Without a doubt, the most popular form of herbal vaping today involves using a vape pen with a cartridge. Vape cartridges are user friendly and unbelievably potent for the small size. In most cases, all that you need to do is connect a cartridge to your device and start puffing, which is exactly what most people want out of their vaping experience. Choosing from the many different types of vape carts may not be easy, though, if you’re new to vape pens and don’t really know what you’re doing yet.
That’s where this guide comes in.
There are probably hundreds of carts on the market today that all differ from one another in subtle ways, making each one a truly unique product. Although it’s impossible to describe every vape cart that exists on a single page, we’ll try to do better than that by breaking down the different types of carts into broad categories. That way, you can begin your explorations by choosing a cart that seems like it’ll have the right combination of features for you.
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510-Thread vs. Pod Carts
The first choice you’ll make when you buy a vape cart is what type of device you need the cart to work with. If you’re using almost any vape pen or vape battery, your device will have a type of round threading called a 510 thread. In this case, you’ll need to use a 510-thread cartridge.
It’s also possible to use a pod-based vape. With this type of vape, you’ll load your device by pushing a plastic pod into a chamber at the top. Some people prefer pod vapes because they find them more convenient than 510-thread vapes.
A downside of pod vapes, though, is that pod cartridges tend to cost more than 510-thread cartridges. That’s because a 510-thread vape can work with almost any cartridge, but a pod vape is proprietary and only works with the pods designed for it.
Pre-Filled vs. Empty Carts
Perhaps the biggest choice you’ll need to make when buying a vape cart for the first time is whether you want to use one that’s pre-filled or empty.
Pre-filled carts have the benefit of convenience. Since a pre-filled cart is filled with oil and ready to use as soon as you buy it, there’s no work involved on your part. All that you need to do is connect the cartridge to your device and inhale.
Empty carts, on the other hand, give you greater control over what you’re vaping because you can select your own oil. Filling your own carts can also help you save money in the long run because you can buy vape oil in bulk, and a cartridge can usually be refilled at least a few times before it begins to taste burnt.
Types of Vape Oils
Every vape oil is an herbal extract, but that doesn’t even begin to cover the wide variety of different oils that are out there. Every strain has its own unique profile of active ingredients and terpenes, making it important for you to do a bit of research. You should understand the properties of the herbal strain used to make a specific vape oil and how the effects of that strain relate to your specific needs and goals.
Types of Extracts
In addition to the strain from which a vape oil is derived, it’s also important to understand the extraction method used to make the oil. Some vape oils are simple full-spectrum extracts – usually made with carbon dioxide or with a solvent such as ethanol – and they contain all of the active ingredients that were present in the original plant. However, there are also many other types of extracts that you should be aware of. Here are some of the terms that you’re likely to see when you shop for vape cartridges or oils.
- Broad Spectrum: In a broad-spectrum extract, some compounds are selectively removed through fractional distillation. For example, a broad-spectrum CBD extract contains CBD and other cannabinoids but has had most or all of the THC removed.
- Isolate: The word “isolate” refers to a vape oil that’s made from isolated compounds. A vape oil made from CBD isolate, for example, contains CBD and no other cannabinoids.
- Live Rosin: Live rosin is created from top-quality plant material that’s frozen shortly after harvesting to preserve peak freshness. The extract is made using a solvent-free method that involves only heat and pressure, producing a somewhat low yield compared to solvent-aided extraction methods. Live rosin is prized for its flavor quality but tends to be more expensive than other types of extracts.
- Live Resin: Live resin is similar to live rosin, but the extract is performed with the aid of a solvent to increase the yield. Since the yield is higher with this process, live resin generally costs much less than live rosin.
- High-Terpene Extract (HTE): The term “high-terpene extract” doesn’t refer to a single extraction method but rather describes any vape oil extracted in such a way as to preserve the plant’s flavorful terpenes to the fullest extent possible.
In addition to all of these types of herbal extracts, it’s also useful to know whether a vape oil contains added terpenes. Terpenes are the natural plant-based compounds that give your favorite herb its wide range of flavors and aromas. Many vape cartridge makers add terpenes to their oils to enhance the experience and to mimic the flavors of certain strains.
Glass vs. Plastic Carts
A vape cartridge needs an outer wall in order to keep your vape oil in its place, and the outer wall can be either glass or plastic. Some people believe that glass vape cartridges have superior flavor quality, but a glass cart may be more likely to crack if you drop it. Plastic cartridges may be more durable and also tend to be less expensive.
Top vs. Bottom Airflow Carts
When you inhale through a vape cartridge, the air flows through an intake vent that’s either located at the top of the cartridge or the bottom.
A top-airflow cartridge may have a built-in collar that allows you to adjust how tight or loose the draw is. However, top-airflow cartridges require vapes with button activation and don’t work with puff-activated vape pens. A bottom-airflow cartridge will work with all vape pens. Hamilton Devices sells only bottom-airflow cartridges to ensure maximum compatibility.
