Buying Vaporizers Online: the Ultimate Guide

Date: October 29th, 2018

You can get everything online these days, including a great vaporizer at a great price!

Buying a new vaping device online can be fast, convenient, and a real money saver, but it can also be a bit confusing, especially if you are new to vaping and this is your first device. There is far too much information to touch on for one guide, so we will focus on a few of the most important aspects that many people find pertinent when making a selection.

Features to be Knowledgeable about When Looking for a Vaporizer

• Warm Up Time

From a few seconds up to 30 minutes, the amount of time that it takes for the coil to heat up to operating temperature is an important consideration when you are purchasing a vaping device. Units that have a more powerful heating coil will take a bit longer, but this also has a lot to do with the resistance of the coil, the wattage selected, and the amperage of the power cell(s). When selecting a device make sure that you know what the warm-up time is and select based on what you are comfortable with based on the performance that you get in return.

• Charging Style

The biggest difference in charging style is whether the device can charge batteries internally or if you need to switch the batteries out and place them into an external charging unit for recharging. Obviously, the ability to recharge on the go by internally recharging them is better, but this also means that you may be trading off convenience for lower amperage, and thus less power. You want all the power you can get to feed the coil to create more heat for finer vaporization and bigger clouds. If you are using a sub-ohm device you most definitely need larger and more powerful batteries which many times require, by their very nature, to be charged by an external charging unit. If you do decide to go with an internal charging system make sure that you understand that there are two main styles of charging port.

• MICRO USB – just the same as charging a smartwatch, mobile phone, tablet, and other devices by plugging it into any USB power source or wall adapter that has a micro USB plug and which supplies up to 2A.
• PROPRIETARY PLUG SYSTEMS – These devices use a proprietary plug and charging cable system, which means that you can only recharge your device using a cable that is supplied by the maker of the device. This is more common on lower-end devices. While it is not as convenient in terms of recharging your device, the tradeoff is that you are getting a better deal on your initial purchase. If you want to buy a second charging cord you usually can do so from the manufactures website for a few bucks, so it's not a real massive issue anyway.

• Tank Size

Tank size makes a difference in how often you will need to refill your device with e-liquid. Obviously the larger the tank the less often you will need to refill. But tank size also has an effect on the amount of vapor that you get when you draw in. A larger tank is capable of creating more vapor simply because it can draw from deeper basin. Many makers sell sizable tanks for their devices, and in a lot of cases, you can buy aftermarket tanks that are compatible with your devices by third-party makers which offer you more size. The average tank on most devices in the market these days hold about 2ml.

Fashion and Function Go Hand in Hand

Choosing the right vaporizer is a lot like choosing the right pair of shoes, the right backpack or bag, or the right pair of sunglasses. It’s an extension of yourself and personal style. The good news is that every season more and more innovative, daring, and interesting designs come out from every manufacturer. With the cost of devices becoming cheaper as well, you can even buy more than one device to match your vaping moods as well as your fashion moods. The important thing to remember is there are so many great options that fashion and function go hand in hand. Even if you love a device for its looks, or how it feels, it's not worth buying if it doesn’t perform the way you would like, move on to another equally perfect option.

What’s In The Box? Everything!

Buying a starter kit is a great way to get a device and everything that you need to get started as a new vaper for a great value. One of the best things about buying a kit, other than the simplicity of it, is that you know everything provided with your device is compatible such as the tank, atomizer, batteries, charger, etc. All you need to buy is your own e-liquid (a tough choice on its own!) or other carrier material.

Be Sure That You Know if It’s VHS or BETA – VERY IMPORTANT!

One thing that you need to make sure of is that you buy the carrier format that is compatible with your device. Not all devices can use all types of materials and using carrier material in a device not suitable for it can damage or destroy your device.

Some of the most common carrier types to check are:

• E-Liquid
• Nicotine (usually 3mg or 6mg)
• Non-Nic (0mg of Nicotine)
• Salts (very high nicotine content, usually 20mg, 35mg, 40mg, 50mg, 60mg)
• Herbal Concentrate – a form of vaping that we do not currently support in our inventory
• Dry Herbal – for use with dry herbs, dry tobacco products designed for vaping, and dry botanicals. We sell devices but not carrier material at this time.

Price isn’t Everything But Its an Important Thing

The truth is that buying a vaporizer is a lot like buying any other personal electronic device, or personal lifestyle product. You want to make sure that you are getting the best bang for your buck. While there are extremely economic vaporizers on the market, you should be wary of them as you will get what you pay for. This is just throwing money away. Instead, make sure that you are buying a reputable brand from an established seller like VaporDNA.

A good vaping device should cost

• Between $30 and $45 at an economic level (maybe less on sale).
• Between $50 and $99 for a mid-level unit.
• Between $130 and $250 for premium and luxury units.

The higher the price, the more features, options, and of course, brand prestige, comes with the device. This may sound like a lot for something so simple but truly this is an investment item that you will be using multiple times a day every day just like a watch, a mobile tablet, or headphones, so make sure that you are buying something worth the money.

The Latest Vapor Products and Vape Accessories from VaporDNA

Don’t feel like you’re alone online - We would love to help you make your online vaporizer purchase! We can answer questions, give recommendations, and guide you for what works best with the devices that you are interested in terms of carrier material such as e-liquid, and other accessories. 

Shop with VaporDNA online, or visit one of our two retail locations in Southern California! If you need assistance making a choice, please feel free to contact us using the contact form and we'd be happy to help! We are excited to have the opportunity to be your one stop shop for all your vaping and electronic cigarette needs.