Dip Devices specializes in handheld vaporization devices that marry the efficacy of contemporary dab rigs with the straightforward ease of a vape pen. The Denver-based company is best known for its Dippers, contemporary interpretations of old-school dab straws, as well as its commitment to philanthropy — each product donates 1% of its sales to a different nonprofit organization.
Dip Devices’ newest product, the Lunar, is another reinterpretation of a dab straw, albeit one that is indistinguishable from a typical 510 thread vape pen. The Lunar is the most discrete of all the Dip Devices and operates with ease similar to both an e-rig and an everyday vape pen.
At a relatively friendly $30 price point, this is a bargain of a rig, especially considering how well it fits into a back pocket. Here’s everything you need to know about the Lunar vaporizer.
What is the Lunar vaporizer?
The Lunar is a sleek, individual-use dab straw that borrows its aesthetic from the ubiquitous vape batteries found at your local dispensary. The pen/straw loads from the top and is capped by a mouthpiece that feels intended for personal use rather than passing, and though the atomizer is attached by 510 thread, the device is not compatible with cartridges.
The Lunar is available in five distinct hues, and sales from each color benefit an associated charity, so shoppers can decide on not only what color they like best, but which organization they most want to support. That charity-linked model, along with the deftly constructed and imagined dab units, is enough to keep Dip Devices on the radars of many justice-oriented dab enthusiasts, including my own.
How does the Lunar vaporizer work?
Though the Lunar is visually indistinguishable from a common, button-activated vape pen, once activated, the differences are plain. To use the Lunar, you must slide the mouthpiece from the head of the device to reveal the atomizer. Once the mouthpiece is removed and the atomizer is in full view, load the dab directly into the heating chamber, slide the mouthpiece back into place, click the power button five times to activate, then hold that same button while taking a hit.
The atomizer is not an empty titanium bowl, but instead contains two quartz rods encased by coils. You’re meant to simply drop your concentrates into the chamber, neither avoiding nor aiming for the quartz rods. During testing, we found our hits were more likely to cling to the walls of the chamber than smother a heating element.
Instructions warn to neither overfill — the bowl could potentially hold a gram or more of concentrate at once — nor turn the device upside down while in use, as the open-ended atomizer would simply dump liquified concentrate through the mouthpiece.
The Lunar functions with three different heating selections: low, medium, and high, and turns itself off after approximately five minutes of non-use.
Assembly
The Lunar is made up of three critical elements: the battery, atomizer, and mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece can be pulled from the device and is held in place by tension, while the atomizer attaches to the battery via 510 thread. The battery contains the charging port and a power button that glows green upon activation before transitioning to the color that reflects the device’s temperature. Altogether, the unit is easily assembled and disassembled, operating neatly as both a vape pen and an inclusive e-rig.
Only the most basic of instructions are provided on the box, and no user guide is included with the device. The function, however, was simple enough to grasp without a multi-page walkthrough, and for all intents and purposes, the device is ready to use right out of the box after a short charging session — once depleted, a full charge was achieved in less than an hour.
Changing temperatures and charging the Lunar
You can navigate between low, medium, and high temperatures by clicking the power button three times once the device is activated. The temperature options are distinguished by color:
- Green: low temperature
- Green/red/yellow combo: medium temperature
- Red: high temperature
The Lunar is charged via a micro-USB port located midway down the length of the battery.
Note: the device arrives alone in its packaging, and no cables or power boxes are provided.
Cleaning
To clean the Lunar vaporizer, unscrew the atomizer and submerge it in isopropyl alcohol, then swab with a q-tip to slough away baked-on dab remnants. Similarly, the mouthpiece can be easily wiped clean or more thoroughly washed out with soap and warm water.
You should — under no circumstances — soak the battery in an effort to clean it. Instead, wipe the housing down, taking care to avoid the charging port and power button.
What’s the appeal?
Discretion is the primary appeal of this unit. While other dab straws can be more of a spectacular handful, this one operates similarly to an ordinary vape pen. Further, each purchase benefits a cause worth supporting, and you can choose between several nonprofits and charity organizations while shopping.
Finally, the straightforward function delivers a potent dab with minimum setup compared to more complex e-rigs and straws. For what feels like a relatively low price, the Lunar delivers some pretty loud dabs considering the discrete unit that vaporized them.
Bottom line, this unit has strong appeal for both on-the-go daily dabbers and casual concentrate cannaseurs not yet committed to a full e-rig investment.
Check out the Dip Devices’ Lunar vaporizer on dipdevices.com. Photos courtesy of Dip Devices.
