What is a Dab Rig?
As of recent years, dab rigs have become all the rave in the smoking community due to concentrate’s potency, effectiveness, and terpene profiles. Dab rigs have become a top choice due to their ability to be a safer smoking method. This is because concentrates produce vapor instead of smoke! Since concentrates require higher temperatures to be heated than dry herbs, traditional water pipes don’t have the right filtration power to cool concentrate vapor quickly enough. That’s why we have dab rigs today!
How Do Dab Rigs Work?
Dab rigs are a type of water pipe, so they use water and bubbles to diffuse, filtrate, and cool vapor to a smooth consistency. Dab rigs are smaller in size than water pipes and feature unique shapes and designs that allow more water to flow through to cool the vapor. This protects your lungs and throat! To learn how to use a dab rig, Cloud 9 Smoke Co has curated a step-by-step technique for you to follow.
How to Use a Dab Rig:
Place your banger into the joint of your dab rig and make sure it snugly fits
Retrieve your concentrate with a dab tool and grab your torch.
Heat the bottom of your banger evenly for at least 30 seconds.
Set a timer on your phone for 45 - 60 seconds to let your banger cool.
Take your concentrate with the dab tool and evenly distribute the concentrate at the bottom of your banger.
Use your carb cap to cover the top of your banger and inhale.
As you inhale, move your carb cap in a clockwise motion to keep the airflow of your concentrates in motion. That way, you can get the most out of your dabs!
Exhale. Sweet success!
What is a Dab?
A dab is a concentrated form of dry herb. Dabs are made when terpenes and other components of dry herb are extracted from the plant into an oil-like form. Compared to dry herb, concentrates will give you the benefits of dry herb in a more powerful, fast-acting way!
When you heat a dab, you’re actually convecting the oil instead of combusting it. When a concentrate undergoes convection, it produces vapor. Vapor is healthier than smoke because it doesn’t contain the harmful byproducts from butane, flint, and combusted dry herb.
Why Should I Dab?
Dabbing is soaring in popularity in the smoking community, and it brings a lot of curiosity for those who haven’t tried it yet! Aside from being healthier than smoking, here are 3 reasons why you should consider dabbing.
Comfortable, smooth seshes: Since dabs produce vapor, you won’t have to worry too much about hacking up a lung, or two, while dabbing! Dab rigs are made to provide additional cooling and diffusion of concentrate vapor to provide comfortable, smooth hits.
Small, easy to stash dab rigs: Dab rigs are more compact in size, meaning that they’re easy to use and stash when a sesh is complete! The reason why dab rigs are smaller than water pipes is to help the terpenes and potency of concentrates to remain prevalent while in the dab rig. The smaller the chamber, the more potent and flavorful your hits will be. Cool, right?
Effective and efficient: Concentrates are known for creating a more potent, long-lasting experience. They’re also fast-acting and easy to keep in small doses. That way, you won’t waste concentrates like a half-smoked joint or bowl!
Anatomy of a Dab Rig
Banger: Consider this the slide, or bowl, of a dab rig. This is where your concentrates are placed to be consumed. All of the bangers at Cloud 9 Smoke Co are made from quartz, which is the preferred material for bangers. Quartz bangers are able to produce a clean, terpene-filled taste and will be able to withstand the heat of your torch for longer durations of time.
Percolator: Percolators use small holes or slits to create bubbles in your dab rig. When your concentrate vapor comes into contact with bubbles, it’s diffusing and aerating to become easier and smooth on the throat. Having percolation in your dab rig is ideal because the vapor is being heated at very high temperatures, so you’ll definitely need the vapor to cool before inhaling.
Downstem: This is the part of the dab rig that connects your banger and joint to the base of the rig. Downstems help to transport concentrate vapor to the base of the dab rig to begin filtrating and diffusing.
External Arms / Chambers: This is what makes a dab rig a ‘recycler rig.’ Having external arms in a dab rig will reintroduce your vapor to air and water multiple times before you inhale the vapor. By doing so, your vapor will be silky smooth and easy to ingest.
Joint: The joint is the place where you’ll insert your banger. Typically dab rig joints will range from 10mm to 14mm in size and will be fixed at a 90-degree angle.
Essential Dabbing Accessories
To get your dabbing experience started off on the right foot, you’ll need these essential dabbing accessories! Without them, you may experience a sesh that isn’t ideal. Nobody wants their first dab sesh to be a bummer. Let’s make your dabbing experience the best!
