03
May
May
Virtually all of the portable vaping devices on the market that are intended for use with oil or wax concentrates fall into two categories – they’re either 510-thread batteries or 510-thread vaporizers. At their core, the two types of vapes are extremely similar – but they also differ from one another in subtle ways. If you’re in the market for a new vaping device, it’s important for you to understand those differences if you want your experience to be as good as it can be.
So, what’s the best type of vaping device for your needs – and once you’ve selected that device, how do you use it? In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the process from start to finish. Reading it, you’re going to learn the answers to these questions:
- What’s the difference between a 510-thread battery and a vaporizer?
- What exactly does the term “510 thread” mean, anyway?
- What are the differences between oil, wax and dry herb vaporizers?
- What are the best vaporizers on the market today?
- How do you properly use and maintain a 510-thread battery or vaporizer?
It’s time to jump in and learn more.
Understanding 510-Thread Batteries
If you’ve ever examined a vaping device with a removable cartridge or atomizer, you probably noticed that the cartridge or atomizer connected to a threaded opening at the top of the battery. That system for connecting attachments to a vaping device is called the 510 thread. The reason why the “510” identifier exists is because in the past, there were several different thread types used for vaping devices and their attachments. Each thread type had its own number or combination of letters and numbers. Eventually, the 510 thread became the standard type used throughout the industry, and most of the other thread types are nonexistent today.
How Do 510-Thread Batteries Work?
A 510-thread battery is essentially any vape battery that’s sold on its own without an included cartridge or atomizer. The idea is that you’ll buy the attachment of your choice separately and connect it to the battery yourself. Once you’ve chosen the attachment – such as a 510 vape cartridge – and connected it to the battery, your device is ready to use.
What Are the Different Types of 510-Thread Batteries?
The main ways in which 510-thread batteries differ from one another is in their power delivery methods and firing mechanisms. You need to understand your options in those two areas if you want to get the best 510-thread battery for your needs.
Power Delivery
A 510-thread battery has two primary modes of power delivery. They are:
- Variable voltage: A 510-thread battery with variable voltage allows you to change the device’s operational power level. Some devices allow you to select a specific voltage, and others simply allow you to choose between low, medium and high power levels.
- Regulated voltage: A 510-thread battery with regulated voltage operates at a specific power level – usually 3.6 or 3.7 volts – from the beginning to the end of the battery’s charge.
Firing Mechanism
A 510-thread battery can have two different firing mechanisms. They are:
- Puff-based firing: A 510-thread battery with puff-based firing generates vapor automatically when you puff on it.
- Button-based firing: A 510-thread battery with button-based firing generates vapor when you hold a button.
What to Consider When Buying a 510-Thread Battery
Given all of the different features and specification that a device might have, what are the things that you should consider before you buy a 510-thread battery? You’ll need to decide where you stand on four different points.
- Power delivery: A device with regulated power delivery is simpler, but a device with variable power delivery may allow you to get bigger clouds with certain vape cartridges.
- Firing mechanism: A device with puff-based firing is simpler since it has no physical controls. However, you’ll get bigger clouds and bolder flavors with a device that uses button-based firing because you can hold the button before you begin inhaling.
- Battery capacity: A device with greater battery capacity will give you more vaping time between charges, but it’ll also be larger and heavier than a device with less battery capacity.
- Physical design: Some 510-thread batteries have recessed threading that hides a portion of the connected cartridge inside the body of the device. That makes the device smaller and more pocketable, but it also means that the device won’t work with wide cartridges and wax coils.
Exploring 510-Thread Vaporizers
A 510-thread vaporizer is essentially the same thing as a 510-thread battery, with one exception. When you buy a 510-thread vaporizer, the device usually includes a heating component such as a wax coil or an oil cartridge. When you buy a 510-thread battery, on the other hand, you need to provide your own heating component.
Another difference between vaporizers and batteries is that a vaporizer will sometimes have more advanced features such as precise temperature control, automatic coil preheating or fully adjustable voltage or wattage.
It’s also possible to find vaporizers that don’t have 510 threading because the heating component of the device isn’t removable. This is particularly common with dry herb vaporizers. Although 510-threaded dry herb ovens do exist, it’s more common for dry herb vaporizers to have permanent built-in ovens.
What Are the Different Types of 510-Thread Vaporizers?
There are three different types of 510-thread vaporizers. They are:
- Oil vaporizer: This type of vaporizer is designed to work with oil-based herbal concentrates, which are liquid and somewhat runny. The Shiv is an example of an oil vaporizer. Because its 510 threading is retractable, it’s designed for use with narrow oil cartridges.
- Wax vaporizer: This type of vaporizer is designed to work with waxy concentrates, which are solid at room temperature. The Nomad is an example of a wax vaporizer.
