9 Best Weed Vaporizers: Your Buyer’s Guide

1. 1. Best Weed Vape: Pax 3 Portable Vaporizer

   

   Price: $200.00

   Shop now at PAX
   Pros:

   • Compact, sleek design provides discretion
   • Heats up quickly, with several temperature settings
   • Designed for use with both flower and concentrates
   • Comes with 10 year warranty

   Cons:

   • Can't use as-is with concentrates (you must buy concentrate-friendly insert separately)
   • Its mobile phone app makes you wonder: Should smoking pot really necessitate more screen time?
   • Expensive

   The Pax 3 is the best portable vaporizer on the market.

   It’s perfect for the savvy modern consumer who enjoys taking discrete puffs of both flower and concentrates.

   Many vape pens work only with oils and other extracts. But not the Pax 3. It can vaporize your ground herb just as well as your favorite concentrates.

   (You just have to use a separate insert for concentrates.)

   It’s simple and easy to use. It heats up in seconds, and vibrates when it’s ready. And the lights change color, letting you know it’s ready to hit.

   For added fine-tuning, download the app, so you can control the temperature from your phone.

   The Pax 3 is easy to charge with the included charger (which is similarly small and discrete). And the battery will last you 8-10 sessions before you need to recharge.

   Best of all, your Pax 3 will last you forever. This isn’t one of those flimsy vape pens with cheap parts that break immediately. (If something does break, it comes with a 10 year warranty.)

   The sleek design doesn’t have any extra bells and whistles. You don’t have to overthink it. The mouthpiece even feels comfortable on your mouth, as if it’s designed for taking small sips of air.

   (Stoner tip: The design is so sleek, in fact, that you may try to put the wrong end to your mouth. The mouthpiece isn’t super obvious. But you’ll figure it out quickly.)

   It’s portable, discrete, and sleek. And you even get to choose from several fun colors!

   Find more Pax 3 Portable Vaporizer information and reviews here.

2. 2. Dr. Dabber XS Nano Portable Vaporizer

   

   Price: $159.95

   Shop now at Dr. Dabber
   Pros:

   • Heats up within 12 seconds
   • Battery lasts 30 to 60 minutes
   • Under seven inches tall
   • Battery charge lasts up to 35 heating cycles on single charge

   Cons:

   • Glass could break
   • Requires some cleaning
   • Not designed to vaporize flower

   The Dr. Dabber XS Nano Portable Vaporizer makes it easy to enjoy smooth, flavorful dabs on the go, or wherever life may take you.

   The Nano XS is the newest rig from Dr. Dabber. At just under seven inches tall, it’s their smallest, most portable e-rig yet.

   All Dr. Dabber rigs are known for innovative, fast induction heating, backed by excellent customer service. Now you can take that high-performance reliability with you — without sacrificing on flavor. Thanks to the quartz heating dish and the same patented technology found in Dr. Dabber’s bigger, more expensive rigs, you’ll still be enjoying smooth, flavorful dabs, wherever you are.

   If you appreciate the filtration provided by a water pipe, you’ll love how much water you can put into this tiny rig. Your dabs will be just as well-filtered as they would with a much larger rig.

   (Full Disclosure: I received a free unit to test out.)

   With amazing battery life to boot, the Nano XS is perfect for adventures.

   Of course, you’ll want to be careful: the Nano XS still contains glass parts, which are liable to break, if you’re adventuring a little too hard.

   Find more Dr. Dabber XS Nano Portable Vaporizer information and reviews here.

3. 3. Best Desktop Vaporizer: Storz & Bickel “Volcano” Desktop Vaporizer

   

   Price: $549.99

   Shop now at Headshop.com
   Pros:

   • The original vaporizer which, in 2000, launched the entire vape industry
   • Today, two decades later, Volcanos are still widely considered the best vaporizers available
   • I've used one regularly for years, and can't rave about it enough (see review for details)
   • Detachable balloon design may be healthiest way to toke ever invented
   • This latest model includes LED screen and liquid pad for concentrates
   • This latest "hybrid" version has more options for inhalation
   • Balloon no longer necessary

   Cons:

   • Not portable (must be plugged in, and weighs nearly five pounds)
   • Expensive (but it will last forever!)
   • If neighbors see you inhaling from a balloon, they may think you're doing nitrous

   The Storz & Bickel Volcano Hybrid Desktop Vaporizer stands out because it’s the newest, fanciest update to the Original Volcano.

   The Volcano was the original vaporizer that, in the year 2000, altered the course of stoner history forever.

   Two decades later, the iconic Volcano still towers over the vaporizer industry.

   If you’re acquainted with serious cannabis connoisseurs (or you spent time in well-appointed dorm rooms or weed dealers’ homes in the early 2000’s), you’ve probably already tried a Volcano. It’s something of a stoner initiation rite: the act of passing around the detachable balloon filled with cannabis vapor, enjoying flavorful puffs.

