What is a Wax Pen? Benefits? How to Use and Clean it?
Dabbing is a great way to enjoy concentrates, and a wax pen is the perfect tool for doing the job on the go.
Wax pens have gained popularity due to their convenience, ease of use, portability, discreetness, and the potent high they deliver.
If you're new to dabbing, you may be wondering what is a wax pen? How does it work? And How to use it?
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about wax pens.
What is a Wax Pen?
A Wax pen, also known as a dab pen, or concentrate pen, is a portable pen shaped vaporizer designed specifically for consuming concentrates like wax, shatter, or even live resin.
Wax pens are small, pocketable, and easy to use, allowing them to be easily carried around easily and used more subtly.
Instead of relying on your dab rig and torch, simply set your ideal temperature, load wax into the pen, and get high.
The main components of a wax pen are the battery, mouthpiece, and the heating chamber or atomizer.
1. Heating Chamber
The heating chamber, or the atomizer/coil, is where the concentrate is heated to vapor.
The heating atomizer for a wax pen may be an exposed metal coil, or it can also be a quartz or ceramic plate/chamber that transmits heat from a separate heating element positioned under it.
Quartz Coils: The most popular choice for their fast heating and flavor profile. They heat up fast and cool down quickly, allowing for low-temp dabs that preserve terpenes.
Ceramic Coils: Offer excellent heat retention and a unique flavor profile but require more careful handling due to their susceptibility to cracking.
Exposed Metal Coils: Known to produce intense heat, create big vapor, and can handle large amounts of extract. They lack the ability to retain their heat well over time, and may impart a slight metallic taste.
3. Battery
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery that powers the heating element to heat the concentrate.
Generally, Most wax pens will have variable temperature control through press the button several times.
4. Mouthpiece
The place where you inhale the vapor. A wax pen always has a mouthpiece that’s easily open or remove to allow easy access to the coil.
How Does a Wax Pen Work?
The battery powers the heating element which heats the concentrate or extract placed upon it.
This produces a vapor that you then inhale through the mouthpiece.
What are the Benefits of Using a Wax Pen?
Here, we take a look at some of the benefits of using a wax pen.
1. Portability
Wax pens are compact and portable, making them convenient for on-the-go use.
They can easily fit in your pocket or bag, allowing discreet vaping when needed.
2. Efficiency
Wax pens are designed specifically for vaping waxy concentrates, which means they are optimized for efficient vaporization.
They typically provide a more efficient and potent vaping experience compared to other methods.
3. Ease of use
Most wax pens are user-friendly and straightforward to operate.
They usually have simple controls and require minimal setup, making them suitable for beginners.
4. Quick heating
Wax pens heat up rapidly, allowing you to start vaping within seconds.
This quick heat-up time ensures that you can enjoy your concentrates without any significant delay.
5. Flavor and potency
Vaping concentrates with a wax pen can often result in better flavor profiles and a more potent experience compared to other methods.
The controlled heating of the concentrate helps to preserve its flavors and active compounds.
6. Healthier
Compared to smoking method through bongs and hand pipes, These devices allow the user to avoid the toxins and lousy flavor of smoke.
How to use a wax pen? Step by Step Guide
Follow these steps to use your wax pen.
Step 1: Preparation of device
Make sure your wax pen's battery is fully charged before use.
Most wax pens will come with a Micro or USB-C charging port and charging cable, so plug it in and fully charge the device.
Step 2: Load your wax
Open the wax pen's cap or lid to reveal the atomizer or coil in the chamber where you can place concentrates.
Use your dab tool to scoop a small amount of concentrate and place it onto the heating coil.
Avoid overfilling or stuffing the atomizer full of wax.
Put the lid or cap back into place.
Step 3: Turn on the device
Turn on your wax pen by pressing the power button 5 times rapidly. Once it lights up or blinks, you're good to go.
Step 4 (optional): Activate the preheat function
If your wax pen has a preheat function, use it! Two clicks usually activate it, warming the concentrate gently before your first hit. This helps create a smoother, more flavorful hits.
Step 5: Set the temperature
Press the power button three times quickly to switch between different temperature levels, depending on your device.
Light indicators often change color to represent different voltage or temp settings.
This step helps you customize your dabbing experience.
Lower temperatures highlight the flavor of your concentrate, allowing you to taste the strain's unique terpenes.
Higher temperatures produce more vapor and bigger clouds.
Decide on what you prefer (or settle somewhere in the middle) and play around until you find a temperature that works for you.
Step 6: Inhale and Enjoy
To start your dabbing, Place your lips on the mouthpiece, press and hold the power button, while inhaling slowly and steadily to fully enjoy the flavors and effects of the vapor.
