How Do You Smoke a Dab Pen?

Maybe you’re a longtime cannabis consumer and want to shake up your regular consumption routine. So you thought to yourself, “why not give dabbing a try?” You took one look at a dab rig with its glass bits and bobs and thought, ”maybe something simpler.” Or, maybe you’re a regular concentrate consumer just looking for a way to dab on the go. 

Dab pens take away most of the guesswork of dabbing while still providing an elevated experience. So, let’s say you did your research, settled on a dab pen that fits your budget and needs, and you’re thinking, “now what?”

Never fear. Now that you’ve got your shiny new accessory, let’s take a closer look at how dab pens work. 

What is a Dab Pen?

A dab pen is similar to a vape pen, in that it vaporizes cannabis extracts. It has a pretty similar setup and look, particularly the mouthpiece and battery. While vape pens vaporize liquid cannabis oils, dab pens (also known as wax pens) vaporize dabs. 

Most dab pens are composed of all the same parts: an atomizer/chamber, a battery, and a mouthpiece. To make the most of your concentrate consumption experience, we recommend getting a few smoking accessories, like an air-tight, smell proof container to keep your concentrate fresh and odour under wraps, and a dab tool (aka dabber) so you can easily put the desired amount of concentrate in the pipe without getting any of it on your fingers. The oils from your fingers will degrade the quality of the concentrate (plus, concentrate can be sticky and make things a bit messy). 

Some concentrates work better in dab pens than others. For example, many consumers think that solvent-based extractions like sugar, budder, and wax vaporize better than others, but check in with your trusted budtender or a friend in the know who can give you the best recommendations. Now to the good stuff.

How to Smoke a Dab Pen

• First, go ahead and read the instructions for your specific wax pen so you get off on the right foot
• Make sure your dab pen is fully charged
• Remove the mouthpiece of the pen. Now you should be able to see the heating element, or coil 
• With your dabber, place a small amount of concentrate near the coil (say, the size of a grain of rice – don’t forget that concentrates are very potent), and use the rim of the chamber to scrape off any residual concentrate from the dabber
• Replace the mouthpiece and hold it to your lips
• Activate the power button and hold the “on” button and inhale slowly and steadily. No need to hold it in for more than a second or two. 
• Repeat if needed (but it is recommended to take at least a few minutes to see how you feel before taking another hit)

DABBING TIP: Should you prefer a more vaporous and cloudy experience, hold the “on” button down for a few seconds before you inhale – a move called “priming the wick” so the concentrate melts some before inhalation.

Some dab pens come with adjustable temperature settings, in which case, select your preferred temperature. For an experience that will release cannabinoids and terpenes to their fullest effect, temperatures from 157- 204℃ (315 to 400℉) are optimal. Don’t exceed 482℃ degrees — at that temperature cannabinoids and terpenes just burn and won’t vaporize. Most units top out around  260-343℃ (500-650℉). 

To keep your dab pen working great, make sure you clean the chamber and replace the atomizers when needed. Now that you’ve got your dab pen pro tips, follow this guide and you should be smoking from your dab pen in no time flat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Dab Pen?

Simply put, a dab pen is an electronic device including a battery, an atomizer or heating element, a chamber or tank, and a mouthpiece.

Do Dab Pens Smell When Smoking Inside?

One of the great things about dab pens is that they do keep the odour to a minimum, but you should expect some smell, though not nearly as much as you’d get from a joint.

What Kind of Concentrates Can You Smoke From a Dab Pen?

Dab pens work best with concentrates like shatter, budder, crumble, rosin, and live resin.