There is no wrong way to consume legal cannabis; whether you’re looking for a potent high, incredible flavor, accessibility, or ease of use, there’s a cannabis product for you. Some of the most potent, most flavorful cannabis comes in the form of extracts or “dabs”. Though they’re great, however, doing a dab can be frustratingly complicated, and so science has given us cartridges that offer the potency of extracts without the rig and tools.

But are carts strictly better? That’s impossible to decide – they’re easier, sure, but often lack some of the nuances that make dabs so appealing. We’re going to compare dabs in their various forms to high terpene full spectrum carts and let you decide for yourself.

What’s the difference between HTFSE carts and dabs?

If you’ve ever done dabs, you would remember – the incredible flavor and potent high are hugely memorable, but its the rig that often sticks in people’s memories. Regardless of how you consumed them, dabs come in many different forms:

• Shatter – when THC is extracted with solvents and allowed to harden and then broke, you get a peanut-brittle consistency and stability called shatter. It’s very common and easy to store and use
• Crumble – dried extract oil that is, true to its name, crumbly. It has a honeycomb appearance and it also stores well
• Distillate – an extract that’s been processed to remove everything but the THC – no terpenes and as such, no flavor or smell.
• Sugar – when extracts are allowed to settle in the natural cannabinoid matrix, you get sugar/crystal
• Bubble hash – fine mesh screens pull out potency into a thick paste
• Live resin – the most incredibly delicious, fragrant, terpene-packed extract you can get, live resin is extracted from cold plants that have not been heated, cured, or otherwise manipulated before extraction

HTFSE cartridges – which stands for “high-terpene, full-spectrum extract” – are vape cartridges that retain the taste and potency of raw cannabis. All full-spectrum products keep the terpenes, CBD, plant lipids, and of course, THC. Many people advocate that full-spectrum is the only way to retain all of the benefits of cannabis products, consuming them the way nature intended.

Both HTFSE carts and dabs provide an incredible high and if you get the right extract, amazing flavor, so what are the pros and cons that would separate them for consumers?

Carts vs dabs

So the first point of comparison is the ease of use between carts and dabs. Using a cart is simply far easier than setting up a dab rig, no matter how minimalistic your rig is. This alone makes carts more appealing for many people. There are other considerations beyond that, however:

Health implications

While some studies implicate vaping as problematic behavior, those are almost universally linked to constant tobacco vape use. Frankly, hitting an HTFSE vape a few times a day is nothing compared to using a tobacco vape many times an hour, and dabs can cause sore throat, coughing, and other unpleasant sensations.

The fact that you can get full-spectrum potency and flavor in a cart is a huge benefit, but dabs give you more flavor options. Still, access to deeper, terpene-rich flavors in carts is increasing, and this can only be a good thing.

Ease of use

Carts provide measured, reliable doses each time you use them, whereas dabs allow you to manipulate dosage, taking more or less depending on your goals and needs. That said, dab rigs are incredibly cumbersome. You need:

• Heating element, usually a torch, which is clunky by itself
• A crystal piece that won’t melt under the heat of the torch
• Dab tool kits to store and dispense the extract
• The rig itself, which is usually quite sizable

Carts fit in your pocket or purse and can be reasonably discrete. 

Potency

Carts will deliver the same potency in the same dosage every time, whereas dabs can be changed, mixed, and increased between hits. As tolerance builds, dabs and carts are the way to go, but dabs allow you to ramp up potency very easily with each hit.

Cart flavor options at DabsLabs

If you’re considering getting cannabis cartridges and seeing what the fuss is about, you should check out the incredible collection of carts at DabsLabs.

With fruity, potent full-flavored extracts that have been tailored for sleep, energy, creativity, and relaxation, you’ll find a bud with a taste that’s perfect for you.

No wrong way to consume cannabis, but so many right ways

At DabsLabs, we focus on small-batch products with zero additives or cutting agents. You get delicious, meticulously crafted, and award-winning extracts every single time. We put in the work so you can enjoy a next-level cannabis experience. Come check out our products and see for yourself the difference DabsLabs makes in extract quality, taste, and potency.