Do Dry Herb Vaporizer Pens Smell?

One of the most asked question over the past five years has been “Do dry herb vape pens smell?” The short answer is yes, vaping weed does smell. All kinds of vaporizers are going to smell so don’t expect to go completely James Bond incognito with them. There is a way to make sure you are being as discreet as possible and that is to minimize the smell. This myth came from electronic cigarettes not smelling like cigarettes along with wax cartridges smelling fruity rather than terpenes. Now everyone is upset that they’ve been lied too about an odor free vaporizer.

Does Vapor Smell?

As we already answered the question “Does vaping smell” briefly, your vape will definitely smell but there are different kinds of devices and each one will have a different experience. Using a vape unit will definitely help bring the cannabis odor to a very minimal smell but it’s best to treat it like you were smoking a joint.

• Dry Herb Vaporizer – Using your weed vaporizer is going to create the most smell out of all materials you can use but it’s still pretty minimal. Using the device outdoors will be easier to get away with but the vape smell indoors will definitely build up inside. You always want to have a nice spot to blow out or ventilate.
• Dab Pens – Wax vape pens are going to be a tricky one because you can get in trouble for thinking you’re completely off the hook then blow a cloud of vapor, only to realize you’re wrong. Concentrates contain terpenes and these terpenes will create the bulk of the smell. It’s definitely not a lot and many people get away with it when they do it around other people but we don’t recommend it if you’re loading up the wax into the chamber. However, buying wax cartridges to screw onto your pen battery is usually a better idea. The smell can vary but they usually have fruity smells to mask the terpenes smell.
• E-cigs – Electronic cigarettes have nothing to do with marijuana and the smell from it but we want to go over it considering this is how the myth started. E-cigarettes are meant to help with smoking nicotine cessation and they come in many flavors from fruity to dessert to regular tobacco. Many people confused vaping these with herbal units which created the myth that vapes do not smell.

Why They smell?

As much as vape pens are used for discreet scenarios, they’re not meant to be odorless. The reason herbal vapes smell is because you are heating up the active ingredients. Even though there isn’t smoke being created, there is still a hint of smell. Knowing which device to buy to make sure the odor is minimal is key. To be able to distinguish the difference, you first want to know the difference between conduction and convection heating methods. Another way that they smell is by vaping on a higher temperature setting. The higher the temperature, the closer it is to burning your herbs which will give you a feature closer to smoking it. An ideal temperature is to keep it around 356°F – 392°F (180 °C - 200 °C).

What Do They Smell Like?

Blowing out vapor, you will notice there is a hint of a popcorn smell. The vapor and the already vaped bud will smell roughly the same. However, if you’re used to the smell of weed, you will definitely notice the lingering vaporizer smell of cannabis.

Difference Between Conduction and Convection?

Conduction and convection is what you want to look for if you are wondering about the smell of dry herb vaporizers.

• Conduction is going to be when your dry herbs are sitting directly on the heating element coils. This means that your herbs are burning or also known as combustion. This is almost the same as smoking a cigarette where you are burning it straight through rather than vaporizing. Some dry herb vaporizer pens can be used with a honeycomb glass screen where it sits on your coil to help your herbs not come in direct contact with the heating element.
• Convection is the process of hot air being transferred from through your herbs which causes true vaporization. This herbs produce vapor which gives you a clean and nice quality taste of your dry herbs. The honeycomb glass tries to replicate this process for conduction type vaporizer pens.

How to Reduce the Smell of Vapor?

The best advice is to not vape dry herbs and use oils, concentrates or liquids as much as possible but not everyone’s like that. People also want to have the freedom to choose whatever they want to use at the moment which is fine.

