First things first: Lets define dabbing. According to Merriam-Webster in a recent “Words We’re Watching” post, it is “the act of heating a sticky oil or wax of concentrated THC extracted from cannabis and inhaling the vapors.”
While dabbing is not technically a new method of consumption—it is believed to have first started in the 1940s—to newcomers, an illicit reputation remains. And the equipment required to even do a dab—from blow torches, e-nails, and carb caps to dab rigs, bangers, and mats—can be pretty intimidating.
But legalization has lent itself to cannabis companies finally designing products to make the entire process more user-friendly and appearances more sophisticated. Five years ago, Dr. Dabber exploded onto the scene with its Ghost vaporizer pen and has since led the cannabis industry’s smoke-free technology charge.
The just-launched Dr. Dabber Switch vaporizes both concentrates and flower.Courtesy: Dr. Dabber
The release of the Dr. Dabber Boost e-rig in 2015 changed the game as the first-ever portable, battery-powered dabbing device, meaning no open fire was required. It endured as the most civilized setup on the market, until now.
Officially released on June 18, the Dr. Dabber Switch is taking vaporizing to the highest level yet. Retailing for $399.99 (two-year warranty included), it's comparative in price to the popular Pax 3 ($249) or original Volcano ($479), but packs more technology than most, utilizing induction heating technology. Developed by the Dr. Dabber team of engineers, who relied heavily on customer feedback over a two-year research and design process, it’s also their first product compatible for the consumption of both concentrates and flower.
“By utilizing induction technology with our unique design, we can maximize the effects of vaporization by precisely controlling your heating profiles, and directing the airflow to maximize the activation and vaporization of the compounds. Only from induction can we achieve the precision and speeds needed to achieve this,” explains David Petryk, chief engineer at Dr. Dabber and based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Switch is packed with patent-pending tech and features a rechargeable battery pack capable of lasting up to 100 standard hits on a full charge.Courtesy: Dr. Dabber
When assembled, the sleek device measures 10 inches in height with a concave base for a firm hand-hold while in use. It’s topped with a white (for concentrates) or black (for loose leaf) ceramic heating induction cup, which once filled with the cannabis of your choice, is capped with a glass-tipped, rubber-rimmed lid and loading tool.
Full disclosure: I was sent a Switch test unit to try for myself and have already broken the glass tip off the top when setting it down on my concrete coffee table (sorry, Dr. Dabber). Not a sturdy enough carb cap is the only complaint I could come up with on the product overall.
A glass, hourglass-shaped percolator attachment likens it to a water bong, providing a smooth delivery of vapor. Once assembled, taking a hit is almost as easy as the touch of a button—the one on the bottom selects your concentrate or loose leaf mode and the one in the middle turns it on. A series of LED-powered dots leading up to an illuminated cup change from red to green to alert you when your dab is ready. When not in use, the LED dome doubles as an ambient-only option to wow your eyes and/or your friends during a session with an in-home light show.
But the heat settings, easily marked with a plus and minus icon, are where things get a little more advanced. With up to 25 different temperature modes and clear instructions (three handy quick-start guides are affixed to the bottom of the base), the Switch can quickly turn a novice into an ultimate cannabis connoisseur.
Dabbing cannabis in any form is often criticized as having a stronger potency than smoking a joint, drawing health concerns as the popularity and accessibility continues to grow. But Green Dot Labs, the leading brand of concentrates in Colorado and the first-ever company to focus solely on cultivation for its eponymous line of extracts, encourages the consumption of its products at lower temperatures “to maximize the taste and sensory experience without inducing excessive psychoactive effects."
David Malone, co-founder and chief operating officer at Green Dot Labs argues that responsibly produced concentrates are the most effective, cleanest and safest way to consume cannabis.
Malone explains, “The beauty of it is that we've been able to prove over time, the science and technology in this space has evolved at such a rate that we can prove our products have absolutely no trace of solvent or pesticides."
"But with the traditional setup using a blow torch, the perception is horrible from a consumer standpoint, but I promise you in another five years, the dab rig will be mainstream. The aesthetics are just something that we as a society will evolve to accept,” says Malone. “What I still don’t understand are the reservations from the regular cannabis consumer.”
Citing the concentrate segment as around $55 million in comparison to $600 million for flower sales on the Colorado market, Malone is convinced a major shift is underway observing, “people making an exodus from smoking flower conventionally as a conscious health choice” adding, “There's not a doctor in the world who will tell you smoke is good for a living organism, but they'll tell you that there are health benefits you can get from marijuana. So how do you find a way to not smoke and still get those benefits? You vaporize it.”
Thanks to Dr. Dabber's high-performance, high-tech Switch device, the future of vaporizing has already arrived and the stigma, already departing.