CBD vape cartridges are talked about everywhere on the internet. But how much can you buy one for, and how do you make sure you’re getting the best deal?
Pre-filled CBD vape cartridges generally cost somewhere between $15-$50. Buyer beware: incredibly cheap carts may be filled with the toxic chemicals responsible for sudden vaping illnesses, and overpriced carts may be taking advantage of inexperienced consumers.
With so much variation in range, how can you know that what you’re getting is right for you or even of necessary quality? Here, we’ll break down CBD vape cartridge costs and what exactly goes into the price tag on a cart.
How much is a CBD vape cartridge?
A pre-filled CBD vape cartridge may cost anywhere between $15 to $50, while an empty and re-fillable vape cart may cost between a mere $1 to around $30. However, in the grand scheme of things, these estimates are somewhat modest.
Some vendors also unfairly sell their CBD at exorbitant prices for moderate amounts of product. CBD is not especially well-regulated as of now. Given the industry’s apparent and very sudden rise in productivity, scores of people got into the business for money-making purposes alone.
Be wary of vendors trying to sell CBD products at exorbitant prices under the guise of “luxury” products. It’s unlikely that these products will be significantly better than anything you can get in a more reasonable range. Go instead for high-quality CBD brands with strict growing procedures, high-quality packaging and ingredients, and visible and reputable lab testing.
Also, remember to check how many milligrams of CBD are contained, and consider that the average price of CBD is $0.104 per milligram. Sometimes the product could appear ample, but the amount of CBD is meager, giving it an outrageous and exorbitant price per milligram.
Similarly, exercise caution with CBD vape products that are priced incredibly low. These can contain harmful chemicals that can cause lasting and immediate lung damage, such as vitamin E acetate or other dangerous additives.
Disposable CBD vape pen price
A disposable CBD vape pen might cost between \$10 and \$40. The same warnings and precautions with a cartridge generally apply here. However, disposable pens are usually not the largest culprit when it comes to sudden lung damage.
It’s much more challenging to manufacture black market disposables (case, juice, and all) instead of just refilling an empty cart and pen with homemade e-juice. Even still, an incredibly cheap disposable may spell trouble for your health since it’s more likely to contain harmful chemicals.
Factors that affect the price
Like any reputable CBD business, cart businesses often undergo third-party lab analysis to gain consumer lab reports that indicate cannabinoid levels. While this is often a cost, saved for in the sketchiest of circumstances, highly reputable brands may go the extra mile and have more third party testing done to make the purity of their cartridges clear.
Third-party testing lets consumers know that they’re free of dangerous additives like chemical thickeners (i.e., vitamin E acetate), heavy metals, ultrafine debris particles, pesticides, and other suspicious substances. Cheap vape carts will often undergo some testing, too, to dispel the negative press about deadly vaping diseases and seem more legitimate.
However, cheap brands will often opt for the bare minimum (like cannabinoid level testing) while still avoiding transparency about their ingredients’ list. Some of the cartridges that have caused deadly lung diseases have likely had at least some sort of third-party lab testing — but usually, it wasn’t testing for the right thing.
Always be wary of cheap, low-quality vape juices. That doesn’t mean you’ll always have to spring for the absolute most expensive cartridge or disposable on the shelf. Still, it should always be a warning sign to look for some sort of proof or authentication that the ingredients you’ll be consuming aren’t harmful.
Again, CBD is not especially well-regulated, and inadequate or incomplete labeling is rampant in some parts of the industry. Most companies would never list vitamin E acetate on their ingredients list, even if they knew it was in there.
Strength
On their own, CBD vapes are already one of the most potent forms of CBD delivery out there. Inhaling a substance will always make it absorbed much more thoroughly than through other forms of ingestion, and CBD vape juices and cartridges tend to be very concentrated.
When purchasing an e-juice, disposable, or vape cartridge, the product’s potency is an essential factor. For obvious reasons, a more potent product will generally cost more because it works more effectively, costs more to make, or contains a more effective CBD ratio to other substances in the juice.
Consider the strength you’re looking for when purchasing a CBD vape cart. If you’re an absolute beginner, opt for a lower concentration cartridge until you know how each puff affects you or until you gain a tolerance.
Raw material (hemp flower versus hemp biomass)
When cultivating hemp for CBD, significantly different processing methods can cause a differential in price. The primary division is that of hemp flower and hemp biomass. Hemp flower sells for more money, and hemp biomass sells for less.
Hemp biomass is a producer designation for a type of raw material that has primarily been processed with CBD oil extraction at high volumes in mind, rather than smoking.
Biomass is an agricultural term for the byproduct of the main harvest, and in terms of hemp, it generally means the parts of the plant left behind after the high-in-terpenes flower has been trimmed away. This material is generally high in volume but made up of a hodgepodge of plant parts, most of which are too fibrous or low in CBD concentration to sell as products on their own. Instead, they’re machine-harvested, milled, dried, and prepared for extraction for CBD oils.
Alternatively, some producers may call any hemp processed with extraction in mind “biomass,” even if the potent flowers and sugar leaves are being processed and the stalk and fan leaves are left behind. Regardless of definition, CBD biomass is cheaper because it requires less intensive human labor, precision and often results in a lower concentration CBD product than flower harvesting alone.
Hemp flower, on the other hand, is a producer designation for hemp that is grown for smoking. This type of hemp is often specially grown from strains that are well known for distinctive and desirable flavors and is typically hand-harvested, dried, and cured for a smooth smoking experience. Of course, this process results in a higher quality product that is much more enjoyable to use. CBD flower treated in such a way will also typically be quite potent (the CBD flower market standard is 15% CBD).
Hemp origin
Where the hemp comes from can also affect the price. Hemp that is grown indoors can be much more coveted, and therefore more expensive, than hemp that is grown outdoors and in more uncontrolled locations. Indoor hemp is much more labor- and cost-intensive. Still, it results in perfectly grown harvests with much higher CBD concentrations, better flavor profiles, and zero risks of heavy metal contamination from soil or pesticides blowing over from neighboring fields.
Additionally, it always adds to a company’s credit when they can clearly and openly source where their hemp came from. Bonus points if they grow the hemp themselves, and bonus bonus points if they grow high-quality or custom strains of hemp for cultivation.
Where to find affordable CBD vape cartridges
Affordable CBD vape cartridges are almost everywhere on the internet — sites are crawling with listicles, product offerings, and sponsored articles. However, ubiquity is not the same as quality, so it can be challenging to find reasonably priced CBD vape cartridges that will not potentially cause a host of health issues or be too low-quality to be worth the effort.
Thankfully, reputable companies like that are not impossible to find. One of our favorite CBD vape cartridge brands is Secret Nature, a premium company that offers very high-quality products.
Their CBD is extracted from high-resin strains of indoor hemp by hand for the best vaping experience. They also offer their vape cartridges in a wide variety of flavors and strains so that consumers can find one that is well suited to their needs.
Furthermore, Secret Nature offers copies of their independent lab test results before you even buy their product so that you know it’s safe to consume. Their company is dedicated to creating an excellent experience for CBD users, whether you’re a first-timer or a CBD veteran.
Takeaway
CBD vape cartridges can vary drastically in cost, so it’s essential to keep in mind the factors that make a brand worth the cost (or the factors that might explain why prices are so low). Be sure to put your health first before a bargain, and make sure that you’re buying from a company that has credence to its claims.