   Today, with this Volcano Hybrid vaporizer, you can either use the balloon (like the classic old-school stoner you are), or you can use what they call a “whip,” which is just a plastic tube you inhale from. If you’re not a balloon person. It’s nice to have options.

   I should probably confess that I own a Volcano, which was purchased off a dude on Craigslist several years ago. I use it several times per week (okay, several times per day), and it shows no signs of slowing down, thanks to the advanced German engineering in its cone-shaped base.

   I have had to replace the balloon a few times. But the balloons are only about ten bucks each. Aside from replacing the balloon (maybe every couple years, when you notice vapor leaking out of it), your Volcano should last forever, with zero maintenance needed.

   I also believe the Volcano is one of the healthiest ways to toke, period. Thanks to its innovative design, zero heat enters your lungs. This sets the Volcano Desktop vaporizer apart from nearly every other vape ever invented (and, obviously, every method of smoking). When you flip the switch, the heat passes over the cannabis material you’ve put in the screened chamber. But you aren’t inhaling anything yet. You’re just watching your balloon swell and expand as it fills with vapor.

   Pro tip: Use your hands to gently help your balloon become vertical as it fills. This will help your balloon last longer. But when you are ready to replace your balloon, check out our guide to the best volcano vaporizers and accessories.

   Then you detach the filled balloon, and go recline wherever you’d like to relax with some vapor. The vapor will not escape from the balloon until you’re ready, because it can only be released when the mouthpiece is pressed in.

   (Bonus: This design also makes the Volcano PERFECT for anyone who likes to toke mid-yoga sesh. Taking a hit while upside-down? Not a problem, with your light and easy balloon.)

   By the time you take a sip of air from the ergonomic mouthpiece, the vapor has entirely cooled. The heat has disappeared — but the flavor remains. Your lungs will be thrilled.

   The only drawback is that the Volcano is not designed to be portable. Though I did know someone in the early 2000s who, on road trips, would plug his Volcano into his car, and forego the balloon entirely: the vapor would simply fill the car. (We do not recommend this, for obvious reasons.)

   But I like that this is called a “desktop” vaporizer, as if it belongs on a desk.

   This Volcano includes an LED screen for changing the temperature, which makes it much fancier than my Volcano. (On older models, you just twist a knob.) I like to raise the temperature when I’m vaporizing the same ground herb a second time, to squeeze as much goodness out of it as I can.

   This set also comes with a “liquid pad,” for vaporizing concentrates.

   If you like to enjoy cannabis at home, you will love your Volcano for many years to come. I know I will.

   Find more Storz & Bickel Volcano Desktop Vaporizer information and reviews here.

4. 4. PUFFCO PEAK PRO

   

   Price: $399.99

   Shop now at Headshop.com
   Pros:

   • Improved Puffco design includes larger chamber
   • Large sealed chamber is perfect for large dabs
   • Bluetooth app provides a wide range of customizable temperatures
   • USB and wireless charging
   • Lasts 30 sessions between charges

   Cons:

   • Expensive
   • Requires bluetooth app to operate
   • Psychedelic light display is not entirely necessary

   The Puffco Peak Pro provides one of the most luxurious, customizable dabbing experiences you can have. The Peak Pro connects via bluetooth to an app, where you can control the temperature, the duration of the heating, and the gorgeous light display.

   For some Puffco connoisseurs, the app feature where you can set the duration is what really makes this latest Puffco model superior to the company’s previous models. Depending on how big your dabs are, you can set the heating duration for up to two minutes. This avoids some problems with the water leaking into a puddle — a problem associated with previous Puffco models.

   With this model, Puffco also redesigned the sealed chamber, which further reduces issues and improves reliability. The chamber is also larger, which is perfect for users who love to take huge dabs.

   The Peak Pro is also super convenient. It lasts for about 30 sessions between charging. And when you do need to charge it, you can charge it either wirelessly or with a USB charger. It charges fully within two hours.

5. 5. Best Weed Vaporizer if You Only Smoke Dry Herb (Never Concentrates): Pax 2 Vaporizer

   

   Price: $120.00

   Shop now at PAX
   Pros:

   • Works great with dry herb
   • Matte finish looks stylish
   • Sleek, compact design
   • Easy to load
   • Comes with 2 year warranty

   Cons:

   • Can't use with concentrates
   • Can't be paired with an app (unlike the Pax 3)
   • Expensive
   • Only a 2 year warranty (while the Pax 3 comes with 10 year warranty)

   This Pax 2 Vaporizer stands out because it’s a long-lasting, portable dry herb vaporizer. It’s perfect for flower enthusiasts who love flavor and convenience.

   Plus, this sleek design comes in two matte colors.

