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The Top 5 Best Cheap Vaporizers:
That I've Ever Bought
Written by: Taylor Walker | Updated: March 16th, 2019
It isn't entirely necessary to have NASA level technology just to enjoy an extremely satisfying vaporizer experience.
Even though it would not hurt to have the best batteries that money can buy and higher performance coupled with delicious cloudy vapor, we are for the purposes of this article talking about inexpensive vaporizers that still do a great if imperfect job.
So when you go about picking up a vape to suit you, you should keep in mind that the manufacturing process of any device gives away where a device may be lacking, always take note of all of the attributes being advertised.
The good news is that with just a little bit of research, you can find a cheap vaporizer that's strong in the areas you care about and so-so in the ones that don't matter too much to you.
It should also be mentioned that at the end of the day, even the most pricey of equipment does not always justify being worth the extra fifty or hundred dollars.
A high priced vaporizer is not necessarily a great vape. It really is the principle that Civic can get you from point A to point B just like a Bentley can.
Now let's go over the various options you need to keep an eye out for.
Things to Consider When Buying a Vaporizer
I'll be going through all of the attributes desirable in a vaporizer of any price point so that they can be compared to what these cheaper vaporizers are offering.
Throughout the article, I will explain how these attributes contribute to the overall smoking experience and why they are even desirable in the first place.
Note: If you don't particularly care to read about the things you should look for in a vaporizer, and would rather skip to my top 5 picks, simply click here.
Heating Methods
How a vaporizer accomplishes the vaporization process can vary pretty drastically.
There's three main options:
Convection, conduction, and hybrid.
Convection operates by drawing air of a certain temperature through the herb chamber and evenly applying the heat to all of the bud inside. This often makes for the most evenly roasted herbs but sometimes there is an issue with the temperature truly transferring to all of the bud properly.
Conduction heating is when the heating chamber itself is heated up and the heat is transferred through direct contact with this now hot chamber. Heat is more easily transferred but the bud closest to the hot edges of the chamber get the brunt of the heat, which usually means you need to stir around your herb to get the most out of the entire chamber.
Hybrids eliminate the negatives of both options while keeping the positives. Hybrid chambers are not often found in the less expensive vaporizers, but they are there none the less.
Airflow & Air Path
A common issue with lower quality cheap vaporizers is very little thought was put into putting a proper amount of air vents such that the vaping experience is much more like drawing in vapor as opposed to sucking vapor in through a straw, causing discomfort and strain over time. Ensure your choice in vaporizer has the proper amount or design in air flow to keep things coming along nicely.
The air path refers to what materials are used from chamber to mouthpiece. An all-glass air path usually results in cool, tasty smoke. Others use ceramic or a mix of the two at various points of the device. Different materials make for different vapor, simple as that.
Coil Design
Vaporizer pens designed explicitly for the use with concentrates function typically by placing the shatter on top of a coil to be vaporized. The more coils, the better. Less material is wasted and the taste & vapor yield tend to go up the more coils there are. Single coil designs aren't to be avoided necessarily, but it is definitely a sacrifice over more coils.
Titanium and ceramic are the two most common coil designs. Titanium coils tend to produce more vapor at a less desirable taste, and ceramic tends to do the opposite.
Mouthpiece Design
Since these cheaper vaporizers tend to be less precise in how they disperse heat, making sure the mouthpiece is designed to stay cool is tantamount to a proper experience. A longer mouthpiece gives more leeway for the vapor to cool, but there are innovative designs that make use of more advanced scientific principles to make a shorter mouthpiece not burn your lips whatsoever.
My Favorite Cheap Priced Vaporizers
1. Pulsar APX
The Pulsar APX is an excellent device that is one of Pulsar's best sellers The Pulsar APX at least covers all the bases needed for it to be functional, portable and affordable. The APX is possibly the most cost effective portable vaporizer available in market right now. It is actually quite surprising how good the Pulsar APX is in comparison to the higher end vaporizers at higher price points
The Pulsar APX is a 3 in 1 vaporizer, which means that it is compatible with herbs and it concentrates well with all oils. The Pulsar APX vaporizer also features a state of the art ceramic heating chamber that heats up in forty seconds flat.
Accessibility
The accessibility and easy the device is to use is one of the APX's biggest selling points. The APX is a really simple to use vaporizer, any newbie will know how to use all of its features after only a few battery charges worth of use. It's built with a 1-button set design which allows the user to have control over the vaporizer on/off switch, as well as set the temperature switch, and all of the other functions that are at the tip of your finger. The ease of use and control makes it a very hassle-free experience.
Design & Extras
The APX has a pretty unique design. Even though it is similar in shape to other portable vaporizers like the Atmos Vicod 5G, this unit comes with an oil adapter that can be set up quickly if you'd prefer to vaporize with oils or wax. It would be nice to add as well, that the product comes with a charging cable, tweezers, and tools for cleaning. Smart design is valuable design, it's as simple as that.
