What is vaping?

The definition of vaporize is "to convert or be converted into a vapor." Both solids and liquids can be vaporized. Vaporizing contrasts with burning, or combustion, which is "a chemical process in which a substance reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat and light." Combustion is a chemical process whereas vaporization is a simple phase change from a solid or a liquid into a gas. So - by the definitions alone, you can see that vaporizing and burning are very different processes and therefore would be expected to produce very different results. Which they do.

Why burn something?

Burning – also referred to as combustion – is a chemical process where a substance combines with oxygen - and during this process often produces large amounts of heat and light as a byproduct. Humans have been burning things for millennia - to break down food so that it can more easily be digested, to create heat when it's cold, to create light so that they can see better, to create new compounds like iron or steel or to melt glass and shape it into beautiful forms. And, they have also burned herbs so that they can be ingested more readily into the body.  

However, burning substances to inhale the gases created has some serious drawbacks. First, there is the production of large amounts of heat when burning something - which can be a problem if the gases inhaled into the mouth and lungs are too hot. For example, cigarettes can be 550 degrees F or hotter. It is simply not comfortable to inhale incredibly hot gases or vapors - nor is it extremely healthy. Burning also results in a large amount of noxious gases and particles that are created during the burning process - remember, burning is a chemical reaction - not a simple phase change. Suffice it to say that inhaling the dozens or hundreds of chemicals produced when burning something means that these noxious gases and particles are going directly into your lungs - and are often quickly absorbed into your bloodstream. So, if that's what you want to do - quickly absorb lots of noxious chemicals and gases into your bloodstream, burning is an effective means of achieving this.

Why vaporize something?

Vaporizing - changing the phase of a substance from a solid or a liquid into a gas - does not involve a chemical reaction with oxygen. No noxious gases and particles are produced through vaporization. While it does require a heat source to create the vapor - and vaporizing does produce a high temperature gas or vapor by heating the air to 360 to 440 degrees for a typical user - these vapors are typically not nearly as high temperature as those produced when burning - 550 degrees or more. Since vaporizing something simply changes the phase (think of boiling water to create steam) no new substances are created during vaporization. The vapors produced are a direct result of the substance being vaporized - no new compounds are created during pure vaporization.  

There are two main types of vaporizing - conductive and convective. Convection vaporizers heat indirectly by moving hot air across and through your product. Conduction vaporizers heat by having a hot solid touch a product to heat it up. Most portable vapes and many lower quality desktop vapes rely on conductive heat, which requires direct contact with a hot surface - such as a metal or ceramic plate - often resulting in partial combustion, uneven heating and an unsatisfying taste to the vapor. It also requires much more frequent stirring to ensure that all of the product is evenly vaporized and does not burn. 7th Floor's desktop vapes use an advanced ceramic heating element to product convective heat and a glass-on-glass design which ensures that the air-flow heats your product evenly and significantly reduces the chance of combustion.

The fact that convection vaporization does not create new compounds or nasty combustion byproducts leads many people to believe that vaporizing is a healthier way to ingest substances into the body. There are a handful of studies that are currently attempting to confirm this. We want to be clear that we are not making any claims that vaporizing a substance with the intent to inhale it is healthier than burning it. All we can say is many people contend that vaporizing produces a more pleasing sensation in regard to the flavor and taste and effect on the body and mind than burning a substance does. We tend to feel the same way.  

Conclusion   

Those who prefer burning a substance should continue to do so. Those who prefer vaporizing - well - they should explore the 7thfloorvapes.com web site to discover the world's finest glass-on-glass convection vaporizers. Not only are they functional, durable and reliable - they look pretty cool too!

Ride the Wave!