Dab pens and vape carts represent the two most popular forms of herbal vaping that exist today, and both types of vapes have pros and cons. Because they’re useful for different types of concentrates and are best suited for different situations, some people own both dab pens and traditional vape pens or 510-thread batteries. If you’re buying your first vape, though, you need to understand the differences between dab pens vs. carts to ensure that you’re getting the right device for your needs.
Here’s how dab pens vs. vape pens compare.
Key Takeaways:
- Dab pens are designed for waxy concentrates, which are solid before they’re heated. Vape carts are designed for oily concentrates, which are liquid.
- Dab pens can potentially be more potent, but they’re less portable and discreet.
- Vape carts are small but can potentially provide hundreds of puffs, which is perfect for vaping on the go.
Dab Pens vs. Carts: Quick Comparison
Don’t have a lot of time to read? This table summarizes the key differences between dab pens and vape pens.
| Potency: | Dab pens win due to their vapor production and the higher potency of wax extracts. |
| Convenience: | Vape pens win because they’re easier to use and require less maintenance. |
| Portability: | Vape pens win because they’re smaller, self-contained and more discreet. |
| Flavor: | No clear winner here because the quality of the extract matters more than anything else. |
| Up-front costs: | Vape pens win because they’re typically less expensive to buy than dab pens. |
| Long-term costs: | Dab pens win because their heating elements or coils last longer and are easier to clean. |
Dab Pens and Vape Carts Use Different Types of Concentrates
Dab pens and vape carts are both designed to use concentrates, which are extracts made from cannabis. Concentrates have a wide range of different consistencies. The important thing to remember, though, is that a vape cart only works with concentrates that are liquid at room temperature. Anything else requires a dab pen.
Our Stinger dab straw is one of the rare exceptions to this rule. Because you use it by touching the heating element directly to the material you want to vape, it works with any type of concentrate.
Dab Pens Can Be More Potent
The biggest benefit of dab pens is that they can potentially be more potent than traditional vape pens on a puff-for-puff basis. That’s partially because waxy concentrates can sometimes be more potent than oils and partially because of the way dab pens are designed.
A dab pen often has large airflow vents, making it easy for you to inhale freely and take deep hits. Inhaling more deeply means that you’re inhaling more vapor, which naturally means that you’re consuming more active cannabinoids with each puff.
Vape Carts Are More Convenient
Unless you’re using a product like our wax tank – which allows you to pre-load a dab for later and then close the tank – dab pens are much less convenient than vape carts because they’re generally not designed for vaping on the go. A dab of wax is only good for a few puffs, and after that, you’ll need to load more.
A vape cart or weed cart, on the other hand, can potentially deliver hundreds of hits before it’s empty. That means you can simply throw your vape pen in your pocket every day and know that it’s ready to go whenever you are.
Vape Pens Are More Portable and Discreet
The biggest benefit of using a vape pen vs. a dab pen is that vape pens with traditional oil carts are much more portable. Since a vape cart stores such a large amount of oil, it’s the natural choice for on-the-go enjoyment. That’s one reason why Rokin and other companies work so hard to make vapes with discreet designs – because people love having vapes that they can use almost anywhere.
Dab pens, in contrast, are really meant for at-home sessions for the most part. That’s because you can only get a few puffs from a dab, and then you’ll need to reload your device. If you want to take a dab pen with you while you’re out and about, you’ll need to take the device along with a container of wax and a dab tool. That’s not very convenient or portable.
Dab Pens and Vape Pens Can Both Taste Great
Flavor is the one area in which there’s really no clear winner if you want to compare dab pens vs. carts. That’s because the flavor is determined mostly by the extract that you’re vaping. The quality of the starting material and the way the extraction is performed are both much more important than whether the concentrate happens to be solid or liquid at room temperature.
Dab Pens Can Have Lower Long-Term Costs
Vape pens are usually less expensive to purchase than dab pens because they’re often simpler devices. That, however, doesn’t tell the whole story because you also need to consider your long-term costs.
In the long term, dab pens are usually cheaper to own. That’s partially because waxy concentrates can be less expensive to buy in bulk and partially because dab pens don’t need replacement parts as often. Heating elements and coils for dab pens typically last a long time, and they’re easy to clean. You can submerge the element or coil in alcohol for an hour or two, and the residue will rinse right off.
With vape pens, on the other hand, the costs tend to be higher over the long term. Pre-filled weed carts can be expensive, and they’re only intended to be used until they’re empty. You can save money by filling your own empty carts – but even then, they’re not as cleanable as dab elements or coils and will only last through a few refills before their flavor quality declines.
Want to learn more? Read our list of the best vape pens on the market or learn more about why the Stinger electric dab straw is the best dab pen that you can buy.
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