What Is A Butane Vaporizer?

What Is A Butane Vaporizer - And How Do I Use It?

Butane vaporizers are all the hype nowadays. Tens of thousands of stoners around the globe got into vaping thanks to these devices, finally discovering the true potential of the herbs they love. Butane vaporizers are able to unleash the full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes contained in the plant, while saving you from inhaling nasty chemicals at the same time. Read the following paragraphs, and you will learn everything about butane vaporizers.  

What’s a butane vaporizer, and how does it work?

Simply put, a butane vaporizer is a vaporizer that uses a butane flame as the primary source of heat. Vaporizers are devices capable of extracting the cannabinoids and terpenes contained in your herbs, without actually burning them. They produce just enough heat to reach the boiling point of these compounds, that will eventually boil, releasing the vapour. While traditional vaporizers work with a battery and a small electricity-operated oven, butane vaporizers rely on a much more powerful source of heat to create vapour: a butane-powered jet lighter such as this one (although some butane vaporizers are also designed to work with a regular butane lighter).

Various butane vaporizers: the DynaVap M 2020, Eagle Bill Shake & Vape, Vapocane, Vaponic, Vape Lifter, Lady Lifter, and the DynaVap VonG.

An overview on butane vaporizers

Vaporizers are nothing new in the realm of cannabis enthusiasts. Devices such as the Volcano and the Mighty, among others, have been known for now over a decade. They’re loved by a small community of stoners that prefers vaping to smoking. Butane vaporizers have been known for a while too. However, over the last couple of years and thanks to the market’s continuous innovation, a few brands where able to really push butane vaping to a whole new level.

This is because modern butane vaporizers are truly unique pieces of equipment, capable of putting to shame even the most powerful electronic vape. Butane vaporizers allow you to adjust the temperatures to better suit your needs, provide much more power than electronic vapes, and are made of valuable, exotic materials such as titanium and wood. Forget the awkward feel of plastic and lithium batteries (that eventually discourage most smokers from using vaporizers). Enter the world of glass, wood, metal, and pure flavour.

Why use a butane vaporizer?

Many pot smokers in the world, especially the veterans with years of smoking on their lungs, are switching to vaporizing as a healthier alternative to joints. So yes, we could argue that one of the main reasons for switching to vaping is health, and it is not a minor reason. But a butane vaporizer can really redefine your relationship with weed. No more stinky ashtrays, no more smelly fingers, no more need for dental hygiene every three months.

Not to mention that you’ll be using a fraction of the herb you’d use while smoking to get the same result. Throughout the year, you’ll save lots of money. And, you’ll be able to enjoy the pure, untainted flavour and effects of cannabis; you will feel you never really knew cannabis before.

The ritual of butane vaping  

One of the main arguments moved by smokers against vaporizers is the fact that vaping lacks the relaxing, ritualistic process involved in smoking a joint. Grinding the weed, rolling it in a perfect joint or blunt sure is fascinating and rewarding. Many smokers refuse to give up this ritual, and just reject the idea of vaping through an odd-looking technological device. Indeed, some high-tech electronic vapes truly look like cheap smartphones. But butane vaporizers are another story; they are beautiful devices that offer an experience comparable to packing a traditional wooden pipe and sipping on its flavourful smoke.  

Is it safe to use butane as a source of power for vaporization?

First and foremost, vaporizing is overall a much healthier option compared to smoking, independently from how much butane you are using. You might be wondering if using butane is safe; well, keep in mind that every time you are lighting up a joint or a bong with a lighter you are inhaling a little bit of butane.

The fact with butane vaporizers is that they rely on clean-burning, powerful jet lighters (the ones with the blue flame), that burn much cleaner than other lighters. In addition, when butane burns, the only by-product of its combustion is water vapour. Always refill your lighters with high-quality, refined butane from a reputable brand to minimize the chances of burning some impurities.

Types of butane vaporizer

Butane vaporizers come in different sizes, shapes and materials, but the working principles are pretty much the same. There are butane vaporizers that work with the principle of heat conduction, and others that work with convection. We’ll see what each of these fancy words mean in the following paragraphs. Be warned though: regardless of the working principle, the size, material, and vapour path of the device can greatly influence its performance, marking the difference between a great vaping experience and a bad one.

