Smoking is out. Vaping is in. Most people know that smoking is far from the healthiest choice you can make. However, combustion remains one of the most common methods of cannabis consumption.
If you smoke, 50 percent of cannabinoids are immediately destroyed by combustion and another 15-20% of these medical compounds due to smoke burn off.
But what do scientists say? A 2001 study found that switching to a cannabis vaporizer will eliminate the creation of harmful toxins and potentially carcinogenic compounds found in cannabis smoke. Another recent survey show that people who vaporize cannabis have health benefits and find it safer and less harmful to their health than smoking.
While cannabis smoke is less toxic than cigarette smoke, inhalation of any combustion product is not good for your health because every smoke contains gases and particulates that can cause lung irritation and breathing problems. In fact, when cannabis is burned over 100 toxins and compounds are released.
Most notably, if you heat your cannabis at temperatures above 465°F (240°C) the risk of benzene and other toxic chemicals increases and long-term exposure to benzene can lead to anemia, immune disorders and even leukemia. Vaporizers are especially designed for inhalation without harmful smoke toxins.
Did you know that when exposed to different temperatures, different cannabis flavors are expressed?
Terpenes are responsible for the incredible aromas produced by all plants, including cannabis! Some herbs activate different terpenes and phytocannabinoids at different temperatures. The more temperatures you have, the more compounds are activated in comparison to the combustion. It may sound fine, but temperature does not only affect the taste, it affects what you consume.
There are a few huge reasons why terpenes are so important and why to care about them. These organic compounds play an important role in the overall effects of cannabis in addition to THC, CBD and the other cannabinoids and provide additional therapeutic effects apart from the desirable “high” or “stoned” feeling.
Leading author in the field of cannabis gardening Ed Rosenthal said, “If THC is the engine, terpenes are the steering wheel.” Cannabinoids and terpenes work together to boost and modulate mutual effects in the endocannabinoid system in the body and directly affect your high and contribute to the Entourage Effect of Cannabis.
The science of vaporizing Terpenes and Cannabinoids
Studies have found the sweet spot for cannabis vaporization to be around 338°F, although cannabinoids begin to vaporize at 285°F, while a joint can burn as hot as 2000°F or maybe higher, you will lose most of each strain’s flavor, benefits and subtleties.
Each molecule has its own particular boiling point and the temperature control is one of the main benefits of vaping cannabis because this type of customization isn’t possible through smoking.
However, the fact that the cannabis plant contains more than 70 known cannabinoids, 120 different terpenoids and 23 different flavonoids is unknown to many people, and THC is only one of them. Cannabis is a very complex plant with thousands of different compounds with unique effects and characteristics.
Here’s a simple instruction:
- 320°F (160°C) – 356°F (180°C) Quite light mostly mental high and best for flavor, moderate euphoria, increased sensory awareness and mood.
- awareness, increased mood
- 356°F (180°C) – 392°F (200°C): Good flavor with enough medication level, the physical effects are more evident, relaxing, euphoric, meditative but not sleepy.
- 392°F (200°C) and up: Very strong level of medication, heavy bodily effects, intense euphoria, meditation, sleep, heavy relaxation.
Quick note: Each strain contains different levels of terpenes and cannabinoids that contribute to their smell, taste, and effects so bear in mind that the limitations are set by whatever strain you deal with.
THC’s boiling point is around 315°F, so that anything less produces minimum psychoactive effects. Lower temperatures are more suitable for morning and day use and higher temperatures are more suitable for evening and late-night sessions.
Overall, the optimal vaping temperature for medicinal use is between 315°F (157°C) and 392°F (200°C). Whether you are using for dry herb, a desktop vape or a portable vape, the same basic rules apply.
The quality of the vaporizer can change your experience with Cannabis
If you want to try vaping your cannabis, here is an option we would suggest that you look into. It’s not easy to pick the best dry weed vaporizer, particularly with so many new vapes on the market.
Alright so jumping right into it, Zeus is a brand that offers vaporizing devices and all the equipment you would need to vaporizer weed like a pro. Zeus Arc GT is a robust yet elegant dry herb vaporizer engineered in Germany by Zeus Arsenal and is very easy to operate.
The Zeus Arc comes with an haptic feedback, accelerometer, multi-tool integration, three temperature cycles, USB charging and an upgradable firmware. It has a solid feel thanks to its matte black finish and the anodized aluminum body.
It has a gold chamber and steam path, three temperature settings and the battery offers enough juice to provide 90 minutes of continuous use when fully charged.
The chamber is quite large, but when you want to use less weed, the included glass insert significantly reduces the loading capacity.
Why “Gold Technology”?
GT stands for Gold Technology and it’s named because it’s all made of gold. The conduction heating chamber is gold-plated and improves the extraction and production of your weed.
The gold-plated heat sink and steam path cool the herbs more effectively into your mouth than other materials without altering taste. Gold’s extreme chemical stability and resistance to corrosion make it ideal as well and like glass, is one of the best materials to transfer your vapor on and preserve its compounds and flavors.
Zeus wrapped the thermal sink in a high quality medical silicone which feels nicely to the touch, without adding unnecessary flavors or smells into the vapor. If gold doesn’t matter to you, they also have a stainless steel version.
However, it’s not just a gold steam path which distinguishes this unit from its competitiveness. It has a few innovative, futuristic characteristics too.
The unit has only one button that control everything and features an accelerometer so that it automatically shuts off in 30 seconds, if no movement or drawing can be detected. This saves both battery power and material, because senseless burning is an absolute waste. The same technology is used to show the battery level, just simply shake the unit and it will display that through the LED.
Haptic feedback handles device vibrations which allows you to know exactly when it’s ready to vaporize, when you power the unit on/off or when you change the heat settings. The Zeus Arc GT comes with another cool technology, you can check how much battery life is left by shaking it.
At the bottom is a multifunctional tool that is magnetically maintained and the micro USB charge port reveals when pulled out. It was designed to help you shovel the weed into the chamber, tamp it down, mix it during a session or to empty the chamber. You have the ability to put it on the top of the vape which is also magnetic.
This weed vaporizer should definitely share the throne with other top models since it is full of amazing features. There is no doubt that the cloud quality of the Zeus Arc GT is so great. Not only is the flavor top notch, but it’s pretty impressive how much vapor it produces almost from the first hit. The flavor of dry herb comes through like no other vape.
Temperature Control of the Zeus Arc
Instead of full digital temperature control accuracy, the Zeus Arc GT offers three temperature settings: 401°F (205°C), 419°F (215°C), and 437°F (225°C) and the average heat up time is a reasonable 80 seconds.
For the ability to adjust the temperature settings, users must download a firmware update of Zeus Arc and connect their devices via USB cord to tweak the configuration. The process enables users to be flexible about temperatures since different versions with different temperatures can be downloaded.
This powerful, dry herb vaporizer handles as it looks.
The production quality of the Zeus Arc is certainly of the highest standard, and we would not expect anything less from a product engineered in Germany. There’s also a three year limited warranty.
With the Zeus Arc we can see how much time, energy and effort was put into the final product. Not only is the flavor top notch, but it’s pretty impressive how much vapor it produces almost from the first hit.
This vaporizer is the perfect accessory for cannabis, it is the kind of thing you would always like to put into your pocket.
When selecting a dry herb vaporizer, it’s critical to know which options and features are best for you, that’s why, in this article, we tried to cover the most important things for a beginner to know.
Where to buy the Zeus Arc GT Vaporizer: US, Canada.
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