Greenworks Power Tools, Swiss Army Knives, USB-C cables, and more are all discounted today

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The best vape pens for cannabis concentrates

Vaping concentrates – or “dabbing” — has become significantly more popular in recent years, especially among those that use cannabis for medicinal purposes. In order to vaporize cannabis concentrates it requires quite a bit of heat, something that you’re not going to be able to do with a lighter alone.

The only source of heat that can get your pipe hot enough to dab is a blowtorch, and for many of us (especially the less coordinated among us) that’s frankly just a bit too extreme. Ending up with third-degree burns doesn’t sound like our idea of fun at all, and we’re not even touching on the fact that hauling around dab rig and a blowtorch is neither easy nor discreet.

Vape pens have sprung up as an answer to this problem, and have become quite popular as a method to dab on the go. They fit in your pocket, deliver long life without the need for recharging, and you can’t burn yourself with them (well, usually). There’s hundreds of choices though, and unfortunately that means there are a lot of crappy vapes sharing shelf space with worthwhile ones. To help you out, we’ve waded through the maze of choices here, so read on to find out which ones you should be considering.

Kandypens Elite

Our pick

Why should you buy this: Consistent performance and a recent price cut keeps last year’s top pick at the top.

The best

Kandypens Elite

Great battery life, solid vapor production, and rips smoother than Barry White’s greatest hits.

$139.95 from Vapor Nation

Who’s it for: Concentrate connoisseurs looking for discreteness and power

How much will it cost: $84 (KandyPens)

Why we picked the Kandypens Elite:

When the Elite debuted in 2017, it was one of KandyPen’s top-of-the-line pens. It also came with an equally top-of-the-line price at $140, though. Recently, that’s changed: Kandypens cut the price by 40 percent, and at the current price, the Elite is just too good to pass up.

The Elite ships with two different coils, one ceramic-lined with a ceramic plate heater at the bottom, and the other one quartz-lined with dual quartz rods. Vapor production is superb, especially with the quartz atomizer, and four different heat settings make very efficient use of concentrate and wax. Whereas we experienced harsh hits with many of the pens we tried, the Elite (and the ceramic coil especially) was smooth as butter.

We were also very pleased with battery life, which was above average when compared to other concentrate pens. The four-level heating options allowed us to dial in our experience to find the sweet spot, which can differ based on the concentrate type and even the experience you’re after.

To date, we haven’t found another traditional pen this year that offers similar performance, so the Elite remains at the top of our list in 2018. The Elite is likely to sell out soon and be replaced by a new top-end device at a much higher price point, so don’t wait too long.

Dr. Dabber Aurora

The best for beginners

Why should you buy this: The Aurora kit gives you everything you need to get started

The best for beginners

Dr. Dabber Aurora

The Aurora Kit gives those new to concentrates a solid platform to experiment on.

$99.99 from Vapor Nation

Who’s it for: Newbies to concentrates

How much will it cost: $100

Why we picked the Dr. Dabber Aurora:

Dabbing can be a little intimidating for even the seasoned cannabis user: it really is a totally different world. For those looking for a solid place to start, the Aurora is as simple as it gets. Instead of threaded pieces that screw together, everything on this rig is magnetic. You can literally switch between coils within seconds. The mouthpiece (it comes with two: a traditional rounded one and a fluted version) isn’t magnetic, but is nonetheless easily removable and interchangeable.

One of our biggest gripes with the Kandypens Elite is the fact that you need to unscrew the battery then attach it to a USB dongle whenever you want to recharge. The Aurora Kit comes with an desk magnetic charger that you only need to lay the device in. That’s way more convenient.

You also get three different atomizers versus the Elite’s two, all with quartz dishes:  one with dual quartz rods, another with dual ceramic rods, and finally a ceramic halo heater.  While we generally found the hits to be noticeably less smooth than the Elite, the ease of use and coil options are great. You’ll also get a dab tool and a silicone concentrate container too, which is always useful.

Dipper

The best designed

Why should you buy this: Dipstick Vapes’ sleekly designed Dipper is more than just a vape pen

The best designed

Dipstick Vapes Dipper

The Dipper isn’t just well designed: solid performance and its unique dab straw functionality are key selling points.

