Major breakthroughs in dry herb vape tech have pushed performance to new levels of potency and power. At-home vaporists are experiencing stronger, more flavorful sessions than ever before, and a new level of cannabis extraction has emerged.
What Is a Ball Vape?
Ball vapes are a newer type of dry herb vaporizer that can deliver a dab-like flavor and intensity using small doses of dry herb. They’re like a tiny espresso machine, but for weed vapor. Instead of hot water, these vapes use super-heated air. Much like espresso, this vapor can be thick and potent.
Ball vapes use powerful convection to vaporize dry herb without combustion. Tiny glass or ruby balls inside the convection heater increase surface area and maximize heat transfer while maintaining high airflow. The result is a fast, open, direct-inhale vaporizer designed to extract 0.1–0.3g of dry herb in a single session.
There’s no secret about what makes these vapes work. The technology was developed by vape enthusiasts and DIY builders seeking more performance than the broader vape market offered. Glass or ruby balls were initially added to existing vapes to increase thermal mass and power. The technique first appeared around 2017, and by 2020, a new category of dry herb vaporizers had emerged.
Most ball vapes are desktop vaporizers designed for use with a water piece, as their vapor is often hot enough to benefit from additional cooling.
How Ball Vapes Work
The heated balls never touch your herb. Instead, they heat the air, and that air passes through a small pressed puck of dry herb. Trichomes absorb the heat and release vapor as the air moves through.
Much like an espresso machine, a finer grind and a perfectly tamped bowl yield the best results.
Modern ball vapes use a coil heater to warm a ball-filled housing and maintain a stable temperature. The balls store heat, like a battery. Air is drawn through the heated balls and directly through the cannabis. The super-heated air vaporizes the trichome heads using convection.
The experience is typically a fast, open inhale, and many users consider it one of the most potent and flavorful ways to consume cannabis. These vapes are designed for rapid extraction, often finishing a bowl in one or two inhalations.
What Makes a Ball Vape Different?
Dry herb vaporizers have used convection for decades, and powerful units have existed for years. However, ball vapes generally require less specialized inhalation techniques and are engineered for higher heat delivery than many traditional vaporizers. After reviewing hundreds of devices, ball vapes clearly represent a distinct category.
Flower Dabs
Ball vapes operate in a class of their own. Their high-heat convection can deliver vapor intensity that some users compare to dabbing. For first-time users, the experience can feel surprisingly strong.
The hit and overall effect from a ball vape can be intense, especially at higher temperatures. Because there’s no combustion, vapor can feel cleaner and more concentrated. Some models are capable of extracting up to 0.5g in a single session, while others are optimized for microdoses around 0.1g.
Ball Vapes are Still Evolving
These vapes are the cutting edge of dry herb vapor extraction. Today’s innovators are refining the experience to make it more user-friendly while further optimizing the flavor.
Many ball vapes aren’t ready for the mainstream. These devices have hot surfaces and require dedicated space. The tech is only pushed by the demands of vapor enthusiasts and early adopters.
Consumer-ready ball vapes come as wireless desktop vaporizers. The coil is mounted in a stationary housing, and the ball vape stays heated there. The hot ball vape is only removed when in use. As an added advantage, the stationary coil can be used to heat traditional quartz bucket bangers for a true dabbing experience, making wireless ball vapes the truest dual-use desktop vaporizer.
Most wireless ball vapes use a standard 30mm, 25mm, or 16mm coil.
Factors of Flavor & Performance
Ball vapes are made for flavor chasers and frequent usage consumers. The evolution has been driven by the demand for maximum potency without sacrificing flavor. These vapes cook the herb evenly, which means fewer wasted cannabinoids.
Ruby balls are the material of choice for most ball vapes. Ruby tastes as pure as glass, but with better thermal performance and durability. Smaller balls yield more power potential, but at the cost of airflow restriction. Most ball vapes are using 2mm-4mm balls.
Reducing the amount of metal used in the heater and airpath, or eliminating it completely, maximizes the flavor purity. The Universal Baller by Terp Chasers Club features an all-glass bowl and a glass-lined ball chamber, providing a 100% all-glass air path. This vape has a protective metal exterior wrapped around an all-glass heater.
Temperature Control & Customizing the High
Ball vape temperatures don’t directly translate to vape temperatures. It’s one of the gotcha points of the category. PIDs are used to control the coil temperature, and the balls are usually several insulating layers beneath the coil. Coil temperatures range from 500F to 650F, but the vaporization temperatures are lower.
Higher temperatures and darker roasts often yield a more stoney and sedative high. Indicas will have even more of the expected indica effects at higher temperatures.
Lower temperatures leave more behind, but yield a headier high. Sativas can get even more driven with an intense low-temperature hit. These vapes deliver the most complete presentation of a strain’s potential flavors.
Effects will ultimately depend on cannabinoid and terpene content rather than simply indica or sativa labeling.
Some ball vapes are designed to leverage conduction and radiant heating for even deeper levels of flavor and extraction. Industry-leading ball vapes, like the Universal Baller, feature a modular design that allows them to be fully customized. It’s also the first ball vape to use a fully glass-lined air path.
Are Ball Vapes Safe?
These devices are intended for experienced adult users. They operate at high temperatures and can cause burns if mishandled. A dedicated space and attention to safety are strongly recommended. Many modern designs incorporate coil guards or protective housings to reduce accidental contact.
Ideal Uses
Ball vapes are currently best suited for experienced or frequent consumers. Those who prefer at-home sessions and powerful extraction will likely appreciate their performance.
Portable ball vapes exist, but the category remains primarily desktop-focused.
All images provided by Terp Chasers Club.
About the author: Troy / 420vapezone
Troy has been reviewing vaporizers since 2015. He’s been deleted from YouTube twice and remains an independent vape reviewer. He documents and reviews the evolution of ball vapes and other dry herb vaporizers on 420vapezone.com.
