You’re still responsible for remembering the sunscreen but here’s where to shop for THC in America’s Finest City.
With over half a decade of legal cannabis sales and over 20 years of medical marijuana under its belt, California can pride itself as the home to some of the most remarkable pot shops in America.
San Francisco and Los Angeles always seem to take top billing when it comes to listing the best dispensaries in the state, although consumers would also be wise to include San Diego in the discussion.
Highest-rated recreational dispensaries in San Diego
Belmont Park’s iconic “Big Dipper” roller coaster in San Diego, California.
What puts San Diego on the cannabis map? The sun-splashed beach town now boasts several recreational and medical pot shops that can easily provide the same high quality experience as other reputable boutiques going up the I-5 freeway.
Whether you’re making plans to visit SD, or a local looking for another go-to shop to fall back on, this list is here to help with a rundown of the best customer-rated dispensaries in San Diego.
7128 Miramar Rd., Suite 10 (Second Floor), San Diego, CA — Miramar
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.9 star rating out of 1145 dispensary reviews
Quite possibly the crown jewel of SD pot shops, Mankind Cannabis has served over a million satisfied customers.
Mankind’s user reviews are also robust with positivity, earning them an impressive 4.9 out of 5 stars in categories of quality, service, and atmosphere. The inviting shopping experience paired with exclusive discounts makes this a suitable destination for seniors.
“Friendly, clean & large assortment of yummy products! I have been a client for 8+ years and never had a problem & senior discount is a bonus,” remarks one Leafly user.
3452 Hancock St., San Diego—Point Loma
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.8 star rating out of 323 dispensary reviews
Consumers looking for an expansive variety of product selection need venture no further than Golden State Greens. At this particular SD gem, they carry products to suit just about every need and preference. Beyond the excellent selection are tenders committed to finding exactly what customers are looking for.
“They have excellent product knowledge and they help veterans, seniors and cancer patients with the best care,” a Leafly reviewer explains. “I love this place.”
2335 Roll Dr., Suite #4, San Diego—Otay Mesa
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.8 star rating out of 51 dispensary reviews
More often than not, a major factor separating the best dispensaries from the average has a great deal to do with the atmosphere.
A Green Alternative makes sure of that by providing shelves stocked flush with popular brands and exotic boutique strains. They also score high marks on customer service and promotional specials.
“I have to say this establishment is very clean and tidy. You get one on one [attention] when you walk in, they have pretty great deals, and the products are high quality,” wrote one Leafly customer.
4645 De Soto St., San Diego—Pacific Beach
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.7 star rating out of 13 dispensary reviews
Cannabis aficionados love the thrill of hunting out the best and latest shops, but at the end of the day, is there anything better than claiming one as your own personal haven?
For many San Diegans, that place must be the Cannabist, where the knowledgeable staff pride themselves on bearing a high standard of service for both medical and recreational customers.
“Their attentive [and] super friendly customer service won me over on my [first] visit and I haven’t shopped anywhere else since,” wrote one Leafly reviewer. “Plus, it’s within walking distance. Very happy with Cannabist!”
2835 Camino del Rio S #100, San Diego—Mission Valley East
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.9 star rating out of 24 dispensary reviews
One essential aspect of a reputable pot shop is availability. March and Ash provides just that, with six locations in San Diego that all provide pickup and delivery alongside in-store shopping.
Customers can also utilize a smartphone app to view the current extensive menu, as well as to place orders for both pick-up and delivery.
“I am very impressed with March and Ash. The amount of inventory and choices available are unlike anything San Diego has seen,” one Leafly user shared.
10671 Roselle St., #100, San Diego—Torrey Pines
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.9 star rating out of 35 dispensary reviews
Located in a remote office park in Sorrento Valley, Torrey Holistics can be a bit of a drive for most San Diego residents. However, that doesn’t stop many of its loyal customers, many of whom are more than willing to make the trip for access to top-quality strains and medical products.