   But this vaporizer is more just than its stylish and sleek appearance. The Pax 2 is also known as one of the best portable vaporizers on the market.

   Unlike many modern vape pens, this model accommodates dry flower.

   It’s also a “smart” device: It detects motion and will put itself into standby mode when not in use.

   Appearances aside, you don’t need to be ultra-stylish to enjoy this vaporizer yourself. With four temperature settings, a long battery life, and a user-friendly design, this is one of the best weed vaporizers you can buy.

   Find more Pax 2 information and reviews here.

6. 6. Best From Makers of the Legendary Volcano: Storz & Bickel Crafty Portable Vaporizer

   

   Price: $274.99

   Shop now at DopeBoo
   Pros:

   • Portable design that delivers powerful, consistent hits
   • From the makers of the Volcano, the legendary tapletop vaporizer that launched the entire industry
   • Works with concentrates as well as traditional dried herb
   • Two-year warranty

   Cons:

   • Expensive
   • Not the smallest portable vaporizer ever (6 x 7 x 1.5")
   • Takes longer to heat up than others on this list

   This Storz & Bickel Crafty Portable Vaporizer stands out because it’s a portable vaporizer made by Storz & Bickel, the geniuses behind the legendary Volcano tabletop vaporizer (which, around the year 2000, vaulted vaporizers into mainstream cannabis culture).

   This engineering behind this simple, portable vaporizer is the result of two decades of research and development at the forefront of vaporizing technology.

   This unit contains Storz & Bickel’s signature conduction/convection oven. Despite its convenient, portable size, this vaporizer heats up in under three minutes, and delivers consistent heat.

   It also comes with a very user-friendly app for your smartphone. You can change the heat settings, and check on the battery level, from your phone. (You can also control the LED light settings and haptic feedback.)

   With this vaporizer (unlike a tabletop Volcano vaporizer), you can vaporize liquid concentrates as well as traditional ground herb. 

    

   Find more Storz & Bickel Crafty Portable Vaporizer information and reviews here.

7. 7. Dr. Dabber Stella Vaporizer Kit

   

   Price: $99.95

   Shop now at Dr. Dabber
   Pros:

   • Sleek design with durable construction; feels solid and sturdy in your hand
   • Battery life seems to last forever
   • Three temperature settings; easy to change between them with one button
   • Pen vibrates when it reaches new temperature setting

   Cons:

   • For concentrates only
   • Highest heat setting may be too hot for some (775 degrees Fahrenheit)
   • No precise temperature control or digital display
   • Can get messy/sticky after 5-10 uses (like most vape pens)
   • No display of how much battery life remaining

   The Dr. Dabber Stella Vaporizer stands out because of its sleek design, high-quality construction, and extremely long battery life.

   I received a free Stella vape pen to test out, and I was impressed with the sturdy feel and durable construction. While most vape pens feel like they might fall apart if you don’t take good care of them, this has a nice heft in your hand, and feels practically indestructible.

   After using it for a couple months, I can say definitively that this pen would make one of the best stoner gifts around. Get it for your friend who loves vaping concentrates on the go!

   It’s also intuitive and easy to use. Five clicks of the button turns the pen on; it vibrates when it has reached the set temperature.

   Three clicks of the button changes the temperature. At the coolest setting, the button glows green (and the pen has reached 460 degrees Fahrenheit). Press the button three times, and it vibrates and flashes blue: you’ve switched to the medium heat setting. Press it three more times and it flashes red, indicating that it has reached 775 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest temperature.

   I found the high temperature setting a little hot for my lungs. But depending on what sort of concentrates you’re vaporizing, you might want that extreme heat setting.

   Still, even if you only use the first two heat settings, it’s nice to have those options — and to be able to control them with only one easy-to-use button.

   For a portable dab pen, this is a nice feature, even if it doesn’t compare to vaporizers with more precise temperature controls and (and digital temperature displays).

   I was impressed with the long battery life, and the sturdy construction of this vape pen. However, if you’re looking for the lightest, most portable pen, this might not be the pen for you. (For example, if you like to keep your vape pen in your pocket, you might find this too heavy.)

   Find more Dr. Dabber Stella Vaporizer Kit information and reviews here.

8. 8. Arizer Solo 2 Portable Vaporizer

   

   Price: $164.99

   Shop now at DopeBoo
   Pros:

   • Lasts around twenty seshes between battery charges
   • Fine-tuned temperature control (no smartphone app required)
   • Lifetime warranty on the heating element
   • Compact portable size
   • Comes in mutiple colors

   Cons:

   • Expensive
   • Only comes in two colors (black and blue)
   • Three different warranty programs (2 years on defective construction; 1 year on battery)
   • Designed as a dry herb vaporizer, not for concentrates (though one reviewer places concentrates on a "bed" of flower)

   The Arizer Solo 2 Portable Dry Herb Vaporizer is perfect for anyone who wants to vaporize dry herb at home or on the go.

