Conduction Or Convection? Understanding Modern Vapes

Conduction and convection are becoming more prominent within the vape industry. Innovative vaporizer technology is providing more options for users to have a more customized experience when using their products.

When dry herb vaporizers started hitting the shelves, there weren't too many options. Many of them had only a few settings that a user could choose from. Then there was a period of time when vaporizer technology was trying to push the boundary by providing a vaporizer that could utilize both dry herb and concentrate. This was a good launching point, but the technology was just barely there. While it was better to make a purchase that was specifically for what you wanted, the idea of introducing improvements down the line was always on the radar for all vaporizer companies. 

While the take-off of these products was relatively strong, there was still a long way to get to where we are today. Conduction vaporizers had their benefit, and so did convection vaporizers. While the time of combining both into one single product results in a halfway decent product, today's modern vaporizers are providing users with the most optimal experience. 

What Is A Convection Vaporizer?

There are three different ways that heat moves: convection, conduction, and "radiation" (we don't use this one for vaping - it's just to make us look more "scientific").

Convection vaporizers heat dry herb and flower in order to turn the trichomes into gas. In order to get a better idea of how this works, imagine your oven. This cooking system doesn't have direct contact with your food when you are cooking it. It creates a space where the surrounding area circulates hot air by heating coils and utilizing fans to move that heat throughout the oven. A convection vaporizer utilizes the same methods. Instead of directly heating your flower, the device utilizes hot air that circulates through the chamber. What is left is the byproduct of dry herb without any more psychoactive chemicals. A benefit of convection is the utilization of terpenes which gives your hit the flavor profile that you are looking for. 

Why Are Convection Vaporizers Becoming So Popular?

The main reason is for an optimal vaping experience. While vaping acts to heat up the surrounding area with hot air, the nature of this method delivers pure cannabinoids and terpenes to the user. While many still use products that require them to burn their product in order to get what they need, convection vaporization allows the user to have what they want without the combustion elements and carcinogens. 

What Is A Conduction Vaporizer?

Now that you understand what convection is. Let's take a look at the other side of the spectrum. Conduction heating requires direct contact with your plant material in order to heat the crystals that on located in your flower. Instead of utilizing an oven, think about a frying pan. You want that steak cooked right? Well, you need to drop it on a hot surface through direct contact. 

A conduction vaporizer is the same way. Conduction vaporizers have been in the industry for far longer. This is due to the technological advancements of the time. This is not to say that many do not enjoy the benefits of conduction vaping, either. 

Pros And Cons Of Conduction And Convection

Looking for what you want out of the perfect vaporizer requires looking through your resources and understanding the main principles. 

Temperature Control

Temp control is one of the main reasons for people to make the switch from conventional methods to newer more technologically advanced methods. 

Conduction: Conduction vapes have the best temperature control. Most of these devices provide the user with more precise temperature control at a much larger temperature range. While this is a great function, it also means that the dry herb that you placed in your chamber might not receive the most optimal heat ratio. Some of your herbs may vaporize while another part within the chamber might not receive the same amount of heat. 

Convection: While these devices have evolved technologically to almost the same temperature settings as conduction, it's not quite there yet. Don't let that shy you away. The difference is very small and the make-or-break for people who use this method over conduction is extremely small. Convection vaporizers have the benefit of providing a more well-rounded heating system that can hit every part of the chamber.

Vapor Quality

When people make the switch to vaping, the level of quality is what predominantly attracts them. The main reason is that vaping doesn't burn anything. It just heats it up. Burning dry herb leaves a bad taste as well as creates an odor that sticks to its surroundings. Nobody wants to take a hit that is dry and tastes like burnt ash. 

Conduction: Almost all conduction vaporizers have the full capacity to deliver clean tasteful hits. Conduction vaporizers produce thicker clouds due to the direct contact with the heating element. 

Convection: The overall consensus is that convection vaporizers can produce equal to or even better than vaporizer production. Convection provides an experience that rarely causes throat stress. Convection vaporizers do not have the benefit of large cloud production, but for many people that is perfectly fine.