“I drive from about an hour north and to me it’s worth it, even though there are dispensaries closer to me,” remarked one Leafly review. “In addition, they have a pretty great selection on any given day. If I lived closer, I’d be there at least once a week.”
1028 Buenos Ave., San Diego—Bay Park
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.7 star rating out of 44 dispensary reviews
Reliability is the word for this particular entry, as Urbn Leaf has become such an SD staple that it has grown to service a handful of locations throughout the county.
The warm wooden interior invites customers to peruse a wide variety of both flowers and non-flower products, many of which can be found in their personally curated Feel Good bundles.
“This is the best place to get your good in SD,” remarked one customer. “Their staff is very knowledgeable and friendly about their product.”
3500 Estudillo St., San Diego—Little Italy
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.9 star rating out of 5 dispensary reviews
Klover is a San Diego dispensary with a spirit all its own. Pay a visit to this Little Italy gem to see one-of-a-kind artwork from local artists. You can also look forward to the convenience of onsite parking, and, as an added bonus, the space is often frequented by food trucks and other pop-up events. That’s all in addition to a robust menu, friendly service, and fantastic deals.
“Amazing store, amazing staff, amazing products,” raved one Leafly review. “Best cannabis buying experience I’ve ever had in California!”
2405 E Harbor Dr., San Diego—Barrio Logan
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.3 star rating out of 16 dispensary reviews
Harbor Collective’s impressive rotation of products features just about all the popular brands you’d expect to find in high-end shops throughout the state, including designer strains like Cookies from Berner, edibles made by Korova, and concentrates made by Moxie and Raw Gardens.
The recognizable menu is the reason why most visitors believe Harbor Collective is not only one of the best dispensaries in San Diego, but in all of California overall.
“I moved down here to SD nine months ago. Tried several dispensaries here and of all six places visited, Harbor became my go-to immediately after trying them out,” wrote one user. “This place easily rivals top L.A. dispensaries in bud quality.”
5125 Convoy St., Suite 211, San Diego—Kearny Mesa
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.4 star rating out of 29 dispensary reviews
For a glimpse into the future of pot commerce, take a visit to MedMen, seemingly poised to become a Starbucks for cannabis.
The inviting modern interiors, reliable customer service, and stellar menu is relatively the same at over 25 MedMen stores currently spread across six states. Expect MedMen to be a compelling prototype for how future shops model their operations.
“This place is great for experienced smokers and first timers,” wrote one Leafly reviewer. “It’s a laid back and relaxed environment. I would refer any friend to this place.”
Honorable Mentions
2281 Fairmount Ave, San Diego—City Heights
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 5 star rating out of 2 dispensary reviews
The City Heights outpost of March and Ash is an upscale yet down-to-earth shop where making sure customers feel relaxed and leaving satisfied are always treated as a top priority. One Leafly user praised the store’s “huge selection [and] knowledgeable staff,” adding that City Heights is now “the only place I buy edibles.”
10715 Sorrento Valley Rd., San Diego—Torrey Pines
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.9 star rating out of 4 dispensary reviews
Our second MedMen location on this list can be found in San Diego’s Torrey Pines area. Sleek aesthetics, a curated menu, and a consistent experience are all part of the package at this MedMen outpost. “Customer service is amazing,” wrote one Leafly user. “Great selection and the staff is super helpful,” shared another.
Selection criteria for Leafly Lists
To calculate the highest rated dispensaries in San Diego, our Leafly Lists team uses a methodology based on quantitative and qualitative review data of dispensaries listed on Leafly in San Diego, California. This list also uses quality indicators, like customer reorder rates and deals availability (in markets where discounts are legal). Our teams are dedicated to showcasing a wide variety of highly rated medical and recreational dispensaries.
If you don’t see your favorite dispensary on the list, make sure you follow, rate, and review your favorite cannabis locations to let the world know where you find your favorite cannabis.
