You may well have read our other articles on this, but if not you'll have missed us explaining that we get it. 

We've been exactly where you are ourselves, and have also helped countless customers overcome to same issues since we first openned our dispensary back in 2018! I struggled with a dry herb vape and ultimately looking back i've become the cliche advocate, but I assure you I was on the other side of this wondering what everyone was on about until I finally followed these steps below. 

So this article here is a quick one. Not targetted at explaining the technical side of WHY smoking is different than a dry herb vape and why it can be challenging to swap. If you do want some more info on this, then head over to this article HERE. 

So before we get started with the fool proof step by step guide that has helped so many. I just wanted to explain some misconceptions about dry herb vapes. 

Yes you will hear about £200-£400 devices that are the bees knees and many are, but it is possible to get a decent dry herb vape much cheaper than this. On the flipside, it is also very easy to spend a little or a lot on a dry herb vape that frankly is better off in the bin... 

It isn't always the case, but sometimes when we find a medical cannabis patient whos struggling to make the swap it is down to the device they're using. But this guide will help ensure that you know what to do, and what to look for before you spend any more money. 

The first step is breaking down what your process is and has been to this point. This will effect what you are looking to replace with a dry herb vaporizer. 

For example, some customers we have helped choose to smoke cannabis using tobacco as a base, so if swapping from this to a dry herb vaporizer there will be an even bigger difference and challenge ahead. That doesn't mean all is lost though as many find balancing their nicotine consumption with a more healthy vape as a transition alongside their dry herb vape. Ultimately helping them curb and stop the nicotine consumption at the end of the steps. 

In the end of the day there is a physical aspect to quitting smoking in terms of the different compounds and rates of absorption, and then also the mental side of it. The preferences in throat feel, taste, onset and ritual.  

The physical aspect of this is simple and can be tracked in a controlled way to ensure that the end result is all but a certainty. However the mental aspect is certainly a different animal. 

The important thing is to understand why you are doing this. Health or simply legal compliance in line with your prescription are two great reasons to make this change. 

So with that said, being honest but also fair to yourself as your make this adjustment is important. As an ex smoker I totally appreciate this challenge, and would be a liar if I said I still don't think back fondly. However, having been using a dry herb vape medicinally for 4 years it is now a no brainer and has not only helped my health considerably, but has also saved me untold costs in consumption/ tolerance levels.

There are many different types of Dry Herb Vaporizers. Some are battery powered, some are not. Some take a couple of minutes to process a dose, others can take 10-15 minutes. Some produce thick clouds of vapour, others are alot tamer. 

These aspects of a dry herb vape can make a considerable difference to the user experience. If you are here reading this, it means that the aspects that are most likely to be important to you are those that effect how close it feels to smoking. 

These key aspects are throat feel and efficiency of consumption. To explain this a little better, if you are someone coming from smoking to this you are likely used to consuming your dose in a much faster way than a dry herb vape processes material. So if you imagine a graph, the THC entering your system will be at a steeper angle than that of the slower processing from a dry herb vape. 

In terms of throat feel often when quitting smoking it can be challenging when some vapes produce so little vapour. So with tolerance and other issues coming into play it can feel a bit naff. 

So opting for a device with adustable airflow such as the Venty, or perhaps a more robust and renowned vape for those quitting smoking like the Dynavap. 

For example the Dynavap is unique in the sense that it typically doesn't use a battery to heat the chamber. You use a torch lighter with a slight learning curve to produce the most solid and robust vapour i've had from a dry herb vape time after time. Not only does this produce vapour much closer to that of the experience of smoking, but it also processes the material much faster meaning on set is felt much stronger. 

Though the downside is that it isn't as convenient as pressing a button whilst out and about, and if you're not careful it's possible to over heat it and still combust your material. 

Rollers rights and quitting the ritual 

This may be controversial but I miss smoking and always will.

The thing is, I also feel the difference vaping has had for my health and my wallet. This directly translates to a healthier me for my family and ultimately that makes the choice a no brainer. 

That being said, if you are sat in camp Smoking is better and i'm struggling to quit then I totally get where you're sat. 

It wasn't even just the feel or differences in flavour when it comes to smoking for me, but it was the ritual itself. The satisfaction of the process and the perfect roll at the end.  Now years later if I see a friend about to roll a cigarette I often ask if they mind me making it for them out of old habits (I've still got it though i'm not sure they appreciate the new shape of their rollie).

I've since replaced that ritual with other things, and i'm very grateful for it though it took a lot of time to get there. 

I was given two different dry herb vapes to borrow and both times I hated them, tried my best and returned them. 

I even then went and thought i'm going all in and getting 'The Best' and bought myself a Mighty. Even then, it wasn't enough to convince me. 

All I can say is that one day things changed and when I was struggling being ill and coughing a lot, I decided to give the Mighty one last go by customing it and making sure I didn't give myself an excuse to go back. 

The Mighty is a top-notch device that’s capable of producing extremely pure and flavourful vapour and has a medical device option (Can be prescribed to save VAT for medical patients!). It also comes with a few other great customisations due to its popularity, like glass mouthpieces, or whips to pass the vapour through a bubbler, mesh pads to use with concentrates and dosing capsules for ease of use when out and about.

With myself all set up it took me 2-3 weeks of consistency to really notice the difference but it was only 1 week in I started to notice what I was coughing up. That was my first big win and confirmation I was doing the right thing. 

Next up was the point where I realised that the effects were there afterall, it's just about consuming your THC in different ways. 

Understanding the bell curve of THC onset from smoking vs a pro longed dry herb vape goes a long way to explaining the initial perceived differences in 'high'. Once I was more settled into my routine and tolerance had settled from this type of onset it was clear that after all of this time, those who'd recommended these before were right... 

The thing is when you're smoking it isn't even just down to the health or convenience from smell, it's about so much more. I can now dial in the precise dosage I need at isolate terpenes for specific strain profiles. Furthermore i'm not burning through material inbetween pulls just wasting my money that now goes elsewhere. 

I'm not meaning to overstate it, but looking back I can totally appreciate where all of our customers who struggle with this are coming from. Just take it from me, trust the process and you'll thank yourself. 

 Being able to load up a dose, hit it in one or two large inhales and then get on with your day with a strong onset is certainly an efficient method of consumption. Furthermore the water also helps with throat comfort when inhaling potentially removing some of the harmful byproducts of conbustion. 

However it is not without risks and still poses most of the same risks as smoking the regular way. So how does using a Dry Herb Vaporizer compare Vs a Bong?

Dry Herb Vapes are simply no where near as fast as a bong, nor do they typically have the same kind of throat hit. This is simply by the way in which they work. So if you are trying to come from using bongs to a dry herb vape you will notice a difference.

You can choose dry herb vapes with this in mind however and a certain consideration I would make would be something like the Dynavap. Though it has a learning curve with manual heating, the throat hit and consumption rate can be similar. I have seen setups using a water bong and this small device that mirror a bong very similarly and as such are a great setup to consider. 

Ultimately it will still have less throat hit but the onset will be similar and the health risks are reduced somewhat. 

Conclusion below.