9 Best CBD Vape Cartridges: Reviews & Guide (June 2023)

Oct 05, 2023

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Related Picks: Best CBD Vape Pens

Once you’ve picked up a rechargeable battery with a 510 connection, you’re free to explore the world of CBD cartridges. There are a lot of choices out there, though, so finding the best CBD vape cartridge for your needs isn't especially easy.

The pre-filled cartridges come with a variety of CBD dosages, terpene profiles and mixtures of cannabinoids, as well as different designs that impact their performance. Poor-quality cartridges might burn your throat on the inhale or not deliver CBD effectively enough to calm anxiety on-the-go or get you to sleep, so finding a good one is crucial. Getting a bit of experience with different cartridges is really helpful, but if you don't know where to start, we’ve put together some suggestions for the best CBD cartridges out there.

How we tested the carts: This list is based on extensive first-hand testing, after we narrowed the list of contenders to a shortlist of 15, we tested each one for a day of use (or more) to bring it down to the final list. As well as the overall performance, we paid special attention to the effects, flavor, the smoothness of the draw, whether the contents are backed by lab results and how it stacks up in terms of price. We’ve also split the results into categories to make it easier to find the best CBD vape cartridge for your needs. (See how we test.)

We’ve organized our picks into some useful categories. These will help you find the best CBD vape cartridge for your specific priorities, and also acknowledges that it's difficult to choose a "best" option for everyone. Our picks are:

Available for $24.95 at Cheef Botanicals

Cheef Botanicals’ CBD cartridges offer a smooth, CBD-rich vaping experience for a good price. The cartridges use a broad-spectrum hemp extract (basically with everything but THC), and natural terpenes provide the flavor. The result is a surprisingly delicious vape cartridge – we tried Cactus Cooler most recently but there are 20 different blends available – which hits smoothly with no burn. The effect from the 200 mg cartridge is fast-acting and long-lasting, deeply calming and generally fuzzy and pleasant. The extra cannabinoids add richness to the experience, so it feels a lot like being high except without the "high" part. You won't giggle but you’ll definitely chill.

Read our full Cheef Botanicals review

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Available for $39.99 at 3Chi

The CBD oil cartridge from 3Chi is a broad-spectrum vape cartridge that contains up to 850 mg of cannabinoids and 500 mg of CBD. The result is a cartridge that hits you quickly, relaxing you almost immediately and leaving you with a lingering blissful feeling for hours. The combination of cannabinoids definitely contributes to this, with the Sleep blend (for example) focusing mainly on CBN, CBG and CBC aside from CBD. The cartridge is flavored by terpenes, giving it a natural hemp flavor but balancing them nicely so it doesn't burn the throat or irritate you at all on the way down.

Read our full 3Chi review

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Available for $58 at Tonic

If you’re looking for a hard-hitting, full spectrum vape cartridge, the Zone from Tonic is one of the best options out there. The Zone CBD cartridge boasts 600 mg of CBD, with a genuinely full spectrum mix that incorporates CBC, CBN, CBG and CBL in addition to CBD and THC. It's also flavored by terpenes, which give the vape a pine and citrus taste that evokes elements of the taste of hemp while still remaining distinct. The effect is great: it goes down smoothly and brings about a deep, whole-body relaxation that keeps going through much of the day.

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Available for $29.99 at Just CBD

Northern Lights strain from JustCBD is a CBD cartridge with 1,000 mg of cannabinoids, including around 800 mg CBD. It's a broad spectrum mix, so there are other cannabinoids but only very small amounts of THC. The cartridge is nicely designed, with a wooden mouthpiece that's both comfortable and classy. The CBD vape cartridge gives a pleasant, fuzzy feeling, leaving you feeling very relaxed after just a few long puffs. Maybe due to the dosage and other cannabinoids, but it has a more "high"-like effect than others, stoking creativity and being slightly stimulating too. It's also really affordable, especially considering the potency.