- Dry herb vaporizer: This type of vaporizer is designed to work with ground herbs. It heats the herbs to release their active compounds without triggering combustion. The Auxo Calent is an example of a dry herb vaporizer.
What to Consider When Buying a 510-Thread Vaporizer
Because vaporizers tend to be a bit more complex than 510-thread batteries, you’ll have a few more decisions to make when you buy one. In addition to the factors mentioned in the previous section on 510-thread batteries, these are the additional factors that you’ll need to consider when buying a vaporizer.
- Material compatibility: Before buying a vaporizer, you need to know the type of material for which it’s designed. Any 510-thread vaporizer that’s designed to work with wax coils should also provide a good experience with oil cartridges, but the reverse isn’t always true.
- Heating technology: It’s also a good idea to learn about the heating technology that a vaporizer uses. If the vaporizer includes an oil cartridge, is it a high-quality CCELL® cartridge? If the vaporizer includes a wax coil, does the coil have a quartz core for ideal heat distribution and maximum flavor quality?
- Portability and discretion: When you buy any vaporizer, you’ll need to decide where you stand on portability and discretion vs. power and battery life. An extremely powerful vaporizer like the Starship isn’t designed for transportation in your pocket.
Top 5 Recommended 510-Thread Batteries and Vaporizers
If you’re buying your first 510-thread battery or vaporizer, you don’t need the most powerful device on the market – but you do need something that’s reliable and capable of meeting your needs. Whether you need an oil vaporizer or something compatible with both oil and wax, you’ll find the ideal device on this list of the best 510-thread batteries and vaporizers.
CCELL® Silo
The CCELL® Silo is an unbelievably small and pocketable 510-thread battery for oil cartridges, and it’s doubly pocketable because the recessed threading allows just the cartridge’s mouthpiece to peek out from the top of the device. Simply screw the included magnetic connector to the bottom of your cartridge and drop the cartridge into the hole at the top of the device, and you’re ready to start vaping. The CCELL® Silo automatically selects the best operational voltage based on the specifications of the installed cartridge.
The CCELL® Silo works with all CCELL® vape cartridges and most third-party oil cartridges. Because attachments for wax vaping are generally wider than oil cartridges, though, most wax attachments will not work with this device.
CCELL® Silo Specifications
- Material compatibility: Oil
- Battery life: 550 mAh
- Power delivery: Regulated from 3.2-2.6 volts
- Firing mechanism: Puff activated
- Price: $16.49
CCELL® Palm Pro
The CCELL® Palm Pro combines portability and power, offering true variable-voltage operation in an unbelievably small and pocketable package. Like the Silo battery mentioned above, the Palm Pro has a magnetic connector that enables you to simply drop in your cartridge and to switch between cartridges with ease.
For advanced vapers, the CCELL® Palm Pro has three key features that the Silo battery lacks. The first of those is variable voltage. By clicking the device’s control button, you can switch between power levels of 2.8, 3.2 and 3.6 volts. The Palm Pro also has an automatic preheating function that allows you to warm your cartridges for better flavor and bigger clouds. Finally, the Palm Pro has an adjustable air path, which allows you to enjoy exactly the level of airflow resistance that you want when vaping.
Because it has recessed threading, the CCELL® Palm Pro is designed for oil vaping and will not work with most attachments for wax vaping.
CCELL® Palm Pro Specifications
- Material compatibility: Oil
- Battery life: 500 mAh
- Power delivery: Variable; three settings up to 3.6 volts
- Firing mechanism: Puff activated
- Price: $34.99
Hamilton Devices Nomad
The Nomad vaporizer is an all-purpose vape pen that’s designed to give you a spectacular wax vaping experience. The Nomad is a variable-voltage device and can operate at 3.4, 3.8 or 4.2 volts for enormous cloud production.
If you decide to use the Nomad for wax vaping, you’ll love the fact that it includes an extensive array of glassware. Connect the glass mouthpiece for maximum vapor and flavor quality or use the included glass bubbler to enjoy the smoothness of water filtration. The Nomad also includes an attachment that allows you to connect it to a standalone water pipe. The Nomad offers protection for its delicate components with the included waterproof case, which holds the device and all glassware.
Hamilton Devices Nomad Specifications
- Material compatibility: Wax
- Battery life: 650 mAh
- Power delivery: Variable; three settings up to 4.2 volts
- Firing mechanism: Button or puff activated
- Price: $66.99
Hamilton Devices KR1
If you enjoy the smoothness of water filtration, you’re going to love the Hamilton Devices KR1 because it’s the smallest 510-thread vaporizer on the market with its own built-in bubbler. The KR1 vaporizer includes a wax coil, but it’ll also work with most oil cartridges. All that you need to do is connect the attachment of your choice and add a little water to the glass bubbler, and you’re ready to vape.
