Contents
- 1 What are vaporizer dosing capsules?
- 2 History of Dosing Capsules
- 3 Vaporizer Dosing Capsule Materials
- 4 Dosing Capsules for Concentrates
- 5 Dosing Capsule Maintenance
- 6 Pros – Who are vaporizer dosing capsules for?
- 7 Cons – Who are vaporizer dosing capsules not for?
- 8 Best Dosing Capsules Tips and Tricks
- 9 Dosing Capsules Conclusion
What are vaporizer dosing capsules?
If you’re new to the portable dry herb vaporizer world, then you may have never heard of the concept of dosing capsules. They are a great way to boost your vaporizer’s portability by allowing you to store prefilled doses conveniently. In this blog, we’ll be going over how they work, the different kinds there are on the market, as well as discussing what brands might be right for you based on your vaping habits – So let’s get into it!
History of Dosing Capsules
As one of the first major brands to fully embrace dosing capsules, Storz & Bickel was the brand that made dosing capsules mainstream in the vaporizer market. They utilize a thin aluminum metal body with air ports, and then a lid that also has air ports to allow to seal in about 0.2g of your favorite dry herb. These come in two different sizes, one for the Crafty and Mighty models, and then a larger size for the Volcano Vaporizer and the Plenty Vaporizer.
Vaporizer Dosing Capsule Materials
While some people may not be able to tell a difference in flavor, heavy users will eventually be able to tell the subtle differences in their dosing capsules. The most common types of materials include ceramic, aluminum, and stainless steel. The material that will have the most effect on flavor is aluminum, as you’ll be able to have a slight metallic taste during inhalation the same way you would while drinking from a Coca-Cola soda can. With ceramic, there will be no added flavor during inhalations, similar to stainless steel, but these two options will cost slightly more due to the materials being more quality.
As with all things, variety is the spice of life. With regards to vaporizer dosing capsules, there are a ton of different styles on the market sure to please everyone.
Clamp down lids
The most common type of dosing capsule is going to be a capped design where the larger side of the lid will simply snap onto the holding portion. These are used in both the Mighty+ and Zeus Arc GTS, two of the most popular premium devices on the market. The only difference is that the Mighty+ uses a design where the lid is often too tight and will become stuck, whereas the GTS vaporizer uses paper lids which will last only three uses before needing to be discarded. The most recent addition to the lid design is the XMAX V3 Pro Dosing Capsules, which use a layered lid design that makes it easier to snap on and off in comparison to the Storz & Bickel design.
Threaded Vaporizer Dosing Capsules
On vaporizers like the DaVinci IQ2 and Flowermate Slick, the dosing capsules have a twist-on and off design to seal in your dry herb. While these certainly aren’t as fast as a clamp-in dosing capsule to load and empty, they are going to be a lot more secure which makes them great if you’ll just be carrying your dosing capsules in your pocket. With the Slick dosing capsules, they use a very durable stainless steel design, and the DaVinci uses a well-designed ceramic material that although will cost a bit more, will ensure the best vapor quality.
Dosing Capsules for Concentrates
Not to be forgotten is the mention of dosing capsules for your favorite kinds of dabs! These dosing capsules are made for vaporizers that can heat high enough that they can vaporize dabs with and include devices like the XMAX V3 Pro and the Crafty+. The main benefit of these dosing capsules is helping you to keep your chamber clean. This is a huge time saver if you’re using to being forced to use the dab sandwich method by placing a small dab in between two small clumps of dry herb. The last thing you want to do is have a dab melt down into your vape’s heating element, and this is where wax dosing capsules become so helpful. Since these are often without lids, it’ll be a good idea to pick up a
Wax Cups
With a wax cup dosing capsule, they will use a funneled design and a solid bottom to prevent your dab from leaking down into the chamber. With a funneled design, your dab will be drawn down closer to the heating element so that you’ll get a more even extraction and vaporization. Some will even have a piece of cotton at the bottom to help you soak your material and make cleaning the cup even easier. For the DynaVap, there is the DynaCoil which will work by placing the coiled metal into the chamber for a very even and clean extraction from your dabs. Another kind of take for this example would be the PAX 3 concentrate chamber which is a whole different chamber that you can place into the PAX 3 oven to not ruin the oven with your dab’s residue!