Read our full Just CBD review

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Available for $30 at Secret Nature

The White Fire OG CBD vape cartridge brings realistic terpene flavors in combination with a full-spectrum mix of cannabinoids. Secret Nature produces 100% plant extract based vape cartridges, offering 436 mg of CBD and smaller amounts of CBDV, CBC and CBG, with less than 0.3% THC in the mix too. The effects definitely feel full spectrum, with a kind of hazy, relaxing euphoria coming pretty soon after you start puffing. The flavor is very much like cannabis, with a small amount of irritation from the terpenes but generally offering a smooth vape. It's an especially awesome option for a full spectrum vape cartridge.

Read our full Secret Nature review

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Available for $29.99 at Plain Jane

The Girl Scout Cookies CBD cartridge from Plain Jane is a full spectrum CBD vape cartridge advertising 750 mg of CBD. The cartridge uses terpenes for flavor, so the mint of the "Girl Scout Cookies" is subtle in comparison to the stronger, weed-y notes. However, with such a substantial dosage of CBD, you do feel the effects pretty quickly. The main result for me was relaxation, with not much else, but this makes sense because the only other cannabinoid present in substantial amounts is CBG. It isn't the very best CBD vape cartridge out there, but the flavor is good, the vapor is smooth and the effects are pleasant.

Read our full Plain Jane review

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Available for $22 at Bloom Farms

Bloom Farms is one of the biggest names in the CBD industry, and their Blackberry option is one of the best CBD vape cartridge options on the market. The flavor comes through better than you’d expect, with the berry notes from the naturally extracted blackberry essence blending nicely with the terpenes. In terms of effects, it really packs a punch for something with just 250 mg of CBD, with a blissful, euphoric feeling hitting after a few long puffs and continuing through much of the day (with the occasional top-up). It's genuinely broad-spectrum, also incorporating CBN, CBG and CBC alongside the CBD.

Read our full Bloom Farms review

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Available for $29 at Extract Labs

The Blue Dream CBD carts from Extract Labs offer an exceptionally smooth vape with full spectrum CBD, incorporating CBT and CBG in combination with up to 0.3% THC. Blue Dream has a subtle yet terpene-rich flavor, with some element of blueberry but largely a natural hemp flavor. The effects are really pleasant, with a soft wave of relaxation carrying you for several hours after dosing – I find five or six puffs work really nicely. For me, the best thing about Extract Labs’ full spectrum vape cartridge is how smoothly it goes down – there is no irritation and no burning, just pure, smooth vapor.

Read our full Extract Labs review

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Available for $49.99 at Try The CBD

The Pineapple Express CBD cartridge from Try The CBD takes inspiration from the cannabis strain of the same name, and packs 600 mg of broad spectrum CBD per cartridge. It has around 62% total cannabinoids, and incorporates CBC, CBN and CBG in addition to CBD, with no detectable THC. The CBD oil cartridge tastes great, with elements of sweetness alongside the woodier terpene notes, and the effects are just what you’re looking for. It's more uplifting than many CBD carts, perfect for a mid-day pick-me-up while still providing a relaxing undertone.

Pros

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We tested the CBD cartridges first-hand, vaping with each for at least a day to get a feel for how they compared. First, we made a big master list of all of the notable CBD carts out on the market. This list covers some less reputable (or actively criticized) carts, though, so we removed those along with any that didn't meet some basic requirements (if they didn't have a COA up at all, for instance). We also have a lot of experience across our staff, whether from reviewing or personal use, so we also cut some based on our previous knowledge.

After we worked it down to a shortlist of 15, we started the focused testing. This involved using each cartridge for at least a day, comparing them to each other directly as well as just continuing through a normal day with it by my side. Through testing, the focus was mainly on the effects, documenting how each cart felt in comparison to the "standard" CBD mix, as well as the performance from a vaping perspective and the flavor. Another area of focus was the smoothness of the vape, because some terpene-heavy blends can burn or irritate your nose and throat on the way down.

