By Max Sargent


Dab pen vs vape pen; dabbing vs vaping—a tough contest, the winner of which depends on you. However, there are some distinct differences between dabbing and vaping as methods of consuming cannabis that can help you make a decision between the two.

Dabbing and Vaping: What Do You Need to Know?

Dabbing and vaping have been around for a while, but have gained greater popularity as cannabis has moved out of the shadows and into the light. As a consequence, there's a lot of interest surrounding these methods of consumption.

Both dabbing and vaping involve the inhalation of vapor, rather than smoke, as a means to get high. So what’s the difference?

Dabbing

To dab, one must have a dab rig. These function similarly to bongs, but instead of burning raw flower, the user vaporizes cannabis concentrate in a glass, quartz, or metal “nail” or “banger”. Rather than heating the nail with a traditional lighter, one uses a butane torch to get the nail red-hot for effective vaporization.

Some key features of dabbing are:

  • Uses exclusively cannabis concentrates
  • Involves a banger, nail, or e-nail
  • The vapor passes through water and filtration systems (percolators)
  • Traditional rigs don’t allow you to dial in exact temperatures (but e-nails do)
Dabbing and Vaping: What Do You Need to Know?

Vaping

Vaping, on the other hand, uses raw material (dried herb) or concentrates (oils/e-liquids). Vapes come in all shapes and sizes, but perform the same functions. Generally, all you need to do is pack your device, and take a pull.

Some key features of vaping are:

  • Available as a desktop or portable device (vape pen)
  • Utilises dried herb or concentrates, depending on the device
  • Vapor does not pass through water, but will likely pass through chambers and channels specifically designed to retain flavour
  • Allows for a high degree of accuracy when choosing temperature
Dabbing and Vaping: What Do You Need to Know?

Dabbing vs Vaping: How Do They Compare?

Both dabbing and vaping are in fact forms of vaporization, but the experience of each is quite distinct. The major distinction lies in the material consumed, which affects flavour, the quality of the high, and more.

Below we outline the major similarities and differences between dabbing and vaping.

  • Cannabis Material

As mentioned, perhaps the crucial difference between vaping and dabbing is the material used.

Dabbing utilises exclusively concentrates—aka “dabs”. Concentrates are cannabis extracts made by, well, concentrating the resin from the cannabis plant’s trichomes. It’s in these glandular outgrowths that cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids are produced. As a result, concentrates are pure, powerful, and flavourful.

Concentrates come in many forms, each behaving slightly differently, including:

Vaping, on the other hand, utilises dried herb and/or concentrates. Some devices are made exclusively to handle ground bud, whereas others (like disposable vape pens) come loaded with an oil concentrate. Others are able to handle herb or oil using certain add-ons. For vapers of dried plant material, the experience is more akin to traditional smoking—just without the combustion—whereas hitting a vape pen filled with oil will feel closer to dabbing.

  • Temperature

When you smoke cannabis, you need to combust it and keep it alight to inhale its constituents. With vaping or dabbing, all you need to do is heat the material until the cannabinoids and terpenes reach their boiling points, which is far below the point of combustion.

The temperature ranges tend to be similar for dabbing and vaping, although it varies.

Low-temperature dabbing is considered to occur at between 157°C and 232°C. That said, some individuals dab at temperatures of up to 371°C and beyond, which brings the experience closer to combustion.

Another point of note is that dabbing is far less accurate in terms of achieving a specific temperature. After all, you’re heating the nail with a blowtorch, and therefore have less control. E-nails are the exception to this, as they are created to allow for flame-free dabbing and work by heating the nail to a specific temperature using electricity.

With vaping, you’re likely to be working within a range of 157–221°C, especially when it comes to dried herb, although this maximum is exceeded with some concentrate-oriented devices.

A large share of modern vaporizers come with customisable temperature settings, allowing users to focus on specific cannabinoids and terpenes.

Conduction and Convection

Put simply, all dab rigs use conduction heating, and vapes use either conduction or convection. Conduction works by heating a substance directly—e.g. a hot nail vaporizing a dab on contact—whereas convection works by passing hot air over a substance, such as when you inhale from a vape.

Conduction vaporizers have the heating element positioned beside the chamber or oven, so it directly heats the herb, causing it to vaporize. This is essentially how a dab rig works too, except on a slightly more dramatic scale.

As mentioned, rather than heating the herb or oil directly, convection vaporizers draw hot air through the material, achieving vaporization via a less-aggressive means.

