Should I Buy a Cannabis Pen or a Cart?

Short answer

A pen is the battery. A cart is the cartridge of oil that screws or clicks onto the battery. Buy the part you do not own. If you own no battery, buy a starter kit or a disposable. If you own a 510 battery, buy carts.

Cannabis Pen vs Cart Review: Which One is Right for You?

Match the hardware first

• 510-thread battery: fits most third-party carts. Thread size is 510, diameter is 10 mm. Price range runs $10 to $30.
• Proprietary pod system (Pax Era, Stiiizy, and others): the battery takes just that brand's pods. Confirm pod supply at the store before you buy the battery.
• Disposable pen: battery and oil in one sealed unit. No cart to swap. Check for a USB-C or micro-USB charge port, because a dead disposable with no port is a total loss.

Parameters to check before you pay

1. Voltage range. Distillate runs at 3.3V to 3.8V. Live resin and rosin run at 2.5V to 3.0V. A fixed 4.0V output scorches terpenes.
2. Cart size. 0.5 g and 1 g are the common fills. Compare price per gram, not price per cart.
3. Oil type. Distillate, live resin, cured resin, rosin. The label states cannabinoid content and extraction method.
4. Test results. Ask for the batch COA. Check cannabinoid potency, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbials. Confirm the batch number on the COA matches the package.
5. Additives. Vitamin E acetate and MCT oil do not belong in a THC cart. Ask if the label lists ingredients.
6. Seal and packaging. Tamper-evident seal, batch number, license number of the cultivator or manufacturer.

Pitfalls

• Counterfeit packaging. Brand boxes get copied. A cart from an unlicensed seller carries no batch trace. The CDC linked vitamin E acetate in THC vape products to the EVALI outbreak: 2,807 hospitalized cases and 68 deaths reported as of February 18, 2020.
• Wrong voltage. High heat gives a burnt hit and degrades the oil. Start at the low end of the battery range.
• Clogs. A cart that pulls hard or gurgles is clogged. Do not add heat. Store it upright.
• Buttonless batteries that fire in a pocket. Look for a lock or an off switch.
• Charger mismatch. Micro-USB and USB-C cables do not interchange. Confirm the port before you buy.
• Purchase limits. State rules cap how much concentrate one customer can buy in a day. Limits differ by state.

What to ask at the counter

Ask for the COA for the batch on the shelf. Ask for the voltage range on the battery. Ask if the cart is 510-thread or proprietary. Ask the fill weight in grams.

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