$124.95 from VapePen

Who’s it for: Heavy concentrate and social users

How much will it cost: $150

Why we picked the Dipper:

When we first received the Dipper from Dipstick Vapes, we figured its convertibility between a pen and dab straw would be more gimmicky, and it would likely only do one or the other well. We’re happy to report that we were completely wrong.

The cap of the device is removable, allowing you to switch between a vapor tip atomizer and a quartz crystal atomizer for dab straw use. To use it as a traditional pen, you just screw the quartz atomizer tip in, load your concentrate, replace the cap, and choose between any of three heat settings. In social situations however, the vapor tip atomizer might work better. All you do there is flip the cap to the bottom of the device, screw the tip in, and use the tip to directly dab right from your concentrate container.

Either method works well, with surprisingly smooth hits from each, in line with our experiences with the Elite. The straw might work better for those that might find cleaning out the atomizers after use a pain, and at the higher heat settings with a little practice was producing some pretty heavy clouds.

It comes in a host of colors, including a new limited release “ocean blue,” of which Dipstick Vapes is donating 5% of sales to ocean conservation charities. We’d recommend considering the $175 starter pack, which adds three extra replacement atomizers (one vapor tip – you get one additional in the standard box already – and two quartz crystal tips), a glass concentrate container, and dab mat.

Pax Era

The best for pre-filled concentrates

Why should you buy this: No mess with pre-filled pods, and it provides app control and great battery life — all for just 30 bucks.

The best for pre-filled concentrates

PAX Era

Pax is stepping up its vape pen game with one of the only app-controlled devices on the market

$29.99 from Pax

Who’s it for: Right now, only residents of AZ, CA, CO, IL, NV, OR, and WA

How much will it cost: $30

Why we picked the Pax Era:

There was a bit of a debate here as to whether or not to include the Pax Era. That’s because of the 29 states where cannabis is legal for recreational or medical use, the Era is only available in seven. Pax won’t even ship a device to you if you don’t live in a state where they don’t have a partnership with a grower to produce the device’s pre-filled “pods,” so a majority of us may be waiting a long time to get our hands on one.

This said, for only $30 the Era is insane. Just like the Pax line of vaporizers which have gotten high marks from us for years, the Era also features app control – the same app used for the Pax 2 and 3. You can fine tune heat settings anywhere between 520 to 790 degrees to find your sweet spot and do a host of other cool things (nearly everything you can do with the Pax believe it or not). It’s rechargeable, and the pod system is mess free, although some pods have occasionally leaked. We’ll blame this more on the grower side than Pax, however.

A word on those pods: they contain a half-gram of either live resin or budder, considered by most the two most ‘pure’ forms of concentrate as far as flavor goes. Cost is generally about 10-20% higher than prefilled 510 or 710 atomizer cartridges from our searches – but you’re paying for the convenience and the capability to fine-tune just about everything.

While we haven’t been able to test one directly just yet due to the restrictions, those that have report solid performance and great flavor – and in the states with growers that have direct partnerships with Pax the strain selection is top-notch. And $30? Who can beat that price?! We just ask Pax to give us the option to try it in the other 22 states!

Prohibited 5th Degree

The best of both worlds

Prohibited

Why should you buy this: Prohibited’s 5th Degree vaporizer started out as an average vaporizer. It isn’t anymore.

The best of the both worlds

Prohibited 5th Degree

The Prohibited 5th Degree vaporizer might be a bit of a ho-hum vaporizer by itself, but its new accessories make it a strong competitor.

$199.99 from Prohibited

Who’s it for: Those who want an extremely versatile device

How much will it cost: $200-$360 depending on what you get

Why we picked the Prohibited 5th Degree:

When we first reviewed the Prohbited In the 5th Degree vaporizer last summer for its debut, it was a middle-of-the-road vaporizer with an equally middle-of-the-road price. This is not to say it didn’t perform well: it just seemed pedestrian compared to the other vaporizers we’ve tested.

What we did like is the magnetic cartridge idea, and we did take notice that the magnetic connectors seemed to have different etchings in them. We now understand why: there was more built into this little vaporizer than we knew. This apparently tells the vaporizer unit itself how to operate based on the attachment used.

