Dear Stoner: Some people say vaporizers will make your weed last longer, but others swear that the old “one-hitter” or “dugout” is the best way to stretch your stash. What are your thoughts on this?
Eric
Dear Eric: Size, quality and temperature are the most important variables for vaporizers. I assume you’re talking about a handheld vaporizer if you’re comparing it with a one-hitter, so we’ll leave the size part out of this equation. You can find most handheld flower vapes for anywhere between $100 and $400; the more expensive usually have a better heating application and more temp settings. The lower the temperature, the less powerful the hit — but that will also conserve your flower longer. Having a vape with both high and low temps is the best route, in my opinion: That way you can take big, cloudy rips when you’re flush with green and tiny ghost tokes when you’re not.
Technically, one-hitters don’t conserve flower/THC more than a vaporizer when it comes to combustion, but the small amount of buds they require and their cheap price (you can get a wooden dugout for $10 to $15) could make them a better option. Sticking to the one-hit rule can stretch out an eighth more than a week, and those hits still take me to space no matter my tolerance. Still, a one-hitter is harder to clean than a vaporizer, and it’s much less discreet in the smell department.
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2016.