510 Cannabis Vape Pen - Here's What You Need to Know
These days it’s not uncommon to hear the terms ‘510’, ‘510 thread’ or ‘vape pen’ thrown around in cannabis circles, for it is becoming an increasingly popular way of consuming cannabis.
Historically the term was coined in the nicotine vaping industry and refers to the size and format of the threaded connection that connects a battery (also known as a mod box) to a tank (within which the oil or juice is contained) and a mouthpiece.
Where did the term 510 come from?
The number 510 specifically comes from the following:
Length of connector = 5mm
Number of threads = 10
5mm + 10 threads = 510 connection
This connection has been adopted by manufacturers of not just the nicotine vaping industry, but also the cannabis vaping industry as a convenient and open-source solution that allows hardware components from different brands to work together.
This open-source system has found popularity amongst the licensed producers in Canada, who are creating cannabis distillate products (and more recently, other full-spectrum extracts) and pre-loading them into 510 threaded cartridges.
Reference to BC Cannabis Stores and link to the product
How to setup a 510 vape pen
The cartridge screws into the battery to form the full cannabis vape pen. Most of the battery components sold in cannabis stores will be a simple small device, like the one pictured. These are compact, convenient and will usually get the job done well.
Your Choice of Battery
These batteries will sometimes have minor differences. Here are some of the most popular 510 batteries currently in BC:
Cove
The cove battery is the most basic, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are no buttons on the device, it recognizes when you’re inhaling and activates the atomizer. This makes it very easy to use and operate, although it can sometimes be hard to pull air through the device when cold-starting the device.
This battery has a 350mAh capacity.
Trailblazer Torch
The Trailblazer battery functions in the same way as the Cove with auto-inhalation and has some extra functions that are activated by tapping the end of the device.
- 5 taps will turn the device on and off
- 4 taps will initiate a short pre-heat cycle
- 3 taps will switch the temperature setting (low [2.6V], medium [3.3V] and high [4.0V]
This extra functionality is nice, particularly the pre-heat function which helps to prevent the cartridges from clogging up.
This extra functionality comes at the cost of a slightly reduced battery capacity of 230 mAh.
The Spinach battery is the middle of the road in terms of functionality. It’s auto-inhale, but also has a button which when pressed, flicks between the three temperature presets.
The Spinach battery has 350mAh capacity.
If you're looking for a superior experience with your 510 carts, you might consider the new Duplo Cart by Pulsar. It boasts superior battery life, extra features and the ability to load and use up to 2 x 510 carts at once!
Other 510 Batteries
It’s also possible to use any 510 mod box, which can provide huge increases in battery capacity and very customizable heat settings.
There are even 510 dry herb vaporizer and e-dab rig setups that are based on 510!
ModPod Labs are an awesome startup creating modular dry herb vaporizers with 510 threads.
The Core e-rig is an incredible portable electronic dab rig that changes the game for concentrates and utilizes 510.