We’ve come a long way from heating up nails. It’s difficult to keep track of all the current options for dabbing and vaporizing concentrates, from shatter to oil cartridges. In the interest of being an ally to the cannabis concentrate community, I tested three devices on the market at varying price levels. Each device served its purpose, insofar as I quickly got high AF. Whether you’re seeking portable or tabletop, here are three worthy candidates.
Loto Legend
lotolabs.com, $479
Tested with: Dirty Arm Farms BHO
This could be the showcase piece for the dabber in your life. It’s beautifully designed and built, with patented “magnetic induction technology” that heats and vapes your material in a thin metal tube known as a susceptor. It heats up in 10 seconds, and offers six temperature settings. As you inhale, the vapor passes through a water-filled, all-glass mouthpiece. The base is wrapped in leather-like microfiber, and there’s an accompanying app, because of course there is. For the occasional concentrate consumer, this is most likely too much machine. But I was able to pick out individual terpenes with it, and felt more refined in my consumption.
Puffco Peak
puffco.com, $379
Tested with: Nelson & Company bubble hash and rosin
This portable unit provides many of the same functions of the Loto, but in a handheld package, allowing it to travel cord-free. It has water filtration via a glass mouthpiece, four heat settings, and a 20-second heat-up time. You can operate it one-handed, as a single button beneath a silicone wrap controls all of its functions. A discrete band of light indicates temperature and readiness, using different colors. Haptic feedback (AKA vibration) alerts you to begin inhaling. Concentrates fit into a small ceramic cup, and cleaning is a breeze. This is both a great personal and party unit, as its ease of use doesn’t require an extensive tutorial. At the lowest temperature setting, the bubble hash and rosin fully coated my taste buds.
Eleaf iStick TC40W
eleafworld.com, $35.99
Tested with: Farmer’s Friend Extract CO2 vaporizer cartridges
If you want pocket-level portability with precise temperature control, this unit may meet all of your needs while remaining very budget-friendly. The handheld device offers variable battery wattage and temperature control, and handles both standard 510-threaded vape carts and fast swappable components for vaping liquid and solid concentrates. I added some Q Cups ( theqcup.com), quartz inserts that allow you to dab from crystal instead of the iStick’s metal heating element, providing a cleaner taste. The adjustability of the vapor density was a step up from standard “pen” vaporizer batteries, and it was nice to be able to toggle between dabs and carts, all for the price of a gram of live resin.
