Disposable vape cartridges are changing the way people consume the cannabis plant. These convenient extract-filled devices show up on dispensary shelves nationwide, in online shopping carts, and in the pockets of on-the-go cannabis users. It seems like more and more cultivators are releasing disposable cart lines every day. With so many different options out there, how can you be sure you’re getting the best possible product? While the honey-gold oil inside the cartridge is the most important part, the material of the cartridge itself can be a strong indicator of the overall quality. Keep reading to find out more.
What Are Disposable Vape Cartridges?
Vape cartridges, sometimes called vape carts for short, are small disposable vessels typically filled with BHO hash oil or other similarly viscous cannabis concentrates. They attach to any standard 510 threaded battery and can be thrown away when finished. Primarily, convenience drives the rising popularity of these cartridges. Unlike messy dab pens or complicated rigs that require a blowtorch, disposable carts can be easily replaced, stored, and discreetly used. If you’re trying to tactfully use cannabis while out and about, then a pen vape with a disposable cartridge is likely the best option. The smell of vapor is significantly less potent than the smoke from combusted cannabis, and it tends to dissipate much quicker, making public cannabis consumption easier than ever.
Typically these kinds of cartridges have been made from a combination of plastic and metal. However, top-shelf manufacturers who want to make the best possible products have been switching to ceramic for a myriad of reasons. Not only are ceramic cartridges more effective, but they may also be better for your health.
Dangers Of Metal Cartridges
Usually, we think of vaping as a somewhat healthier alternative to traditional smoking. It is true that combustion creates markedly more dangerous carcinogens than vaping. However, metal cartridges produce a different kind of health concern—heavy metal leaching.
In 2019, the state of California began implementing some of the testing requirements for vape cartridges in the world. Since starting these stringent testing practices, the state has uncovered an alarming amount of lead cannabis carts. Lead exposure, which is a neurotoxin if consumed by humans, can cause brain damage and even death, so officials have been rightfully concerned.
Cartridge manufacturers looking to increase profits often use metals that have been combined with lead. Then, because of the high acidity of cannabis oil, those lead molecules get absorbed into the oil, where they will be eventually transformed into aerosol and inhaled into human lungs.
Benefits Of Ceramic Cartridges
Not only do ceramic carts eliminate the potential of heavy metal leaching, but they also have several benefits which can improve the overall quality of a consumer’s vaping experience.
- Better taste: ceramic cartridges are more porous than their metal counterparts. Practically, this translates directly to better flavors. Because the heating coils are made of a more porous material, more of the terpene-rich cannabis oil is absorbed, providing a more robust flavor, and allowing users to better appreciate the nuances of a particular oil’s terpene profile. Also, since there are fewer contaminants than metal carts, the cannabis flavors remain unadulterated.
- Better vapor: The porous nature of ceramic doesn’t just result in a better flavor; it also contributes to bigger vape clouds since it increases the surface area of heat.
- More heat-resistance: Ceramics are an incredibly heat-resistant material—much more so than the metals used in metal vape carts. As a result, the chance of your coil getting damaged by heat noticeably reduces when using a ceramic cartridge.
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No more burnt taste: Metal vape cartridges aren’t all metal; they also typically have a cotton wick wrapped around the coil, which absorbs the cannabis oil that will be vaporized. However, these wicks don’t always work perfectly. When a wick doesn’t connect with the oil properly or burns through the oil too quickly, something known as a dry hit can occur. A dry hit is a nasty tasting mix of residue smoke and hot air. Ceramic coils don’t need to use wicks because they’re so porous—that means an end to foul-tasting dry hits.
