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Vaporizers work by "cooking" the cannabis rather than burning it, avoiding the production of smoke and its acrid, toxic constituents. By heating the herb short of the temperature of combustion, the THC and other cannabinoids are evaporated into a thin mist for inhalation, while the fibrous plant matter is merely browned.
Different vapes achieve this by different methods. There is convection, where the air is heated by a hot element or heat exchanger, and forced through the plant material - either by being drawn by the user's lung power or pushed through with a fan. There is conduction, which works by using direct contact of the heating element with the herb (like cooking on a skillet). Another method is hybrid heating, this will utilize convection and conduction - your herb can get heated in standby from the conduction oven or radiative heat from the convection heater simultaneously it can get heated when you inhale.
Note: Most hybrids may have different ratios of convection and conduction. Some may emphasize convection more, while others may focus on conduction.
Vaporizers offer a lot of different ways of usage and can give various styles of hits when used. The most common delivery method when vaping is direct draw, this involves inhaling straight from the vaporizer either through the mouthpiece, stem, or with a whip. Vaporizers can also be connected to most bongs/rigs or water pipes for either bigger draws or smoother cooled down hits. There are also vaporizers that (can) use bags to capture the vapor, which users can then inhale from and pass around in a group.
There are a lot of factors that control how the hit feels when vaping. Most vaporizers are likely to have a different pull with the inhale speed or vapor production at different rates. The easiest way of thinking about it is some vapes can pull like joints while others can hit like pipes. You may not initially prefer the resistance with your first vape or even know which vapes resistance is too much or too open for you.
Vapes can be powered in many ways, some vapes are even capable of using more than one source of power. The most popular vapes are portables, these are normally powered through battery or butane. Battery-based vaporizers normally use 18650s or have internal non-replaceable batteries. They are normally looked at for on the go usage or as stealth devices. However, the majority of electric portables don't deliver the amount of power you'd find in plug-ins/desktops or match the group experience. Butane-based vaporizers are commonly referenced as portables but normally don't have stealth in mind. Most prefer a small torch lighter instead of a soft flame (like from Bics) which has been known to produce soot. These vaporizers aren't so power limited like battery vapes and normally can deliver hits rivaling desktops. Plug-ins or desktop vapes are the vaporizers that need an AC outlet or stationary power source so they are often chosen for home use. These are also normally bigger than portable vapes offering big bowls, cooler vapor paths, and consistency with power.
Note: Many vaporists still end up using their portables (butane or battery) at home, don't think you have to be forced into a plug-in for a dedicated home unit.
Session vaporizers may have an automatic heater and prefer you to keep the vape running so it can slow roast the bowl over time. The majority of session exclusive vapes are battery based portables primarily hybrids and conduction models. Some desktops do have some lower max temps resulting with forced session experiences.
On-demand vaporizers are intended to have you in control of when heat is applied. Either by inserting and taking a stem/bowl out in order to use the vape or by pressing a button in order to activate the heater. These are quicker extracting vaporizers using convection, only a handful of conduction vaporizers are going to be on-demand. On-demand would be the most beneficial feature if stealth is your concern.
Just because a vaporizer is flagged or continuously referenced as on-demand doesn't mean it can't stretch your bowl out into a session. On-demand vapes are perfectly capable of providing a great session experience.
Note: Session and on-demand are normally referenced as extraction rates along with a way of using the vape. Session vapes have slower extraction rates, relate its speed and use to a joint/blunt. On-demand vapes have faster extraction rates, relate its speed and use to a pipe/bong.
The market has improved significantly and the prices are a lot more varied than they were in the past. Things are definitely still in tiers but consider you can now get more satisfying vapes for less.
(Budget) 25-60 USD, this is a tight budget and you're really not giving yourself a lot of options for a quality reliable unit. You will not find desktops/plug-ins at this price range, be cautious of most battery-based vapes in this range as well (they may use inferior materials or designs with non-isolated air paths). The most reliable vaporizers within this price range will be butane-based vaporizers; the electric units are likely to be conduction focused.
