In the world of Harley Davidson brotherrrs there’s a saying that “all roads lead to baggers”, which simply means “eventually you’ll be spending $40k on these 850lb beasts because once you’ve tried them all you’ll realize it’s worth it in “the long haul”.
Like all sayings, this one isn’t true for everyone, but it IS true for many people who take pleasure in seeking out the most luxurious way to do something.
I’ll confess that I am one of those people. Having tasted cars with heated seats and the joy of flying premium economy, I’ve become convinced that some luxuries are indeed worth spending on, if you can.
After spending a whole year just researching “ball vape” technology to learn important things like WHY they’re called ball vapes, how they work, and what the pros/cons of various setups are.
You can read my summary of what I learned in this more “general overview” ball vape 101 post.
Presuming you’ve read that post, know the tech, and want to go wireless with an injector head, read on to learn why I suggest you seriously consider the Terp Hammer from Old Head.
Why I Chose the Terp Ready System
After years of researching ball vapes on forums and on YouTube, and coming to learn about the universe of various customization options, I finally plopped down my hard-earned benjamins on a “chosen one”.
Yes, the cost of entry is definitely Benjamins plural, at least if you want to buy from one of this niche cottage industry’s leading brands.
One such brand is Old Head TC, which sells the Terp Ready and Dab Ready systems; the former of which is what I purchased and consists of a heating tower, terp hammer, power cord, extraction chamber, and spare screens.
The Dab Ready system consists only of the power cord and heating tower element.
Buying the Terp-Ready System on sale still ran me $459.98 USD. Yes, that is a bunch of money, but it’s a cottage industry aaand that hammer is full of lab-created rubbies.
Plus, I have always viewed ball vapes as a long-term investment, as my love of tasty buds ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, and this non-combustion is definitely a long-game inhalation method.
Yes, there are cheaper options out there, and you can save a lot by using a wired ball vape as well, it’s all up to what works best for you.
The Terp-Ready system consists of a “Terp Hammer” ball vape, a nifty retro-looking digital heating station, and a special extraction bowl for your bud.
Old Head was running a web sale when I bought mine, so I got a spinner set with some little balls that are apparently used for dabbing, which I will presumably venture into at some point in the future.
But for the time being, the primary reason I bought this vape is to extract maximum flavor from all the deliciously dank bud the state of Oregon produces year in and year out.
The Terp Hammer and Old Head heating system was one of the most recommended wireless brands in the very friendly, very helpful /vaporants subreddit, as well as among multiple vloggers on YouTube.
Wireless was a massive draw for me. I understand there are trade-offs in going cordless, but they’re trade-offs I’m willing to make for a product that blends seamlessly into my existing life and surroundings.
Old Head does offer a wired model called the Freight Train, which is a bit more minimalist and a bit cheaper than the wireless Terp-Ready System.
How Does the Terp Hammer Rip?
Ah, yes, the most important question. How do she rip?
Well, first and foremost, that answer will vary for everyone depending on your unique physical biology, how it reacts to different cannabinoids, your overall tolerance level, the potency of the herb you’re consuming, and the volumes you’re consuming it in.
While I am delighted with how the Terp Hammer and Honest Capsule pipe work together, I will say that it doesn’t “hit” as hard as full combustion can.
That’s not to say the vapor coming out of my Capsule is underwhelming or “light” in the measure of its overall impact. If you really rip on her, you can get some pretty big vapor clouds.
The way the effect hits you is unique to combustion, though, kind of like being in a steam room, moisture seeping into your pores and your bloodstream beneath them.
You can also pair the Terp Hammer with a larger Heir Waterpipe using Heir’s 14mm bowl adaptor. You get larger rips with the Heir, but I found the slippery silicone adaptor to be more cumbersome than the direct-fit offered by the Honest Capsule setup.
Going through a couple chambers worth of flower I can create visible vapor clouds that just hang out suspended in the living room, which looks kind of cool.
