Like many others I’m coming to Lemmy from Reddit, and I noticed there isn’t a well-established dry herb vape community present (yet). While I still enjoy sharing a joint when the opportunity arises, I prefer dry herb vapes for efficiency, taste, and reduced smell. For some of you that frequented/frequent the vaporents sub, you may have seen this when I posted it a couple of years ago, but I’d like to share some insight into the dry herb vapes that I own if that’s okay here. I’ve edited this from the original to be a little more up to date, but it’s mostly the same. Fair warning that it’s a bit long.

I first started vaping right after getting out of the military, but had been researching for quite a while prior to getting out. After getting the Lotus as my first, I pretty quickly started collecting vapes which turned into a cool hobby that I enjoyed far more than I thought I would. I vape daily, the vast majority of the time at night after I’m done with work and everything else that I need to do for the day. I first started with only hemp to try and alleviate back issues with the intent to only occasionally get high, then started mixing 1:1 hemp and regular flower, and now I just consume regular flower. On a scale of 1-10 I typically prefer to get to a 5 or 6 max, mostly due to the fact that I just don’t enjoy getting wrecked. And similar to beer I would just rather not get more than a good buzz, although I absolutely love the taste of both.

I gravitated toward vapes that required some sort of technique as I love to tinker, and I have an extreme interest in the artisan and smaller-company pieces (especially if they’re wood!). While in the research process for a new vape I would exhaust the search function and read every single post even loosely referencing what I was considering, so seeing a new post with potentially new information or perspective was almost kind of exciting. Maybe that sounds weird, but I’m sure I can’t be the only one so I decided that I’d leave my perspective on each of the vapes that I own if anyone was interested. These are in roughly the order that I bought them, but aren’t ranked any other way as I enjoy them all for different situations. Instead of super technical reviews these are more opinions of why they’re perfect for me, why I bought them, and also the situations that I choose to use them in, so it’s pretty heavily subjective.

** Lotus ** I actually had a lot of fun dialing this one in, and found it to be simple to learn but marginally challenging to master for quick, full extraction. The technique is obviously different than the DynaVap and there is no click, but I found the DynaVap to have roughly the same learning curve to get consistent hits for what it’s worth. I alternate between the default stem and the J-Hook depending on how careful I want to be, but regardless it provides super terpy hits and is very clean tasting.

This is my favorite for citrusy strains and my go-to when it’s a gorgeous spring day outside and I just want to sit for a while in the backyard after I’m done with the yardwork. Pretty specific but there’s just something about those days. I don’t usually push this one very hard, and prefer to take a lot of lighter hits over 20 or so minutes. I love the look and comfortable feel while holding it, really like the attached stir tool, and also can’t help but feel pretty damn classy while using it. This will probably remain as my most nostalgic vape for all time.

** DynaVap ** I wanted something small, quick to extract, and with little to no room for error to get full extraction without stirring. This seemed to fit the bill. The adjustable CCD in the titanium tip was also appealing as I was starting to dabble more with THC flower and was still kind of finding where my comfort zone was at the time. I had bought a Sneaky Pete mini-globe that I tried with my lotus, but preferred to vape with that dry. Not wanting to have to deal with a 14mm adapter (plus, you know, wood) I got a NonaVong-S in Maple.

While fun to use with water, I mostly use this dry as well. My wife doesn’t partake (although she has no issues with it), so out of courtesy I try not to leave a ton of stuff laying out. I used a Hula XL stem for quite a while which I liked, but lately have been alternating between the original maple body and a Shellshock that I got from Vgoodiez. I like the flavor from just about any of my other vapes more, but this gets a lot more use due to how quick it is to finish a cap. I’ll use this between the time that we finish dinner and the time that we sit down to watch something just so I’m not making my wife wait for me. I did build an induction heater which was not only fun to build but fun to use, however I reach for my single-flame Lotus torch way more often just to avoid the clutter of having the IH out. I almost exlusively use this for concentrate now using the Dynacoil since I don’t have any interest in getting a full rig.

** Solo II ** I bought this to have an easy session vape that I didn’t have to fuss with much. It was really down to this and the Mighty, but I believe I was also loosely considering a Tera at the time. What really sold me was the SUPER low maintenance cleaning and simplicity of it in general. While I didn’t distrust the plastic of the Mighty, the general build material was a factor for me, as was the perceived maintenance. I also got this to share with a buddy for occasional sessions since my other two vapes at the time were not very share-friendly. I was surprised at the restricted feel of the airflow (as others have mentioned it’s kind of like sucking on a milkshake), but very impressed at the taste of the vapor and battery life (seriously, goddamn).

This ultimately became my least reached-for vape however, only because of the length of time it takes to finish a stem. I also found that as my tolerance increased over time, it took multiple stems to get where I wanted to, especially more-so while sharing. It’s a very durable and quality vape, and I really didn’t have any complaints whatsoever except the length of time (which is 100% on me). I ended up gifting this to a friend that was interested in dry herb vapes which I was happy to do. I’d rather it get used and enjoyed than sit in a drawer.

** Sticky Brick Jr. ** At the time I was still trying to find my comfort zone with THC while getting the pain relief I was looking for, so I was searching for a heavy-hitter with a bigger bowl. I still had plenty of hemp flower and began experimenting with ratios, often grinding 3:1 or 2:1 CBD:THC and filling the chamber completely. I felt like I could take the edge off without getting blasted, and the taste was phenomenal. The Black Limba is absolutely gorgeous and introduced a woodiness that was actually very pleasant to me. As far as a learning curve, it can be trying, but not so much that it’s off-putting. I was overly cautious in the beginning and found myself getting little to no vapor as opposed to charring or hotspots. I also experimented with the restrictor disc but opted to not use it, and have only combusted once.

