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Although traditional flower is never going to go out of style, people have increasingly turned to vaping concentrates in recent years because it offers some huge benefits. Compared to flower, concentrates are more discreet and easier to manage because the devices are tiny, and there’s less material to store. Potency is another significant benefit; puff for puff, nothing helps you reach your desired state more quickly than concentrates.
If you want to get started in the world of concentrate vaping, though, you’ve got an important choice to make: Do you want to use a vape pen with cartridges, or is a dab pen a better fit for you? Dabs and carts tend to work best in slightly different vaping scenarios, so many people ultimately end up buying both. You’ve got to choose which type of vape you’re going to buy first, though, and that’s what we’re going to help you do in this guide.
So, what’s the difference between dab pens and carts? Let’s start with the basics by describing how these two types of vapes work.
How Do Vape Pens and Dab Pens Work?
Since the differences between dabs and carts mainly come down to how the devices work, that’s where this comparison needs to begin. Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect your experience with a vape pen or dab pen to be like.
A vape pen uses a cartridge that’s filled with oil. You can also buy empty cartridges and fill them yourself. When you puff on your vape pen or press the fire button, the heating coil in the cartridge vaporizes a small amount of the oil. More oil absorbs into the cartridge’s wick from the reservoir, preparing the vape pen for the next puff. A vape cartridge typically delivers hundreds of puffs before running out of oil.
A dab pen has a heating coil that you load yourself by putting a “dab” of wax on the coil. After preheating the coil briefly to melt the wax, you can then vape by puffing on the dab pen’s mouthpiece or by holding the fire button. A dab of wax typically delivers a few large puffs of vapor. Once it’s used up, you need to add more wax if you want to continue vaping. Note that some people also refer to dab pens as wax pens, but there’s no difference between the two terms. They both refer to the same type of vape.
Dab pens and wax pens both have their pros and cons – so with those basic definitions out of the way, let’s talk about the main strengths of these types of vapes.
Vape Cartridges Are Easier to Use
Without a doubt, the biggest benefit of vape carts is that they’re extremely easy to use. You can figure out how to use a vape pen within minutes of picking one up for the first time, which is one reason why new vapers choose carts over dabs more often than not. Using a vape pen is incredibly simple – just charge the battery, attach a cartridge and enjoy. You can even find disposable vapes, which provide the same experience in a package that’s ready to go right out of the box.
Dab pens, in comparison, are fairly complicated compared to vape pens and are more prone to problems like leaking and burnt hits. A dab pen can provide an amazing experience, but you need to be prepared for a bit of a learning curve when you use one for the first time.
Vape Carts Are More Discreet and More Portable
The second-biggest benefit of vape carts is that they’re far more discreet and portable than dab pens because everything that you need is right there in a single self-contained package. A vape cart holds much more oil than anyone could possibly use in a day, so you can carry your vape pen in your pocket wherever you go and puff on it as needed. Many vape pens are extremely small to emphasize the portability aspect even further.
Compared to vape pens, dab pens generally tend to be a little larger. In addition, because you need to put more wax on the coil after a few puffs, traveling with a dab pen also means that you need to travel with a container of wax. Because of those factors, dab pens usually aren’t best for vaping on the go and are generally best suited for more leisurely vaping sessions at home.
Dab Pens Can Be More Potent
While the biggest benefits of vape pens are simplicity and portability, dab pens offer something else that’s just as compelling: incredible potency. Although oil and wax concentrates are both more potent than traditional flower, wax typically has a noticeable edge over oil in the potency department. The increased potency of wax is further enhanced by the design of dab pens, which typically have large airflow holes to let you take really big rips. Dab pens can be so intense that many people end up connecting them to bubblers or bongs, which can help to lower the heat a bit. If you want a vaping experience that gives you the highest possible potency on a puff-for-puff basis, you’ll definitely want to buy a dab pen.
Dab Pens May Cost Less Over Time
The second major benefit of dab pens is that they may cost less than vape pens over time, although this partially depends on how you use your device. If you buy vape oil in bulk and fill your own cartridges, vape pens can be quite affordable to use. That’s not what most people do with vape carts, though – people usually buy pre-filled carts or disposable vapes because they’re much more convenient. Even if you do fill your own carts, you’ll still need to replace your cartridges after refilling them a few times because the flavor quality will eventually drop.
Contrast this to the experience of using a dab pen. Like a vape cart, a dab coil will eventually lose its flavor quality due to residue buildup – but when this happens, you can simply remove the coil and soak it in rubbing alcohol for a couple of hours. The residue will dissolve, and the coil will come out tasting almost like new. Because it’s so easy to clean the non-electronic parts, a dab pen can last an incredibly long time before you’ll need to start thinking about replacing old components. In the long run, using a dab pen can potentially cost quite a bit less than buying vape carts.
Wrapping Up: Are Dabs or Carts Better for You?
It’s time to wrap things up. The decision between a vape pen and a dab pen ultimately comes down to where you stand on these things.
Vape pens are very easy to use, and that means they’re typically best for people who have never vaped before. A vape pen is also extremely discreet and portable, making it perfect for vaping on the go.
Dab pens have a bit of a learning curve, but getting past that learning curve means that you get to enjoy the most potent vaping experience possible. Dab pens are also great for economical vaping because their non-electronic components are easy to remove and clean.
We hope that this guide made your decision a bit easier – and if you’re still not sure how to get started, we’d love to help. Get in touch by clicking the email link at the bottom of this page. You can also visit one of our partner dispensaries near you, and a friendly budtender will be glad to answer your questions.
