How We Test Vaporizers
Every vaporizer. 14+ days. Temperatures checked with a thermocouple.
No shortcuts, no paid reviews, no exceptions.
Last updated
50+
Vaporizers tested
14
Day minimum per review
3
Expert reviewers
0
Paid reviews, ever
Testing you can trust
Most vaporizer "reviews" are rewritten spec sheets. We buy every vaporizer ourselves at retail, live with each one for at least two weeks, verify temperatures with an external thermocouple, count sessions per charge, and photograph the spent cannabis. If we can't measure it, we don't claim it.
How a Review Comes Together
Two weeks is our floor, not our target. The Venty stayed in our rotation for three weeks before we published its score. Here's what happens between unboxing and publishing a score.
Unboxing & First Impressions
We photograph everything out of the box, document included accessories, and record first-use experience. How intuitive is the setup? Can a beginner start using it without a manual? We note build quality, materials in the vapor path, and any quality-control issues.
Structured Performance Testing
For adjustable dry-cannabis vapes, our three test ranges are 170-180°C for low, 185-195°C for medium and 200-210°C for high. Concentrate, fixed-setting and flame-heated designs require different conditions. Where a temperature display is present, we compare it with an external thermocouple. Battery tests apply to battery-powered models; heat-up time is timed with a stopwatch.
Real-World Daily Use
The vape becomes our daily driver. We use it in real conditions: at home, outdoors, with friends. This phase reveals issues that short tests miss: does draw resistance increase with residue? Does battery life degrade? How often does it need cleaning, and how easy is that?
Scoring & Comparison
We score each vaporizer in all five categories, compare it with the vapes we've previously tested, and photograph the spent cannabis. Vapor quality carries the most weight, and the overall score is the weighted mean of all five categories, as the example below shows.
Already-vaped bud (AVB) from light green to dark brown. Color shows visible unevenness, but color alone does not measure cannabinoid extraction.
The 5-Category Score
We score each vaporizer from 0 to 10 in five categories. The overall score is the weighted mean of those five scores, rounded to one decimal, and the percentages below are the weights. There is no editorial adjustment for any vape. The five category scores alone decide the overall.
Vapor Quality(30%)
Flavor clarity, vapor density, smoothness, and consistency across three temperature ranges.
Ease of Use(20%)
Loading, controls, cleaning. Can a beginner use it without reading a manual?
Value(20%)
Performance-to-price ratio, accessories, warranty, and price tracked over time.
Build Quality(15%)
Vapor-path materials, fit and finish, durability, and repairability.
Portability / Features(15%)
For portables: size, battery life, heat-up speed, and discretion. For desktops: delivery modes, temperature precision, app connectivity, and accessories ecosystem.
Worked Example: Storz & Bickel Venty
9.5×30% + 9.5×20% + 8.5×20% + 9.3×15% + 8.8×15% = 9.165, published as 9.2. That is the Venty's overall score, with nothing added and nothing taken away.
What We Use
Temperature & Performance
For models with a temperature display, we cross-check readings with a K-type thermocouple at multiple settings. We time heat-up with a stopwatch.
Battery test: one session is one full load at the settings we recommend in that vape's review, in session mode where the vape has one. We count sessions from a full charge until the battery is empty.
Materials & Maintenance
Standardized cannabis flower (medium grind) with filling aids for consistent loading. We clean after every session and document how quickly residue builds and maintenance difficulty.
Extraction Analysis
We photograph already-vaped bud under controlled lighting at each temperature range. Color can help document visible unevenness, but it cannot quantify cannabinoids remaining in the cannabis or delivered in vapor. Those quantities require chemical analysis.
Head-to-Head Comparisons
Direct comparisons use the same material and comparable temperature settings where the designs allow a like-for-like comparison. Side-by-side sessions reveal differences that isolated testing misses. The results feed our head-to-head pages, such as Venty vs Mighty+. See them all in our comparisons.
Check Our Work in the Reviews
Our reviews carry a How we tested box that sums up our time with that vape, such as how many weeks we used it and what we focused on. Under each review title sits a dated update log, so you see exactly when a score or verdict changed and why. The Venty review shows both: three weeks of use, and a May 8, 2026 entry for the ease-of-use score we updated after Storz & Bickel's web app update.
Who Does the Testing
A three-person team with backgrounds in electrical engineering, trade policy, and science communication. We publish under pen names due to cannabis-related legal risk and are transparent about that choice. Meet the team.
Editorial Independence
Our revenue comes from affiliate commissions on the products we recommend. We disclose this on every page. Here is what we commit to:
- No manufacturer has ever paid for or influenced a score
- We buy every vaporizer ourselves at retail. No review samples, no loaners
- Affiliate links are disclosed and never affect ratings
- When a firmware update, price change or reader report changes our view, we update the review and log the change with its date. Spot an error? Tell us through our contact page. Our editorial standards set out the full corrections policy
See our testing in action
Browse our latest reviews and comparison guides, or see which vapes earned our top scores. Every recommendation is backed by the process described above.