Why I Use Rebuildable Atomizers For Vaping Cannabis E-Liquids
Over the past few years, cannabis vaporization has exploded in popularity, enjoyed by numerous celebrities (even fictional ones!) as well as acknowledged by doctors as being a safer alternative to combustion. When I started my vaping career in 2009, almost all the major cannabis vaporizers brands could only handle loose leaf. However, with more and more places around the world moving towards progressive cannabis legal reforms, I’ve noticed an upswing in emails from visitors asking about how to make your very own cannabis e-juice. Although my advanced cannabis e-liquid guide goes into detail about how to make your own potent weed e-juice, it doesn’t really talk about the best way to vaporize it, and since cannabis e-juice is much more expensive than nicotine e-liquid per mL, you’ll definitely want to make the most out of your stash.
The first thing that you need to be aware of is that even if your marijuana e-juice is made with vacuum purged oil, it will still clog up an atomizer much faster than nicotine e-juice, and this is a highly important factor to keep in mind when purchasing a personal vaporizer (PV) for use with liquids. The following photos show several Aspire Atlantis atomizers that I’ve put to varying amounts of use, as well as a fresh atomizer for comparison:
Although coils do need to be replaced from time to time, when your cannabis e-liquids begin to clog or taste ‘off’ its usually the wicking material which needs replacing. For best results, I recommend using either a dripper system, or a tank with a rebuildable atomizer and replace your wicks every 5-7mLs of juice that you go through. Although this seems like a low amount of juice to swap out wicks at, remember that it produces a much stronger effect than nicotine e-liquid, so you’ll use a lot less liquid than you would otherwise!
Fresh, 5mL, and 10mL atomizers
For those seeking the ultimate in taste and longevity, I’ve noticed that dripper style rebuildable atomizers (such as the Hobo RDA) produce a thick amount of vapor while allowing you to easily replace the wicking material (or coils) whenever you feel that your experience is starting to degrade. Although drippers can be great for getting tasty, potent hits of cannabis liquid, their downside is that they can be difficult to take with you on the go, and you’ll need to constantly be dripping throughout the day. You’ll also need to have some experience with rebuilding coils as you can’t buy any ready made ones.
Personally, I like being able to use my liquids while I’m on the go, and this makes tanks the ideal option for me. If you go this route, I highly recommend purchasing a tank which has both a large wicking capacity as well as the ability to rebuild your own coils and replace the wicking material. When vaping with an Atlantis tank, I usually set my iStick to 21-23 watts (which is on the lower side of the Atlantis’ operating range), and this produces a solid amount of vapor without any burnt taste. As you can see in the photo to the right, the Aspire Atlantis has a much higher wicking capacity than the Aspire Nautilus, and this makes a pretty big difference when it comes to how effectively your liquid gets vaporized.
Aside from the Atlantis, I’ve also heard great things about the Kanger Subtank, and imagine that it would also work quite well with most forms of cannabis e-liquid. Because cannabis e-liquid is light sensitive, try to keep your tank out of any direct sunlight, and I recommend filling it up enough so that you have 2-3 days worth of juice inside and not much more (this will prevent the potency from degrading as fast). One upside to tank systems is that aside from building your own coils you can purchase replacements which will clog less easily than smaller systems.
Since cannabis and also CBD e-liquids produces no smell, can be combined with flavors, and delivers a potent dose when you need it most, e-liquid has quickly become one of my favourite ways to consume cannabis while I’m on the go! Lately I’ve been having good results using a Kanger Subtank. If you have any tips or suggestions for vaping cannabis e-liquids, be sure to leave a note in the comments!
