Herbal Vaping Terms Quick Recap: Conduction and Convection

When it comes to the world of vaping cannabis there are really only two methods to understand, conduction and convection. Here we will explain what the two methods are, the devices that use them, and the pros and cons of each method.

Conduction-Style Vaping

The definition of conduction is the transfer of heat through a solid object. This is the most traditional way of vaping cannabis. The conduction process in vaping is quite simple. There is a single heat source, usually a heat plate, that is in direct contact with the cannabis. This plate heats up and applies that heat directly to the cannabis in order to vaporize it.

Pros of this method include:

• Faster warm up times.
• Cheaper devices since devices using conduction are easier to make.

Cons of this method include:

• A higher chance of combustion.
• Minimal temperature control.
• Requirement to shake around the herb in between draws.

Convection-Style Vaping
Convection is the transfer of heat through a liquid or gas opposed to conduction which is through a solid object. Similarly, in vaporizers, rather than having the cannabis directly in contact with the heat source, the convection method transfers the heat through the air which vaporizes the cannabis without being in direct contact with it.

Pros of this method include:

• A smaller chance of combustion
• More even heating
• Better accuracy when it comes temperature control.

Cons of this method include:

• Longer warm up times.
• Pricing as vaporizers that use convection are generally regarded as having a higher quality and are harder to make, therefore, typically more on the expensive side is where most of them are at.

Choose the Method that Meets Your Herbal Vaping Needs

Overall, both methods are effective and hold their own set of pros and cons. While vaporizer using the convection method are more expensive, this doesn’t mean there are not high-quality devices, be it portable or desktop that use conduction.