Battery Life
Lastly, the Pulsar APX has comparably the best battery out there. You can easily get 2 good hours of consistent usage per battery, which is quite impressive considering the APX's tiny size. Also, Recharge time isn't too long, it takes about 90 minutes to get it back to full charge. It is extremely rare to find a vaporizer that gives a longer usage time than charge time.
2. Pulsar APX Wax
The APX Wax is the latest release from Pulsar, brought into the market because some people wanted a wax only device as opposed to constantly converting their APX to a concentrate ready state. This is an ultra tiny wax vaporizer with a powerful quartz triple coil, and as far as I know, is the first of its kind. The triple coil design leads to minimal waste & weird gunk accumulating in odd spots.
It's one of the smallest wax vaporizers ever, it feels like it should be able to be plugged into a cigarette lighter port in a car when not in use.
It measures down to a paltry 3.5 inches tall, for reference. It's worth mentioning that The APX Wax is one of the most discreet vaporizers I own, since it can be palmed easily. It also has a pretty decent aesthetic design to it with a very sleek finish.
Ease Of Use
The Pulsar APX Wax comes with a concentrate jar and a metal dabbing tool to make the dabbing experience as easy as possible, which is a definite plus since both of these items range from $5-15 each if purchased separately. The Pulsar APX wax is perfect for users that like to vaporize wherever and whenever they might find themselves because of how it can easily be stored in your pocket. Simple design, just press and vape.
Design & Extras
The APX wax has a very special design. Unlike the other portable vaporizers, the Pulsar has a triple quartz coil which means there is a total of three coils working together in tandem to produce quality vapor. Not only does this make the loading process easier, but this also means you are able to take in a substantial amount of product in one go if your tolerance is pretty strong. The entire chamber is constructed of mostly quartz which is a pretty exquisite touch, if you ask me. Rich and practical, what a mix!
Vapor Production
The vapor production on the Pulsar APX Wax is absolutely staggering. You, the vaper, are able to get such large clouds from this vaporizer due to the triple coil accommodating such a large amount of wax, the hits are super intense, crisp and not to mention rewarding. The Pulsar APX Wax is quite possibly the best choice of all of the inexpensive vaporizers in this list if you're looking for a portable wax device. Because of its design, triple coil delivers some massive hits of vapor, while maintaining an exquisite taste. The triple quartz coil provides very flavorful vapor, I prefer ceramic for taste alone but quartz is the best middle ground between titanium's production and ceramic's taste. The size of dab you can take at a single time always knocks me off my feet.
3. Magic Flight Launch Box
The Launch Box by Magic Flight is a classic vape that has been around in the market for years. I have seen many of my friends use this vaporizer for years and they were actually incredibly happy with it. For at least 70% of the people I know the Launch box was their introductory vape, and nearly all of them appreciate the inexpensive entry to such an amazing way to consume herb.
The Magic Flight Launch Box has been around for many years, and is still one of the most popular vapes currently on the market. The reasoning for this is varied, the Magic Flight is not only simple, you just push in the battery and wait for your vapor, but it also delivers incredible vapor quality and allows you to vaporizer virtually anywhere due to its compact design.
The Magic Flight Lunch Box is still one of my favorite vaporizers, especially when I'm looking for something small to vape with while outside of the house. It's great for a rage of surroundings such as festivals and outdoor settings. I find myself going back to it often purely on nostalgia value. And getting stoned out of my tree, but I digress.
Design & Ease Of Use
The MFLB is without a doubt one of the easiest vapes provided in the market right now, both in terms of its design and its features. It’s heat-up time is super quick and is ready go almost as soon as you insert the battery.
To get the Launch Box to get going all you do is insert the provided rechargeable battery into the battery chamber and hold the battery in place which will activate the heating chamber. It only has one heating temperature but nevertheless, the temperature it’s set at provides a very smooth and enjoyable vapor. Sometimes it can be difficult to hold the battery in for longer periods of time, but some people I know have used rubber bands to great effect.
Every year the Launch Box team improves how consistently the chamber works. In fact, they even replace most broken Launch Boxes and send you a new one, and every year when I send out my broken one for a new one nearly all of the attributes I didn't like were improved upon in some way.
The heating chamber is quite huge so you are able to fit a decent amount of herb into it. Launch Box users affectionately refer to the chamber as a "trench" due to it's shape.The herb chamber has a unique design which allows for your herbs to be vaporized evenly, preventing the need to stir your stash after a few hits, the trench design means the sides of the chamber are heated, not just the bottom. It may be simple but it out-performs most portables on the market in my opinion, as far as vapor quality goes. This is the vape you want if you want to enter the realm of vaporizers and have all of your features covered in an inexpensive package.
