How to Shop for Trustworthy Vaping Supplies?

Vaping is considered one of the cleanest and safest ways to enjoy cannabis on the market. The concept - heating cannabis oil until it becomes a vapor - is essentially good. Unlike dry leaf, there is no smoke to inhale, open flames, or butane involved and people are far less likely to cough when vaping compared to smoking. However, there has also been some legitimate discussion about how to know if your vape pen or carts are safe.

Just before the pandemic hit, one of the biggest news stories was Vape-Related Illness - a controversy involving the hospitalization of young people vaping illegal THC carts in non-legal states. While it took a while to find the culprit -- A crime ring distributing hand-filled carts using dangerous additives and fake labeling -- everything went under scrutiny. Including the safety of vape pens.

Today, if you're worried about whether vape pens are safe, we have some very real answers about both the safety of modern legitimate vape pens and how to know that you're vaping with a safe device or cart.  

What is a Vape Pen and Why Is It Safe?

A vape pen is a lithium-ion battery, a button, and a connector. The connector is usually a 510 thread that accepts most standard-sized 510 vape carts. When the vape cart and pen are in contact and the button is pressed, the cart warms up and vapor is dispensed through the mouthpiece.

When it all works correctly, vape pens are extremely safe.

Lithium-ion batteries are low-temperature and recharge many times safely. They are used for smart watches, phones, and most rechargeable devices today. The lithium-ion battery inside a vape pen sends a very small electric charge into the cartridge creating conduction heat. The heat evaporates a little bit of the oil for a smoke-free inhalation.

Everything about a well-designed vape pens and carts are designed to be simple and safe. 

What Can Make a Vape Pen Unsafe?

Of course, you've likely heard more than a few stories about when vape pens aren't safe. There are three well-documented reasons why a vape pen might not be safe to use.

1. The battery has been damaged or allowed to overheat
2. The contents of the cart are not clean and safe
3. The air draw passes through heavy metal components

The first reason is why vape pens can't go into airplane cargo holds, but they can travel (unpowered) in your pocket. All lithium-ion batteries are dangerous if exposed to extreme temperatures, and all batteries are dangerous if they suffer a major impact.  So don't use a damaged or swollen vape.

The second reason has to do with illegal THC cart distribution, like the Vape-Related Illness scandal of 2019. If you get your carts from legitimate dispensaries whose suppliers have to submit regular product tests, you'll be safe from this risk.

The third has to do with vape pen design, and only early ( and poorly manufactured knock-off) models make the mistake of placing the air draw at the wrong end of the vape pen. But this is the issue you'll want to be most vigilant about for safe vaping, as pen manufacture is less regulated than cannabis oil carts.

Battery Safety Tips For Your Vape Pen

So the first step to safe vaping is to treat your vape pen battery with care. Really, if you follow the rules of electronics safety, your pen battery should be fine. Don't leave it in a hot car or let it freeze in a winter shed. Turn the battery off when it's going to ride in your pocket or bag, or keep it safely in a clamshell case where the button can't be pressed.

Remove cartridges while traveling and clean the connections regularly. Also, don't drop-kick your battery and try to avoid hard falls unless you've got a robust model with rubberized sides like a good phone case.

If your battery is undamaged and you sourced it from a trustworthy brand, then you're good to go.

Make Sure You're Buying Reputable Cartridges

The next step is to always buy your vape cartridges from a regulated source. Go to the dispensary. Don't buy cartridges from online bulk sellers and especially never - ever - buy a cannabis cartridge from a shady dealer in the parking lot behind the mall (or anywhere else). 

Go to the dispensary or have your carts delivered directly from the dispensary. Take no risks when it comes to the contents of your carts and if you're concerned, choose brands that regularly publish their batch test results. This way you are always getting your vape from reputable, regulated sources that are legally liable for the health and well being of every user. 

How to Know If A New Vape Pen is Good Quality?

Safely Sourcing Vape Pen Batteries and Accessories

What about finding safe vape pen batteries? How do you know if a vape pen is safe? The three methods are to know where your vape pen came from, pay attention to the way it draws air, and always stick to trusted brands that offer product warranties. This ensures that you are not buying off-market/black-market pens made for pennies with no regard for user health.

Where Your Vape Pen Came From

Always buy vape pens directly from a trusted retailer. Just like carts, don't buy your vape pen out back of the mall or from some shady dealer's coat lining. Distrust brand packaging as well, as this can notoriously be faked.

It's best to buy your vape pens from the brand that makes them, but buying a pen in your dispensary or from a vape shop can usually be trusted. Higher-quality and higher-priced pens are also typically more trustworthy than flimsy throw-aways.

The Way Your Vape Pen Draws

Pay attention to how air is drawn through the vape. The one mistake that even legitimate brands can make is to place the air draw at the far end of the pen. This has air coming all the way up past the electronics, which can result in heavy metal exposure. Instead, you want a brand with air draw just below the cart for the best draw power and metal-free inhalations.

Trusted Brands and Warranties

Lastly, choose brands you trust. Brands that take pride in their product and who offer warranties are taking responsibility for the quality of each pen.  

Explore VESSEL for Vape Pens You Can Trust

Here at VESSEL, we are passionate about vape pen design and quality. We go to the lab, we come back with great designs, and we pay attention to what matters. We back our quality with product warranties and our air draw is always through safe, near-cartridge channels. You also know you're getting a genuine VESSEL pen when you order directly through our site. Heck, we'll get on the phone and talk to you about it.