Overview of evaporator heating elements
Anyone who has taken two seconds to research the breadth of the vaporizer market will quickly notice that several brands tout their heating element as “the best available” while pointing out the health risks associated with their competitors’ models. Evaluating all these (sometimes contradictory) statements can be a daunting task. The purpose of this article is not to recommend a specific type of heating element, but to gather the available information about heating elements in one place to help people make informed decisions when purchasing a vaporizer.
Why are heating elements important? The heating element is the most integral part of any vaporizer. It regulates the temperature of the air which catalyzes the active ingredients as the air passes through it. A note: the air flowing through the heating element and Buy Vapes In Burnaby can be propelled by a pump in balloon style models, i.e. the Volcano Vaporizer, or by its own pump in direct inhalation vaporizers, i.e. the VaporCannon. Some models, such as the herbalAire, are capable of both balloon vaporization and direct inhalation. A primary requirement for all heating elements is precision – you want your vaporizer to actually be at the temperature you set – but health considerations can also come into play when people buy vaporizers.
Types of heating elements:
#1: Ceramic
Ceramic heating elements are the most common type of heating elements. Their proponents claim they are the cleanest and therefore healthiest option. There is some truth to this statement: ceramics can withstand very high temperatures (around 3000*F) before the material begins to transform into a gas and are therefore very clean and healthy. Some companies take this logic a step further, arguing that since other types of heating elements have lower “boiling points,” they are dirtier and less healthy. This argument is somewhat flawed: while other heating elements have lower boiling points, these points are usually still well above typical vaporization temperatures. Read about the specific types below for more information.
Another important consideration when evaluating vaporizers with ceramic heating elements is the quality of the ceramic unit, as the term “ceramic” is used to describe types of elements that are quite different in design. This is due to the fact that “ceramic” only refers to whether or not the unit contains some ceramic in the design of the heating element, it does not mean that the air only touches ceramic material. This makes purchasing vaporizers with ceramic heating elements difficult unless one knows the specifics of the designs used by each manufacturer. As a general rule of thumb, cheaper vaporizers are more likely to have exposed low-quality wire or solder in the ceramic structure of the heating element that can release toxins. So steer clear of that digi vape if you want quality vape. While the only definitive test is to completely take an element apart to see how it is constructed, some manufacturers will answer these questions if you contact them. The manufacturers of the low-quality models will avoid them.
Low-quality ceramic elements reflect poorly on all ceramic heating elements, which is a shame because a well-designed ceramic element is very clean. High quality ceramic heating elements are also very accurate, although precision is also a function of the circuitry and computer chip technology used with the heating element.
Examples of vaporizers with good ceramic heating elements: VaporBrothers, Phedor and Hotbox
#2: Aluminum
Some of the best vaporizers on the market use aluminum heating elements. Manufacturers say that aluminum is more accurate than ceramic elements because it reacts more quickly to temperature changes:
“One of the reasons the Volcano maintains such perfect temperature control is because it uses an aluminum element and block, and aluminum has different properties than possible practical designs with ceramics. An aluminum element and block can adapt more quickly to effects of air pressure and flow over plant material…the key to evaporation is maintaining control over temperature and flow, which ultimately leads to more perfect control over vapor density.”