Now when I add it to my small rotation it replaces my DynaVap as my quick extractor. I’ll fill it about half-way and take two moderately large hits (depending on the kind of day it was), sometimes leaving what’s left (if any) for later. As a side-note, this is also the vape that I’ve greened out the most with, and is no joke if you want to get very high, very fast. I love everything about this vape, and even cleaning is not too involved. I also enjoy conditioning my wood vapes (although I should do it more often), so the time investment for doing so wasn’t a factor, even though the thought of cleaning the Mighty wasn’t appealing to me for some reason.

** Firewood 5 ** Oooohhhh man, I have nothing but good things to say about this vape. I wanted a discrete, on-demand device that I could take to family functions with the wife when she didn’t mind driving, although it was mostly for golfing with my buddy. It had to be something that I could share and the heat-up time had to be short. I found a post on EntExchange with a price I was comfortable with and decided to pull the trigger. I can load multiple bowls so my buddy and I can each have our own green hits, I can step outside for a quick draw at family gatherings, it has replaceable batteries, ceramic and glass vapor path, is VERY tasty, and it’s WOOD.

These days it’s mostly single use though as we’ve moved to another state, but it’s still perfect for showing up to the golf course early and taking a couple of long hits in my truck, as it’s still taboo in my industry (and not legal in this state…) and I also don’t feel comfortable with most people knowing. As others have stated I also keep a toothpick in the battery compartment for quick stirring which works very well, and if I lose it it’s not a big deal. This is my favorite vape that I own by far, even if it doesn’t get the most use.

** E-Nano ** This was on sale at the time and I had been considering a desktop vape to use while I was… well, at my desk. This has an ultra small footprint and is one the easiest to use vapes that I own. I can load a stem and just take draws as wanted without having to fuss too much. I use the tool as a stand for my stem (as well as a stir tool), and once the adjustable screen is set to where you like it there’s little else to do. The airflow definitely feels less restrictive than the Solo, and I feel comfortable leaving it on all day until I feel like a puff. It also looks great just sitting there, and cleaning is ridiculously simple. I would recommend the long stem if you’re interested in using it dry, however.

** Milaana 3 ** I had wanted a Milaana for a long time for no other reason than it was an artisan on-demand vape, required technique to learn, and was wood, but had trouble justifying the purchase even though spending the money wouldn’t put me out. This ended up being another purchase from EntExchange, but I’m very glad that I got it. One of the final deciding factors at the time was the potential for not being able to easily buy one in the future, and although a spalted maple piece with green stem was my dream Milaana, I decided to get a 3 that was at a reasonable price while I could.

I still have yet to combust, but found there was definitely a technique to get evenly vaped flower. I tried both packing between the basket screen and an internal screen as well as just in the basket screen, and prefer the latter. I also found that the biggest factor in getting consistent hits was inhalation speed, and once I started drawing like I do from my FW5 (very slowly), I was suddenly getting very consistent hits. I also rotate the stem 1/4 turn after each hit until it’s rotated 360°, stir, and take one monster hit to finish it off which leaves me with pretty even and mostly extracted AVB.

** Vapman ** This was 100% an impulse buy. I always enjoyed seeing them pop up every now and then but didn’t think I would be able to buy one as Remi had (at the time) ceased production. Someone mentioned on a post that VGoodiez was selling them and production had somewhat started again so I ordered a Yew model within minutes. I would definitely recommend buying from them. They’re quick, courteous, involved in the community, and have been very pleasant to do business with.

This is a very fun vape to use and truly micro-dose with, and is very rewarding when you get it just right for the first time. I’ll reach for this if I have the day off and want to vape in the morning without getting too toasty as the pan doesn’t hold much. I’ve also used it with hash a handful of times which is pretty awesome. For a conduction vape it’s also surprisingly tasty, and I enjoy it more than my DynaVap in that regard.

** Lamart Piro ** This was another impulse buy which I got because I liked the look of them, and it functions very similarly to the Sticky Brick except that the vapor path is all glass. I’ve only used this a handful of times but it’s enjoyable and tasty, although it’s nothing groundbreaking.

** Mighty ** I was on the fence about this one for a very long time, and wouldn’t have bought it if it wasn’t 20% off. At the time there were only talks of a possible new Mighty coming out at some point, but I was comfortable with the price and was wanting a different session vape than the Solo. More importantly I wanted a shorter session vape that I only had to load and puff with no technique, and that could be shared more reasonably with than the Solo. While the Solo was dead simple to use, I also found that I had to pack the stem just right to get my ideal hits (about halfway full, tamped just enough to not allow any to fall but still allow as much airflow as possible).

The Mighty seemed to hold more herb, was quicker to finish, provided cooler vapor, and obviously had a great reputation. While I wasn’t thrilled about the plastic components or the perceived maintenance, I decided to give it a try anyway over the Fury Edge that I was also considering. I’ve vaped many dozens of bowls through this. It’s exactly as simple as I want, I guess it’s accurate that the vapor is “fluffy” and pretty cool, and capsules are pretty damn convenient. The chamber still looks almost brand new, although I give it a quick brush after every session along with the default screen on the bottom of the cooling unit.

I pretty quickly replaced the default screen with the finer mesh screen included to try and reduce the amount of plant matter buildup, which works well, and pulling everything apart to clean really isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. One bowl gets me where I want to be, and it’s super easy to pass without having to explain technique.

This hobby has led me to purchase many different types of vapes (convection, conduction, on-demand, session, portable, desktop, artisan, big-name, WOOD) and I like them all for different reasons. Hopefully this has been informative and provides some discussion for this budding (heh) community.