Oscar Pascual
Oscar Pascual is a journalist based in Southern California specializing in cannabis, entertainment, sports and sneaker culture. He is the editor of Smell the Truth and contributes to Cannabis Now. His accomplishments include an interview with the Beastie Boys and a smoking session with John Salley.
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Cannabis vaporization technology has made leaps and bounds in the last few decades.
Far from the days of modified heat guns, contemporary weed vaporizers are digitized, can connect to the internet, and take a Swiss Army Knife design approach—that is, most dry bud vapes nowadays also include a concentrate mod, and many have special heating cycles to better express oils.
But in trying to do everything, some devices lose sight of weed vaporization’s central goal: to heat weed to a sweet spot that doesn’t scorch terpenes, keeping the experience flavorful, satisfying, and effective.
What are cannabis vaporizers?
Flower vaporizers are electronic devices that vaporize dry bud for inhalation. Herb vaporizers are different than the more common vape pens, which vaporize oil in a cartridge. Herbal weed vaporizers allow you to vaporize and consume specific strains of weed.
How is vaping different from smoking?
Vaping heats cannabis without burning or combusting the flower, allowing you to consume without smoking.
Vaporization occurs at a lower temperature than combustion—such as inhaling smoke from a joint or bowl—and is considered to be easier on the lungs and a healthier alternative to smoking.
Vaping also smells less than smoking, making it more discreet.
What is the difference between convection and conduction?
Weed vaporizers can use conduction or convection heating—convection uses indirect heat (similar to a kitchen oven), while conduction uses direct heat (similar to a pan on a stovetop).
With convection heating, there is less risk of scorching bud because the heat source doesn’t touch the flower; charring can occur with conduction vaporizers because they come in contact with the flower.
How to choose the best vaporizer for flower
Finding the best vaporizer depends on a variety of factors, including portability, heating quality, battery life, and the amount of herb it can hold. If you’ll be on-the-go a lot with your vaporizer, you’ll want a portable one with a long battery life, and one that can hold enough weed for being out and about. If you want a higher heating quality and the ability to dial in temperatures, you may want to opt for a tabletop device, but you’ll have to use it at home.
Our review of the best weed vaporizers for flower
Below, we look at the best herb vaporizers across all categories and classes, highlighting devices on the market that do a great job of expressing flower and their flavor profiles.
All of these vaporizers are available in any state across the country, and note that prices may vary by retailer.
Tabletop weed vaporizers
If you know your vape habits won’t be leaving the house with you, tabletop devices may be for you, and there are a range of price points and experiences that serve consumers of all types.
These larger vaporizer machines have historically outperformed portable flower vaporizers in flavor, durability, longevity, and ease of maintenance. Experiences ranging from social to solitary are made beginner-friendly, while connoisseur options open up new realms of flavor.
Whether shopping for medical or recreational use, read on for our review of enduring classics, price-slashing alternatives, and under-sung innovations to get excited about.
Best in class: The Volcano by Storz & Bickel
Price: $600 for the Volcano Digital; $470 for the Original
Features at a glance: vapor bag delivery system, forced-air convection heating, concentrate compatibility. Digital only: LCD screen, precision digital temp control.
What’s to love?
Benchmark flavor
Stress-free social experience
Easy maintenance and operation
Reliable manufacturer support
What’s the catch?
Higher-than-average price
Sipping a cannabis vapor bag with friends is one of the finest ways to enjoy marijuana, so let’s start with the iconic Volcano.
While other vaporizer devices mimic the Volcano’s functionality and do a good job approximating the experience for less money, none match in build, reliability, and manufacturer experience.
First brought to market in the year 2000 by German manufacturers Storz & Bickel, the Volcano is the de-facto standard for flavor preservation, easy social sessions, and potent vapor effects. At the core of the experience is the Volcano’s forced-air, convection-heating technology, enabling luxurious clouds that can be enjoyed at your own pace thanks to the bag-and-valve delivery system.
