How To Use Various Types of Dab Rig (With Best Dab Rigs Recommendation 2022)

When it comes to dabbing cannabis concentrates like wax, budder and more, you'll need a nice set of dab rig. For new cannabis dabbers, it could be confusing at first for questions like: What type of dab rig should I get? What's the difference between various types of dab rigs and how do I use one?

On this Puffing Bird How-To blog, we'll explain the details of different types of dab rigs and how to use them, at the end of this article we'll include some of the most popular dab rigs for sale on PuffingBird.com.

But First, What is "Dabbing"?

Dabbing is referring to a type of cannabis consuming method that differs from your traditional way of smoking the dry bud from a cannabis plant, cannabis concentrates are made(or compressed) from dry marijuana flowers, and "dabbing" is using a glass dab rig or an electric dab rig to vaporize the cannabis concentrates so you can inhale them into your lungs.

Dabbing marijuana concentrates is considered to be healthier than smoking dry buds because you don't get the chemicals generated through the combustion process just like when you're smoking a cigarette, harmful materials like benzene, carbon monoxide, and tar that are generated from cannabis dry flower combustion can seriously hurt you in the long run, so dabbing provides a healthier alternative to consuming cannabis.

Besides the health aspect, dabbing provides a more potent high and you can taste the pure and sweet flavors of cannabis.

What Type Of Dab Rigs Should I Get And What's The Difference?

We get this question all the time: How do I choose my first dab rig?

When it comes to choosing your first dab rig, you'll need to look into a few things first before you make a purchase: where are you going to use the dab rig(at home mostly or outdoors) and how much are you planning to spend.

We've listed 4 of the most commonly seen dab rigs on the market, we will specify on how you use one, the price range and the pros and cons.

Bong Type Dab Rig With A Quartz Banger

Price Range: You can get one for less than $30

This type of dab rig is without a doubt, the most popular type of dab rig on the market and there is a good reason for that, the main benefit of using a bong type dab rig is as its name indicates, you can use it as a regular bong to smoke dry buds by replacing the quartz banger with a weed bowl, and the price for a set like this is cheap and it's less of a hassle to clean and accessories are super easy to come by.

The mechanism of a bong style dab rig is heating up the quartz banger, placing the cannabis concentrates into the quartz banger for vaporization then inhaling to draw the vapor into the dab rig, the vapor will go through the percolator of the dab rig to bring the temperature down for a smoother hit.

How To Dab With Bong Type Dab Rig With A Quartz Banger.

You'll need to heat the quartz banger to the desired temperature for dabbing, mostly by a butane torch.
This is where the using of this type of dab rig gets tricky, for most dabbing beginners, they don't know when the quartz banger is hot enough to vaporize the cannabis concentrate.

Here's a little tip for that: curl you hand into a cup-holding shape and slowly move towards the banger, if you can feel the heat radiating and warms up your hand within 3 inches, that means the quartz banger is hot enough and then you can use a dabber(or whatever you have handy) to pick up a piece of your concentrate and placing it on the bottom of the banger.

If you can see the concentrate starting to vaporize, use a carb cap to cover the top of the banger then inhale, the vapor will travel through the dab rig, cooling down for a smooth hit.

If your quartz banger is too hot you could easily burn your concentrates, it might take a few try before you can hit the sweet spot of the time it needs to vaporize your concentrates thoroughly without burning them.

You'll need to clean up the quartz banger after use, learn how to clean your quartz banger by checking out another article we've wrote here: How To Clean Quartz Bangers


Pros: Cheap To Buy, Accessories Easy To Find, Easy Cleaning, Dual Purpose

Cons: Bit Dangerous to Use(Especially when you're high), Bit Tricky For Beginners to Get The Right Temperature, not easy to carry around.

A "Nectar Collector" Type Dab Rig

Price Range: $19.99~$100+

A nectar collector or a dab straw is one of the most commonly seen dab rig as well.