Two new accessories have appeared since our first tests, including a $60 dab straw attachment which allows you to directly dab your concentrates a la the Dipper, and also a $100 full dab rig setup with bubbler, stand, and three different e-nail options including titanium, ceramic and quartz. For $360 you have just about anything you need for just about any form of inhalable cannabis. That’s not a bad deal at all.

The E-Rig setup is our favorite, and performs as well as most dab rigs, minus all the glass and the blowtorch. They also give you a handy case so you can carry everything with you discreetly wherever you might be headed. Yes, this is a lot of money to throw down for a vaporizer, but it’s pretty much what you’d spend for everything anyway if you were doing it the old-fashioned way.

No, it doesn’t have fancy app control, nor is it going to produce the most massive clouds. But we’ll be damned if there’s anything this complete on the market right now, and even though it’s not exactly a “pen,” we think it has earned a spot on this list.

How We Test

Features/Specs

For each vaporizer, we run down the specs and noteworthy features. No beating around the bush here — we get right to it and explain what makes a particular vape noteworthy from the competition. Does it have a unique design? Is it more modifiable than most? The standard specs/features we go over include:

• Size/dimensions
• Battery size / charging style
• Chamber/reservoir volume
• Heating element type
• Min/max temperature settings
• Connectivity options

Design and Vapor Quality

After the specs, we dive into an honest assessment of the device’s design. Can it fit in a pocket, or will you need to throw it in your bag? How does it feel in your hand? How does it feel in your mouth? Is it comfortable to hold and take a drag from? Is the button hard to find?

Then we turn to the good stuff: the vapor. What kind of temperature settings does the unit have? How accurate are they? Is the vapor smooth, or harsh? Weak, or flavorful? Does it just taste burnt? There’s no truly objective way to relay this information, so we’ve put together a special testing system that helps us land on a more rounded opinion.

Part one is a vapor comparison performed with a reference vaporizer. We puff on both devices interchangeably and take note of the differences. This side-by-side test helps us tease out the review vape’s strengths and weaknesses and gives us a base for comparison.

Part two is a visual test, where we take a good, long drag from the device in question, then exhale it in front of a plain background. We’ll put together a short, looping video of this, so you can see the thickness, color, and consistency of the exhaled vapor.

Battery Life and Maintenance

Over the course of our testing process, we keep a close watch on how long the device’s battery lasts, and let you know how our findings align with the specs listed on the box. Nobody wants to charge their vape every day (that’s what the iPhone is for, right?), so we’ll be honest with you about how long you can puff before it dies.

For higher-end vapes, we’ll also provide some notes on repairability. No matter how nice your vape might be, there’s a good chance it’ll stop working properly for some reason or another after you’ve used it for long enough. If you’re using a cheaper vape it’s easier to buy a new one; if you spent over $100, DIY repairs will be a better option. So for the more expensive vapes we test, we’ll assess how difficult it is to clean or replace parts that are most likely to break/malfunction after prolonged use.

Verdict

Finally, we bring you a TL;DR blurb. We summarize the whole test experience and plainly state our opinion. Here’s what’s cool, here’s what sucks, and here’s why you should or shouldn’t buy it. In a nutshell: Is it perfect for puffing?

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best vaporizers for flower and concentrates
• Celebrate 4/20 with the dopest weed gadgets in the observable universe
• Join the haze craze with the Grenco Science 420 sale: Up to 50 percent off
• What is vaping? A beginner’s guide to vaporizers and ecigs
• The most reliable cars you can buy

At Stephen Hawking’s memorial, his message of peace was beamed into the cosmos

At a memorial service on Friday attended by more than 1,000 people, the remains of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking were laid to rest at England’s Westminster Abbey. As his ashes were interred in the Scientists’ Corner between the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, a recorded composition featuring a message from the cosmologist was being broadcast by the European Space Agency (ESA) into the nearest black hole.

Hawking, a lifelong atheist who pioneered much of the research into black holes and suffered from a rare form of early-onset ALS for many years, passed away in March at the age of 76 .

The memorial stone has now been placed on top of #StephenHawking's grave in Westminster Abbey. pic.twitter.com/bUTgm2UI7U

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) June 15, 2018

The memorial stone placed atop his grave is etched with his most famous equation, which predicts the existence of “Hawking radiation” and a representation of a black hole, along with the words, “Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018.”

