The new Switch, from vaporizer manufacturer Dr. Dabber, is a next-level piece of equipment that vapes flower and concentrates via induction heating—which, as I did not have to Google at all, is produced using electrically charged magnets. This provides a lightning-speed heat-up time of about five seconds. There’s a range of 25 different heat settings on the Switch that you can choose from, ranging from tasty but nearly invisible vapor to thick, lung-busting clouds, and there are 25 different “light show” settings as well.

The unit stands 10 inches tall and four inches wide, topped with a thick, borosilicate-glass, hourglass-shaped percolator. You fill up a ceramic cup with herb or concentrate, then carefully load it in using reverse-action tweezers, which, when stoned, is an exercise in not spilling the cup—an exercise I failed several times.

After experimenting with heat settings, I got giddy when I realized that, when it’s unplugged, the unit can run off the attached battery pack. Dr. Dabber claims the battery can offer a full 150 heating cycles; I got about 120. There is an automatic cool-down cycle after each session to protect the heater and electronics. Mine was fussy during a couple of sessions, repeating the cycle even though the unit was sufficiently cooled. (Turning it off, then on, seemed to solve that issue.) A self-cleaning mode burns off any residual concentrate, although a quick soak in 99-percent isopropyl alcohol cleaned just as well.

Dr. Dabber

I found the carb cap troublesome. You should avoid metal instruments to dab and stir, although ceramic is fine. The dab tool for the Switch is an attached glass spike—a sharp one, too—that sticks up several inches from the carb cap. When you lean over to take a hit, it sits inches from your eye. Perhaps thankfully, mine broke off the first time the cap dropped.

At $400, the Switch is an investment piece, but it’s a high-end device with a two-year warranty, and provides a near-overwhelming variety of settings, allowing for very precise results. I would put its dabbing capabilities up against any rig requiring a torch, and it would make an outstanding party piece, especially with its pass-through capabilities, allowing for use while the battery is charging. It’s a larger unit, however, and might not be a good fit for those with impaired or reduced grip strength.