Wax Pens: What Are They, and How Do You Use One?
Article written by
Shanti RyleContent Writer
Content reviewed by
Dr. Lewis JasseyMedical Director - Pediatric Medicine
Wax pens are portable vaporizers designed to vaporize cannabis concentrates of all types, specifically wax. Despite a slight learning curve, they are a convenient option for individuals who want to consume cannabis wax and other concentrates without the hassle of a full-sized dab rig.
Read on to learn about wax pens, how they work, best practices for keeping them clean, and why you should consider using them as a medical marijuana consumption tool. Just to note, if you are planning on purchasing a wax pen, be sure to buy one from a licensed dispensary or official product maker and not from the black market, where there are many safety concerns.
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What Are Wax Pens?
Wax pens, sometimes called dab pens, are portable vaporizers designed for individuals to consume wax, and other cannabis concentrates, sometimes called “dabs.” These wax pens allow people to “dab” — a cultural term for consuming highly concentrated cannabis products — without the fuss of several complicated tools.
How Wax Pens Work
The consumer market features several different styles and brands, which all contain the same essential components:
- A chamber or atomizer for wax or concentrate of choice
- A heating element like a ceramic coil to heat the concentrate
- A mouthpiece from which to inhale the vapor
- A battery, usually rechargeable via a USB cable
When turned on or (in some cases) when you inhale, the wax pen’s heating element activates and vaporizes the concentrate in the atomizer. The vapor flows through to the mouthpiece, making it easy to inhale the THC and other cannabinoids.
Wax pens get much hotter than typical vape pens and require regular maintenance and cleaning to keep them functional.
How to Use One
Wax pens can be tricky to learn at first, but with some practice, they offer a simple and practical way to use cannabis concentrates.
- Make sure your wax pen’s battery is fully charged before use.
- Once your battery is ready, remove the wax pen’s cap and open the atomizer (the chamber where you place concentrates).
- Load your wax or other materials into the chamber, taking care not to overstuff.
- Reassemble the chamber and reattach the cap.
- Turn on your wax pen by pressing the power button. Some wax pens lack a control surface, turning on automatically when inhaling.
- Place the mouthpiece against your lips, press and hold the power button, and inhale. Release the power button when you’ve inhaled enough of a hit, hold in your lungs, and exhale.
- When finished with your wax pen, turn it off and replace the cap to ensure your concentrate doesn’t leak.
It’s essential to regularly clean your wax pen to keep it sanitary, preventing the growth of any mold or bacteria, and ensuring your concentrates are clean and safe to inhale. Cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, warm water, and paper towels are everything you need to do the job.
To clean your wax pen:
- Set it to its highest temperature on its temperature settings and place it upside down on a paper towel. This allows the heating element to remove any sticky residue and simplify cleaning.
- Next, fill a small glass bowl with isopropyl alcohol.
- After your atomizer has cooled, separate the device into its battery, atomizer, and mouthpiece components.
- Soak a cotton swab in the alcohol and wipe the insides of the heating chamber, avoiding touching the coils. If there’s more residue inside than a swab can handle, place the atomizer in the small bowl of alcohol and let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
- While your atomizer is soaking, use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to clean the thread of the battery. A cleaning brush can help scrub away the stickier residue.
- Use an alcohol-soaked cotton swab to clean the mouthpiece and wipe away any residue or clogged materials.
- When everything’s clean, rinse with lukewarm water and allow it to dry before reassembling.
Positives and Negatives of Wax Pens
Wax pens can be tricky to learn and necessitate regular upkeep to function well, but they offer individuals a more flexible and portable way to use concentrates. Compared to dabbing with a full-scale rig and blow torch, all you do with wax pens is load concentrate into the atomizer, set it to your preferred temperature, and inhale.
However, it’s important to remember that wax concentrates contain some of the highest amounts of THC and other cannabinoids. As such, they’re best left to experienced marijuana users or those requiring high potency levels.
The Bottom Line
Wax pens are portable ways to benefit from highly concentrated marijuana that are simpler and more convenient than other methods of consuming concentrates. Once you’ve learned the basics, wax pens are powerful devices to add to your cannabis toolkit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are there CBD-only wax pens?
Wax pens offer customization, allowing patients to add whatever type of concentrate they want to vaporize to the chamber. As such, dispensaries don’t sell CBD-only wax pens, but one could purchase CBD-only concentrates and add them to their wax pen.
Where can I buy a wax pen?
Most licensed dispensaries will sell wax pens, but some online retailers will sell and ship wax pens direct to consumers. Some states have laws governing the purchase of cannabis consumption devices: be sure to check with your medical marijuana doctor if there are any limitations on buying wax pens.