Vaporizer 101 · Going Deeper
Vaporizer Jargon Decoded: What the Hell is a Cooling Unit?
"Every confusing term explained by someone who was confused by all of them."
Vaporizer forums and product pages speak a dialect of abbreviations and borrowed jargon that nobody actually explains. AVB, ISO, WPA, cooling unit, isolated airpath, hybrid heating, temperature stepping — this glossary covers every term that confused me in my first six months, plus honest commentary on which terms matter and which are mostly marketing.
Most of it isn't difficult once someone explains it. Nobody explains it. Until now.
The Forum That Made Me Feel Stupid
Three months into vaping — 2018, newly off the spliffs, still figuring out which button did what — I found a forum. Actual enthusiasts. People who'd been doing this for years. Finally, I thought, I'll learn from the experts.
The first thread I opened:
"Running my hybrid at 195 with the DDave mod, getting great extraction through the ELB but the thermal mass isn't holding temp on long draws. Thinking about switching to a pure convection with better airpath isolation."
— an actual forum post, possibly written in another language
I understood maybe four words. "The." "Is." "A." "For." I closed the tab and didn't go back for six months.
Sarah, finding me glaring at my laptop at 11 p.m., asked what was wrong. "I don't speak this language." "Is it French?" "Worse. It's hobbyist."
Here's the thing about vaporizer communities: they're genuinely helpful, full of knowledgeable people who want to share what they've learned. But they've also developed their own language — a dialect of abbreviations, technical terms, and borrowed jargon that makes complete sense once you know it and sounds like absolute nonsense until you do.
Nobody explains this stuff. You're just supposed to absorb it through osmosis, apparently. Or feel stupid until you figure it out yourself. This is the glossary I wish existed when I started. Every term that confused me, explained in plain English, with honest commentary about which ones matter and which ones are mostly marketing.
The Terms (Alphabetical)
ABV / AVB (Already Been Vaped / Already Vaped Bud)
What it means: the leftover material after you've vaped it. The brown stuff in your chamber when the session's done.
Why two abbreviations: because vaporizer people couldn't agree on word order. ABV and AVB mean exactly the same thing. I use AVB because "already vaped bud" flows better in my head.
Why it matters: unlike ash from smoking, AVB still contains cannabinoids — often 3–8% THC if you vaped at moderate temperatures. It's already decarboxylated (heat-activated), so you can eat it directly or infuse it into edibles. (Mine lives in a labelled jar in the fridge, next to the Heinz tomato soup and a lot of Sarah's side-eye.) See The Lazy Person's Guide to AVB.
Airpath / Vapor Path
What it means: the internal route air and vapour travel through your device, from intake to mouthpiece.
Technically, "airpath" is the route fresh air takes before hitting the herb, and "vapor path" is the route after heating. Most people (and most manufacturers) use these interchangeably. What matters is what materials the vapour contacts — glass and ceramic are cleanest, cheap plastics near heat sources are not.
Marketing alert: "Isolated airpath" is a buzzword meaning the vapour supposedly doesn't pass over electronics or batteries. Good feature, but brands throw it around loosely.
Bowl
See: Chamber.
Burn-off
What it means: running empty heat cycles on a new device before first use, to burn away manufacturing residues (oils, dust, whatever accumulated during production).
Set device to maximum temperature, let it complete 2–3 full heat cycles with nothing in the chamber. Some manuals specify this; others don't mention it. Skipping burn-off can make your first sessions taste like hot plastic and factory. Ask me how I know. (See Your First Vaporizer Session.)
Chamber / Oven / Bowl
What it means: the part where your herb goes. The heated container that holds your material during vaporisation.
"Chamber" is clinical. "Oven" is gadget-y. "Bowl" is stoner-friendly. They all mean the same thing.
I mostly say "chamber" in reviews because it sounds marginally more professional. Sarah calls it "the weed hole." I don't have a counter-argument.
Conduction
What it means: heating method where your herb sits directly on or against a heated surface. Heat transfers through direct contact, like food in a frying pan.