A statement from the ESA confirmed that during the ceremony a composition by Greek composer Vangelis featuring Hawking’s words was beamed to 1A 0620-00, the nearest black hole to Earth. His daughter Lucy said, “Around the time that our father was laid to rest, the Vangelis composition with our father’s voice was broadcast into space. This is a beautiful and symbolic gesture that creates a link between our father’s presence on this planet, his wish to go into space, and his explorations of the universe in his mind.”

During today's Service of Thanksgiving, the ashes of #StephenHawking were buried in Scientists' Corner. Professor Hawking's family placed flowers and a medal in the grave. pic.twitter.com/CgwoVYlDKU

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) June 15, 2018

The service also featured a reading by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrayed Hawking in the 2004 BBC biopic. Members of the public in attendance were selected by a lottery, which more than 25,000 applied for.

According to CNN, the six-and-a-half-minute Vangelis composition was played for attendees at the reception, and it will be released to the public later this year. In a statement on Hawking’s website, Vangelis wrote that he created the tribute in “sound and music, the language that I know best.”

“I imagine he will continue to travel with the same devotion, wherever he may be, in the known unknown. Farewell Professor Hawking,” he added.

The black hole that’s the destination of the broadcast is thousands of light years away in a binary system with an orange dwarf star.

“It is fascinating and at the same time moving to imagine that Stephen Hawking’s voice together with the music by Vangelis will reach the black hole in about 3,500 years, where it will be frozen in by the event horizon,” said Prof Günther Hasinger of the ESA.

Editors’ Recommendations

• John Bain, better known to gamers as TotalBiscuit, dies at 33
• ‘Avengers: Infinity War’: Everything we know so far
• Donald Glover uses ‘Deadpool’ script to question animated series’ cancellation
• The best movies on Netflix right now (June 2018)
• Here’s absolutely everything we know about ‘Deadpool 2’

Google Translate does not hold up well in a classroom or a courtroom

As anyone who has ever struggled in a foreign language class can attest, Google Translate can be really helpful for gaining a surface-level understanding of a phrase or sentence. If you ever trying using Google Translate to actually write or communicate, however, you’ll quickly learn that it gives very literal interpretations regardless of context, dialect or even common sense.  This was the issue at the heart of United States V. Omar Cruz-Zamora.

Cruz-Zamora was pulled over by a member of the Kansa Highway Patrol due to a suspended registration on September 21, 2017. When the officer approached the car, he quickly learned that Cruz-Zamora did not speak very much English, though the defendant was able to prove his legal status.

The officer, Ryan Wolting, did not appear to speak Spanish any more than Omaz-Cruz could speak English, so Wolting relied on Google Translate to facilitate the conversations. Upon learning that Omaz-Cruz was carrying a substantial amount of cash, Wolting used Google Translate to obtain permission to search Omaz-Cruz’s car. During the course of the searching, Wolting found a large amount of cocaine and meth. He subsequently arrested Omaz-Cruz and charged him with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

At the hearing, Wolting argued that he had not given his consent because he could not understand the officer’s questions. The court brought in two different experts to help resolve this issue. Both of these professional interpreters cautioned that Google Translate was not nuanced enough to facilitate a full conversation between two people. For example, if you typing “can I search the car” into Google Translate you’ll get “¿Puedo buscar el auto?” which is technically accurate. But if you type “¿Puedo buscar el auto?” and ask for an English translation, you’ll get “Can I find the car?”

Ultimately, the judge ruled in the favor of Omaz-Cruz due to the fact that the court’s interpreters said that Google Translate provided inaccurate translations and it was questionable rather or not the defendant was truly consenting to the search.

In short, if it isn’t good enough for your high school Spanish class, it probably isn’t good enough for the courts. Of course, Google is working to improve the quality of its translations so that may change one day.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best language-learning apps for Android and iOS
• Baidu’s pocket translator is a ‘Star Trek’ dream come to life
• A library at your fingertips: The 100 best free Kindle books
• The 100 best Android apps of 2018 (May)
• How to change Amazon Alexa’s voice

Which Ring doorbell should you buy?