The device sends an even heat through your ground herb and the resulting vapor is collected in a plastic bag—which puffs up like a plume from your coffee table. The flavor is multi-dimensional and long-lasting, and the effect-delivery is efficient and potent.
Additionally, the learning curve is minimal and lots of how-to videos are peppered throughout the internet, so you shouldn’t have any trouble gathering the info you need to pull excellent vapor from your maiden voyage onward.
This benchmark flavor and social experience tops this list for $600 for the Volcano Digital and $470 for the Original—an analog version that lacks an LCD screen and digital temp control.
If you’ve got the money and don’t want to make any concessions on your marijuana vaporizer purchase, the Volcano is poised to please.
Related
The Volcano: A History of the World’s Most Iconic Cannabis Vaporizer
Best value: Extreme Q by Arizer
Price: $170
Features at a glance: Interchangeable vapor bag and whip attachments, convection heating, three forced-air speed settings, full digital temp control, digital display, remote control, aromatherapy attachment.
What’s to love?
Better-than-average flavor performance
Affordable tabletop convection
Enhanced vapor control via variable fan speeds and precision temp control
Vapor bag or whip cloud delivery
What’s the catch?
Cheap build quality on glass parts might necessitate replacement costs down the road
The Extreme Q is a price-slasher tabletop herbal vaporizer that delivers a cloud similar in quality to that of the Volcano but for less than a third of the cost.
Arizer has been around for a long time, they support all their releases with full lineups of replacement parts, and I’ve come to expect excellent flavor and exceptionally reasonable prices from this brand.
Like the Volcano, the Extreme Q vaporizer employs convection heating and is compatible with a set of included vapor bags. The social smoking experience and pace are roughly the same.
Also included is a whip for direct draws and a bowl attachment for aromatherapy, plus a remote control that provides quick temp control and variable fan speeds to augment the performance of the Extreme Q’s forced-air function. Where the Volcano only offers one fan speed, the Q’s three fan settings can enable greater control of vapor production.
Of course, there are reasons to consider the Volcano vape machine: The Q’s build feels toy-grade next to its pricier competitor, while its ecosystem of glass attachments and swappable parts are of a quality that could use improvement where durability and craftsmanship are concerned.
That said, Arizer has been around for a long time, they support all their releases with full lineups of replacement parts, and I’ve come to expect excellent flavor and exceptionally reasonable prices from this brand. The Extreme Q is no exception.
Best water vaporizer: Cloudious 9 by Hydrology 9
(Julia Sumpter/Leafly)
Price: $160-199
Features at a glance: water filtration, anodized aluminum and borosilicate body, five pre-set temps, porcelain heating chamber, concentrate compatibility, leather carry case.
What’s to love?
Water filtration/cooling
Attractive design and carry case
Cordless operation and portability
What’s the catch?
Average flavor performance
Unintuitive operational procedure
The Cloudious 9 is a cordless robot bong with water filtration at the center of its design.
If fully-integrated water filtration, attractive design, and a fun experience are what you’re looking for and you don’t mind sacrificing some flavor, you’re in good hands with the Cloudious 9.
A sleek, anodized aluminum and borosilicate glass cylinder offers five temperature settings, a porcelain heating chamber, and the ability to handle oils with an included steel pad. It makes a little light show of colored LEDs while in use and comes with one of the nicest carry cases I’ve seen for a good weed vape—sturdy leather, with quality stitching and attractive brass buttons.
While it’s tough to envision many out-of-house use cases where the Cloudious 9 would be appropriate—hence why it’s included in the tabletop section of this guide—this electric weed vaporizer is battery powered and the manufacturer has gone to considerable lengths to affect portability and fashion with the Apple-inspired design and carry case.
The downsides? You’re looking at a somewhat unintuitive operation and steeper-than-average learning curve, as well as a firmly average flavor experience—awesome for a few hits with a strong chance of popcorn after that.
But if fully-integrated water filtration, attractive design, and a fun experience are what you’re looking for and you don’t mind sacrificing some flavor, you’re in good hands with the Cloudious 9.