Mesh Liquid Pads
The other option for concentrates in your portable dry herb vaporizer would be a mesh liquid pad which you’ll operate by placing them into your vape’s chamber and then placing a dab onto them. With their intertwined mesh designs, you’ll have a very even and clean experience as the dab will melt onto a lot of metallic surface area for a very even extraction. Cleaning them is also particularly easy as all you’ll need to do is place them into some isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes and then rinse them off with some hot water afterward. Mesh pads are included in some popular vaporizers like the Crafty+ and Boundless Tera.
Dosing Capsule Maintenance
With the stainless steel and ceramic dosing capsules, they hypothetically should last indefinitely if properly taken care of. The easiest way to achieve this is just to knock out the debris and use a vape cleaning stick to remove any residue from the inside. For the aluminum models, especially on the Storz & Bickel models, the thinner aluminum is prone to becoming deformed and permanently clogged after time and heavy use. Especially since the screen/air ports are very small, over time they will become clogged with resin that if not cleaned is going to harden and will require poking to dislodge the buildups. If your dosing capsules are old enough, this eventually will just ruin their shape and function. Luckily, they are relatively cheap. For most other designs, a quick isopropyl or Orange Chronic Cleaner soak will do the trick and have them working as good as new in just a minute or two.
Pros – Who are vaporizer dosing capsules for?
- Let you store as many pre-filled doses as you’d like
- Reduces chamber cleaning
- Accurately control your dosing on the go
- Hassle-free chamber reloading
- Great for heavy users that travel a lot
- Aluminum models are budget-friendly
- Stainless steel and Ceramic models do not affect the flavor
Cons – Who are vaporizer dosing capsules not for?
- Often reduce the size of the oven
- Extremely hot after a session
- Storz and Bickel dosing capsules will require a lot of cleaning and replacing
- Can impede airflow
Best Dosing Capsules Tips and Tricks
- By far the most popular dosing capsules that we here at Tools420 sell are the 40 pack of dosing capsules for the Crafty/Mighty vaporizers which you can also pick up in the Storz & Bickel dosing capsule filling set which comes with a scale and squeegee to accurately fill up to forty dosing capsules all at once in the 40 holders. The other option would be to pick up the Zeus Arc GTS vaporizer which comes with the Xtruder Grinder that will work to always fill dosing capsules to 0.3g every single time.
- For the most part though, the most applicable advice is to use a medium grind without overpacking the capsule. This will help to ensure that you won’t be restricting the airflow to your vaporizer’s mouthpiece.
- As previously mentioned, the dosing capsules will be very hot after a session, so you’ll want to wait for them to cool, or have a rolling tray to knock them onto if you want to get right back into it
Dosing Capsules Conclusion
In conclusion, dosing capsules are a great choice who like to stay organized with their cannabis sessions. They will help save you time loading and cleaning your vaporizer’s chamber, as well as letting you control your doses accurately and boost your vape’s portability. One of the best options that are still budget-friendly is the Zeus Arc S Hub which comes with 15 dosing capsules right out of the box which would normally cost upwards of $30 if bought separately for another device. While they have a paper lid that has limited uses, you won’t have to worry about them getting stuck or deforming over time as is the case with the Storz and Bickel models. The Arc S dosing capsules will fit perfectly into a 420 storage keychain, which you’ll be able to carry four preloaded sessions with – Perfect for on-the-go sessions!
there are several storage options for the mighty + but non for the Zeus arc other than that large cheap storage box for the grinder
There’s a 3rd party herb brick builder if you’re interested in that