Conduction

Conduction butane vaporizers work with the principle of heat conduction. The idea is to warm up a heat-conductive surface, such as a metal plate or oven, that will then transfer the heat to the herbs, causing them to release steam. Conduction vaporizers need to reach the appropriate temperature to work well; however, they are capable of extracting great quantities of cannabinoids in one go.

Convection

Convection butane vaporizers work with the principle of heat convection. In this case, instead of heating up a surface, the flame from the jet lighter heats up air that will then be sucked through the oven, causing the cannabinoids to evaporate. Flavour-chasers will not be disappointed; convection vaporizers offer the best flavour profile possible, truly unleashing the terpenes contained in your buds.

The VapoCane Fusion butane vaporizers offer a fantastic price to value ratio with their high end glass vaporizers at a very reasonable price

How to use a butane vaporizer

Using a butane vaporizer doesn’t require a lot of skills, but there’s a little bit of a learning curve involved. Of course, every model of butane vaporizer has its own set of rules to achieve the perfect cloud. Keep visiting our blog: we will soon publish how-tos for all the best butane vaporizers on the market.

Conduction

These are general rules on how to use conduction butane vaporizers. Keep the tip of the lighter’s flame approximately half centimetre away from the heating element/oven of the vaporizer. Move the flame slowly and steadily to evenly heat up all of the oven. After a while (10 to 25 seconds depending on the vaporizer) you’ll be ready to inhale the vapour.

Convection

These are general rules to use a convection butane vaporizer. Aim the tip of the lighter at the air intake and prepare to inhale. At the beginning, inhale slowly to let the heat build up in the oven. As soon as you feel the vapour reaching you, inhale faster to bring fresh air to the oven and to avoid black spots (areas where the temperature was close to combustion).

Learning curve

Forget the dumb-proof electronic vaporizers. Butane vaporizers require some practice and a little bit of skills to operate properly, and that’s another reason why we love using them. Practice makes perfect, and there’s no better practice than vaping a whole lot of weed.

How to grind your herbs and pack a butane vaporizer

Well-ground weed is one of the secrets to the perfect cloud. Medium-ground works best. Grind your herb too fine, and you’ll risk inhaling small particulate; grind it too coarse, and you’ll not be able to extract all the cannabinoids. We love using this grinder: it cuts the herb rather than crushing and ripping it, it fluffs it up nicely, and it grinds it to the golden medium for vaping.

What to vape in a butane vaporizer?

Butane vaporizers are extremely versatile. While butane vaporizers excel at vaping dry herbs, they can also be used effectively to vaporize oils, concentrates and even hash. Never stop experimenting; follow these instructions, pack whatever you like in the oven, and give it a go. 

Flower

To vaporize flower, grind it up (or put a small, unground nug right in the oven if you prefer), pack the oven, and you’re set. Do not press the ground weed in the oven; pack it loosely to allow airflow.

Hash

You can vaporize hash in a variety of styles. Break down the hash in small bits like you would to roll a joint, and pack the oven with it without pressing. Alternatively, you can mix the hash with some herbs and pack the oven with it. It's also a good idea to use vape wool for vaping both hash and wax or concentrates.

Concentrate

Concentrates are sticky and delicious. You can totally use them in a butane vaporizer; as a matter of fact, some butane vaporizers come with special inserts and capsule for use with concentrates. Alternatively, you can use a little ball of organic cotton to place your drop of oil without causing major stickiness in your vaporizer, or do a little weed and oil sandwich. If you have a DynaVap, for example, you can use the DynaCoil specifically designed for vaping concentrates (a variation of the classic "dabbing").

Can I use a butane vaporizer with a bong?

Bongs and butane vaporizers are a match made in heaven. Approximately 75% of butane vapers use, at least on some occasions, a bong. This is why some of the biggest butane vaporizer companies have a special line of devices designed to be used with waterpipes, such as the DynaVap.

Water conditions and humidifies the harsh, warm vapour from the vaporizer, allowing you to achieve massive clouds (although some vaporizers make an excellent job at cooling down the vapour without the need for water). Your lungs will be thankful. Plus, there’s something super cool about milking up a bong with white, dense, delicious clouds of vapour. If your device does not fit natively in a bong, use an adapter.