Characteristics: fast heat-up, simpler design, often cheaper. Can heat unevenly (edges cook faster than middle). Flavour drops off faster through a session.
Examples: PAX series, most budget pocket vapes, DynaVap (yes, it's primarily conduction). Full story: Conduction vs Convection.
Convection
What it means: heating method where hot air passes through your herb. Heat transfers via moving air, like a convection oven cooking food more evenly.
Characteristics: more even extraction, better flavour preservation, often slower heat-up, more technique-sensitive. Draw speed affects results.
Examples: Arizer Solo series (convection-dominant), Firefly, Volcano bag fills. (Dave has been running a Solo 3 for years and will, if prompted, tell you exactly why.)
Marketing alert: many devices marketed as "convection" are actually hybrids. If the chamber itself gets hot (not just the air), there's conduction happening too.
Cooling Unit
What it means: a component designed to cool vapour between the chamber and your mouth, making hits smoother and less harsh.
Varies wildly by device — could be a complex multi-part assembly with fins and mazes (Storz & Bickel style), a simple extended vapour path with some ridges, or literally just "we made the tube longer." Hot vapour is harsh. Cooling it improves comfort. Devices with good cooling hit smoother at the same temperature.
The cleaning problem: cooling units catch resin. They need regular cleaning or they'll clog and taste stale. S&B cooling units are particularly notorious for accumulating gunk. (See I Hate Cleaning Too.)
Desktop
What it means: a vaporizer designed for home use, typically plugged into mains power rather than battery-operated.
Usually more powerful, often supports bags or whips, not portable (or at least not conveniently). Examples: Volcano, Arizer Extreme Q, Plenty (though it's borderline — corded but handheld). The line is getting blurrier as devices evolve.
Dosing Capsule
What it means: a small, pre-loadable container (usually metal mesh) that holds a measured amount of herb. You load the capsule, drop it in the chamber, vape, then swap for a fresh one.
Faster reloading, cleaner chamber, consistent dosing, good for on-the-go. S&B devices use them; many third-party options exist for other vapes.
Genuinely useful for daily users. I pre-load a week's worth on Sunday evenings, which my ADHD brain treats as "Sunday meal prep for my head." See the Accessories Guide for more detail.
Draw Resistance
What it means: how hard you have to inhale to pull air/vapour through the device. High resistance = restricted, like sucking through a thin straw. Low resistance = open airflow, easy breathing.
Personal preference. Some people like a tight, restricted draw (similar to cigarette feel). Others prefer wide-open airflow. Affected by airpath design, screen mesh, pack density, resin buildup. When someone on a forum says a device has "tight draw," they mean restricted. "Wide open" means easy airflow. Neither is better.
Extraction
What it means: the process of pulling cannabinoids and terpenes out of your herb and into the vapour you inhale. "Good extraction" = efficiently getting the compounds you want. "Full extraction" = using the material completely (AVB is uniformly brown, no green left). "Extraction efficiency" = percentage of available cannabinoids you're capturing. Science: What Actually Happens Inside Your Vaporizer.
Glass Stem
What it means: a mouthpiece/vapour path made of glass, common on Arizer devices and some others.
Clean flavour (glass is inert), easy to see vapour and cleanliness, simple to clean (ISO soak). Drawback: fragile. I've broken several. Dave has broken more. One of them in my kitchen — sorry, Sarah. Variations: straight tubes, bent stems, "3D Flow" with textured glass for extra cooling.
Haptic Feedback
What it means: the device vibrates to communicate something — usually "ready to use" or "session ending." Useful if you're not looking at the device. Mighty+, Crafty+ V2, Venty, PAX, and most modern mid-to-high-end portables have it.
Heating Element
What it means: the component that generates heat in your vaporizer.
| Material | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | Chemically inert, very high melting point, clean flavour | Marketing favourite; "ceramic heater" sounds premium |
| Stainless steel | Durable, decent thermal conductivity, corrosion-resistant | Neutral enough flavour for most users |
| Aluminium | Heats quickly, responds fast to temperature changes | Lower melting point, more prone to oxidation; less favoured in premium marketing |
Temperature accuracy and consistency matter more than heater material for most users.
