or those that simply don’t want to inhale any smoke.

They don’t want to roll up, they don’t want to clean their bangers, they just want to hit the weed pen, taste something good, and feel a little buzz. That’s all good and fine, but if you want the full experience with the plant, vape pens are simply not as effective as flower and dabs.

In the end, the pros and cons of weed pens all come down to the quality of oil inside of them. If you have bad oil, it’s going to taste and feel like it. As the cannabis market evolves, and consumers become more interested in flavor over function, more solventless vape carts and pods will emerge.

In terms of vape pen function, the future of vape technology will revolve around dialing in the temperature and maximizing the potential of the terpenes and cannabinoids inside of high-quality oil.

With all things cannabis, remember that the experience is user-specific and whatever works best for you to get the qualities of cannabis you seek is what you should go with. But don’t ignore that there are levels to quality and that you deserve a top-notch experience every time you consume cannabis.