Understanding the beauty of the E-nail requires a quick journey through the evolution of cannabis vaporization.

We’ll skip the possibility of ancient tribes throwing down hemp on hot stones and hop past the Turks and their hookahs, landing in your kitchen sometime recently. You may remember heating up knives over your stove, sprinkling your last few bits of herb on one and pressing together while sucking through a straw or specially prepared bottle. If so, you were probably a modern day vaporization pioneer. Sadly, this method generally ruined your butter knives and perhaps even invited some strange looks from the neighbors, so it wasn’t practical as much more than a party trick or method to consume cannabis crumbs.

These days, there are much better alternatives on the market, and they provide an even better effect than the old school stovetop method. High-tech vaporizers have taken the concept and, with the help of some fancy science and advanced equipment, turned it into an art form.

As you likely know, vaporizing dry herbs has given way to the world of “dabbing” cannabis concentrates, a popular method that’s respected for being generally cleaner, safer and more effective. The E-nail currently rests at the peak of the dabbing wave, and it’s quite the clever tool.

The E-nail allows for consistent vaporization at precise temperatures, a feat few devices on the market are capable of claiming. Why can’t they keep up?

It’s physics, and electricity is changing the game. Classic hot-air and convection methods get close to a consistent temp, but they can’t match the precision of an electronic heating device. Hot air naturally fluctuates, so the heating chamber is constantly cooling and reheating to keep the temp where you want it. Some devices have reduced this fluctuation very well, but none are perfect by definition.

Flames from a torch are equally uncertain, and they risk introducing butane (though this isn’t really a major concern if you’re using the nail properly). Most importantly, they don’t directly affect the temperature; as soon as you heat a glass nail with a torch, it’ll start cooling down. That means you’re never going to know what temp you’re vaping at with any sort of confidence. They’re also potentially dangerous to keep lying around and can often require maintenance (such as fuel).

The E-nail doesn’t only solve these issues, it provides solutions to problems you didn’t know you had.

For example, the Stratus E-nail setup allows for the heated coil to connect directly with the provided nail, allowing for a hands- and torch-free dabbing experience.
An E-nail will also stay hot without the need for reheating (as with a torch), meaning it’s right up there with the Volcano when it comes to group consumption. You keep the nail going and clamped onto your piece; all you need to do is keep reloading the dabbing tool and passing it around.

So, do you need one?

That depends on how serious you are about dabbing. They’re already quite nice when you look at the quality and cost, though the primary benefit (as reported by many users) comes in the flavor and control you’ll experience. If you can’t seem to keep the temp perfect with your current torch setup, you’ll be blown away by how easy it is to find it and stay there with an E-nail.

Simply put, there’s not really a better way to dab at this point in time. If you’re a connoisseur or are considering your first dabbing setup, there’s no question that you should be seriously looking at this technology.

The prices for E-nails are a bit above that of a traditional flame-activated glass piece, but they’re a great choice if you’re considering investing in a vaporization device that you’ll be proud to use and share. Most are made from exceptional materials and will last a long time, but you should always check to make sure the manufacturer is reputable. With such a good idea, cheap knockoffs are likely to storm the market soon.

The nail gets freakishly hot, so do be careful waving it around in circles with the lights out (though this does create cool patterns when you close your eyes). In any regard, it beats an open flame and those scalding, unpredictably hot knives – along with most of what’s available in the cannabis vaporization world these days.