Why You Should NEVER Hit a Blinker

Before discussing blinkers and why you should never hit one, we need to cover how a vape/vape pen works.

Now, there are a lot of different types of vapes out there on the market, but all of them (give or take) will have the four following components:

If you're no stranger to vaping cannabis, then you probably know what some of these components are. The mouthpiece, or "drip tip," is where you place your mouth and take a draw, the chamber (sometimes called the "cartridge" or "reservoir") is where the distillate is held, and the vape pen battery powers the device.

But what is an atomizer? Although its name sounds like some sci-fi device, an atomizer is a metal coil covered by a fabric wick. The liquid is drawn into the wick and heated by a metal coil, turning it into vapor ready to be inhaled.

Pretty simple, right? We'll touch upon this again, but now you know how a vape device, one of the most popular forms of cannabis consumption, works.

A "blinker" is essentially a vape device with its light (sometimes battery light) blinking, hence the name.

But why would a vape light blink? Some reasons a vape will blink include its function as a battery indicator light or the device running out of distillate.

However, when someone takes an excessively long pull of a vape, it may start to blink, which is the infamous "blinker." Typically, this occurs because of a safety feature that keeps the device from overheating and...well...destroying itself.

To "hit a blinker" means to take such a long draw from a vape device that it starts to blink due to this safety feature and then continue the pull as the device blinks.

Why do people do this? Some do it for the prestige of blowing a massive vapor cloud in front of their friends. Others may think that this will give them the maximum amount of THC for a puff.

Neither of them is a good reason to hit a blinker.  In fact, there is no good reason to hit a blinker, whether you're looking for a heightened degree of effects or to "show off" in front of others. Here's why.

Nothing good can come from hitting a blinker or a "blinker vape."

Remember that "atomizer" we talked about earlier? Well, when you purposefully push your vape to the limit and overheat it, some of that metal coil can break down and get into your distillate.

Now, we're no doctors, but you don't need to go to medical school to know that inhaling metal is very, very bad for you.

Besides that, overheating distillate can flat-out burn your throat. And if you're not worried about throat irritation, then why vape in the first place? Being easier on the throat and lungs is one of the reasons why people love vapes!

Besides the fact that inhaling metal is terrible for you, hitting a blinker will foul up the taste of your distillate.

So, when you hit a blinker, any extra cash you paid for a premium strain-specific flavor is flushed down the drain.

Well, that might be true, but...you can also achieve the same degree of psychoactive effects without inhaling metal. Here's how.

Enjoying a vape isn't rocket science. If your device has a preheat function, you should activate it first. 

A preheat function will gently warm up the distillate to an optimal temperature for vaporization, which will lower the chances of clogging and ensure a better flavor and a much fuller puff from the device.

Then, pull for 3 to 5 seconds. That's it, and no more than 5 seconds.

Afterward, it's best to wait between 15 to 30 seconds until you pull on the device again.

And now you're a vaping expert. If you follow these easy steps, it may take you just slightly longer to achieve the effects of "hitting a blinker." 

However, your distillate will still taste fine, your device should continue running properly, and you should avoid inhaling metal.

We get it. Blowing a huge cloud can be fun during a session with some friends. But if that's the route you want to take, we recommend swapping out the vape for some flower (if you have access to a legal product where you are) and enjoying it through a glass water pipe.

If you walk away with any information from this, it's this: under no circumstances should you ever hit a blinker.

Blinker hits can irritate your throat, foul up the taste of your vape, affect the device's integrity, and release metals you do not want to breathe in.

In general, hitting a device with blinking lights should raise some safety concerns.  

If you want to properly enjoy a cannabis vape, simply pull on it for 3-5 seconds and then give it 15-30 seconds to rest before taking another pull.

That's it. We hope that the information from this blog gets put to good use for your next session (or even to good use in educating your blinker-hitting friends).

Until next time, happy exploring, and Mind Your Mind.