To use a dab rig, start by filling it with water to the desired level. Next, heat the nail with a torch for about 10 - 45 seconds, ensuring it glows red. Allow the nail to cool for approximately 30 seconds before using a dab tool to place a tiny amount of concentrate on the heated nail.

Finally, inhale the vapor through the rig, enjoying the potent and flavorful hits that dabbing has to offer.

To fully enjoy your dabbing experience, a range of accessories is essential for your dab rig setup. These include dab nails, which are crucial for vaporizing concentrates, carb caps for trapping heat and vapor, torches for heating the nail, and dab tools for handling concentrates. In the following sections, we'll explore each of these accessories in detail, ensuring you have everything you need for a seamless dabbing experience.

Dab Nails

Dab nails are a vital component of dab rigs, as they are the part that gets heated to high temperatures and is used to vaporize concentrates. These nails come in various materials, such as quartz, titanium, or ceramic, each with their advantages and disadvantages. For instance, quartz nails offer the best flavor but can be fragile, while titanium nails are more durable but can be challenging to clean. Choosing the right nail material for your rig will depend on factors like durability, heat resistance, and your personal preferences.

Carb Caps

Carb caps are a valuable accessory that you attach to your quartz banger or domeless nail of a dab rig, helping to trap heat and vapor while adding more air to the oils for more effective vaporization. By restricting airflow in the rig, carb caps lower the pressure, resulting in a more efficient and flavorful dabbing experience.

Available in various shapes and sizes, carb caps are essential for getting the most out of your concentrates and enhancing your dabbing sessions.

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Torches

Torches play an essential role in dabbing, as they are used to heat up the nail or banger to the perfect temperature for vaporizing. When using a torch, it's crucial to heat the nail evenly and slowly, starting by heating it up for around 10-15 seconds and then allowing it to cool off before taking your dab.

Safety is paramount when using a torch, so be sure to keep it away from any flammable materials and have a fire extinguisher nearby in case of emergencies.

Dab Tools

The dab tool is a long, pointed scoop or blade used to pick up marijuana concentrate and apply it to a dab rig. Specifically designed for handling concentrates and oils, dab tools come in various shapes and materials, such as metal, silicone, or glass.

To use a dab tool, simply heat the nail with a torch until it's hot enough to vaporize the concentrate, then use the dab tool to place the concentrate on the heated nail and inhale the vapor through the rig.

Mini Rigs

Mini rigs became popular through brands such as MJ Arsenal and should be at the top of your shopping list. Mini rigs are small in stature, usually 6" or shorter, but are big on flavor. You might not be able to take the fattest concentrate hits with a mini rig but no oil rig will deliver the same nuanced taste levels a min rig can. The biggest complaint with mini rigs is that they tip over easily and many will use 10mm joint sizes which prevents popular accessories like dab nails, E-nails, and carb caps from being used on them. To combat this, Freeze Pipe made sure our mini rig had an XL-sized base and a 14mm joint. Rest assured it's sturdy enough to support an E-nail or knock from clumsy friends.

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Glass Dab Rigs

The most common and our recommendation. While there are numerous sub-categories of glass dab rigs, there are a few worth pointing out. Mini rigs (think 6" tall or smaller) are usually made of glass and essentially just really short dab rigs. Styles like the Fab Egg Dab Rig are popular for this mold. These mini rigs have fantastic taste but little smoke-cooling power and you won't be able to pull monster rips. You then have recycler dab rigs, which we've spoken about a lot. Recycler dab rigs have the best function, air flow, and design out of all the iterations.

Recycler Dab Rigs

While there are numerous subcategories, any oil rig with a recycling water function is considered a Recycler. Recyclers were built specifically for smoking concentrates and bring a level of function traditional water pipes cannot achieve. They work by constantly spinning water and vapor around the piece in an endless circle. Whereas with traditional water pipes water comes up and then falls back down. When smoking a recycler the longer you pull the more refined vapor becomes. Recyclers have better airflow than traditional bongs, which is advantageous for dabbing because the less time vapor spends in the piece the better. Mostly for taste reasons. Recyclers are usually not considered mini rigs or made of silicone.

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Klein Recycler Dab Rig

There are 3 types of Recyclers; Standard Recyclers, Incyclers, and Klein Recyclers. Klein Recyclers combines elements of the standard and incycler design for an awesome experience. Standard recyclers feature external outtake arms (Like Freeze Pipe's Recycler Bong) that transport water vapor to and from each chamber. Incyclers do the same thing but are more compact and the transporting arms are located within the main glass chamber. Incyclers are great but sometimes these internally located arms can interfere with percolation. Klein Recyclers avoid this by having portions of the transport arms run outside the main chamber while maintaining a compact size.

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Silicone Dab Rigs

Frankly, we're not fans of silicone dab rigs or bongs. Yes, they are extremely sturdy, and assuming you get yours from a reputable company, smoking from silicone can be safe. But it's still a risk you take. Beyond safety, silicon dab rigs flat out don't offer the same level or taste or percolation a glass dab rig will. The taste you get from silicon dab rigs is a generic, bland flavor that makes it impossible to notice the effort that goes into making unique concentrate. Due to percolation and dab rig design, a silicone piece will never be able to match a glass piece's smoothness or cooling power. You get what you pay for and given how often and the repercussions that can come from using a faulty dab rig, we don't recommend skimping for a cheap silicone piece.

