🔥 How vaporizers heat, in 30 seconds
Vaporizing is not burning. Instead of setting herb on fire, a vaporizer warms it to a set temperature, typically somewhere around 160 to 220 °C (the Storz & Bickel portables run up to 210 °C), hot enough to release the active compounds as vapor but below the point of combustion. The difference between devices comes down to how that heat reaches the herb.
There are only three answers. Either the herb touches a hot surface (conduction), hot air passes through it (convection), or the device does a bit of both (hybrid). Everything else, oven size, airflow, capsule or loose pack, is a detail layered on top of that core choice.
(heat from the walls)
(hot air drawn through)
(both at once)
♨️ Conduction: herb touches a hot surface
In a conduction vaporizer, the oven walls (and often the floor) heat up directly, and the herb pressed against them warms by contact, the same way food cooks in a hot pan. It is the simplest of the three designs.
Because only the chamber needs heating, conduction units tend to warm up quickly and are relatively simple to power. The catch is evenness: herb touching the wall gets hot first while the middle of the pack lags, so a mid-session stir usually helps avoid a dark outer ring and an under-done core.
- Strengths: usually quick heat-up, simple design, often cheaper.
- Weaknesses: uneven extraction, risk of hot spots, flavor can taste "cooked," best results need stirring and a fairly full, even pack.
🌬️ Convection: hot air passes through
A convection vaporizer heats the air first, then pulls that hot air through the herb as you inhale. The material never sits against a glowing surface; it is bathed in heat instead. Think of a fan oven rather than a frying pan.
Because the heat arrives with the airflow, convection is prized for flavor and evenness. Extraction happens where the air moves, so the whole load tends to give up its vapor more uniformly and stirring is needed less often. The trade-off is that heating a stream of air generally takes more power and can mean a longer warm-up, depending on the design.
- Strengths: clean, terpene-rich flavor, even extraction, less stirring, and on "on-demand" designs the herb heats mostly while you draw.
- Weaknesses: can be slower to reach temperature, higher power demand, vapor depends more on how fast you draw.
⚗️ Hybrid: a bit of both
A hybrid vaporizer combines a heated chamber (conduction) with hot air moving through the load (convection). The chamber keeps the herb warm and ready between draws, while the airflow finishes the extraction evenly as you inhale.
The idea is to get the quick start of conduction with much of the even, flavorful pull of convection. Storz & Bickel builds all its current portables this way and calls it a "combination of convection and conduction heating".
- Strengths: quick heat-up, fairly even extraction, good flavor, the herb stays warm between draws.
- Weaknesses: more complex internally, and it still needs a clean screen and a sensible pack to work well.
Side-by-side: conduction vs convection vs hybrid
These are general tendencies of each design. Individual devices vary, so check the specs of the one you are looking at.
| Factor | Conduction | Convection | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| How heat reaches herb | Contact with hot walls | Hot air drawn through | Both together |
| Heat-up speed | Usually fast | Often slower | Usually fast |
| Evenness | Less even, stirring helps | Even | Fairly even |
| Flavor | Good, can taste cooked | Clean | Very good |
| When the herb heats | The whole session | Mostly on the draw (on-demand designs) | Warm chamber plus hot air on the draw |
| Stirring needed | Usually yes | Rarely | Occasionally |
| Power draw | Tends to be lower | Tends to be higher | In between |
No single column wins outright. Conduction trades evenness for speed and simplicity; convection trades speed and power for flavor and evenness; hybrid tries to split the difference.
🏆 How Storz & Bickel's hybrid heating works
The Mighty+, Crafty+, and Venty are all hybrid heaters: Storz & Bickel describes each one as using a "combination of convection and conduction heating". The heated chamber warms the herb by contact, and as you draw, heated air passes through the load and does the rest by convection.
For you, the hybrid design means a few practical things:
- You get a usable draw fairly fast. Storz & Bickel quotes about 1 minute to 180 °C for the Mighty+ and Crafty+, and about 20 seconds for the Venty.
- Extraction is fairly even across the load, so stirring is less of a routine than on a pure conduction device, though a quick stir can still help a bowl that is browning unevenly.
- Pack and airflow still matter. Because part of the heat rides on the airflow, a clogged screen or an overpacked chamber chokes the convection half and flattens both flavor and vapor.
🎯 What the heating style means for your session
The heating style quietly shapes how you use a device day to day:
How long you wait
Conduction and hybrid devices are usually ready within about a minute. Pure convection can take longer, depending on the design.
Whether you stir
Conduction usually benefits from a mid-session stir for even results. Convection and hybrid need it less often.
How you pack
Conduction likes a full, even pack for wall contact. Convection and hybrid depend on airflow, so a lighter pack that you don't crush is a good starting point.
How you draw
On convection and hybrid, try a slower, steadier pull. It gives the hot air more time in the herb.
Even heat, easy packing: 40 Dosing Capsules
Pre-portion a light, even load every time so your Mighty, Crafty or Venty hybrid heats the way it should.
Shop the 40-pack →🤔 Which heating style should you pick?
If you are unsure, a hybrid is an easy starting point: quick, fairly even, flavorful, and forgiving. Choose pure conduction only if budget or pocket size rules everything and you accept stirring. Choose pure convection if flavor is your religion and you will manage the warm-up and price. There is no wrong heater, only the one that matches how and where you vape.
Frequently asked questions
Is conduction or convection better for flavor?
What is a hybrid vaporizer?
Are Storz & Bickel vaporizers conduction or convection?
Why does my conduction vaporizer heat unevenly?
Does convection use more battery?
Do I still need to clean a hybrid vaporizer?
Does the heating style change how I pack the chamber?
Get the most from your hybrid
40 reusable, food-grade dosing capsules for the Mighty, Crafty & Venty. Pack light, heat even, vape clean.
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