Hybrid (Heating)
What it means: a device that combines both conduction (heated chamber walls) and convection (hot air flow) heating methods. Pure conduction has uneven heating problems. Pure convection has slow heat-up and technique sensitivity. Combining them aims for the best of both.
Examples: Mighty+, Crafty+ V2 (Tom's preferred device — morning cough gone in six months), XMAX V3 Pro (Jake's daily driver at £79.99), most modern mid-to-high-end devices.
Marketing alert: "hybrid" gets slapped on anything that isn't obviously 100% conduction. The word doesn't guarantee balanced heating.
ISO (Isopropyl Alcohol)
What it means: isopropyl alcohol, the standard cleaning solvent for vaporizers. 91% or higher for resin removal; 70% is better for disinfecting but worse at dissolving sticky stuff. Cleans glass, metal, ceramic, hard plastics (briefly). Don't soak silicone in ISO (causes swelling/damage), don't get it in electronics, don't skip the rinse.
Manual Vaporizer
What it means: a vaporizer that uses external heat (usually a torch/lighter) rather than batteries or mains power. Examples: DynaVap, Sticky Brick, Lotus. No batteries to charge or replace, near-instant heat-up, but requires technique and attention. Where these fit: Session vs On-Demand.
Mouthpiece
What it means: the part you put your mouth on to inhale. Sometimes just a simple tip, sometimes integrated with cooling components. Materials: plastic, silicone, glass, metal — different materials affect comfort and flavour. Regular wipe-down at minimum: this is where your mouth goes repeatedly, hygiene matters.
O-Ring
What it means: small rubber/silicone rings that create seals between device components. They keep air flowing where it should and prevent leaks. Worn, cracked, or missing O-rings cause air leaks, reduce vapour production, and make draws feel "off."
I've lost several down the drain during cleaning — work over a towel, not the sink. Sarah has stopped asking.
On-Demand
What it means: a vaporizer that heats only when you're actively using it (holding a button, drawing, or applying heat). Heats fast, cools fast. Quick hits, good for single draws throughout the day, less material waste between hits. Often higher learning curve.
Examples: TinyMight 2 (Jake has a £299.99 one in a drawer — on-demand plus ADHD is a harder combination than anyone advertises), Firefly, DynaVap. The opposite: session vapes stay hot for a set period regardless of whether you're drawing. Deep dive: Session vs On-Demand: The Only Decision That Matters.
Oven
See: Chamber.
Pack / Packing
What it means: loading herb into the chamber and how densely you compress it. Too tight: restricted airflow, weak vapour. Too loose: thin hits, inconsistent results. Just right depends on device type (tighter for conduction, looser for convection). Deep dive: Your First Vaporizer Session.
Pass-Through Charging
What it means: the ability to use your vaporizer while it's plugged in and charging. A power management circuit splits current between charging the battery and powering the heater. Useful if your battery dies mid-session. Many Arizer portables, some S&B devices (with limitations) support this. Check your specific device.
Portable
What it means: a vaporizer designed to be carried around, usually battery-powered. Ranges from truly pocket-sized (PAX, ArGo) to "portable but bulky" (Mighty+) to "technically portable but really a small desktop" (Plenty).
The Mighty+ technically fits in a coat pocket. I know because I've done it. Sarah says I looked like I was smuggling a TV remote.
Screen
What it means: small mesh filters that keep herb particles from being inhaled and prevent material from falling into the airpath. Clean regularly or replace when clogged. Blocked screens restrict airflow significantly. I ground too fine when starting out and clogged screens constantly. Medium grind + regular cleaning = much better.
Session (Vaporizer)
What it means: a vaporizer that heats up, reaches temperature, and stays hot for a set period (usually 5–15 minutes). You pack a bowl and extract over that window. Turn on, wait for ready, vape until auto-shutoff or material is done. Simpler technique, more forgiving. Examples: Mighty+, Crafty+ V2, PAX, Solo 3 v2 (in session mode), most Arizer devices. Full breakdown: Session vs On-Demand.
