Premium CBD Vapes vs. Low-Quality CBD Vapes
Vaping CBD is one of the best ways to enjoy the full benefits of this non-intoxicating cannabinoid. Choosing the wrong vape cartridge, however, could diminish the beneficial effects of CBD or even make your experience with this cannabinoid harmful.
Armed with the right information, you’ll have an easy time separating the good CBD vape cartridges on the market from the bad. Learn how to spot the differences between low-quality and premium CBD vapes.
Is it better to vape CBD oil or take it orally?
There are plenty of reasons that you might turn to CBD vape cartridges instead of taking a more conventional approach. Inhaling CBD, for instance, offers the best bioavailability, and this ingestion method also provides the most potent effects.
Ingesting CBD orally offers mild effects that commonly last 1-3 hours. While the effects of vaping CBD only last 90 minutes at most, they’re much more potent than the effects of orally ingested CBD.
Vaping CBD is also more efficient. Ingesting CBD orally can waste more than 85% of the cannabinoids you consume. Your body can use around 50% of the CBD you inhale, however, meaning that CBD vapor provides more bang for your buck.
You might also find vaping CBD to be more enjoyable. High-quality CBD vapor is tasty and smells amazing. If you’re a smoker or you’ve ever smoked or vaped cannabis, you’ll find vaping CBD to be a pleasant and non-intoxicating alternative.
Does vaping CBD bypass the liver?
One of the main reasons that people use CBD vape cartridges is to experience potent effects. These enhanced effects are a result of the unique properties of inhaled CBD.
When you ingest CBD orally, it passes through your digestive tract. Before it can enter your bloodstream, the CBD you swallow has to make its way through your liver.
Your liver is just trying to protect you, but this organ ends up filtering out almost all the CBD you ingest orally. As a result, the effects of orally ingested CBD are mild.
Inhaling CBD, however, allows this cannabinoid to:
- Bypass your liver
- Immediately enter your bloodstream
- Pass to your nervous system almost instantly
- Provide enhanced, potent effects
Does vaping CBD cause lung damage?
CBD itself is not known to cause lung damage. In fact, scientists have explored the potential of this cannabinoid to mitigate lung damage incurred from other sources.
However, CBD vape cartridges often contain unnecessary ingredients that might be harmful. A CBD vape cartridge might could your lungs if it contains:
- PG
- VG
- Non-terpene flavorings
- Vitamin E acetate
- Anything other than CBD extract and natural terpenes
What is the best CBD vape cartridge?
The hemp market is saturated with CBD vape cartridges. At a glance, most of these cartridges look very similar.
These commonalities are, however, only skin-deep. Under the hood, there’s a world of difference between one CBD vape cartridge and another.
Learning to spot these differences will keep you from wasting money on low-quality cartridges and steer you toward CBD vape cartridges that provide the effects you’re looking for. Here are some factors to keep in mind as you select the best CBD vape carts for your purposes:
- Type of CBD
- Additional ingredients
- Flavorings
- Lab testing
- Potency
- Price
- Components used in vape cartridge hardware
- Compatibility with popular vape batteries
What makes a CBD vape high-quality?
CBD vape cartridges should contain high-quality broad-spectrum or full-spectrum extract. They should be reasonably potent, and they should be free of artificial flavoring ingredients.
The best CBD vape cartridges are compatible with standard vape batteries, they’re constructed with high-caliber hardware, and they’re lab-tested. Learn more about the hallmarks of the best CBD vape cartridges on the market:
Type of extract
CBD vapes can contain three types of CBD:
- Isolate CBD
- Broad-spectrum CBD
- Full-spectrum CBD
High-quality CBD vapes can contain either broad-spectrum or full-spectrum CBD. Vape cartridges that contain isolate CBD are universally low-quality since they must be accompanied by MCT oil, PG, or VG, all of which are known to be harmful.
Potency
High-quality CBD vapes are all alike in that they are reasonably potent. Average CBD vape cartridge potency is between 40-80% CBD.
Potency any higher than 80-90% can be an indicator that a CBD vape cartridge contains isolate CBD. If the potency of a CBD vape cartridge is less than 40%, however, it contains low-quality extract or filler ingredients.
Flavoring
Terpenes can be used to safely flavor CBD vape cartridges. Terpenes for CBD vape cartridge flavoring can be derived from cannabis or a variety of other plants.
Genuine cannabis-derived terpenes offer the highest quality and the best effects. If a CBD vape cartridge contains strain-specific, genuine cannabis terpenes, it’s very likely to be high-quality.
Hardware
High-quality CBD vape cartridges contain ceramic, glass, or steel hardware components. If your vape cartridge contains plastic or aluminum, it is low-quality and could be harmful to your health.
Compatibility
You shouldn’t need to buy a specialized vape battery just to use a CBD vape cartridge. The best CBD vape cartridges are compatible with standard vape batteries.
Lab tests
CBD vape cartridges should be accompanied by rigorous, independent potency and purity reports provided by a third-party analytics lab. Be very wary of CBD vape cartridge producers that don’t provide lab tests or make their lab reports hard to find.
What are some of the characteristics of low-quality CBD vapes?
Low-quality CBD vape cartridges contain isolate CBD, are packed with useless filler ingredients, and tend to recrystallize. Learn to recognize the telltale signs of a CBD vape cartridge that will be disappointing or harm your health:
Isolate CBD
Isolate CBD is unsuitable for CBD vape cartridges since it takes on a crystalline form. To be liquefied, isolate CBD must be combined with non-cannabis substances like:
- Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, a coconut oil derivative that can cause lipoid pneumonia when inhaled
- Propylene glycol (PG), a petroleum product that may produce carcinogenic compounds when vaporized
- Vegetable glycerin (VG), a highly processed plant derivative that may also be carcinogenic
As a result, any vape cartridge containing isolate CBD can be considered low-quality or even dangerous.
Filler ingredients
The 2019 vape scare was primarily caused by the presence of vitamin E acetate in vape products. Low-quality CBD vapes can also contain other harmful additives that are primarily designed to add weight without providing any benefits.
Artificial flavorings
The only flavorings that should be included in CBD vapes are natural botanical or cannabis-derived terpenes. Any other flavorings are unsuitable and may be harmful.
Be wary of vape cartridges that contain “natural flavors.” Be especially skeptical of flavored vape cartridges that are not accompanied by any documentation detailing the origins of their flavoring agents.
Recrystallization
Low-quality vapes that contain isolate CBD tend to recrystallize. Vapes that have recrystallized do not perform well, and they’re identifiable by the jagged, crystalline structures that appear inside recrystallized cartridges.
Limited product information
If a CBD vape cartridge manufacturer doesn’t provide an abundance of information on its products, assume it has something to hide. At the bare minimum, a CBD vape cartridge should be accompanied by:
- Third-party lab tests
- Potency information
- An ingredients list
- Transparent pricing information
- High-quality, professional product pictures
- Plenty of credible, verified-customer reviews
Rock-bottom pricing
Everyone wants to get a good deal on CBD vapes. If the price of your vape is too low, however, you might end up paying with your health.
How can I make sure I choose a high-quality CBD vape?
There are only two steps you need to take to pick a a high-quality CBD vape:
- Use the information in this guide
- Trust your intuition
If a CBD vape brand rubs you the wrong way, choose a competitor. Reference the dead giveaways of a low-quality CBD vape cartridge we’ve detailed, and remember the desirable attributes that all high-quality CBD vapes have in common.
