Vapor Cups are a new category of vaporizer for at-home cannabis use.
These devices use dab-able concentrates or 510-threaded vaporizer cartridges to fill a glass cup with vapor, making them a fun alternative to smoking and dabbing.
Vapor Cup vaporizers are intended for casual smokers looking for a normalized interface. The drinkable vapor is far less intimidating than joints, blunts, or dabs. Vapor from Vapor Cup style vaporizers is different than e-rigs or traditional dabs because it rapidly cools in the open air of the cup. Vapor Cup vapor is less intense, wispier, and less flavorful than direct inhale vaporizers – a trade-off for the less intimidating glass cup vaporizer format.
Best Vapor Cups – Quick Picks
Vapor Cup | Best For | Compatibility | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Omegatron 2.0 | Dabbers, big carts Best Vapor Cup Overall | 3D Atomizer for Wax 510 threaded cartridges | |
Omegatron | Cartridges | Exposed coil for wax :( 510-threaded cartridges | |
Zenco | Small cartridges Best Glassware | Exposed coil for wax :( dry herb (untested) 510-threaded cartridges | |
Pulsar | Added Water Filtration | Exposed coil for wax :( 510-threaded cartridges | $179 |
Best Vapor Cups Compared
Tronian Omegatron 2 – Best Overall Cup-Style Vape
The Omegatron 2 is my choice for Best Vapor Cup because it has the best performance with rosin and higher quality concentrates. This is the only vape cup style vaporizer with a sidewall-heated atomizer for better tasting vapor.
The Omegatron 2 also has nicer glass, a more customizable settings, and better cartridge compatibility, and an easier interface.
This is the one to get if you plan to use high quality concentrates. It’s $229.
Click here to buy one.
Original Omegatron – Best Value for Cartridge Use
The OG Omegatron is half the price of the Omegatron 2 and Zenco.
The previous version isn’t as good with dabbable concentrates as the Omegatron 2.
If you plan to dabble in concentrates, it’s worth upgrading to Omegatron 2! If you’re only using vape carts, there isn’t a whole lot of point to spending more than necessary.
Click Here to buy the OG for $109
Pulsar Sipper – Vapor Cup with Water Filtration
I’ve had this for a few years and gave it a midsy review on youtube, but the video was deleted :(
The Pulsar Sipper uses a unique multi-chambered glass with a vented lower half and water bubbler upper half.
I liked this one a lot better without water, but if bubbles are your thing this might be the way to go. Like the others, the Pulsar also uses a low quality exposed coil for its concentrate options. This device works best with vape carts. Get one for $179
Zenco Duo – Glass Options
Zenco has been in the Vapor Cup category longer than the others and appears to have acquired the original Bello brand.
Zenco has more glassware options than any other Vapor Cup, making it an attractive choice for people looking to theme their life and live with some flair.
Zenco wins the category for my kids and their friends – but I’m a vapor snob.
Zenco works best with carts. It’s $250.
What is a Vapor Cup?
This is a new term and a new category of cannabis vaporizer.
Vapor Cups pump vapor into a vessel resembling a drinking glass. The vapor sinks to the bottom and remains there until sucked or sipped away.
Vapor Cup vaporizers use 510-threaded vape cartridges or dab-able concentrates like hash rosin and live resin. These are not dry herb vaporizers, and they’re not very portable.
How Do Vapor Cups Work?
The base of the unit contains a small fan which blows through the vape cartridge in a way that mimics the inhalation process. Vapor is gently blown through the bottom of the glassware and into the cup.
The cup is then removed from the base and the vapor is enjoyed in one or two sips.
This form of cannabis consumption is geared towards beginners.
Vapor Cups vs Traditional Dab Rigs & E-rigs
Vapor cups with concentrates are a very different experience compared to e-rigs and traditional dabs.
A traditional terp slurper is still the pinnacle of efficiency and performance. Vapor Cups fall at the lowest end of the efficiency scale for dab-able concentrates.
Efficiency, flavor, and intensity are all sacrificed in exchange for the “Drinkable Vapor” format.
These are advantages for beginners and disadvantages for seasoned stoners.
See my Best E-Rigs page if you’re looking for a more serious way to dab.
Vapor Cups and Dry Herb
None of the vapor cups are designed for dry herb. Zenco uses it in their marketing material, but it’s a bullshit marketing claim. Dry herb in their triple-quartz exposed coil produces a few whisps of vapor before it combusts. Enjoy that glass of nasty yellow smoke.
Get a real dry herb vaporizer if you’re looking for a portable herb vape.
See my best vapes page for an up-to-date ranking.
Are Vapor Cups Worth It?
This is tough for me – as a daily consumer and connoisseur, Vapor Cups aren’t anywhere in my list of daily use vaporizers. I obsess over flavor and efficiency though!
My kids and many of the casual cannabis consumers I’ve shared it with adore the format and love drinking their vapor instead of smoking.
As gimmicky as they may seem to old heads, the younger generation of cart-smokers seems to love it.
For me it’s worth having one around, even though I don’t use it. I entertain often enough and Vapor Cups have proven to be a great way to introduce newcomers to cannabis.
Vapor cups.
This is where I draw the line.
LMAO – yeah i feel ya there.
It took a lot of talking to mainstream consumers to convince me