Sipping
What it means: draw technique — slow, gentle inhales rather than hard, fast pulls. Vaporizers aren't bongs. Hard rips pull cool air through faster than the heater can warm it, reducing extraction. Slow "sips" (3–5 seconds each) let the device do its job. Covered in Your First Vaporizer Session.
Stirring
What it means: mixing the herb in your chamber mid-session to expose fresh surfaces for more even extraction. Primarily needed in conduction devices where the material against the hot walls cooks faster than the centre. Modern hybrids extract evenly enough that it's usually not necessary.
Temperature Stepping
What it means: starting a session at a lower temperature, then increasing in steps as you go — e.g., 175°C → 190°C → 205°C. Different compounds vaporise at different temps. Stepping lets you experience the full spectrum — lighter, flavourful draws early, then heavier extraction as you climb. Full guide: The Temperature Guide.
USB-C
What it means: the modern charging standard. Reversible plug, faster charging than older Micro-USB, and you probably already have cables everywhere. Proprietary chargers are annoying. If you forget your charger on a trip, USB-C means any phone cable works. Micro-USB and proprietary connectors mean your vape becomes a paperweight. USB-C should be mandatory on all devices at this point.
Vapor Path
See: Airpath.
WPA (Water Pipe Adapter)
What it means: an attachment that lets you connect your vaporizer to a water pipe (bong), running vapour through water for cooling and smoothness. Water filtration cools vapour significantly and can make high-temperature sessions much more comfortable. Many vaporizers have WPAs available — either official accessories or third-party options.
What You Need to Know
Most vaporizer jargon exists because:
- Nobody standardised anything. Different brands, different reviewers, different forums all developed their own terms. "Airpath" and "vapour path" mean the same thing. "Chamber," "oven," and "bowl" are identical.
- Marketing departments like fancy words. "Isolated airpath" sounds better than "the air doesn't go past the circuit board." "Hybrid heating" sounds advanced even when it's 90% conduction.
- Enthusiasts love insider language. It's not intentionally exclusionary — people just forget that abbreviations like AVB, ISO, and WPA aren't universally understood.
The terms that matter for daily use: session vs on-demand (affects how you'll use the device), conduction vs convection vs hybrid (affects extraction style), AVB (your "waste" is still useful), draw technique (sipping, not ripping), temperature stepping (for getting more from each bowl).
The terms that are mostly marketing: "isolated airpath" (usually means "not terrible design"), "medical-grade" (no universal standard), "pure convection" (almost nothing is).
The terms forums use to gatekeep: any abbreviation without explanation, "thermal mass" (just say "how long it stays hot"), device-specific mod names that assume you already know the device.
Don't feel stupid if this stuff confused you. The language is inconsistent, the standards don't exist, and the communities often forget that beginners exist. Dave once cheerfully used the phrase "running a DDave'd tubo with a heatsync reverse-extraction ELB" to me in a WhatsApp and then, when I asked what the hell that meant, replied with "oh right, sorry, forgot normal people exist."
Now you know what everything means. Welcome to the inside.
Devices Where You'll Hear These Terms
Three vaporizers most often discussed using the jargon above. Now that you know what it all means, the spec sheets read very differently. Use code DENNIS5 at checkout for 5% off.
£255.99 · with DENNIS5: £243.19
The Storz & Bickel cooling unit is the canonical example of "complex multi-part assembly." Hybrid heating, dosing capsule support, USB-C, haptic feedback. Hits every term in the glossary that matters.
£217.99 · with DENNIS5: £207.09
The "all-glass airpath" everyone talks about. Hybrid heater with both session and on-demand modes. The clearest illustration of the terminology in this glossary, in one device.
£79.99 · with DENNIS5: £75.99
Hybrid heating, USB-C, removable 18650 battery, full temp control. Proves "hybrid" doesn't have to be expensive. Jake's daily driver. The one that worked.
Use code DENNIS5 at checkout on herbvape.co.uk for 5% off any vaporizer.