This is essentially the process we used to find the best CBD vape cartridge. This first-hand testing made it easier to identify the main benefit of each individual cartridge to put them into groups, while still giving us the space to choose a "top ten" of sorts. Learn more about how we test every product we recommend.

The list above gives you some carefully pre-chosen cartridges that perform well and are loaded with great CBD vape liquid, but what are the things you should keep an eye out for if you’re choosing a cartridge yourself? Is there anything you should avoid? And how long does a cartridge last? Do they have enough THC to get you high? Here's a run-down of the basics of CBD carts.

CBD is the main non-psychoactive cannabinoid in the plant, and so CBD cartridges will not get you high. The exception to this is full spectrum cartridges with substantially more than 0.3% THC (in legal states). CBD itself won't get you high, but delta-9 or delta-8 THC can, as can alternatives like THC-O.

The effects of CBD cartridges are very pleasant, though. Generally, this is described as relaxation or a "blessed out" feeling – it brings about a general calm. This isn't a CBD cartridge "high," but if you imagine the sensation but without the euphoria, giggling and kind of out-there creative thinking, you get the idea. Depending on your dose, the precise combination of cannabinoids and your personal reaction, it might also make you feel refreshed, and in larger amounts (and with CBN particularly) it can help you sleep.

There isn't much THC in a CBD cartridge. The 2018 Farm Bill limits "hemp" products (like CBD) to 0.3% delta-9 THC. This means in a 1 gram cartridge there will be 3 mg of THC. In contrast, many have 500 mg of CBD, and 10 mg of THC is a standard dose for edibles.

While you could produce a bigger CBD cartridge and have more THC – approaching recreational doses – the concentration is always limited. For edibles this isn't such a problem because you can easily eat more, but for vaping there is a limit to how quickly you can get through the liquid.

Without going into too much detail, it's essentially not possible to get high from vaping CBD cartridges because of this. Maybe in some extreme situation and with a lot of willpower it would be possible, but it wouldn't exactly be easy.

A CBD vape cartridge can cost from $20 or so up to $60, with most falling in the $30 to $40 range. However, cartridges don't all contain the same amount of CBD, so it's often better to consider the price per mg of CBD. With this metric, most cartridges fall in the range of $0.05 to $0.20 per mg.

If you’re looking for a cheap CBD cartridge, the cheapest in this list (Plain Jane and JustCBD) cost just $0.04 per mg. This is the equivalent of getting 500 mg of CBD for $20. The most expensive in this list (Cookies CBD) costs approximately $0.18 per mg, which would put 500 mg at $90.

You can buy CBD cartridges online. This is because the 2018 Farm Bill legalized low-THC hemp at the federal level, and CBD is a hemp product. All of the options on this list can be bought online, although you can find them in brick and mortar stores if you prefer.

The amount of time a CBD cartridge will last you depends on how much CBD you use per day. The most common daily dose is between 20 and 40 mg. This means that a 500 mg cartridge will last most people somewhere between 12 and 25 days. However, some people (especially with issues such as anxiety) can take much bigger doses, easily one-fifth to half a 500 mg cartridge per day.

If you want to really estimate how long it will last, you’ll need to know roughly how much you use per day. Divide the total amount in a cartridge by this and you can find a result specific to your situation.

Just CBD has the strongest CBD cartridge, with 800 mg of CBD per 1000 mg cartridge, as well as 200 mg of other cannabinoids.

Tonic's CBD cartridge is the best for anxiety. It contains 600 mg of CBD and is a full-spectrum extraction, bringing on full-body relaxation and effectively easing anxiety.

Whether you’re looking for something earthy and weedy, made with full-spectrum hemp extract and enough terpenes to make someone think you’re smoking a joint, or just something with pure CBD with a simple flavor, there are more than enough good options out there. You might have to experiment a little to find the right cartridge for your preferences, but the industry has grown enough to have something for everyone. If you aren't sure or you’re new to CBD, stick to one of the choices above, but if you’ve learned enough already, treat them as suggestions and head off to find your perfect CBD cartridge.

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