From smart bongs to home growing kits, the best marijuana tech gadgets
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Silicon Valley is no stranger to cannabis culture, so it's no surprise that tech companies are driving innovation in the pot world. And guess what? They've got some seriously impressive products.
When the state of Colorado passed Amendment 64 in 2012, legalizing recreational marijuana for adults in January of 2014, they opened up a world of possibilities. Legalization created countless new industries in which companies could openly innovate without fear of being shut down for working with an illegal substance.
SEE ALSO: Colorado Girl Scouts can sell their cookies in front of marijuana dispensaries now
While the classic joint or pipe will surely never go out of style, there have been some fantastic innovations in the marijuana space over the last few years. From edibles to vapes, cultivation boxes to dab rigs, there are seemingly endless ways to consume cannabis in the growing number of states that have passed legislature legalizing the sticky icky.
The Puffco Peak
$370.99
Image: puffco
The Puffco Peak is easily one of the most exciting innovations to hit the cannabis industry in recent years. Unveiled during CES 2018, the Peak very well may be the world's first smart bong.
The Peak is a battery-operated desktop concentrate vape that harnesses the cooling power of liquid in order to chill the warm vapors for an ideal toke. "Dabbing," or vaping concentrated cannabis, has become increasingly popular since legalization, but dab rigs are dangerous, expensive, bulky, and intimidating. The Puffco Peak may still be a bit pricey, but it's convenient, easy to use, and — added bonus — looks like a bong from the future.
Dubbed the "first-ever smart rig for concentrate consumers," the Peak can heat up in just 20 seconds and operates wirelessly, so no more switching seats during handoffs. With four pre-programmed heat settings and a "boost mode," the Peak allows the user to control how warm they want the vape to get, which will ultimately determine how big your hit will be (and how high you will get). This control is incredibly important, since concentrates can be pretty intense. But while the user has a few options, there aren't so many it's overwhelming.
Image: puffco
One of the more impressive features on the Peak is the Intelligent Temperature Calibration, which will make handoffs between friends during a smoking session utterly seamless. According to Puffco, the feature "allows the device to maintain a consistent experience when sharing with friends. If the device was just used, it pivots its heat setting to account for the change in temperature, and delivers an adjusted heat cycle for the next person, guaranteeing quality flavor and vapor each time."
One of the major downsides of owning a battery-powered smart bong is that you'll inevitably have to charge it — a major buzzkill. Thankfully, the Peak charges to full in just two hours, and that's good for 30 or more cycles. Battery levels are indicated on an LED light band, and setting changes are indicated using haptic feedback.
Magical Butter MB2E
$172.84
Image: magical Butter
In some areas, growing your own cannabis is legal, but purchasing pot products is not. So if you're in the mood for some marijuana edibles, you may be left to your own devices. One device that will definitely help with that process is the Magical Butter.
Getting your plant inside your food can be a lengthy and annoying process. In order to feel the effects of edible THC, cannabis must be combined with a fatty substance, like butter. But infusing THC into butter takes time, and the results must not get too hot, or the butter will burn and the THC percentage will suffer.
Image: magical butter
The old fashioned way of making magical butter was to stand over the stove for an hour, gently stirring and hoping you did everything correctly. But the Magical Butter takes the pain out of that process. It's essentially a set it and forget it product. Simply measure out your ingredients, set the temperature, time, and let the infusion begin.
While the Magical Butter excels at infusing marijuana into butter for edibles, it can also infuse cannabis and other herbs into tinctures or topicals. The product also comes with a handy cookbook for all your cannabis needs.
LEAF
$2,690
Image: leaf
Growing marijuana at home just got a whole lot easier now that you don't have to hide it in a closet. While it may look like a trendy refrigerator, the LEAF is a "plug 'n' plant" marijuana grow house, capable of producing pesticide-free pot from the comfort of your own home.
The "smart appliance" is an app-connected device that allows you to control various aspects of the growing process from your smart phone. Growers can control temperature, lighting, humidity, nutrient dosing, and pH balance, and can even hook up to your home's water and sewage system for automatic watering.
To counter the pungent odor growing cannabis can emit, the system has its own smell-preventing carbon filter. And, in addition to growing your own pot at home, LEAF can help you cure your pot with a "drying mode."
While most of the people in the market for a LEAF will be using it to cultivate cannabis, the system can also grow a variety of other plants, such as kale, tomatoes, peppers, mint, basil, and spinach.
Wisp
$249
Image: wisp vapor
While it may not be the coolest product on the list, the Wisp plays an important function in the cannabis industry. It's essentially a Keurig for marijuana, and it's going to introduce a ton of people to weed who would have never have dreamt of blazing in the prohibition era.
The vapor system is pretty simple, and it's designed to look like a kitchen appliance. Just as you would with a pod coffee machine, pop in a pre-filled Wisp pod, wait for the vapor to be extracted into the bottle, and enjoy your freshly vaporized marijuana. Yes, it's a little silly, but the point of the Wisp is to have a consistent and approachable experience.
Puffco Plus
$99.99
Image: Puffco
While the Peak is technically portable, sometimes you need a piece that will fit in your pocket. Dubbed the "first-ever pocket nail," the Puffco Plus is essentially an on-the-go dab rig, capable of delivering a potent hit of concentrates with minimal effort.
The mouthpiece of the vape also has a handy loading tool, which makes refilling the chamber a breeze. Since the heating element of the chamber does not include a coil that directly heats your concentrates, the Plus delivers a clean vape without burning your stash.
Image: puffco
The Plus features three heat setting, so you can hone in your preferred temperature, which will ultimately determine the strength of your hit. Unlike other vapes, the Plus also features a "continuous heat mode," allowing a constant 12-second hit without having to hold down the button — especially helpful when sharing with friends.
PAX 3
$249.99
Image: pax
While concentrates and edibles have become increasingly popular over the last few years, some people still prefer to consume their cannabis with some good, old-fashioned flower. And while joint technology has been quite limited, flower vape technology has come a long way recently.
There are plenty of flower vapes out there, but the pricey PAX 3 is a crowd favorite, most notably for its sleek design and functionality. Though the PAX line does have somewhat of a learning curve, the "iPhone of vapes" deserves some recognition for taking dry herb vapes into the mainstream.
With a heat-up time of 22 seconds, the PAX 3 offers over 60 temperature settings, so you can truly fine tune your preferred experience. While you can change temperatures using the hidden button on the vape itself, the PAX 3 comes with a mobile app, which is accessible via Bluetooth.
In addition to flower, an insert can be utilized which will allow the vaporization of concentrates, making the PAX 3 a versatile companion for any occasion. Charging any tool can be a total bummer, but the PAX 3 is supposed to deliver a solid 8 to 10 sessions per charge, and takes about 60 minutes to get to back to a full charge.
