Important Factors To Consider When Choosing A Vape Cartridge For Your Business

As vape devices continue to garner a larger market share in the cannabis industry, more and more previously flower-focused CBD and THC brands have released their own vape products. The disposable vape cartridge, in particular, is increasingly popular with both customers and brands transitioning into the world of vaping.

On the consumer side, disposable cartridges offer a level of extreme convenience. The pen battery and marijuana cartridge combo allow customers to enjoy cannabis almost anywhere. Plus, users only need to purchase a relatively inexpensive battery, and they’re free to experiment with various different brands and cartridges.

On the manufacturing side of things, cartridge hardware is easily sourced, freeing up their team to focus on the concentrates rather than designing an all-in-one oil vaporizer. However, not all cartridges are created equal. Here are some important factors to consider when looking for the best vape cartridge to house your product.

Thread Design

First, it’s essential to ensure that any potential vape cartridge hardware you’re considering for your business will fit a standard battery. It doesn’t matter if you have the best vape cartridge on the market if it won’t fit the best vape battery.

The industry standard for both batteries and cartridges is a 510 thread, which stands for 10 threads at 0.5 mm per thread. While this thread design was originally engineered for use in e-cigarettes, the 510 thread cartridge has become ubiquitous in the cannabis industry.

Viscosity Of Your Product

The most sought-after cannabis oils often have a higher viscosity. Less filler translates to better flavors, and these thicker oils often produce more satisfying vapor clouds than their thinner counterparts. However, not every cartridge can handle high-viscosity concentrates.

The thicker an extract is the higher temperature required to vaporize it properly. For this purpose, ceramic hardware outshines conventional metal cartridges. Ceramic coils are substantially more heat-resistant than metal alternatives. Additionally, ceramic cartridges distribute that heat better, allowing your extraction team more freedom to develop viscous oils.

Attempting to operate metal coils at the temperatures required to vaporize thicker extracts is ineffective and could also potentially be a safety hazard due to heavy metal leaching.

Potential For Heavy Metal Leaching

Because vaping circumvents the combustion process, experts generally agree that vaping is less damaging to the human respiratory system than traditional smoking. However, vaping is still relatively new and comes with its own health risks.

The EVALI crisis in 2019 highlighted the dangers of certain additives like vitamin e acetate, but new studies suggest vape hardware itself may be hazardous.  

Toxic metals used to construct certain cartridges can potentially leach into the extract held in the tank. Tests of commercial vape cartridges in Washington State revealed the presence of lead, chromium, magnesium, and other toxic metals in cannabis oils contained in metal cartridges.

Because this leaching can occur after the cartridges retail sale, it’s incredibly hard to regulate and prevent. Even if your company adequately lab tests your cartridges for heavy metals, leaching can take place after the fact.

The risk of heavy metal leaching increases significantly when metal cartridges are regularly subjected to high temperatures. This can lead to dry hits, which increases coil oxidation and ultimately increases the likelihood of heavy metal exposure.

The best way to avoid heavy metal leaching is to avoid metal cartridges altogether. Ceramic-based cartridges and coils offer better performance and remove the possibility of heavy metal leaching altogether.

Potential For Leakage

Cannabis oil is expensive, and there’s nothing consumers hate more than wasting it. Leaky cartridges can ruin the experience for a user, and in turn, ruin a brand’s reputation. A cartridge could leak for several potential reasons, but fortunately, most are preventable.

Let’s face it, accidents happen. Tanks made from cheap material are prone to cracking and breaking. This can occur during transportation to the dispensary or after a customer has already purchased the cartridge. It’s advised to use a strong material for tank design, like the impact-proof quartz used in the S10 Zirco Cartridge.

Additionally, the cotton wicks used in metal cartridges often have a tendency to become oversaturated or fail over time. When this happens, oil can leak from the mouthpiece during use. Not only does this waste precious extract, it’s also extremely hot and tastes terrible. The vape community refers to this phenomenon as spitback.

Potential For Clogging

Spitback also increases the cartridge’s chances of clogging. When the wick becomes oversaturated, it causes the oil to “cook” instead of vaporize properly. As a result, the hot oil boils, causing it to bubble up through the mouthpiece. When that oil cools down, it can become stuck in the drip tip, making it challenging to take draws in the future.

The best way to avoid leaks and clogs caused by spitback is to avoid cartridges with cotton wicking material. Because of the porous nature of ceramic, ceramic coils don’t need cotton wicks, and therefore eliminate the potential for spitback.

Best Material For Overall Performance

Cartridges made from ceramics outclass their metal and plastic counterparts in both safety and performance. They’re better with high-viscosity oils, and they don’t have the potential for heavy metal leaching or spitback. And because of the material’s better heat distribution, ceramic cartridges deliver better tasting and more satisfying hits.

If you’re looking for the best possible cartridge for your extract, look no further than the customizable Zirco Cartridge made from medical-grade ceramic.

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