Explore the showdown between water pipes and vaporizers! Discover their pros, cons, and find which one aligns with your smoking preferences!

Water Pipes vs. Vaporizers: Their Pros and Cons

You have more options to smoke that amazing flower you bought at your favorite shops than ever. But let’s say you’ve narrowed your choices down to a water pipe and a vaporizer. What are the pros and cons of each one?

Both water pipes and vaporizers can be great choices to smoke flower. But water pipes can give you a smoother hit and more immediate effect, though they come with more health concerns and a stronger smell. Vaporizers can be a healthier way to smoke without too much of a smell, but they can be more expensive upfront and might give you a less intense high.

The “best” choice is an individual matter, but once you have the pros and cons down, you can pick the one that works for you.

What’s the difference between water pipes and vaporizers?

A vaporizer is an electronic device that heats dry herb cannabis in a chamber, creating a vapor to inhale. It usually has a gauge so you can heat your herb to the ideal temperature for your smoke session. Some of them are portable and battery-powered, but other ones can be plugged into the wall.

A water pipe, on the other hand, is a glass pipe that uses water to filter the smoke created from burning cannabis. They can be made of scientific glass for a super smooth hit, or heady glass if you want something more artistic. They’re a classic way to smoke up, and probably something you’ve used if you’re even a novice smoker. 

For the sake of this article, we’ll focus on water pipes and vaporizers used for dry herb, though they can also be used for concentrates. They can also be used together, but that’s more of an advanced move. Let’s get into the pros and cons of using each one individually.

Water Pipes: the pros and cons 

As we said above, water pipes are a classic choice for smoking, and that’s for good reason. They’re easy to use and are found at every smoke shop that sells glass.

Besides being easy to use and common, water pipes have three main pros:

• They can give you a more immediate high: water pipes let you take huge rips, allowing cannabinoids to enter your body faster. Burning it also activates those cannabinoids more intensely, giving you a stronger sensation sooner.

• You can get smoother hits: the water cools the heated air, making it less harsh on your mouth and throat when you inhale.

• Their price points can be more affordable: Because they’re made of glass and not electronic equipment, you can find them at more affordable prices

But with the upside comes a few downsides that you have to consider:

• Carries more health risks: Inhaling the smoke from burnt materials can damage your lungs, even if there are no known carcinogens in what you’re smoking.

• Smell: The smell that comes with smoking with a water pipe is unmistakable, which isn’t good if you need to be discrete.

Vaporizers: The pros and cons

Vaporizers might not be as easily recognized as water pipes, but that doesn’t mean that they’re inferior. It’s all a matter of weighing your options and what works best for you.

Let’s start with the pros, which are making more smokers opt for vaporizers:

• A healthier way to smoke: If you’re smoking dry herb, it’s much less harsh on your lungs – you’re inhaling vapor that isn’t as hot and it’s much cleaner.

• More efficient: It only heats your herb up as much as it needs to in order to produce vapor, which preserves your flower longer

• Less odor: The scent of vapor dissipates much faster than smoke, and isn’t as strong. It’s perfect if you need to be discrete.

Those upsides are strong enough for many people to choose a vaporizer, but weigh the downsides too:

• More expensive: Most vaporizers are more expensive than other smoking tools, particularly water pipes. But there are a lot of quality brands that can make an investment worth it.

• Less intense high at first: Vaporizers
• Can run out of battery: while they’re portable, there’s a chance you could run out of battery at an inopportune time.

Weigh the pros and cons

Either a water pipe or a vaporizer can be perfect for you, depending on your needs. Both will get you the effect you want – it’s just a matter of what you prioritize when it comes to smoking up. 

If you’re interested in seeing what options are available, check out our shop here.