Related
Leafly’s favorite weed gear for 420
Best flower/oil combo: Mr. HotBox by Mr. HotBox
Price: $549.99
Features at a glance: unique titanium herb oven, e-nail functionality, removable external heating coil, digital control station with LCD screen, concentrate compatibility via add-on quartz and titanium nail attachments.
A not-included water pipe is required.
What’s to love?
Best-in-class flavor performance
Water filtration/cooling
Durable materials
American-made, and by people who use their own devices
What’s the catch?
Formidable price tag
Steeper-than-average learning curve
Requires a not-included glass bong, bubbler, or similar device
If you’re primarily a cannabis concentrate consumer but want a device that really kills it with weed flower, look closely here at Mr. HotBox’s flagship tech.
Considering the excellent vapor quality, industrial-grade materials, and hand-built American manufacturing, it’s not surprising that Mr. HotBox comes at a high price.
The Mr. HotBox is an excellent e-nail with an innovative flower attachment that transforms the control station and tethered coil tech into an herbal convection vaporizer—like a little pizza oven that drops into a traditional glass rig’s 14mm or 18mm female joint.
The flameless torch technology was designed with the dabber in mind and hand-built in Washington state by an owner-operated team of inventor-machinists.
The Mr. HotBox requires a bit of experimentation and a few bowl packs to master the techniques necessary to pull adequate vapor, but the rewards to be found at the end of the learning curve are well worth the trouble: a cool, tasty-to-the-last-hit vapor that has rewritten my personal standard for flavor preservation and overall satisfaction.
Considering the excellent vapor quality, industrial-grade materials, and hand-built American manufacturing, it’s not surprising that this device comes at a high price: $549.99 will get the herb oven kit onto your coffee table. Keep in mind, the quartz and titanium nails are sold separately.
Should you need a little help getting over the price barrier, Mr. HotBox offers financing and payment plans.
Cordless & portable flower vapes
Identifying an ideal portable flower vaporizer is tricky because as devices get smaller, compromises are made and flavor can be sacrificed.
Portable vaporizers that achieve good flavor and effects tend to be larger than something you’d want to carry in your pocket. I’ve started to refer to these devices as “cordless” rather than “portable” because I feel it’s a more accurate description for vapes that are battery powered but not exactly pocket-sized.
Meanwhile, as vape cartridge technology challenges the utility of the once groundbreaking flower vaporizer, these devices must shrink to compete and innovate to achieve new performance benchmarks.
The happy news is that you don’t have to sacrifice portability for flavor, or the other way around, in today’s market. Along the road to these contemporary achievements are options to satisfy your personal priorities, whether they be price, size, build quality, performance, or flavor.
Best all-around: ArGo by Arizer
(Courtesy Arizer)
Price: $175
Features at a glance: Convection-conduction heating, full digital temp control, LCD display, concentrate/oil compatibility, pocket portability, swappable battery, included carry case, interchangeable glass vapor paths for pre-packing your on-the-go tokes.
What’s to love?
Best-in-class flavor performance from a pocketable device
Competitive price
Carry case and additional glass vapor paths
What’s the catch?
Plastic isn’t for everyone
Draw resistance and corresponding technique can present a learning curve for the uninitiated
Before trying the ArGo—a portable in Canadian manufacturer Arizer’s lineup of price-slashing, flavor-preserving flower vaporizers—I held the opinion that truly pocketable bud vaporizers just can’t do anything other than make popcorn smoke or burn your lips off.
Selling for a very competitive price, the ArGo is a truly portable flower vape that expresses herb in a satisfying, flavor-rich manner.
Having basically given up my search for a portable flower vaporizer that does flavor without requiring concessions of usability, I was elated to try Arizer’s ArGo. Selling for a very competitive price, the ArGo is a truly portable flower vape that expresses herb in a satisfying, flavor-rich manner.
