Good Vape Pen Makers

This piece comes in response to a reader suggesting it after reading the Cornbread review. The goal of THC Shopping is to enlighten readers about good cannabis products and good cannabis retailers. The most-read piece so far has been a piece called Bad Cannabis Products, and maybe I will come back and call out some bad vape makers.

Remember 2019!

When I was in college (the 1980s), vaping was not a thing at all. It is really big in the tobacco market now, and that started in 2011 or so. Young people really like it. In the cannabis market, vaping took off then too. In 2014, Colorado launched its adult-use cannabis sales, and perhaps this played a role.

The cannabis world was hit in 2019 with a vaping crisis. In October, it discussed how THC-containing vaping products caused lung injury:

The FDA is strengthening its warning to consumers to stop using vaping products containing THC amid more than 1,000 reports of lung injuries—including some resulting in deaths—following the use of vaping products.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were involved, and the recommendations were scary!

This impacted state-legal cannabis companies, though the problem, which was not even known immediately, was something that impacted only the illicit market. What was that problem? Vitamin E acetate that was added. This was a synthetic. While many feared that the state-legal cannabis companies were involved, this turned out not to be the case. A negative NY Times article did not help!

Is there still a problem for vape makers and sellers? Yes! In late 2024, the FDA sent warning letters to nine companies for selling or distributing unauthorized flavored disposable e-cigs. It said then that only 34 e-cigarette products and devices are authorized. Very recently, it warned Kure CBD & Vape for breaking its nicotine rules. It maintains on its website warning letters that have been issued for cannabis-derived products. These are listed by the year, and there are warnings for each year since 2015.

2019 was a disaster, but the FDA has been and remains involved in cannabis regulation to a certain degree.

Some Things to Avoid

The first idea is an easy one! Cannabis consumers should likely avoid those breaking the FDA rules! This, though, is a small list.

In that prior article on bad products, I did share some insight that applies here. These include a lack of lab testing and the inclusion of Delta-8 (a synthetic THC). Sure, there are some other issues too.

While the Farm Act of 2018 opened the door to these federally legal hemp-derived cannabinoid products, there is really not a lot of regulation. The retailers are not required to share lab testing results, and the manufacturers are not required to do so either. Many do, but most don't. The lab tests verify the THC potency claims, and they also verify the lack of pesticides or other additives.

The FDA has warned about the health risks of Delta-8 THC. Delta-8 is in all sorts of cannabis products sold by stores, but many rule it out. When it comes to vaping, it is going right into the lungs, so this is a big red flag for consumers.

There are many things that go into picking a good vape pen, but I suggest that they be lab-tested and not have Delta-8 or any bad chemicals, including pesticides.

Some Cannabis Vape Makers Doing It Right

This is not a complete list at all, but there are many cannabis product makers in the hemp market that are doing it right. I have already reviewed Cornbread as a company that is doing it right, and the company does not sell vape pens.

"Doing it right" means tested products that are free of Delta-8 and pesticides, but that is not the complete package. Consumers care about things like disposables. vs. cartridges, potency levels and the flavors.

Leafly, a great resource (but not a good investment historically), named three THCA pens recently as "best THCA vape cartridges" for 2025. The company may earn a commission on sales if readers click the links in that article. The three included Lucky Elk, Arete, and Bay Smokes. Lucky Elk is based in Oregon. The company provides lab tests, and Arete is based in Nevada and is run by someone that suffered from Lupus. They do have lab-tests, and many of their products have no Delta-8, but some do. Bay Smokes is based in North Carolina. The company appears to sell no Delta-8, and its products appear to be lab-tested for safety and potency. I like that each of these three companies seems to be a small business. Kudos to Leafly!

While I cannot provide a complete list, I do not want to stop with the Leafly choices. A small company has a team that has been around for two decades and based in California is Secret Nature. First, a negative: Secret Nature does sell Delta-8 products. Now, the good news: Secret Nature sells disposable vapes that are lab tested and from hemp with no synthetic or synthesized cannabinoids. The hemp is grown indoors with organic living soil. The website does not mention the leadership team, but, through LinkedIn, I have learned that the founder is Tyler William.

Conclusion

The idea here was not to find the "best vaping pen" at all. My goal is to help consumers learn what makes a cannabis product good. While I did not name the "bad vape makers," readers can figure this out too. I did name some companies that seem to be doing it the right way.