Will A Dry Herb Vaporizer Save Me Money In The Long Run?

The dry herb vaporizer is taking the world by storm. A device which was once unknown and unheard of, is now becoming more and more popular. Although this contraption looks somewhat like a light sabre, it is not as complex as it first seems. 

Most dry herb vapes are very easy to use. For many, the health benefits of the dry herb vaporizer are probably the first thing that comes to mind, however, the cost benefits are also something to take note of. 

As some of you will know, smoking weed over time can be a costly affair; the rizlas, the tobacco, the weed, it all adds up.

But with a decent dry herb vape setting you back at least £100, the question is…

Is using a dry herb vape actually cheaper than smoking?

This is something we’re going to look into within this article. By the end, you’ll know for certain whether a dry herb vaporizer would save you money in the long run.

What Is A Dry Herb Vaporizer? 

First things first: let’s define what a dry herb vaporizer is. For those who don’t know, a dry herb vaporizer is a device which allows you to inhale your bud (and/or waxes) without the means of burning it and smoking it. 

They come in many shapes, colours and sizes. However, the one consistent trait of a dry herb vape is that you can place your bud (or sometimes concentrates) in the chamber, heat it up, and inhale the vapour created.  

Parts of a Dry Herb Vaporizer  

The Chamber  

The chamber is where the good stuff goes. The chamber – or sometimes referred to as the oven – heats up the bud at a temperature of around 180-220 degrees. Rather than burning the weed, it heats it, using convection or conduction (depending on the model). 

Convection works like an oven, heating the air around the weed. Whereas conduction works like a hob, heating it up from below. Usually the process of heating the dry herb won’t take longer than 30 seconds, and sometimes can be even quicker.  

The Mouthpiece 

The mouthpiece is where the inhalation happens. The user can inhale the vapour from the mouthpiece. It’s often a flat shape, or a cylindrical shape. If you’re used to smoking then it might be quite dramatically different inhaling vapour instead of smoke; it’s a lot less harsh on the throat.  

The Battery 

The battery is what makes these things portable. The charge should usually last you a few days and is rechargeable; so no need to buy new batteries each time. Within the most modern dry herb vaporizers, the 18650 battery is the most powerful one in use currently and was also technically used to power Tesla’s Model S and X.  

The Controls 

Some dry herb vapes have control functions. These you can use to alter the temperature. Differing the heat level will cause varying effects to your bud, changing its potency and flavour.  

What Are The Benefits Of Dry Herb Vapes?

Before we start comparing the prices of dry herb vaping to smoking. It’s important first to note some of the other benefits of these devices.  

Health  

The health benefits of dry herb vaporizers are evident. Although many are used to smoking weed, the problem is that it involves combustion. Combustion is the process which occurs when a cigarette or joint is lit, and it is this that releases dangerous toxins and sometimes cancerous carcinogens into the body. 

A cigarette is burnt at 900 degrees, whereas a dry herb vape is often heated at around 200 degrees, similar to that of an e-cigarette (but let’s not get confused with the difference between an ecig and a vaporizer). 

Flavour & Potency 

A dry herb vape is also especially good at maintaining the flavour and potency of the dry herb. When weed is burnt at a high temperature, quite a lot of the aromas are lost in the process. However, when it is gently warmed and vaporized, the flavours stay. 

Also, the potency of the herb can too be lost through overheating in a cigarette/rizla. Overall, the gradual heating of the bud releases more of the weeds potential.  

Smell 

Another benefit of the dry herb vaporizer is that it leaves less of a scent after using it. As any fellow joint-smokers will know, the act of smoking will often leave a smell on fingers and clothes. 

This can sometimes be irritating if you have a job interview or work after. However, dry herb vapes don’t leave as much of a scent because you aren’t using your fingers, and there’s no smoke.  

Portability  

A final benefit of the dry herb vaporizer is its portability. One of the huge positives about smoking is its ease when it comes to being able to light up pretty much anywhere (if it’s legal). Dry herb vape companies have tried to maintain this function in their vapes. They are often small, light and portable.  

Will A Dry Herb Vaporizer Save Me Money? 

Now we move on to the ultimate question. Money. The thing that supposedly makes the world go round. Any habit, whether it be smoking or a gym membership, it costs a regular amount of money. And this regular amount of money adds up over time. 

So any change you can make to your regular weed costs will hopefully make a big difference in the long run. But which is cheaper… smoking or a dry herb vape? 

How Much Does Smoking Weed Cost? 

Obviously this depends on how weed you enjoy and how often you smoke it. That’s why, for this part of the article, we’re going to need Joe Bloggs. Joe Bloggs is our made up, hypothetical individual who enjoys marijuana. 

In fact, on average, Joe Bloggs uses around an eighth (3.5g) of bud a week. This is just over 14 grams a month. Or 168 grams a year. Now we get on to the more complex maths.  

The average 3.5 gram in England costs around £30. Which means, Joe Bloggs will be spending around £120 a month, or £1440 a year. That’s only on bud.  

We’d also need to include tobacco and papers to get a fair cost. If Joe Bloggs puts in tobacco and weed at a ratio of 50/50, then we know he’ll also run out of tobacco pretty quickly too. This means per month he’ll need 14 grams of tobacco. 

This turns out to be about 5.5x 30 grams a year. A 30 gram costs around £14. So that’s another £77 pound to add to the bill. And we’ll chuck £10 quid on too for rizlas.  

So, overall, Joe Bloggs could be spending around £1527 a year on smoking weed.  

How Much Does Vaping Weed Cost? 

Now we move on to the dry herb vaporizer. Again, this all comes down to how much the person uses marijuana and in what way, but let’s use our beloved Joe Bloggs once again.  

Joe Bloggs buys a dry herb vaporizer for around £100. He knows he can get cheaper ones, and he knows he can get more expensive ones, but he thinks this one will do the job. Plus, it has a 3 year warranty on it.  

What about the weed? Well, according to a study, when weed is smoked only 25% of the good stuff is actually inhaled. This is because of the time spent holding it in your hand, and not smoking it. Plus, a percentage is also lost due to side smoke.

However, apparently double the amount of bud is utilised when using a dry herb vaporizer. This is because the vapour stays within the device.  

With that in mind, we can assume then that Joe Bloggs will only need half of the amount of weed per week, month and year. Therefore, he would be spending £720 on bud per year.  

That plus the initial £100 for the vaporizer is a measly £820. No rizla or tobacco needed.  

How Does It Save Me Money? 

Obviously Joe Bloggs may not be a good example of every single weed-lover out there, but he’s a good example of how dry herb vaporizers can save people money in the long run.  

The costs per year were… 

Smoking weed: £1527  

Vaping weed: £820 

Joe Bloggs would be saving himself a whopping £707 a year. Ain’t too shabby.  

Now, despite the 3 year warranty, even if clumsy Joe Bloggs broke his vaporizer once per year and couldn’t be asked to claim a free one through warranty, that would only be an extra £100/year. Which is still an overall saving of £607 a year.  

The Rest Is Up To You 

Everyone has their own relationship with weed: whether it be recreational, medicinal or a bit of both. However, the truth is that using a dry herb vaporizer to inhale your weed can definitely save you money in the long run. 

The amount of money might differ depending on how much you like to consume, but the money can always be saved.  

We hope you found this article enjoyable, and most importantly, educational. Until next time.   

This article has very kindly been sponsored by Nectar Medical Vapes. Please check out their website and show them some love. They have great vapes, especially this one, and by supporting them you also support us!