There are many different factors that go into choosing the right vape. One of the most important features of a vaporizer is how it heats “material”. This is done via one of two heating methods: conduction or convection.

What is Conduction?

Conduction is typically used when the goal is to make a vaporizer as compact as possible. Conduction vaporizers work by putting your herb in direct contact with the heating source. Think of how bacon is prepared. It’s placed directly on top of a frying pan and when the pan gets hot it cooks the bacon.

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There are some pros and cons to choosing a conduction vaporizer:

Pros:

• The most compact vaporizers out there
• Often times they can be cheaper
• Far superior battery life when compared to convection heating

Cons:

• Doesn’t conserve flower due to the fact that these devices are continually heating the flower when the vaporizer is turned on
• If you set it too hot the flower sometimes gives you a burnt taste
• Overall flavor is reduced compared to convection

What is Convection?

The good thing about convection heating is the “flower” doesn’t ever come into direct contact with the heating source. To keep in line with our cooking analogy above, imagine if you will a convection oven. It uses fans to circulate air over the heat thus baking your meals more evenly.

Pros:

• The herb doesn’t get heated unless the vape is being hit (making it far more efficient than conduction)
• Hits don’t have that burnt taste you sometimes get with conduction heating
• Far more super smoking experience than conduction

Cons:

• Much more expensive
• Less portable options to chose from
• Battery life doesn’t last very long
• Sometimes they require more technique

What about Hybrid Heating?

A lot of great vaporizers use a hybrid heating design. The air intake can be heated so by the time the air gets to the bowl it is hot and ready to utilize convection heating. However since the intake path is heated, and it is connected to the bowl, the bowl often starts to get hot itself so the bowl also utilizes some conduction heating. With this design you can sort of get the best of both worlds.

Pros:

• The herb doesn’t get heated very much unless the unit is being used so you get very good flavor and efficiency
• The combination of heating methods often gives you a consistent and easy to use experience.

Cons:

• Battery life is worse than pure conduction
• Price is a bit more than pure conduction

Thank you for taking the time to read our explanation between convection and conduction heating. If you would like to take a closer look I have an article about my favorites of the different types of portable vaporizers. I talk about the ones I like best in each of the different categories like convection and conduction as well as hybrid units.