Battery Life
The Magic Flight Launch Box has a pretty impressive battery life, especially for such a small vape in comparison to everything I have seen in the market. Usually, you are typically able to get around 1 hour of consistent use per battery. Also, you should keep in mind it comes with two batteries, so you can just switch the batteries once the one in use dies out.With one charging and one in use, there isn't much reason to have any down time if you plan it out properly.
4. Atmos Jump
The Atmos Jump is without a doubt one of the best vape pens that exist at the current price point. It exists in the middle ground between vape pen and true handheld vaporizer, making it an interesting addition to the vaping landscape.
What I mean by that is that the Atmos Jump is pen shaped and relatively small but it still functions to vaporize dry herb, something typically only bigger handheld vaporizers try to accomplish.
The device is big enough for the chamber size to be satisfying but still small enough to be a vaporizer pen.
Here's why I like this vaporizer so much:
Discreetness
One of the best features I’ve noticed about the Atmos Jump is how discreet it is. The device functions at a single temperature setting, and while for some this is a huge turn off, at 350 F, it’s hot enough to get you all of the desired THC and CBD without risking combusting whatsoever. The best part about this temperature setting is there is relatively minimal vapor, which adds to the stealthiness of the gizmo. You can be out and about, and no one would bat an eyelid when you are puffing it out. Other than that, the pen’s shapes is small enough to easily be hidden and out of sight when the need arises. It looks a lot like commonly found nicotine vaporizers on top of that, so in most cities there's a near zero percent chance of anyone ever hassling you.
Design & Ease Of Use
First of all, the first plus is that there is only one temperature setting, although a major issue for some users, isn’t a bad thing. Personally, I heard that most users thought that the temperature was spot on, and didn’t really feel like they needed to adjust anything. Of course, some hardcore vapers out there would probably be skeptical about this, but for the beginner or casual user, that one temperature setting actually adds to the easy-to-use value which the Atmos Jump provides. A single button experience is just so easy, I like not worrying my vape isn't at the right temperature, it helps eliminate having so many options that you just don't know which to pick.
For those who don't know if they want a vaporizer pen or a true handheld vaporizer, the design of the Jump perfectly suits that niche. More power and battery life than a pen, but not as much bulk and commitment as a handheld.
The Jump’s vapor quality is somewhere in between those who want a much thinner and more discreet vape and more flavor, and those looking for dense, extremely worthwhile vapor. It kind of places itself in middle ground, which to me, is a great place to be for a customer base of casual vapers.
5.Boundless CFC Vaporizer
The Boundless CFC is the most cost effective vaporizer in the Boundless line-up and is becoming quickly a favorite amount vape aficionados. The Boundless brand has really been quite impressive with the build quality and affordability of their vaporizers.
The smaller, more travel friendly CFC is quite a beast with plenty of power, lots of versatility, features, and enough customization options to suit even the most picky of users.
While boundless has an entire range of CF products, the CFC is provides the greatest dollar-to-value ratio out of the entire line in my opinion.
Discreetness
As Boundless’s most discreet vaporizer, the CFC is easy to use in public without attracting any attention from any of those around you. Although it does have an integrated LED screen, it is pretty low key and won’t arouse much suspicion.
It’s quite safe! As a result of its stealthy, slender design, it can easily be hidden in the palm of the hand, and it is small enough to tuck away in a pocket without any obvious bulges. As its vapor production is fairly thin, this actually works in your favor when it comes to discretion. However, it’s important to note that the plastic mouthpiece is quite fragile, and so needs to be handled with care when transporting it around. As such, it is not really suited for rigorous activity but is a great companion when out running errands.
Design & Ease Of Use
The Boundless CFC was designed to be slender and ergonomic to the user, and my only gripe with the plastic housing is that I feel this thing can't take much physical punishment before calling it quits.
Surprisingly for a cheap vaporizer, it allows complete temperature control from a range of 212°F to 446°F. There are of course the standard low-medium-high settings as well for those who haven't fine tuned their preferences, but I really like a specific vape temperature. The LED display makes it extremely easy to see where you're at as far as settings go.
It even comes with a cleaning brush, something few vapes take the care to bundle in for free.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cheap vaporizers do exist and by God are they amazing. As we have seen with all of the options that we explored, the economically priced goods offer a lot in terms of features and functionality that really aren't extremely outclasses by their more expensive counterparts.
If you tend to break vaporizers a lot, finding your favorite from this list and just buying it every time it breaks is great way to keep your wallet full enough for other aspects of your life, or to buy more ganja. I've tried all of these vaporizers for a significant amount of time and my full reviews can be found on this website, I highly recommend all of them.
About the Author Taylor
A marijuana enthusiast, vaporizer connoisseur, a frequent user of CBD and he's also the founder of iMarijuanit.com.