What Are Refillable Vape Pens and Should You Use Them?

The popularity of using refillable vape pens as an alternative to smoking weed has increased dramatically in recent years. Refillable vape pens’ popularity is down to the fact that they are discreet, convenient, and relatively inexpensive.

What Are Refillable Vape Pens?

Refillable vape pens are a pretty simple electronic device that offer marijuana users a convenient and alternative way to consume cannabis on the go. They are a progression from the original nicotine vapes that hit the market a few years ago.

They have a battery that powers a heating element called an atomizer and a wick that absorbs the cannabis oil. Refillable vape pens also contain a sensor activated by simply inhaling on the vape pen or pressing a button.

Unfortunately, not all vape pens on the market are of high quality. It is essential to source a top quality vape pen to get the most out of your vaping experience.

There are a wide variety of vape pens out on the market. They fall into two separate and distinct categories, i.e., refillable and disposable.

Disposable vape pens come with a prefilled cartridge, and you simply discard them once depleted. Refillable vape pens come with a refillable tank that connects to a rechargeable battery.

The simple pen-style design makes using vape pens extremely discreet while on the go. One advantage of a refillable CBD vape pen is it’s typically lighter and smaller than your average mod and tank setup.

Some CBD vape pens are suitable for direct lung vaping, while others offer a better mouth-to-lung draw. While refillable pod vapes are for vaping nicotine, they also provide an alternative way to vape CBD e-juice.

What’s the Difference Between a Disposable and Refillable Vape Pen?

As mentioned above, a disposable vape pen contains a prefilled cartridge containing CBD e-juice or THC oil. Disposables contain a battery to power the atomizer. An atomizer is a tiny heating element that converts the liquid e-juice or oil into a vapor that you inhale.

One advantage of disposable vapes is that you don’t need to buy a separate battery or compatible pod system. They are also easy to use because they are generally draw-activated, which means they only produce vapor when you inhale.

Disposables contain a certain amount of CBD e-juice or cannabis oil, and you discard them once they’re empty. One advantage a refillable vape has over a disposable is that you can reuse them again and again.

However, with refillable vape pens, you do have additional costs. Naturally, you have to purchase your CBD e-juice or cannabis concentrate oil separately. However, most users consider refillable vape pens to be more cost-effective in the long run than disposables due to the comparatively small amount of CBD they use relative to their cost.

Another significant advantage that refillables have over disposables is that they come with adjustable airflow and power settings. Therefore, users can customize their vaping experience to their own preferences. By adjusting the settings, users can opt for a direct lung vape with large clouds or a tighter draw. You could start with the lowest setting and adjust according to your own preference from there.

Refillable vape pens do have some downsides; the initial cost is higher than buying a cheaper disposable vape pen. It can take a bit of getting used to before you can optimize your vaping experience with the different settings. Refillables also require some maintenance as you will be using them multiple times instead of discarding them once they are empty.

Refillable Vape Pens Tips

If you are brand new to the world of refillable vape pens, then here are a few things you need to know. The last thing you need when you’re on the go is to discover that your vape pen’s battery is dead. It is essential to ensure that you always have your vape pen sufficiently charged before going out and about. Prevention is better than cure, as the old saying goes.

Here’s a little tip for when it comes to refilling the cartridge. Make sure to fill it enough so that the wicking holes on the outside of the coil housing are covered. Once filled, leave the cartridge for about 30 minutes to give the thick, viscous oil time to soak into the wick.

It is advisable to replace the cartridge as soon as you notice that the flavor or performance is dropping off.

Are Refillable Vape Pens Safe, and Should You Use Them?

As mentioned, the quality of vape pens varies widely. When you are choosing a vape pen, don’t merely go for the cheaper option. Doing so could potentially compromise your health.

When deciding on what vape pen to purchase, top of your list should be sourcing a reputable manufacturer with a proven record of producing top-quality vape pens.

Raw cannabis oil, which is the source of the e-juice or THC oil used for vaping, in its natural state is much too thick and viscous to be suitable for vaping. Therefore, it has to go through a thinning process to turn it into a more liquid form. Some manufacturers of cheap vape pens use toxic chemicals in the thinning process, which presents a potential health risk to the consumer.

Refillable Vape Pens – Some Potential Health Concerns

Potential Dangers posed by Thinning Agents

Two of the most commonly used thinning agents are propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol. There is a greater risk of these thinning agents being broken down into carcinogenic substances like formaldehyde when vaporized at high temperatures.

A 2010 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that propylene glycol, even when inhaled in low concentrations, could cause asthma, allergic reactions, and other respiratory problems.

The emerging consensus is that the temperature of a vape pen’s heating coil is highly significant. Cheap vape pens contain coils that vape cannabis oil at a much higher temperature than necessary. Consequently, this poses a potential health risk to the consumer.

Potential Dangers Posed by Cuticle Wax

Another potential health risk associated with inexpensive vape pens is the possible inhalation of cuticle wax in cannabis oil. Most flowering cannabis plants, including hemp, have an oily, fatty outer lipid layer, known as cuticle wax, covering their surface. When smoking cannabis, cuticle wax is combusted and burned away. Most believe that this mitigates any potential respiratory health risk. The problem is that this doesn’t happen when vaping at lower temperatures.

So, what are the potential health risks, if any, to inhaling cannabis oil containing cuticle wax?

The jury is still out on that one because no studies have been conducted in relation to this. However, experts at the cannabis analysis laboratory Steep Hill Labs speculated that it could be potentially harmful. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in October 2017, they suggested that vaping cannabis oil containing cuticle wax could lead to the formation of solidified granulomas in the lungs over time.

To avoid this potential risk, consumers can opt for a CBD oil that has undergone a process known as ‘winterization.’ During the winterization process, a solvent and cold temperatures are used to remove the cuticle wax, lipids, and other oil compounds from the cannabis plant. So this theoretically, should minimize any potential risk.

Final Thoughts on Refillable Vape Pens

Refillable vape pens offer a convenient way to consume cannabis on the go. Unlike cheap disposables, most refillable pens have adjustable airflow and power settings. Therefore, users can customize their vaping experience to their own preferences. Users can opt for a direct lung vape with massive clouds or a tighter cigarette-style draw.

Refillables do require a little more knowledge than disposables. They also come with additional costs as consumers have to purchase their e-juice or THC oil separately.

It is essential to bear in mind that some potential risks are associated with using cheap disposable vape pens. Consumers should choose a high-quality, refillable vape pen with adjustable temperature settings. When purchasing cannabis oil, look for one that states that it has undergone the winterization process.