   It’s also built for ease of use. Arizer “intentionally” decided to avoid the trend of pairing their vaporizer with an app. So there’s no need to download an app to control this vaporizer, and you can still exercise fine-tuned control over the temperature.

   (You can switch the temperature in either one or ten-degree increments, depending on how much fine-tuned control you want. Or how much of a vapor geek you are.)

   Customers love the long battery life, which can last you up to twenty solid seshes between charges.

   And its borosilicate glass pathway helps deliver crisp, delicious-tasting vapor.

   Arizer provides a lifetime warranty on the heating element, along with a one-year warranty on the battery.

    

   Find more Arizer Solo 2 Portable Dry Herb Vaporizer information and reviews here.

9. 9. Omura Series X Whole Flower Vaporizer

   

   Price: $120.00

   Shop now at Omura
   Pros:

   • Convection oven warms quickly
   • Heats plant material without combusting it
   • Healthier for your lungs
   • Comes with "fill your own" Flowersticks
   • One year warranty
   • Sleek portable design
   • FlowerStick design means no cleaning the chamber

   Cons:

   • Does not actually vaporize
   • Does not work with concentrates
   • Loading up Flowersticks can be more annoying that loading a vaporizer chamber

   The Omura Series X Whole Flower Vaporizer bills itself as a new way to consume flower, thanks to its “Heat-Not-Burn” technology. It’s great for anyone who prefers flower to concentrates, and who wants a handy, pocket-sized portable vaporizer.

   If you’re looking to get super stoned quickly, this may not be the right vaporizer for you. Because that’s not really what it’s about. (Full Disclosure: I received a free Omura vape to test out.)

   This sleek device fits comfortably in your hand. It doesn’t look like a vaporizer, which is nice if you’re trying to be discreet. Omura makes “flower sticks,” which are like pre-filled paper cartridges you stick in the device. Of course, this would be super annoying if you could only order your flower in the form of Flower Sticks from Omura. So, fortunately, the company started making unfilled sticks which you can now load with your own flower. But if you’re not the sort of person who keeps jars of flowers lying around, and you live in California or Massachusetts, you can buy pre-filled flower sticks from Omura.

   This seems like it would be great for someone who’s entirely new to cannabis, and doesn’t even want to touch any actual plant material. (And who lives in or near California or Massachusetts.) That’s kind of a narrow market, so it makes sense that Omura started producing empty flower sticks you can load yourself.

   The device warms up fast. Thanks to the Heat-Not-Burn technology, it’s not too harsh on your throat. You get a nice whisper of flavor. You might have to take several hits to achieve your desired state of mind. But for someone who enjoys smoking flower, who isn’t trying to get super stoned, it’s perfect. It would be great for someone who loves taking hits of CBD flower throughout the day.

Why Use Vaporizers for Weed?

Vaporizers are easier on your lungs than traditional smoking methods. They heat your cannabis (or concentrates) at lower temperatures. Plus, when you smoke normally, you use combustion. That combustion creates byproducts.

See Also: Linx Gaia Vape Review

You know when you smoke out of an ice bong, and after a few hits, the bong water turns a sickly brownish color? When you aren't smoking through water -- say, if you're using a steamroller pipe -- all those gnarly byproducts of combustion, including ash and tar, can go directly into your lungs.

But when you vaporize, you don't have any of those byproducts.

Combined with the lower temperatures, you've got a healthier consumption method.

In the cannabis vaporizer reviews above, we included information on whether the device has multiple temperature settings. That can come in handy when you're looking out for the health of your lungs.

Bonus: Vaping at lower temperatures can help you taste the flavor of your bud better, too. 

What's the Best Weed Vape for Dry Herb?

We think it's either the Volcano or the PAX 3. If you're looking for a portable dry herb vaporizer, we'd definitely recommend the PAX. Check out the Volcano and PAX reviews above for details!

Why Are Vaporizers so Expensive?

Vaporizers require mechanical parts, heating elements, and often LED screens. They need to be made with sufficiently durable materials, so they can withstand high temperatures.

Luckily, vaporizers have gotten much cheaper. Browse our reviews above to find cheap weed vaporizers that work great!

What Should I Do with My Already-Vaporized Herb That's Left in the Vaporizer Chamber?

Some people actually use this lightly-toasted ground herb to make edibles. For more information, check out our guide to cooking with cannabis.

If you often find your cannabis stash in short supply, you might want to try this.

Because vaporizers don't actually extract every last trace of THC. And unlike combustion, your herb isn't totally charred.

In fact, the herb has been "decarboxylated" by the gentle heat. So it's actually perfect to turn into edibles.

If you choose to do this, definitely check out our guide to the best herbal infusers of 2022!