What’s the difference between the four options of Ring Video Doorbell? I’ve used three and can help you pick the right one for your home.

I once said that a $200 doorbell was a very silly thing. I was very, very wrong. Because the Ring Video Doorbell — as well as the Ring 2 and Ring Pro — has very quickly become one of my favorite connected home products. It’s not inexpensive, and it’s not perfect. But it’s paid for itself several times over in terms of safety and security — and just general ease of mind.

For the uninitiated, a Ring Doorbell is a doorbell with a camera. It can detect motion before someone gets anywhere near your door, then alert your smartphone or computer. It has cloud recording (with a subscription fee, of course), so you don’t have to be watching live to see see something that happened. It also has two-way audio — you can hear them, and they can hear you.

Ring also has four options for its doorbells. I’ve used three of them at length, and here’s how I’d approach picking the right one for you:

Original Ring Video Doorbell ($179 at Amazon.)

Ring Video Doorbell

This one’s the original. It’s not small, and it’s not cheap. But it’s what got the ball rolling for a good many of us.

The OG Ring runs $179 and gives you 720p video and two-way audio, along with basic motion detection and night vision. You can hear the folks at the door, and they can hear you.

It’s got a rechargeable battery, so you don’t have to have it connected to low-voltage wiring to keep the internal battery topped off. But if you’re going to charge over USB, you’re going to have to unscrew the doorbell from the wall plate first. (In other words if you have low-voltage wiring running to the door already, use it!)

If you can get a good deal on the OG Ring, it can still be a decent purchase. Otherwise, I’d take a look at …

See at Amazon

Ring Video Doorbell 2 ($199 at Amazon).

Ring Video Doorbell 2

This is the 2017 update to the original Ring. It’s $20 more at $199, and you get a bit more for that upgrade. For starters, the camera now shoots 1080p video. Then there’s the quick-release removable battery, making it a lot easier to recharge if you don’t have low-voltage wiring rigged up. Plus it’s got interchangeable faceplate, though black and silver are your only options right now.

The whole thing’s a little more boxy than the original Ring, but it’s definitely a good buy.

See at Amazon

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

Now we’re starting to get into some sexy tech. The Ring Pro runs $249, which ain’t cheap. But you get something that’s far more inconspicuous on your front porch. That smaller footprint’s a big deal for me.

Along with that, you get 1080p video (on either 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wifi), night vision and motion tracking, and it comes with four swappable face plates.

The biggest difference here is that Ring Pro requires low-voltage wiring. There’s no internal battery, and so your options may be a little limited here. It also means that available power is key — I actually had to upgrade my 1980s low-voltage transformer to get it all to work.

But for my money, this one’s been the best doorbell to date. (And I’ve used all three.)

See at Amazon

The Ring Elite, which requires professional installation. ($499 at Amazon.)

Ring Video Doorbell Elite

If you’re really serious about this stuff — or, more likely, if you’re dealing with new construction — it might be worth taking a look at the Ring Video Doorbell Elite. It’s $500. It’s a “professional-grade solution” that gives you a much more flush look, and it requires professional installation, Ring says. It also uses power over Ethernet (PoE) for the best, most consistent experience.

This one isn’t for everyone — not by a long shot. But it’s also a very cool option to have.

See at Amazon

Jam this summer with Ultimate Ears’ $50 Wonderboom Bluetooth Speaker

Splash around with no regrets.

The grey waterproof Wonderboom Bluetooth speaker by Ultimate Ears is on sale at Dell for just $49.99 right now. It regularly sells for up to $100 in stores, though Amazon has select colors on sale for as low as $63 currently. Shipping for this item is free at Dell.

The Wonderboom has an IPX7 waterproof rating allowing you to submerge it up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. It’s a great fit for the shower, the beach, a picnic, and so much more, as you won’t have to worry about the weather or water damaging it.

It can play music for up to ten hours on a single charge and can be connected to other UE Wonderboom speakers to boost the sound. It sends out audio in 360 degrees so you can hear it well from any direction. There’s an integrated hanging loop letting you easily attach it to a bag or backpack while traveling.

At Amazon, close to 700 customers reviewed the speaker with 4.4 out of 5 stars collectively. It was also named in our Best Water-resistant Bluetooth Speakers list from last year.

See at Dell