If you’re browsing your vaporizer options, chances are you’ve stumbled upon description specs that either mention ‘conduction’ or ‘convection’ as the heat transfer method for that particular device.

While that’s fine for experienced vape users who realize the difference between the two , newcomers to the vape scene may find themselves pretty bewildered by what this actually means.

The good news is, you don’t have to be a thermodynamics whiz to understand the concept behind convection, but it’s always good to try and grasp the basics. After all, vaporizers are an investment, so you should understand how either heating method works to enhance (or detract) from your overall vaping experience.

Hopefully by now you realize that vaporizers, unlike conventional smoking methods, work by warming your plant material, rather than burning them (which is what occurs during the process of combustion). In order for vaporization to occur, your herbs must first be heated at the appropriate temperature range. Known as heat transference, this fancy term simply describes the heating process of your herbs, based on your particular device (in this case, vaporizers that rely on convection).

In matters of conduction, heat transfer warms the herb through direct contact, versus convection heating, which warms the plant material via heating chambers. In theory, convection vaporizers are considered more efficient than conductive devices, as they allow the heated air to pass freely through your herbs for maximized usage.