The DynaVap VonG mounted on a bong

Advantages of butane vaporizers

Still not convinced that butane vaporizers are the way to go? Let’s go through some of the reasons why butane vaporizers are simply the best way to get high. Here are the main ones (there are many more actually):

• Save weed. Butane vaporizers are simply more effective than joints. The weed in the joint is burning at all times, even when you are not hitting it. In a vaporizer, the weed will not release cannabinoids and terpenes when you are not using it.
• Get higher with less material. In a joint, part of the cannabinoids and terpenes are burnt and lost forever. A vaporizer is able to extract the most terpenes and cannabinoids with minimum waste. You’ll soon find that your stash lasts much longer.
• Save your lungs. Lung health is often overlooked by smokers. Vaping weed is much healthier than smoking it; you’ll find that the benefits of vaping instead of smoking affect many districts of your body. Better lung function, better cardiovascular health, more strength, improved sense of taste and smell…and, bye bye phlegm.
• Rediscover the effects of weed. We’re sorry to say that you don’t really know weed if you’ve only just smoked it, especially if mixed with tobacco. What you get when you smoke a joint with tobacco is a mix of the effects of the cannabinoids and the effects of nicotine (and other additives in tobacco; see the movie “The Insider” to have a better idea). Add to this a tiny bit of carbon monoxide poisoning, and you’ll understand why many smokers think that they get much higher with joints. In fact, they are not getting higher, they simply are more poisoned. When you vaporize, on the other hand, you are vaporizing pure cannabis. The fact that there’s no combustion involved means that you will experience the true effects of cannabis; less couch-lock, and a more heady, pure, potent high.
• Rediscover the lost terpenes. Each terpene has its own boiling point. This means that you’ll be able to adjust the temperature to extract various terpenes throughout the session. Mmm, that delicious limonene…
• No electronic and battery failures. Battery-operated vaporizers need very powerful lithium batteries to reach the vaporization temperatures. The batteries will drain quickly, which means lots of recharge cycles. Eventually, you’ll have to replace the batteries or the whole unit; keep this in mind.
• More power compared to electronic vapes. Butane vapes simply destroy battery vaporizers in terms of power. Butane jet lighter flames reach 1000°C. Dose well the heat, and you’ll be able to get massive clouds of dense vapour from your device, with no combustion.
• No more dirty ashtrays. Go to smell your ashtray; not so nice, uh? Exactly. What you are smelling are the toxins left over by the combustion processes. A butane vaporizer on the other side, only has toasted herb as a by-product. Toasted herb smells so yummy.
• No more complains from the non-smokers. Do you live with a non-smoker? Save yourself from having to smoke on the balcony in the coldest winter. Even non-smokers will love the smell coming from your vaporizer, so you can finally use your herbs from the comfort of your sofa!
• Lots of leftovers to make edibles. What happens to the weed once you’ve vaped it? It becomes a toasty-brown thing called AVB. Still rich in cannabinoids, AVB is decarboxylated: it is thus the perfect ingredient to make cannabutter, cannaoils and other ultra-potent edibles (AVB recipe guides coming soon on this blog). A second-life to your leftovers that some may call upcycling!

What to do with spent herbs (AVB, Already Vaped Bud)

AVB, or Already Vaped Bud (call it vape poo if you will) is the by-product of vaping. If you start vaping, you’ll soon find yourself accumulating jars of “spent” weed. But this weed is still not totally spent. It still contains cannabinoids, and can be used for a number of things. There’s a growing community of enthusiast that found hundreds of ways to use AVB. We have a blog on what to do with already vaped bud (AVB), but if you just want a quick answer, here’s a few:

• Use AVB to make cannabutter, cannaoil, or simply mix it with yogurt and eat it as it is.
• You can use AVB to make alcohol-based tinctures. Take a drop worth of tincture and rub it with your tongue against the inside of your cheek for maximum potency.
• “Dirty” dabs. You can transform your AVB into ultra-potend, decarbed oil that you can eventually dab. While the taste is not great, it sure gets the job done.

The best butane vaporizers

Here's a list of some of the best butane vaporizers:

1. DynaVap VonG
2. DynaVap M
3. Vapocane Fusion
4. Sticky Brick
5. Vapman Pure
6. Black Leaf Vape Lifter
7. Vaponic
8. DynaVap BB6
9. Eagle Bill Shake & Vape
10. Black Leaf Lady Lifter

Click here to see all butane vaporizers available at Bongify!