E-Rigs

These are your Puffco Peaks of the world. Picture a portable E-nail and dab rig permanently stuck together. E-rigs require nothing but a charge and some wax. So no need for a torch, dab nail, carb cap or anything else. E-rigs have great taste and come with different levels of function and cooling power. When done right, they are awesome pieces. The downfall is that E-rigs get pricey quickly and have a higher defect rate than ole fashioned glass and butane torch. For longevity's sake, E-rigs need to be cleaned after every use. Most E-rigs have different predetermined heat settings to choose from and provide greater insight and control into your smoking experience. E-rigs use simple press and play functions and what's great is you can get the same smoking experience every time. Not to mention using an E-rig is much quicker and easier than dab nails and torches. If you already own a nice dab rig or don't want to spend what a good E-rig costs, we recommend buying an E-nail for your glass dab rig. They're a cost effective solution that does the exact same thing as an E-rig. Plus you get to use the dab rig you already love which is gonna have better function.

Smaller dab rigs are preferred for concentrates due to the vapor potency loss that occurs over distance. The small size of dab rigs allows for less room for air, resulting in more flavor and potency from the concentrates.

Furthermore, smaller dab rigs are more portable and discreet, making them an excellent choice for those who want a more compact and convenient dabbing experience.

When comparing glass and silicone dab rigs, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. Glass dab rigs, often made from borosilicate glass, provide better flavor and percolation, but can be more fragile and expensive than silicone rigs.

Silicone dab rigs, made from food-grade silicone, offer more durability and affordability, but may not provide the same level of flavor or percolation as glass rigs. The choice between glass and silicone dab rigs ultimately comes down to personal preferences and intended use.

Durability and Heat Resistance

When considering durability and heat resistance, glass dab rigs offer superior flavor due to their nonporous nature, but their delicate construction makes them more prone to breakage.

Silicone dab rigs, on the other hand, are highly durable and can handle higher temperatures without breaking, but their porous nature may affect the flavor of the cannabis concentrates.

Flavor and Percolation

When it comes to flavor and percolation, glass, ceramic, and quartz are generally considered the best materials for dab rigs, as they provide a clean and pure flavor. Silicone, while being more convenient and affordable, may not provide the same level of flavor or percolation as glass rigs.

Ultimately, the choice between glass and silicone dab rigs will depend on your personal preferences and how much you value flavor and percolation in your dabbing experience.

FAQs

Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Low-Temperature Dabs?

Low-temperature dabs are all the rage. The short answer is that low-temperature dabs get you higher and are smoother to smoke. This is because the higher the temperature the more terpenes you burn away. Terpenes provide the taste and are the thing that gives you that "high" feeling. Generally, low-temperature dabs can be considered dabbing between 400 - 500 degrees. The only downside to low-temperature dabs is not all the oil will vaporize, meaning if you're trying to maximize every molecule of vapor and are okay with a harsher hit then go for a higher-temperature dab. The easiest way to take a low or high-temperature dab is to buy an E-nail, set the exact temperature you want, and away you go.

How To Take a Temp Dab With Dab Nails And Torches?

Heat the banger/nail and it starts to glow red. Then stop and let it cool down for 30 - 45 seconds. Drop the wax into the banger and ideally cover it with a carb cap. Carb caps will help keep heat in the banger and promote a smoother hit. Low temp dabs do run the risk of the vapor cooling too quickly which can then get stuck to the walls of your rig, suffice to say having a carb cap will greatly help combat this. Precise timing for low-temperature dabs takes some trial and error as the thickness and material of your banger greatly affect how hot the banger gets and how fast the material cools. For a further explanation of how to take the perfect dab, we encourage you to watch the video below.

Difference Between Dab Rigs and Bongs

Dab rigs are smaller in size compared to traditional flower bongs. Dab rigs put a heavier emphasis on airflow whereas flower bongs focus more on percolation. Smoke from dry herb combustion is harsher and contains more potentially harmful particles than concentrated vapor. This is why flower bongs place such an emphasis on percolators and size. Combustion doesn't happen when vaporizing concentrates, and while water filtration is important for cooling and smoothness, too much water filtration isn't ideal. Too much water filtration or heat in a dab rig can lessen the terpenes (the stuff that gives you the "high" feeling) and flavor. With oil rigs you want the vapor to pass through the rig as quickly as possible so it doesn't get stuck to the walls, hence such an emphasis on air-flow and compact size.

Difference Between E-Rigs and E-nails

Electronic Rigs, or E-rigs are an all-in-one solution. You don't need anything else other than some wax to smoke. Electronic rigs usually have a water chamber that attaches to the battery. Inside said water chamber are two holes to create bubbles and percolation. E-nails fit onto your existing dab rig, but other than the rig nothing else is required to use an E-nail. E-nails are cheaper than E-rigs and let you choose a precise temperature as opposed to pre-determined settings. For a detailed breakdown check out our E-Rig Buyers Guide that will help you decide what's the best device to buy based on your needs.

How Do I Clean My Dab Rig?

Cleaning a dab rig can be done with Isopropyl alcohol (or store-bought solution) coarse sea salt, a plastic bag, and some Q-tips. The first step is to add the isopropyl alcohol and sea salt to the rig. If the rig is very dirty, fill the rig with the mixture, place it in a plastic bag, and let it soak for at least 10 minutes. The next step is to cover any openings on the rig and shake it around for a couple of minutes. Make sure to focus the cleaning solution on the dirtiest parts. Lastly, make sure to rinse with warm water and let dry. For the smaller parts of the rig use an isopropyl soaked Q-tip to wipe away any mess. Cleaning a quartz banger follows a similar process.