The Secret to Getting an Oil Vape With Pax Build-Quality

It's no secret that Pax makes the Lexus of loose-leaf vaporizers. The Pax 2, released about a year ago, is the slickest and most reliable way we've found to toast up cannabis flower.

But what about an oil vape? Not everyone wants real flower—it smells like weed and looks like weed, and most people need a whole bowl to feel the effects. Some people, especially medical users, prefer their flower to be distilled down to a more potent and portable substance.

Pax has you covered there too—sorta.

Pax Labs is not in the cannabis business—its marketing department maintains strict insistence that Pax's flagship product be used for tobacco or herbs like lavender—but it is in the nicotine business. Last year, the San Francisco company started by Stanford alums launched its second product, the Juul, a super-slick and powerful e-cig. The Juul is about the size of three Popsicle sticks and charges by USB. This closed system is pre-loaded with juice in a tiny, disposable plastic nub, which doubles as the mouthpiece. The Juul uses the nicotine salts found in tobacco leaves to deliver a potent experience one dedicated smoker at WW compared to a Turkish cigarette. As far as nicotine vaporization goes, it's a big leap forward.

If you've got some pliers, you can turn the Juul into a best-in-class cannabis oil vape, with Pax build-quality and a super-premium oil. Here's how we did it. As should be obvious, the company did not endorse this project, and we have no idea if there are any potential dangers. But it did work for us.

Step 1: Gather your tools

Unless you have the finger strength of the most successful cam girls, you'll need some help with this one. Grab one pair each of needle-nose pliers, slip-joint pliers and tweezers. Small forceps will work, but make prying much tougher—as seen in the video we posted at wweek.com.

Step 2: Prepare the pull

The Juul is made of plastic meant to handle heat, falls and mild amounts of pressure from being left in a pocket. It is not made of plastic able to withstand the high pressure of metal tools. Using your non-dominant hand, grip the cartridge of the vape capsule with the needle-nose pliers. Use the split-joint pliers to do the same with the cap. Hold them in front of you.

Step 3: Squeeze and pull the cap, gently

As with a great hand job, the key here is just enough squeezing to get the job done, but no more. Using the split-joint pliers in your dominant hand, squeeze and pull on the black cap. This may take a few tries, as the bottom will slip as you get a feel for the pressure. Don't worry about it; technique is far more important than strength.

Step 4: Tweeze and pull the stopper

We're almost done! Use the tweezers to pry off the rubber stopper. If that doesn't work, feel free to push it in and then it pull back out. Take care not to rip the rubber unless you dig the taste of terpenes (you won't).

Step 5: Clean everything

Dump the nicotine juice. Wipe off the rubber stopper. Shake off the cap.

Step 6: Fill 'er up

Using a syringe or dropper, fill the cartridge on both sides with e-liquid. We used Titrate because it smells amazing and allows for easily measured doses of about seven puffs per 2.5 milligrams THC.

Step 7: Reassemble

Holding the bottom cartridge upright, affix the clean rubber stopper back on top. Next, slide on the black cap. Squeeze from top and bottom to make sure the sides latch.

Step 8: Puff, puff, pass, baby!

Sip, don't suck, on the mouthpiece.

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