Generally speaking, there are two types of nectar collectors on the market, one that could store water for filtration and cooling down the vapor, it works best with high temperature dabs, the other one is just like a simple "straw" that doesn't have any percolators or compartment that could store water and it's used for low temperature dabs ONLY, because you don't want high temperature vapor entering your lungs without sufficient chilling.

How To Dab With A Nectar Collector Dab Rig

First, place the cannabis concentrate into the quartz dish/tray that comes with the nectar collector, or just dab right out of the glass jar that contains your dab.

You'll need a butane torch to heat it up as well, pointing the tip of the flame right towards the quartz/titanium tip, just like when you're dabbing with a bong type dab rig, use your hand to feel if the temperature is hot enough for dabs.

Once the tip is hot enough, point the tip onto the dish/container on a 45 degrees angle, then inhale.

Please note that you don't want to place the tip straight into the dab on a 90 degrees angle, if you do that the unvaporized dab will be sucked right the dab rig, that's something that you really don't want it to happen.

One more tip: The titanium tip heats up much faster than the quartz tip, makes it perfect for high temperature dab.

Pros: Easy to Carry Around, Relatively Cheap to Buy, Looks Cool

Cons: Involves Using A Butane Torch, Generally Not Able to Contain Enough Water to Sufficiently cooling down the vapor. Tricky to Clean.

Learn more about nectar collectors, check out these articles:

A Desktop-Set Dab Rig - A.K.A. an Enail Kit

Price Range: $149 ~ $300+

When it comes to precise temperature control for dabbing, a desktop enail is definitely a must have.

Unlike using a butane torch to heat up the quartz banger, the enail dab rig kit uses the heating coil, it's considered to be one of safest way to heat the banger up to the desired dabbing temperature.

Simply plug the enail kit into the wall outlet then setting the temperature, you'll see the temperature rising by the LED indicator, once it reaches the temperature you've set, the coil will stop heating then you can place the cannabis concentrates into the quartz banger and do what you would do with a bong type dab rig!

An enail dab rig kit is perfect for a group session, it'll keep heating the banger till you've done with your last dab!

Pros: Precise Temperature Control For Different Types Of Cannabis Concentrates, Safe To Use, Fast Heating.

Cons: Relatively expensive to buy, Need A Power Outlet To Work, Not Portable.

Learn more about enail dab kits : Why is it safer to use an enail dab kit instead of a butane torch,

Portable Wax Vaporizers

A portable wax vaporizer is just like your every day vape pen, it's small and compact enough for you to fit it in your pocket.

There are many types of wax vaporizers on the market but they work mostly the same, a portable wax vaporizer features a compartment for you to put the wax/budder/shatter in, then set the temperature manually or automatically, with a touch of a button the vaporizer will heat the concentrate up with a coil, once the dab is hot enough and it vaporized, simply take a toke and enjoy!

Pros: Portable, Relatively Cheap To Buy in 2022,

Cons: Could Be Super Hard to Clean, Not as Reliable As A Desktop Enail, Small Compartment For Dabs.

Some Of The Best Dab Rigs For Sale

6" Dual Chamber Recycler Dab Rig

Price: $49.99

A perfect desktop dab rig! It features two color patterns, the gradient mouthpiece, and the overall orange yet transparent glass body.

If you're looking for a recycler wax rig that rips and won't spill when you're taking a big toke, this rig is perfect for you, it features a dual chamber design to complete the recycling motion.

When you inhale, the water along with the smoke/vapor will travel up to the second cone shape chamber via the glass tube located on top of the base, then the water will travel down to the base through the end of the cone shape chamber in a beautiful vortex motion!

Quartz Enail W/ Recycler Showerhead Perc Dab Rig Bundle

Price: $152.99

• 1 X Recycler Showerhead Perc Dab Rig

• 1 X 14mm Male Glass Bowl For Flowers

• 1 X Enail PID Controller

• 1 X 20mm Heating Coil

• 1 X 14mm Male Quartz Banger

• 1 X Quartz Carb Cap

• 1 X Power Cord

• 1 X User Manual

• 2 X Silicone Containers 5 ml Capacity

• 1 X Soft Zipper Packing Box