Building a Better Vape: The Decisions That Make a Difference
Most consumers decide how they feel about a vape the first time they use it. If the experience is positive, they are more likely to buy it again. If it’s not, they have plenty of other options.
For cannabis brands, building a dependable vape starts long before a product reaches a retailer. Every decision made during development, from hardware selection to testing and production planning, shapes the experience consumers will eventually have.
And those decisions matter more than ever, because as the vape category continues to grow, so do expectations. Ontario vape sales surpassed $433 million in 2025, up 14 percent year over year, while all-in-one devices grew significantly at 63 percent. More products are competing for retail shelf space, and consumers have more choice than ever before, meaning success is no longer about getting a product to market but about delivering the same dependable experience from launch through every reorder.
To better understand what happens behind the scenes, Tether spoke with iKrusher, a global vape technology company that has worked with more than 1,500 cannabis brands. From hardware development and manufacturing to customization, product testing, packaging, and fulfillment, iKrusher works with brands to reduce risk and simplify the path from product development to repeat production.
Every decision before launch affects what happens after
Choosing hardware is never as simple as picking a 510 cartridge or all-in-one, because the oil changes the conversation. Different formulations behave differently. Viscosity, airflow requirements, heating characteristics, and device configuration all influence how a vape performs once it reaches consumers. A device that works well with one oil may not deliver the same experience with another.
That is why more brands are spending time on compatibility testing before products move into production. Understanding how the oil and hardware perform together early in the process helps reduce avoidable issues later, when changes become more expensive and more disruptive.
Having helped shape multiple generations of vape hardware, from ceramic cartridges and pod systems to rechargeable all-in-ones and its OMNI customization technology, iKrusher has witnessed firsthand how hardware innovation continues to evolve alongside the changing needs of brands. Its research and development process combines product engineering, manufacturing expertise, and cannabis oil testing to better understand how different formulations perform across different hardware platforms before products ever reach the shelf.
In a category where retailer confidence and consumer loyalty are earned through consistency, that kind of work helps brands move into production with greater confidence.
Consistency beyond launch
Getting a product listed is an important milestone, but it is only the beginning. The bigger challenge is making sure that same product performs consistently through the second production run, the tenth production run, and every reorder that follows.
As brands grow, consistency becomes part of the operation, not just part of the product. Documented specifications, quality control, dependable inventory, and repeatable manufacturing processes all help ensure consumers receive the same experience every time they purchase a vape and directly impact retailer confidence.
Growth puts every process to the test
Growth creates opportunity, but it also puts pressure on every part of the production process. Demand can change quickly, and inventory, fulfillment, and manufacturing all need to keep pace. Even a product with strong early demand can lose momentum if brands cannot replenish inventory or respond quickly to changing market conditions. That is why more operators are looking beyond the hardware itself and evaluating the entire process behind it.
iKrusher has seen that shift firsthand. Since opening its Canadian operations in August 2025, the company has grown from five net new customers to 34 active accounts while expanding local inventory from approximately 150,000 to more than 425,000 unbranded devices across more than 30 hardware platforms. That investment allows most in-stock orders to ship the same day or within one business day, giving brands greater flexibility as demand changes and helping reduce uncertainty around replenishment.
Manufacturing, documentation, customization, packaging, fulfillment, and inventory planning all work together to help brands move through production with fewer surprises and greater confidence.
Why this matters at retail
Most consumers will never see the work that happens before a vape reaches a shelf, but they experience the results every time they use one. When a customer asks why a device clogged or why two similar products perform differently, the answer often comes back to decisions made months earlier during development.
For Budtenders, understanding that process provides valuable context for those conversations. It also helps explain why more brands are placing greater emphasis on compatibility and long-term reliability.
The more Budtenders understand what happens before launch, the easier it becomes to explain why dependable hardware has become such an important part of building products consumers trust, and retailers continue to support.
For more information about iKrusher, visit ikrusher.com.
