​Dabbing & Vaping 101: Coil Saturation Rate vs Coil Vaporization Rate

Dabbing & Vaping 101: Coil Saturation Rate vs Coil Vaporization Rate

Possibly the most fundamental concept of vaping or dabbing is the concept of Saturation Rate (SR) vs Vaporization Rate (VR).

The concept of Saturation Rate (SR) vs Vaporization Rate (VR), is applied to Bangers or Coils.

To put it simply, the Saturation Rate is the amount of concentrate touching the coilor banger. A smaller amount equals a lower saturation rate, a larger amount equals a higher saturation rate.

The Vaporization Rate is the amount of vapor being produced at any one point in time. This is caused by the temperature of the coil or banger as well as it’s surface area. With the Saturation Rate being equal, a bigger cloud means there is a higher vaporization rate at that moment, while a smaller cloud means there’s a lower vaporization rate at that moment. It’s that simple.

“OK, so thanks for all that jargon, what does all this mean and why should I care?”

SR vs VR is the calculation you should be doing, when trying to achieve the milkiest, smoothest, tastiest, most efficient and effective experience possible. In practice, thats putting a small piece of concentrate onto a small vape pen coil, as to not flood the coil, causing lots of bubbling but little vapor.

Think of a small pot sitting atop a flame on the stovetop. If you allow the pot to heat up (from a medium flame for a minute or two), then drip 1 drop of water onto the pot, what happens? The drop will turn into vapor in an instant. If you were to drip 2 to 3 drops, likewise it would turn into vapor with a moment.

What would happen if you were to pour half of the cup, or even the full cup?

The first water contacting the pot may evaporate (the sizzling you will hear) however the rest of the water will not begin to steam or evaporate due to the saturation rate (amount water being placed into the pot) vs the vaporization rate (heat of the pan and it’s surface area).

There are 3 variables that can be played with to change the Vaporization Rate.

A. Increasing the size of the surface area being heated.

• This can be done when using a banger which has a smaller bucket diameter or a larger bucket diameter.
• With Dab Pens or E-Nectar Collectors, the size of the coil, whether single, dual, triple or even quad, can increase or decrease the surface area. E-Rigs typically do not allow for a change in the bucket size.

B. Increasing the temperature of the banger or coil.

• A. An Electric Dab Rig, Electronic Nectar Collector and Dab Pen will typically have several temperatures to choose from, allowing a change in the Vaporization Rate for larger or smaller clouds.

C. Adding Accessories such as terp pearls can help to spread your dab around evenly across the heated surface area allowing it to be vaporized evenly.