Like Arizer’s Solo, Air, and follow-ups to those models, a glass tube is packed with herb and submerged into a heating chamber.
Using the same combination of conduction and convection heating technology employed across Arizer’s cordless designs, the ArGo preserves flavor for the duration of the vapor cycle. The first few hits are still the tastiest, while the rest slowly deliver your remaining terps alongside cannabinoids.
While the plastic construction probably isn’t for everyone, consider the ArGo if you’re looking for a flavorful flower vape that will slide into a pocket.
Best flavor for the value: Solo by Arizer
Price: $100-$150 depending on retailer
Features at a glance: Convection-conduction heating, seven pre-set temperatures, interchangeable glass vapor paths, aromatherapy dish attachment, carry case.
What’s to love?
Excellent flavor performance
Pre-set temps that work
Affordable
Easy maintenance
What’s the catch?
No swappable battery
Cordless but too large for a pocket
If you’re looking for the best flavor for the least amount of money, look no further than Arizer’s Solo. It retails for as low as $100 and does a shockingly good job where flavor and functionality are concerned, thanks to Arizer’s combined convection-conduction heating technology and swappable glass airpaths.
Despite the name, the Solo is perfectly shareable, as you’ll see moderate to high flavor preservation throughout a cycle.
Offering seven pre-set temperatures, easy maintenance, and cordless functionality, it’s a great flower vaporizer for around-the-house sessions—and despite the name, the Solo is perfectly shareable, as you’ll see moderate to high flavor preservation throughout a cycle.
A more feature-rich and slimmed-down version, the Solo II, is available for an extra $70, adding precision temp control, LCD screen, and a swappable battery. I personally prefer the flavor of the original Solo vaporizer, and I can’t recommend it enough if you’re looking for exceptional performance and a sturdy build from a budget weed vape.
Best value: Xs GO by AirVape
Price: $69
Features at a glance: Top-loading design, partially isolated ceramic herb chamber, five pre-set temps, combined conduction-convection heating, built-in stir tool, ergonomic grip, 45-minute charge time, easy single-button control.
What’s to love?
Extreme portability
Easy operation
Not-a-huge-deal-if-you-lose-it price
What’s the catch?
Flimsy build quality
Lots of plastic
Average flavor
If extreme portability and affordability are your central concerns, AirVape’s Xs GO could be your glass slipper.
The price and take-it-with-you form factor seem almost purpose-built for festival season or rough-and-tumble weekend trips.
The Xs GO is roughly the size of a lighter and retails for $69. Next to competing portable weed vaporizers, the price tag and diminutive form factor are welcome developments—offering an alternative to devices like the PAX 3 that can sell for hundreds more and, despite app-enabled controls and the like, perform similarly from a vaporization standpoint.
Given the price, the tradeoffs shouldn’t be surprising: the plastic-y build quality feels a bit cheap next to other devices in the AirVape lineup. Additionally, the flavor experience is firmly average and within the realm of popcorn if you don’t get your milling, packing, and temperature settings just right.
While the Xs GO isn’t as tasty as other options on this list—and certainly not as sturdy—the price and take-it-with-you form factor seem almost purpose-built for festival season or rough-and-tumble weekend trips; a formidable price-slasher next to more feature-rich devices that offer similar flavor and functionality.
Best portable convection vape: Tera by Boundless
Price: $200
Features at a glance: Convection heating, full digital temp control, LCD display, concentrate/oil compatibility, water pipe attachment, swappable battery, fast charging and heat-up times.
What’s to love?
Excellent flavor performance
Solid build quality
Swappable battery
Competitive price
Low-to-no learning curve or special techniques required
What’s the catch?
Doesn’t fit comfortably in a pocket
Smaller devices provide a similar flavor performance
Not only is the Tera one of the few top-loading cordless convection weed vaporizers to do a great job expressing flavor, but due to a low-resistance draw and simple, intuitive operation, it’s also one of the easiest to master without previous vaporizer knowledge.
The Tera is a standout for convection flavor and beginner-friendly operation, from a feature-rich, contemporary vaporizer.
Taking into consideration the Tera’s swappable battery, water-pipe and concentrate compatibility, full digital temp control, and speedy charging and heat-up times, it rates very high next to competitors at $200.
The Tera is marketed as a portable vaporizer and could certainly stow away in a purse or backpack, but it’s just a little too plump to fit comfortably in a pocket. Other devices on this list rate higher for true pocket portability.
What you’re getting here is standout convection flavor and beginner-friendly operation from a feature-rich, contemporary vaporizer—and for about $100 less than competing products that offer a similar experience.
Runners up: Mighty by Storz and Bickel (benchmark-but-similar convection flavor for an extra $150).
Most fashionable: Eden and Gaia by Linx Vapor
Price: $99 for the Eden, $159 for the Gaia
Features at a glance: Convection heating, quartz herb chamber, glass vapor path, concentrate compatibility, speedy heat-up times for quick sessions. Gaia only: full digital temp control, LCD screen. Eden only: four pre-set temps, single-button operation.
What’s to love?
Pocket portability
Competitive price
Quality materials
Great build
Solid flavor performance
What’s the catch?
Better flavor can be achieved elsewhere
Sometimes, innovative design can get lost behind underthought aesthetics. Not here with Linx’s line of truly portable, fashion-forward flower vaporizers.
Visually unified by attractive and durable, paint-free metal finishings and minimalist trim, Linx products offer better-than-average flavor by way of a convection-heated quartz chamber and glass vapor path. This flavor-preserving technology is under the hood of the stylish Gaia, as well as the newer Eden.
Where the Gaia can effortlessly hide away in your palm, the Eden is somewhat larger—cylindrically shaped like a squat Highlighter, but the better performer for flavor and price.
Selling for $159.99, the Gaia features an LCD screen and full digital temp control, while the Eden sheds the screen and offers four pre-set temps for an extremely competitive $99.
Both stand out for build quality, better-than-average flavor at low temps, and an attractive design sense that you can take with you. Though you might get slightly tastier vapor from an Arizer device or Boundless’s Tera, you’ll either be paying a bit more, trading metal for plastic, or sacrificing true pocket portability.
Runners up: MIVA 2, PAX 3, and the Firefly 2
Most discreet: Grasshopper by Hopper Labs
Price: $225 for stainless steel, $265 for titanium
Features at a glance: Pen form factor, convection heating, stainless steel or titanium body, magnetic charging ring, silicone lip protector, temperature dial enables adjustments from 266 – 410°F.
What’s to love?
Better-than-average flavor performance
Extreme portability
Extreme durability
Easy maintenance
What’s the catch?
No swappable battery
Mouthpiece gets hot
For the last few years, Hopper Labs’ Grasshopper weed vaporizer has taken up permanent residence in my backpack.
The pen form factor and styling renders it invisible as a consumption device next to my writing tools.
The pen form factor and executive styling renders it invisible as a consumption device next to my writing tools, while unlike other flower pens, it employs true convection heating for greatly improved flavor.
A dry herb vape designed and built by a team of ex-aerospace engineers in Colorado, the construction is industrial grade—offered in stainless steel and titanium, with a number of colored finishes to choose from—and the magnetic charging ring is a slick touch of design.
Keep in mind, you’ll need to use the included silicone lip protector, as the mouthpiece can get hot to the touch. Meanwhile, even though the Grasshopper is the best flavor performance you’ll find in a flower pen, newer devices rival its portability and functionality for less money.
This article was originally published on April 15, 2020.
Matt Stangel
Matt Stangel is Leafly’s Oregon Product Specialist. His cannabis-related writings have appeared in The Guardian, Willamette Week, Cascadia Magazine, and elsewhere—links to which are available at Cannapinions.com.
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In this episode: Brittney Griner gets support but what about the 350,000 arrested in the US every year? Also: tips for your mental health during these dark times.
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