(Low End) 60-110 USD, this is still referenced as a tight budget, you get a lot more brands and vaporizers as options but there isn't going to be much variation of design. If you want a desktop/plug-in vape its probably going to have to be purchased used as most desktops don't start under 110 USD. At these prices, you will find most battery-based conduction vapes and the entry-level hybrid vapes. There is still going to be a lack of quality for material choices and design. Expect these vaporizers to work consistently but not have any outstanding features or performance.
(Mid Range) 110-180 USD, around these prices you are going to have better-performing vaporizers to choose from. You'll also have some desktops/plug-ins available as options. Towards the lower pricing range, electric portables will still be focusing on conduction and hybrid heating; the higher price range will introduce more convection oriented units. You may notice vapes in this range are more common to have a gimmick or notable trait. Often you will find more stealth oriented portables and overpriced rebrands in this range, be wary these vaporizers normally get a lot of interest at headshops or from bloggers but more often than not aren't ideal choices for the price.
(High End) 180-250+ USD, vapes can get really expensive and there are often notable differences between each tier especially the high-end tier. These vapes normally boast better materials resulting with much cleaner flavors and fewer chances of any health issues. The more expensive vapes are primarily desktop vapes but there are few portables that reach these prices. Just because you spend on a high-end vape doesn't guarantee its a good vape nor does it increase your chances of liking vaping. Similar to the mid-range vapes the high-end units may also have features that can seem like a gimmick. These traits/gimmicks on high-end vaporizers are normally more thought out for their purpose and operate better the mid-range counterparts.
Note: You will notice that some users have many high-end vaporizers but still end up using their budget or low-end vapes more. The tier system is not exact and some vaporizers can give high-end performance even though they are low-end or budget. Alternatively, you can have high-end or mid-range vapes that give low-end experiences. If you can have a high budget don't limit yourself thinking you need to spend a lot.
This really varies on the user, the general consensus is that vaping is not as intense as smoking and can be more cerebral than physical in terms of effects. A benefit with vaporization is temperature control which can give different results for the high based on the temperatures used. Normally lower temps give more cerebral focus while higher temps can give the body effects.
You can definitely work your way up in temperature to get a more full spectrum but you may find if a body high was your goal just starting at a higher temp rather than lower will give you stronger body effects.
Not only does vaping smell but vaporizers themselves can retain a smell as well. Compared to smoking it's a night and day difference, but there still is an odor. Vapor does not stick into the environment as strongly as smoke so it can be quickly masked or will dissipate from the area if there is airflow. For minimal smell, convection and on-demand vaporizers tend to be the easiest to manage when in use. Unless the mouthpiece and air inlet are sealed consider that most vapes are going to smell when loaded and just sitting there.
If you want to reduce the smell when you're vaping, whether its for your housemates/family or to just maintain a fresh smelling environment there are a few items you can use for this.
A sploof or handheld air purifier like a SmokeBuddy is a common starter item when you need something small and quick for helping reduce the odor. These are tubes with activated carbon and sometimes a fragrance filter, you'll exhale your vapor through them and the carbon absorbs a lot of the odor. Using a tube and dryer sheets is not a solution or alternative to a real sploof.
A better option and more direct replacement to the sploof would be an actual air purifier. These can vary a lot in price and features, consider the square footage of where you're vaping not your entire home/apt. Purifiers can be pricey but if you just want it for reducing smoke odor in a single area you may not have to spend much.
Besides using carbon based items for odor absorption/removal there are also many things that can be used to mask smell. If you are attempting to mask smell and you can't open a window or get a carbon filter the smell/odor may take longer to fade away or be removed; masking smells is not the same as reducing smells.
Common items for smell masking are candles, incenses, scented room sprays, essential oil diffusers, reed diffusers, fragrance lamps.
Note: Cannabis smells, grinding or having herb out in the open may actually smell even worse when you are using the vape.