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Conduction vs Convection Vaporizers
Updated: October 6, 2023
How Do Vapourizers Work? (The Short Answer)
The process of vapourizing essentially boils down to a three step process.
1. Applying heat to your dry herb.
2. That heat extracts essential oils from your dry herb
3. Those oils then turn into gas molecules or vapour.
The result of this process is the formation of the vapour you inhale.
How are Conduction and Convection Vapourizers Different?
It is not a complicated process at all, and perhaps the simplest way to explain is with the graphic below. Combine that with the knowledge in the rest of this article and you’ll be an expert and saving money with vaporizers in no time.
There are two types of vapourizers: conduction vapourizers and convection vapourizers. These two types of heating styles will make a drastic difference in the quality and flavour of the vapour produced. Our vaporizer buyer’s guide offers a good explanation.
It is important to know the differences between them so you can make an informed decision as to which vapourizer is right for you.
We’re going to touch on the science (just a little bit, I swear!) and then go over pros and cons of both as well as some popular vapourizers that fall into each category.
The Science: Conduction vs. Convection Vapourization
How Does a Conduction Vapourizer Work?
Conduction heat relies on the transfer of heat through direct contact. Think of a sausage in a pan on the stove. The pan touches the hot element, and then the sausage absorbs that heat because it is directly in contact with the pan.
Conduction vapourizers will most commonly use battery powered heating chambers – think of the ZEUS Arc or the Pax 3. You load your dry herb directly into the chamber, and when the chamber heats up, your dry herb heats up, releases the oils, and voila, vapour!
How Does a Convection Vapourizer Work?
Convection, however, relies on an element heating air that passes over that element. Think of that same sausage, but in the oven. There is an element at the bottom or back of your oven that heats the air inside the oven. That hot air cooks your sausage. In convection, air is used as the means of transferring heat to your sausage.
Convection vapourizers will either be powered by an internal fan like the Volcano Vaporizer or with the power from your own draws like the Utillian 722. Either way, the hot air moves through your dry herb, cooking and extracting vapour from it.
Pros & Con’s Of Conduction & Convection Vapourizers
There are pros and cons to both heating methods, so making the choice between these two vapourizing styles will depend on what matters most to you. Of course, the temperature you set your vapourizer is also important, be sure to check out our article on the best temperature settings for vaping to learn more!
Conduction Vapourizers: More Portable & Efficient Battery Life
Pros of Conduction Vapourizers
- Smaller Footprint
- More efficient; battery will typically last longer
- Good vapour quality
- Generally simpler to use
Cons of Convection Vapourizers
- Possibility of uneven vapourization
Conduction vapourizers are considered to be less efficient in vapourizing, since dry herb that is not directly touching the heating element will be unevenly vapourized.
Though this can be fixed by gently stirring your dry herb every so often to ensure every part of your batch gets equal “heat attention,” the dry herb directly in contact with the heating element will be at a higher risk of being over-heated, hence lowering the vapour quality.
The vapour quality of a conduction vapourizer is good, however, and if you stir your dry herb during a session, it will have no trouble extracting all of the essential oils from your herb to deliver you a quality session.
Conduction vapourizers do not need as much space to generate heat and therefore are significantly smaller than convection units. The above Zeus Arc is one of the smallest vapourizers available but can still put out bit clouds.
Conduction units are also generally much simpler to use, as there is one less step in the heating process. Conduction allows for more efficient use of energy and these units generally last longer before the battery needs to be charged.
Good examples of conduction vapourizers are the already mentioned and depicted ZEUS Arc GT, which is super portable, has a gold vapour path and some fantastic vapour quality or the Arizer Solo 2, an absolute workhorse of a vapourizer than can last around 3 hours of continuous use before needing a recharge.
Convection Vapourizers: Better than Conduction?
Pros of Convection Vapourizers
- Better vapour quality
- Better flavour
- Better Airflow
Cons of Convection Vapourizers
- Larger & Bulkier
- Typically more expensive
- Generally harder to use
- Battery typically will not last as long
Convection vapourizers are a tricky customer. The only real thing that they boast is better vapour quality and better flavour, but at the end of the day, that’s really the biggest thing you want in a vapourizer.
It does come at a price though, a larger footprint is needed because convection needs extra space to generate hot air. And this need to generate hot air results in a a higher energy cost to the battery. Also convection vapourizers tend to be more expensive, but their cost has come down in recent years, with the Utillian 620 being one of the most affordable convection vapourizers to date.
That being said, the vapour quality of convection devices is typically outstanding, because of the ability to evenly cook your dry herb.
Of course, a lot of your experience is going to come down to the quality of the dry herb product you have, but a good convection device can make a world of difference in terms of flavour and vapour quality.
You can’t talk about convection vapourizers without mentioning Storz & Bickel. Their iconic Volcano reigns as the best convection vapourizer and even the best desktop vape on the market – and since it’s inception 20 or so years ago, they have taken their technology and shrunken it down into two awesome portables, the Crafty + and the Mighty.
Both of these devices are ranked as some of the best portable convection vaporizers on the market.
Conclusion – Should you get a Conduction or Convection Vapourizer?
Of course, there are a ton of different devices on the market. All in all, it’s up to you to decide which heating style is best for you – I personally have a vapourizer from both categories.
Conduction units are handy to have if you plan on going out and using your vapourizer. They make great travel companions and because they are small, they can easily slip in your pocket.
Convection units tend to do better at home because of their bulkier size and larger vapour production. They are not as discrete as their conduction brothers, but do offer great vapour quality.
After all, it’s no fun cooking the same meal the same way every day, mixing it up is one of the best ways to keep things fresh.
There are plenty of vapourizers on the market to try, and the most important thing is to do your research! So congratulate yourself on taking the first step on the long journey towards the best possible vapour.
We hope you enjoyed reading our conduction vs convection vapourizing post! We would love to hear from you! Free free to leave a comment in the section below, you can do so anonymously if you like! Thanks for reading and as always, keep vapin’!
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