There are two main methods used by dry herb vaporizers in generating vapor and these are the Convection and Conduction methods. These two methods also define the type of device you can get, for example you could go for a convection dry herb vaporizer or you could get yourself a conduction vaporizer pen. This post will give you an insight into the pros and cons of these two methods of generating vapor and help you decide on which of the convection dry herb vaporizer or conduction vaporizer pen device would work best for you.

How Do They Work?

Convection Vaporization Method

There are many convection vaporizers for sale at the moment, but not too many people understand the mechanism behind this type of vaporizer device. The convection method of vaporization simply means that hot air is conveyed through the chamber of your device in order to generate vapor.

The chamber will usually have a heating element located just below it, as you inhale, the hot air will flow right through the device chamber generating vapor in the process. Early portable vaporizers were pretty much conduction vaporizer pen devices and convection styled vape pens can be considered to be a relatively new invention.

However, as the technology behind the convection method keeps improving at the rate that it is at the moment, there is likely to be even more convection vaporizers for sale in the future.

Pros Of Using Convection Vaporizers

While the early days of vaporizers saw a torrent of conduction vaporizer pen devices. There is now an influx of convection vaporizers in the market, users of convection vaporizers have argued that it offers better vapor quality and it optimises the use of the dry herbs better than a conduction vaporizer pen.

This could account for the increasing switch by both manufacturers and users to convection styled vaporizers rather than the conduction vaporizer pen devices. See the pros of the convection vaporizer in more detail below;

1. Enhanced Flavor Quality

One major advantage of using convection vaporizers is that the quality of the vapor produced is enhanced. The main reason for this is that the convection vaporizer pen will only heat up your dry herb placed in a chamber and according to the regulated temperature. This is unlike the conduction vaporizer pen which will constantly heat up your dry herbs as they are placed directly on a heating coil with no proper temperature regulation.

This results in a consistent and smoother vapor flavor produced by the convection vaporizer rather than an inconsistent flavor that is consistent with a conduction vaporizer pen. Furthermore, the AVB left over from a convection vaporizer has significantly less burnt (like popcorn) aftertaste than what is experienced by users of conduction vaporizers.

2. Optimal Use Of Herbs

With the use of a convection vaporizer you can be sure that your dry herbs will be optimally utilised. This is because the herbs are heated to a point of vaporization and not burning. This is not the case with a conduction vaporizer pen which has the tendency to heat the dry herb to a point of combustion.

What this means is that the convection vaporizer will ensure that every gram of your dry herb is heated to produce the vapor that you inhale while for the conduction vaporizer a good amount of herbs could be completely burnt and you could only inhale a minute amount of decent quality vapor while the rest will be more or less burnt vapor.

Cons Of Using Convection Vaporizers

1. Poor Battery Life

It must be said that the battery life of convection vaporizers tend to drain faster than that of conduction vaporizers because they use up more energy. The good news is both the quality of the heating element and the strength of batteries are vastly improving on a daily basis. With improved technology it is expected that the convection vaporizers of the future will be equipped with much better heating elements and replaceable batteries that have much larger capacities.

2. The Heating Element Consumes Too Much Space

The space occupied by the heating element of convection vaporizers is way more than that of conduction styled vaporizers. In convection vaporizers the heating element is underneath the heating chamber. This is a major reason why some vaporizer pens with compact designs like the PAX make use of the conduction method of heating as there is really no room for a large heating element as is typical with convection vaporizers.

3. High Production Cost

It costs more for manufacturers to produce convection vaporizers than to manufacture conduction vaporizers. With high production costs, you can expect that the price of convection vaporizers will be relatively higher than that of a typical conduction vaporizer pen. With advancements in technology it is hoped that the costs of producing convection vaporizers will drop and invariably so will the price of the finished product.

(Suggested vaporizer: Firefly 2 vaporizer)

Conduction Vaporization Method

With conduction vaporizers the heating element acts as the chamber for the placement of your dry herb. This way the herb is heated directly until vapor is generated. The walls of the heating elementamber heat up and this leads to the heating of your dry herb until vapor is generated.

Pros Of Using Conduction Vaporizers

1. A More Efficient Energy Use

You should know that whenever heat is generated, conserving energy can be a difficult thing. However, conduction vaporizers tend to efficiently utilise power better than convection vaporizers. The battery life of conduction vaporizers are significantly better than convection vaporizers.

One reason for this is that conduction vaporizers make use of inert, sturdy and fast heating materials such as stainless steel, borosilicate glass and ceramic for their chamber. The faster the heating element gets hot, the less energy will be utilised and the longer the battery will last.

2. Conduction Vaporizers Are Smaller

Talk about portability! with conduction vaporizers the heating element and chamber are one and the same. This is not so with a convection vaporizer which has a large heating element underneath the chamber. What this means is that conduction vaporizers tend to be smaller in size and much more portable than convection vaporizers. This may explain why mini-vaporizers such as PAX 2/ PAX 3 and DaVinci IQ are conduction vaporizers.

Cons Of Using Conduction Vaporizers

1. Inconsistent Flavor Quality

A typical conduction vaporizer pen tends to have inconsistent flavor quality because of the nature of its heating method. While there are significant improvements in the flavor quality of more modern conduction vaporizers, a typical convection vaporizer still tends to have a better flavor quality.

2. A Higher Risk Of Combustion

By virtue of the nature of conduction vaporizers, they have the tendency to cook or have your dry herbs combust. This is because the chamber acts as the heating element and the herb is placed directly on the heating element which makes temperature regulation pretty difficult. As the herbs combust you are met with a harsh burnt taste rather than a smooth vapor that is more consistent with convection vaporizers.

(Suggested vaporizer: Pax 2 vaporizer)

Which Is Better?

If you are looking for a vaporizer that will offer you a consistent flavor quality while optimising the use of your dry herbs, then a convection vaporizer is right for you. However, if your primary concern is not the having the best possible flavor quality, but rather you want a portable, long lasting vaporizer for your outings. You can try out a conduction vaporizer.

There are hybrid vaporizers that incorporate the pros of both the conduction and convection vaporizers while minimising their cons, but if you have to choose between a typical conduction or convection vaporizer for everyday use, the convection vaporiser may just about edge it.