Using my Terp Hammer regularly, I can now see why vapor and ball vapes in particular are so popular in medical and therapeutic applications. With the precise temperature digital control, you can get as light and terpy as you want or you can crank it up and flirt with combustion.
Either way, paired with some water filtering, you could rip one of these all day long without getting a scratchy throat or anything.
Not only is the lower temp vapor a pleasure, but running it through a water bong like the Honest Capsule or Heir or whatever you’ve got with a 14mm female joint, is an insanely luxurious way to consume tha’ herb.
Maximizing flavor is the most exciting part about ripping my ball vape, and makes writing my strain reviews for this blog a lot easier as all of the flavors are brighter and easier to distinguish in vapor form.
For the first few months after getting my ball vape in the mail, it became my main thang, my butterfly.
Now, though, my ratio has roughly settled into thirds. A third of the time, I smoke a joint (OCB hemp/bamboo cones), a third of the time, I smoke my ball vape, and a third of the time, I’ll eat an edible or drink a syrup.
I enjoy cannabis in all forms, and my ball vape has passed the test of time, being in the regular rotation, especially when I’m looking for those tasty, tasty terps.
But nothing in life is perfect, and after a few years of regular use, I’ve identified some areas that could be improved.
What Could Be Improved?
While I am satisfied with my purchase and enjoy my ball vape, it wouldn’t be an honest review without a couple of suggestions for improvement.
I’m not an electrical engineer or product designer, so this is just stoner speculation, but I feel like a heating station made of folded sheet metal would be fuckin killer.
The metal is heavier, which will make the whole station feel more “planted”, and extra little bits of heft, while increasing shipping, are often associated by consumers with “high quality”.
and… who doesn’t love a bit of metal?
I understand the price point is kind of at the upper limits of what I perceive to be the casual non-medical herb vaper, but maybe as a premium option or add-on, some people would be willing to spend.
My only other comment here is kind of a pedantic one, BUT as a wood lover, I was kinda excited about the dark wood vape handle in the product pictures. My unit shipped with a much lighter wood. Maybe it’s the same wood, just not stained.
Oh, and if you are buying one of these, I highly recommend buying some extra glassware. The 14mm extraction chambers are kind of unique, and there have been periods when the Old Head website was sold out, causing some minor panic after I broke the handle off my original bowl.
My Terp Ready System DID ship with not just one, not two, but ten extra screens, which was a big surprise and not expected at all. I respect being generous here.
Overall, I’ve dialed in my ritual with my Terp Hammer and even found the perfect water pipe to pair it with for fun little rips all night long, just bursting in fresh flavors.
My Thoughts After 5 Years of Regular Use
The ball vape community is a tight-knit group of flavor-chasing engineer geeks obsessed with getting maximum flavor via large smooth cloudage as efficiently as possible, mechanically, thermodynamically, and financially.
These are the freaks of flavor. Sultans of Smoothness. Titans of THC Titillation.
Whatever title you want to give them, there’s one thing they won’t stop doing, and that’s innovating. It seems like every year, there are not one but several advancements in either the tech itself or the price point at which someone can offer increased value.
I see a bright future for Oldhead, and I see ball vaping exploding in the coming years as more young smokers are entering the legal rec market already accustomed to smokeless products like e-vapes and snus-like offerings.
The future is bright. The ball vape industry itself is still in its infancy, and given the unique intersection between electrical engineering and product design, it is bound to continue to birth new and marvelous vape tech.
I mean, these are the best and the brightest of the stoner community, many of them bona fide medical cardholders who push the tech for legitimate medicinal applications.
And just like from the early days of legalization, as a lover of high-quality craft cannabis, I’m totally here to surf these juicy waves of terpene-rich vapor.
Whether you want to maximize your cannabis flavor tasting because you want to start a lame ass weed blog or you just want to give your lungs a rest, investing in a ball vape is a great option!