The KR1 is a variable-voltage vaporizer that operates at 3.2, 3.6 and 4.0 volts. When you’re done vaping, this device is small enough that you can carry it in your pocket – just don’t forget to empty the water first. The glass bubbler and plastic housing are both cleanable with rubbing alcohol.
Hamilton Devices KR1 Specifications
- Material compatibility: Oil and wax
- Battery life: 500 mAh
- Power delivery: Variable; three settings up to 4.0 volts
- Firing mechanism: Button activated
- Price: $69.99
Hamilton Devices Starship
If you’re looking for the most powerful oil or wax vaporizer on the market, the Starship by Hamilton Devices is definitely it. The Starship has three separate 510 threads, allowing you to connect up to three wax coils or oil cartridges and use all of them simultaneously. If you think that concentrate vaping is intense, just imagine the effects you’ll experience when you can inhale from the equivalent of three vaporizers at the same time!
The Starship is a variable-voltage vaporizer that operates at 3.2, 3.7 or 4.2 volts – and if you’re not in the mood to experience the maximum effects of this device, you can use just one or two cartridges if you like. The Starship includes a water pipe attachment that allows you to enjoy the smoothness of water filtration.
Hamilton Devices Starship Specifications
- Material compatibility: Oil and wax
- Battery life: 1,450 mAh
- Power delivery: Variable; three settings up to 4.2 volts
- Firing mechanism: Button or puff activated
- Price: $89.99
Tips for Using 510-Thread Batteries and Vaporizers
Once you’ve selected the 510-thread battery or vaporizer that you want to use, your work isn’t done – you still need to know how to use it correctly. It’s always important to read the instruction manual, but there are a few things that the manual won’t tell you. Keep these tips in mind if you want to have the best possible experience with a 510-thread battery or vaporizer.
- Clean your device frequently to maintain the best possible performance and flavor quality. You can clean most removable vaporizer components with rubbing alcohol, but don’t immerse the main body of your device in liquid.
- Don’t put your device into your pocket until it is completely cool. Some vaporizer components – particularly wax coils with quartz cores – retain heat for a long time. In addition, a wax coil can leak if the material in the coil is still liquified.
- Watch your cartridge or coil carefully. You’ll experience a harsh hit if your device is out of oil or wax.
- Charge a 510-thread battery or vaporizer only through your computer. You should never use a wall adapter to charge a vaping device unless you have one that’s provided by the device’s manufacturer.
- If you have a button-activated vaporizer with a water pipe adapter, your device probably has the ability to switch to puff-activated mode. This feature means that you won’t have to reach around your pipe to press the device’s fire button when you want to vape.
- Are you experiencing a harsh flavor when you vape? It’s likely that your device has adjustable voltage, and the power level is too high. Some vape cartridges don’t work well at higher voltages; reduce the voltage for a smoother and more flavorful experience.
510-Thread Batteries and Vaporizers: FAQ
Do you have any question about 510-thread batteries and vaporizers that we haven’t answered already in this guide? If so, you’ll find the answer in this FAQ.
Can I put oil or wax in a vaporizer designed for dry herbs?
Unless the device’s manufacturer says otherwise, you can’t put oil or wax concentrates in a dry herb vaporizer. That’s because the oven in a dry herb vaporizer is usually open to allow hot air to penetrate completely through the herbs. Liquids could potentially seep through the oven and contaminate the vaporizer’s electronic components.
What’s the difference between oil and wax concentrates?
Herbal concentrates can come in many consistencies ranging from runny oils to solid waxes. Some people find wax concentrates to be more potent than oils, but both types of concentrates are significantly more potent than dry herbs. Neither type of concentrate is better than the other, so your choice essentially comes down to personal preference.
Why don’t some oil vaporizers work with wax coils?
Wax coils are typically a little wider than oil cartridges because a wax coil would be difficult to load if it didn’t have a sufficiently large opening. If your vaporizer has threading that’s retractable or recessed, a wax coil may not fit in the threading.
Can I connect a pre-filled oil cartridge to a 510-thread battery?
Yes. Any 510-thread battery that’s designed for oil cartridges will work with both pre-filled and refillable cartridges.
Conclusion
As you’ve learned from reading this guide, there’s an enormous amount of variety in the world of 510-thread batteries and vaporizers. Because the devices have such a wide variety of styles and features, you really need to know what you’re doing if you want to get the right device for your needs. In this guide, we hope that we’ve shed some light on your decision and made things a bit simpler for you.
If you’re still not sure what you want, you can’t go wrong with any of the 510-thread batteries and vaporizers that we’ve recommended in this guide. When compiling our recommendations, we selected a range of devices covering every possible skill level and use case. We suggest comparing those devices to determine which one might be a good fit for you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any other question that isn’t answered here.
Want to see our full selection of high-quality devices? Click now to view our full selection of 510-thread batteries and vaporizers.