There are pros and cons to each type of heating system. Conduction units tend to be smaller, a little cheaper, and often produce bigger clouds; convection units are larger and more expensive (though this is changing). The flip side is that convection vapes don’t threaten to burn your herb, whereas this is possible with a conduction oven. That being said, with appropriate temperature control, this shouldn’t pose too much of an issue.

  • Potency

Ultimately, dabbing wins the potency contest hands down. And there are a couple of reasons for this. One obviously has to do with the material used. Whereas traditional dried herb can reach up to about 30%+ THC, concentrates can exceed 80%.

Aside from this, dabbing typically involves taking a single, large hit at a time, which results in a much more psychoactive experience compared to “sipping” on a vape pen loaded with oil—much less herb.

So you can expect the strongest, purest highs from concentrates. However, the effects of vaped herb are not to be scoffed at. High-quality flower vaporized at the right temperature is still going to provide an enjoyable high. It’s just not possible to reach the same outrageous potency as with dabbing.

  • Flavour

Over smoking, both dabbing and vaping are considered to be much better in terms of flavour. As neither uses combustion, those tarry, burnt flavours can be avoided, giving more space for the terpenes to show themselves.

Once again, though, dabbing wins here. Though this has less to do with the method or apparatus, and more to do with concentrates themselves. Not only do concentrates contain a massive proportion of cannabinoids, but terpenes as well. Terpenes are what give cannabis its diverse and distinct range of flavours. By concentrating them, we are able to appreciate them in higher amounts, and at their very best.

That said, some people prefer the “herbal” taste of regular bud, which vaping does a great job of highlighting.

Flavour
  • Health

Both methods are thought to be physically healthier than smoking[1], although there’s not a lot of high-quality data to confirm this. Still, it’s thought that they present less of a risk to airways as they lack many of the damaging combusted materials inhaled through smoking. The process of combustion is what makes many compounds carcinogenic.

That being said, researchers have also pointed to the increased psychological risks of dabbing (due to the potency of the experience). These include a greater chance of symptoms such as paranoia, psychosis, and addiction[2].

So when it comes to choosing between the two on health grounds, it’s worth noting that neither necessarily has a significant advantage over the other. Indeed, it’s likely that vaping is better for your lungs compared to smoking, but whether vaping or dabbing is better physically is unclear.

Should You Buy a Dab Rig or Vaporizer?

Before we proceed into further considerations, your primary concern will be access. If you can’t source concentrates, and you’re not willing to make them, then dabbing can be ruled out immediately.

If you have access to both concentrates and cannabis flower, then here are some further variables to consider.

  • Dabbing

Dab rigs start pretty cheap—around £50. You can even pick up a dab rig with an e-nail for under £100. On top of this, the only other pieces of equipment you’ll need are dabbing tools (which are incredibly cheap) and a dab torch, which can cost as little as around £15. Given those prices, you should be able to set yourself up comfortably for under £100 if you want to.

That being said, concentrates are expensive! Whether you buy them or make them yourself, it takes a lot of flower to make a small amount of concentrate. This is offset slightly by the fact that you need less to get high, but running costs are likely to be greater if you're dabbing concentrates, no matter how you get hold of them.

In the long run, dabbing is likely to be the more expensive option.

Should You Buy a Dab Rig or Vaporizer?
  • Vaping

To vape, you only really need the vaporizer/vape pen (and some weed). Now, these can cost hundreds of pounds, but there are some available for less than £100 that are still very good. However, the initial cost of vaping tends to be higher than dabbing.

You’ve probably guessed what’s coming next. Cannabis flowers are cheaper than cannabis concentrates, and so the running costs of vaping are cheaper than those of dabbing.

In the long run, vaping will probably work out cheaper.

Should You Buy a Dab Rig or Vaporizer?

Dabbing vs Vaping: Which Is Better?

Neither is better nor worse, ultimately. For many, dabbing is considered the purest, and by far the most potent, way to consume cannabis, but that’s not always what one desires. Not everyone wants to be limited to vaping 80% THC concentrates.

If you can do both, then that’s a great option. Dabbing is wonderful, but for many is financially and psychologically unsustainable as the only means to get high. Vaping, on the other hand, offers the perfect combination of being “cleaner” than smoking, but similar enough in effects.

If you're lucky enough to try both, have a dabble and see what tickles your fancy!

DisclaimerExtracts, concentrates, and oils used for dabbing are among the strongest cannabis products available. Proceed with caution when using substances high in THC. Start with low doses and slowly increase over time to build up a tolerance to the compound.

Remember: Set and Setting will help you deal with various situations.

Stay Cultivated.

External Resources:
  1. No smoke, no fire: What the initial literature suggests regarding vapourized cannabis and respiratory risk https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Cannabis dabbing https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: