Why Your Next Vaporizer NEEDS To Be A Ball Vape
My dry herb vaping journey started like many people’s…I was using edibles, and moved to disposable concentrate vapes. I had challenges with both. Edibles were really, really hard to dose correctly (I would eat one and wait around for the effects to hit and BAM they would hit like a semi truck driving 90mph), and disposables were cool but the solvents they used to thin them out didn’t feel great to inhale. So naturally, I decided I would try buying some pre-rolls. They worked great but I had issues with those as well (smell, harsh on my lungs, coughing, did I mention smell?).
All of this lead me to start my dry herb vaporizing journey. I joined some sub reddits, chatted with the dudes at my local dispensary, and ultimately bought a Yocan dry herb vaporizer. Now listen…no hate on Yocan, but I didn’t have an amazing experience at all. It worked for sure…but like…just barely. It tasted like popcorn, and I barely got any flavor out of it. I did get some decent effects but nothing like I did with edibles or combustion.
After all this, I made a “hello, I am a noob” post on the r/vaporrents subreddit. I told them my journey and what I bought and the overwhelming consensus was “buy a better vape and you’ll get better results”. When I made that post, a few people were screaming from the back of the room “buy a ball vape bro! Just trust me”. I ignored them because I wanted something portable and not a desktop vape.
I ultimately bought my first “big boy” vape the Mighty+ (check out my review of the Mighty+). It’s hard to overstate what a night and day difference the switch between a cheap $40 device was and a $300 dollar device was.
As time went on and I got further down the dry herb vaporizer rabbit hole, I started this site, and also got a nasty case of “VAS” better known as “Vape Acquisition Syndrome”. This is the syndrome that can plague dry herb enthusiasts as we are always in search of our “end game” vape.
That quest lead me to, on a whim, purchase a ball vape. And let me tell you…I’m now one of those guys screaming from the back of the room “get a ball vape! Just trust me bro!”
If you’re on the fence about jumping into ball vapes, stick with me because I will explain exactly why your next vape should be a ball vape!
What the heck is a ball vape anyway?
Alright, so you’ve heard me screaming about “ball vapes” from the back of the room, and maybe you’ve already googled it and found pics of ball vapes and you’re probably thinking “that looks weird and confusing”. Trust me, it looks way more confusing than it actually is! At its simplest, a ball vape is a type of desktop vaporizer that’s all about one thing: hitting your dry herb with a torrent of perfectly superheated air for maximum effect. When I say “maximum effect” I really mean it. I’ll explain that more later.

The secret sauce is right in the name: inside the “head” of the ball vape, you’ll find hundreds (yep, hundreds) of tiny, high-temperature resistant balls. Think little rubies, or sometimes zirconia, packed in there like a gemstone sauna. This whole setup gets heated by an electric coil, and precisely controlled by a PID unit (that little box with the numbers). When you take a hit, you’re pulling air through this superheated bed of balls, which instantly turns that air into a scorching, consistent thermal tornado. This hot, hot air then blasts through your herb in the bowl, flash-vaporizing everything in its path.
Why does this matter? Well, it makes ball vapes incredibly efficient and crazy effective at extraction. Because the air is heated so thoroughly and consistently by all those balls, it strips every last goodie out of your herb, giving you dense, flavorful clouds and giving you the most out of your herb by way of effects.
We’re talking complete, even vaporization of your material, usually in just a few hits. This is a rapid, potent delivery that can feel more akin to a dab than a traditional flower vape . This is kind of like going from dial up internet to high speed fiber… It’s truly a different beast, and once you try it, you’ll get why us “vocal minority” types are so hyped!
The Effects: Prepare to Be Amazed (and Warned!)
Let’s talk about the effects. My first hit on a ball vape was crazy to say the least! It was one of those “hold up lemme sit down real quick” type of hits! Once I gathered myself back up and returned to this plane of existence, I finished off my bowl.
The effects you get from a ball vape are strong. This is because ball vapes are so good at extracting every terp, cannabinoid and ounce of thc out of your herb. And because they extract so much better and so little is lost in the process, you get an even stronger “entourage effect”.
What is an entourage effect you might ask? This refers to how cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds in cannabis work together to shape the overall experience. Instead of just isolating THC or CBD, the full mix helps influence how the effects feel; everything from the flavor to the intensity and even the duration of the effects. It’s why some strains hit differently, even if the numbers look similar on paper.
That may sound too “sciency” so in basic terms its’ “how everything in the plant works together to make your effects feel stronger or better”.
Ok, so here is the warning for low tolerance users and people who aren’t sure where they fall on the spectrum of tolerance. Use WAY LESS than you think you need. Remember, you can always add more!
When you purchase your first ball vape do yourself a favor and see if they make a “microdose” bowl that works with your vape. My ball vape hit harder than my dab rig with a huge glob of concentrate. I’m not joking it’s wild how strong it is so be warned! You could also just send it too…but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Cleaning Your Ball Vape: Easier Than You Think
Cleaning your ball vape is so easy. You don’t clean your ball vape. It never comes into contact with your herb.
You do have to clean your glassware and your bowls. And for me that’s really, really easy. I can clean my bowl and my glass in under 10 minutes.
I simply dump the water out, soak the bowl in ISO, and pour a good amount of ISO into my glassware to soak for a bit. Once they have thoroughly soaked for a few minutes, I empty them and rinse them with warm water until all the ISO residue is gone and we’re back on track! Simple and effective!
Ball(er) Vapes on a Budget? Absolutely!
My ball vape kit (Ruby Twist) was $179.99 at the stash shack. Considering it outperforms my most expensive ($350) hand held vapes by orders of magnitude, I would say that this device is definitely for anyone who is a baller on a budget!
Check out my Ruby Twist Review here!
You do need a water pipe of some sort in order to make this work. And you can pick many of those up for a very reasonable price. I got a recycler from the stash shack for $53 and I probably over paid for it. So shop around for some good deals! Just make sure the bowl fits your glass piece and you’ll be good to go!
And the other thing ball vapes do really, really well is save herb. Because they are so incredibly efficient at extraction, it takes way less herb to get way stronger effects. I was already using battery powered dry herb vaporizers and they save you a ton of money on herb, but in my ball vape I use probably less than half of the herb I would use in my portable vapes.
Solo Sessions or Party Pieces? Why Ball Vapes Do Both.
While I use my ball vape for solo sessions almost every night, one of my favorite ways to use it is with friends. It’s easy to session on with pals when you’re sitting out on the back porch or around a table before or after a good dinner.
It’s also a great conversation starter too when you bring out this weird looking contraption. Your guests will all be really amazed at how good the ball vape is and you will probably look like a cannabis pro in front of them, cementing yourself as chief stoner in your friend group!
Safety First!
All jokes about being the king of cannabis aside, we do need to issue a word of caution with regards to safety. Using a ball vape is awesome, but if handled improperly, could result in some serious burns or injury so let me share a few safety tips with you.
- Never use your ball vape without the heat shield. That is there to protect you from the heating coils which can exceed 700 degrees fahrenheit. It’s fine to take it off if you’d like to do maintenance on it, but be sure to always replace it when you’re done.
- Always use the provided stand. Even with a heat shield on, if you put the heating element down on a table or countertop, it could burn the surface it’s on or create a nasty hot spot that could burn you if you touch it after you pick up the heating element.
- Be mindful of your cables. Just make sure your power cable and the cable connecting the wand to the PID don’t get caught on or put near the heating element and you’ll be just fine.
Should you get a ball vape?
Conclusion? Yes. Absolutely. If you’re someone who wants to experience top-tier cannabis vaporization, then a ball vape should absolutely be your next vape purchase! I don’t like using the term “game changer” anymore because of AI and how much it’s overused so let’s just say it really changes the game!
Seriously, save your pennies and go get one! Comment below if you plan on getting one or if you are in the “ball vape gang” let me know in the comments!
Happy Vaping!
-Drew