• Use a Convection Vape: Don’t cheap out and go with a cheap vape pen if you really want to make sure you get away with being discreet. Vape pens are generally conduction heating which means you will burn your herbs and make it smell a lot. Going the convection route, you will thank yourself, even if you have to pay a bit more upfront.
• Keep the Temperature Setting Low: When you have a high heat setting, your material will hit the combustion point which it burns rather than just heats up. This not only kills more of the active ingredients but it burns your material.
• Use a Window: Vaping next to a window or an open vent with air flowing in and out is very ideal. Keeping the place ventilated while making sure all the vapor goes outside will be a huge help.
• Hold the Vapor in: This one is not recommended much if you were smoking but vaping is a bit better. Holding your vapor in as much as possible will result in less vapor being blown out.
• Take Small Hits: Taking small hits from your unit makes sure you don’t have too much vapor to play with.
• Empty out Your Bowl: The quicker you can empty out your chamber will help you because the chamber starts filling up with residue, which sometimes can smell more than the unvaped bud.
• Take Longer Between Hits: By waiting longer and letting your environment clean out will help you. Take one hit then come back 10 minutes later and do another one.
• Vape in a Cooler Place: Summer can be a kill for this but being in a cool room can help dissipate the vapor faster.
• Cool Down the Vaporizer: When your chamber is warm it will continue to produce a thicker, more pungent smell. Let the chamber cool down before you use it again.
• Clean your Chamber: Some people call it a dry herb chamber and others call it a bowl but regardless of what you call it, you want to make sure you clean it. Most units come with a cleaning brush to be able to brush the sides of chamber to make sure there is no residue.

How to get rid of the smell?

Since vapes are not supposed to burn your material, you’re not getting smoke out. Vapor is very thin and dissipates quickly. This results in the vapor not sticking to clothes and walls unlike smoke. Getting rid of the smell is fairly easy. Using a fan to air out the room you’ve vaped in will help. Open a window and let it do its thing. Only time can help at this point but it won’t take long. To speed up the process, turn on the fan and point it towards your window while trying to blow the vapor outside.

Vaporizers that Don't Smell as Much:

If your main goal is to decrease the smell of your herbs, you’ll want a convection dry herb vaporizer. Vapor usually consists of minimal to no smell whereas smoke is what you want to avoid. Smoke is the thick texture that sticks to clothes and stains walls.

Portable Convection Dry Herb Vaporizers:

Crafty Vaporizer

The Crafty Vaporizer by Storz & Bickel, one of the most respectable dry herb vaporizer companies who made the Volcano Classic. The Crafty Vaporizer is a classy high quality portable dry herb vaporizer that includes a variable temperature setting that defaults at 356 degree Fahrenheit with a booster mode that increases it to 383 degrees Fahrenheit. This technologically advanced dry herb vape also has its own special app to control the vape from its temperature to indicating its power. It can be used with Android and iPhone devices.

BUY the Crafty Vaporizer

DaVinci IQ Vaporizer

The DaVinci IQ Vaporizer is one of the most advanced units today. It comes with precision control, replaceable batteries, a boost mode and quite few more different modes. The interior air path along with the herbal chamber are made from Ceramic Zirconia to make sure it can withstand the heat running through it. However, don't think it's going to make it heavy. The device itself is made from aluminum alloy which makes it easier to carry it around with you. The temperature control setting ranges from 350°F-430°F which is plenty for the average herb vaper. If you're not into switching temperature, then you can use one of the 4 pre-set temperatures it comes with. One of the best features is that this unit connects to your phones bluetooth. This makes it easier to use because all of your control are in your phone. The DaVinci IQ heats up in 23 seconds flat which is pretty quick.

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G Pen Pro

The G Pen Pro Vaporizer is one of the newest portable convection herb vape. It is the successor of the G Pro and it has a lot of newer features. To start, the ceramic heating chamber on this is bigger. This means you can finally pack more herbs, roughly about .7 grams. The 1300mAh battery is also much bigger which means you can go about your day while worrying less about battery life. It also has a very ergonomic design meaning it can fit in your palm real comfortably. This is a big deal when you're hanging out with friends and vaping.

BUY the G Pen Pro Vaporizer

So Do Portable Dry Herb Vaporizers Smell?

So in conclusion, yes portable dry herb vape pens still can smell so use them with discretion. Make sure you are aware of your surroundings when you inhale or exhale. Also open and close the dry herb chambers slowly to keep the foul smell from leaving. When the gunk and residue build up, that's when the smell really becomes pungent. Also make sure to clean the chamber as that can reduce the smell tremendously. Be very careful when cleaning since the coil might be delicate from so much use.