Gradually release the power button when you've inhaled enough of a hit.
Step 7: Turn off the Device
When you’re done, turn off the wax pen by pressing the button 5 times quickly.
Step 8: Clean the Device
It is better to clean the wax pen after each use. If you clean it after multiple uses, the wax may build up inside the atomizer, and it will become difficult for you to clean it.
Once your session is over and the pen has cooled, Use a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol to wipe the chamber/atomizer and mouthpiece to remove any residue from the device.
This helps to keep your wax pen performing like new and your hits tasting fresh.
How to clean your wax pen?
To deep clean your wax pen, you'll need cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, warm water, and paper towels to do the job. Then, follow these steps:
Step 1: Disassemble the Wax Pen
For efficiency and your safety, take apart your wax pen first before cleaning.
Separate the mouthpiece, battery, and heating atomizer/Coil.
Step 2: Prepare cleaning solution
Fill a small glass bowl with isopropyl alcohol.
Step 3: Soak the heating atomizer
Place the atomizer in the small bowl and let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: Clean other Pieces
While your atomizer is soaking, use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to wipe the mouthpiece and airpath of the device to remove any residue or clogged material.
Step 5: Rinse with water
After soaking, rinse the atomizer/coil with warm water.
If there is still any residue, use a cleaning brush or Q-tip to Gently scrub the inside of the atomizer. Be thorough but gentle to avoid damage.
Step 6: Air dry and Reassemble
Let all parts air dry completely before reassembling the wax pen.
Pro Tip: Don't soak the plastic and silicone parts in isopropyl alcohol, as this can damage them. you can use soapy water or dishwashing liquid instead.
What temperature Should I Set for my Wax Pen?
Temperature control will give you more control over the flavor and consistency of your vapor.
Lower temperatures will give you better flavor and thinner clouds, while higher temperatures will produce denser clouds but harsher vapor.
Wax pens generally range from low to high temperature by adjust the voltage settings.
The ideal temperature range for vaping wax is between 350° and 400° F. Those new to wax pens can start around 315° F and gradually work their way up, until reaching the desired flavor and vapor output.
What are Concentrates? Different Types?
A concentrate is any product made from weed that only has cannabinoids and terpenes in a high concentration, while the undesirable elements have been filtered out.
The most well-known kinds of wax dabs, or concentrates, are shatter, crumble, budder, live resin and rosin.
Wax, shatter, crumble and budder are just different consistency of concentrate. Generally they are made through a butane extraction and the only real difference between them is the moisture content, which in turn results in varying consistencies.
Ounce for ounce, a concentrate will give you more potency as compared to natural weed flowers.
Depending on the type, it can contain as much as 90% THC whereas even top-shelf flowers contain only up to 25%.
Due to the high potency, you only need a wee bit to get an intense hit.
Wax Pen vs Dab Rig: Which one is Better?
Traditional methods of consuming waxes usually involve some type of glass dab rig and a butane torch.
This can be quite dangerous, cumbersome and often discourages new comers from even wanting to try waxes.
Furthermore rigs are not very portable because of the size and multiple parts.
Wax pens, like Lookah Python, are portable dabbing devices designed for users to consume concentrates easily.
They're much easier to use than a traditional dab rig, offering more convenience and portability and with little maintenance.
Wax Pen vs Vape Pen: What's the difference?
The main difference is the types of concentrates. Vape pens are suitable for cannabis oil and pre-filled vape cart, while wax pens are designed for a variety of thick concentrates like wax, shatter, budder, and rosin.
Compared to a vape pen, wax pens provide you with a more intense weed experience. Plus, Wax Pens require more heating power though to melt the more solidified wax.
Vape pens are often easier to use because you don't need to load the concentrate yourself. It comes with a prefilled THC cartridge where you can be ready to smoke as soon as you get the pen.
Wax pens can take longer to learn how to use. You need to manually add the concentrate to the heating chamber and set the heat settings yourself.
Wax pens also need to be cleaned more often so that the atomizer does not build up with debris. As for Vape Pen, When the pre-filled cartridge is empty, just remove it from the battery and apply a new one.
More details about Dab Pen vs Vape Pen comparison.
Conclusion
Wax pens are portable ways to benefit from highly concentrated pot that are simpler and more convenient than other methods of consuming concentrates.
They are perfect for those who need to travel a lot and can't carry any heavy or large dab rig devices.
New features such as variable voltage batteries, advanced atomizers, and improved body structure have made them more reliable, powerful, and attractive for vaping enthusiasts.
Once you've learned the basics, wax pens are powerful devices to add to your weed toolkit.
Explore More: The 10 Best Dab Pens & Wax Pens to Buy in 2025