Torch: Cloud 9 Smoke Co has the best selection of butane torches that are an absolute must-have to dab. Remember, concentrates have to be heated at a very high temperature to convect. A torch will make sure that your dabs will be heated to the right temperature.
Carb Caps: A quintessential accessory for a dab sesh! Carb caps are placed on top of your banger to enhance the flavor of your concentrate vapor. It also reduces the amount of airflow to your banger, so your banger and concentrates won’t overheat.
Dab Tools: Another absolute for dabbing. Have you ever tried to pick up concentrate with your fingers? It’s super sticky and hard to get off of your skin. Imagine trying to put that in a super hot banger! Dab tools at Cloud 9 Smoke Co are made from titanium and are perfect to transfer your concentrates from your jar to the banger. There are many styles you can choose from, so you can dose your concentrates to your preferences!
Reclaim catcher: Attaching a reclaim ash catcher will help keep your dab rig clean and free of resin. Plus, their silicone bucket will make maintenance and cleaning easier on you.
Types of Dab Rigs
If you’re looking for a straightforward glass dab rig, recycler dab rig, mini dab rig, or nectar collector, Cloud 9 Smoke Co has got you covered! Here’s how each of these dab rigs function.
Glass dab rig: Glass dab rigs mainly rely on percolators with holes and slits to diffuse and filtrate your concentrate vapor. They’re visually stimulating and a key component to cool and diffuse your vapor to a smooth consistency that’s easy on the throat and lungs.
Recycler dab rig: Recyclers use an intricate recycling system with external arms and chambers to expose your vapor to air and water multiple times. The more exposure to air and water, the less harsh the vapor will be!
Mini dab rigs: The small size of mini dab rigs will keep the potency and concentration of your vapor alive and well. Remember, the smaller the chamber your concentrate vapor has, the more potent and flavorful it’ll be!
Nectar collector: Nectar collectors are small, portable versions of dab rigs. They function just like a straw, with a small quartz tip at the end that works as the banger. All you’ll need is a plate, concentrate, and torch, and you’ve got dabs on-the-go!
Dab Rigs for Sale Under $50
If this is your first time buying a dab rig, there’s no need to break the bank on a fancy dab rig yet! Here are dab rigs under $50 that you can find at Cloud 9 Smoke Co.
Gambino Cyclone Dab Rig ($49.99) - This dab rig features an hourglass shaped body with 2 external arms for optimal recycling! This rig will keep your hits potent and flavorful while remaining refreshing and smooth.
DTHC Small Showerhead Rig ($39.99) - The DTHC Small Showerhead Rig’s compact hourglass body makes this the perfect piece to keep the potency of your concentrates alive and well, while also serving as a spashcard before your vapor makes its way into the neck.
DTHC Wavy Hollow Base ($39.99) - The Hollow Base body of this water pipe allows for superlative water filtration to cool and smoothen out your tokes. Its wavy architecture gives you the opportunity to really get a grip on this water pipe for couch seshes, balcony seshes, and all seshes far between.
How to Clean a Dab Rig
A good thing to know about owning a dab rig is that they’re a lot easier to clean than water pipes! However reclaim buildup is a thing, and we have a guide ready for you to help you learn how to clean a dab rig like a pro.
What You’ll Need
Ziploc Bag
What You’ll Do
Torch your banger until the resin build-up inside begins to burn off.
Place your banger in a Ziploc bag and pour Resinate inside. There should be enough to submerge the banger. Let it soak.
Pour out all dirty, old water from your dab rig.
Put Resinate Blue inside your rig (¼ cup maximum) and shake for 3-5 minutes. Then, let your dab rig soak in Resinate for 10-15 minutes.
After both pieces have soaked, rinse them with warm water.
Remove any lingering residue with a Glob Mop that has been soaked in Resinate.
Let your dab rig and banger air dry separately.
If any residue lingers after completing these steps, give this process a try one more time! To keep your dab rig in tip-top shape, it’s best to clean your dab rig after every sesh.
Dab Rigs Near Me
If you’re looking to buy a dab rig in store, make sure to check out a Cloud 9 Smoke Co nearest you! Whether you’re new to the game or a dab veteran, there’s bound to be a dab rig in our collection that suits your preferences. At Cloud 9 Smoke Co, there’s a vast variety of cool dab rigs and unique dab rigs that you’ll want to try out. As always, please contact us with any questions! We look forward to hearing from you.