Basics Of Nectar CollectorsNectar collectors(or dab straws, honey straw) had been one of my daily use tools for medicating myself, in fact, the way how easy and compact a nectar collector can be for dabbing is just incredible, a lot of dabbers no matter newbies or hardcore dabbers love this little verticle inhaling small dab rig.Comparing to traditional repurposed glass bongs(basically just a bong pair with a quartz banger instead of a weed bowl) and perc dab rigs, nectar collectors are much easy to carry around, you can pack it into a suitcase, luggage bag or even your backpack without needing to worry it breaking like when you're carrying a glass bong or a dab rig, and even if's broken due to shocks or something, the cost of replacing the body or the quartz tip of your nectar collector kit is still lower, and don't forget you still get the opportunity to save your piece when it comes to nectar collectors, if it's a dab rig and if the mouthpiece(or the joints) is broken, your dab rig is basically totaled and there is nothing you can do about it.Basic Of Silicone Dab Pipes When it comes to portabilities and price, let us not forget that other than nectar collectors, there is still something out there that fits the profile, that's of course, dab pipes.Unlike traditional glass pipes or wooden pipes, even metal pipes made from aluminum, dab pipes are mostly made from FDA approved silicone, the type of material that is soft and feels like soft plastic or rubber but other than plastic or rubber, silicone can withstand huge amounts of heats without deforming or generating harmful material that's bad for human body like Benzene, CO and HCI that are extremely hazardous for your health. One of the most obvious upside of using silicone to make pipes and nectar collectors and such is it's unbreakable. We all have that painful memory of our favorite glass piece slipped from our hands(or the guy from the next dorm that never pays for the weed you guys are smoking, you hated him but you didn't want to be an asshole and you're still in your hippie-ish phase, and he called you buddy in a weirdly wholesome southern accent. ) and breaking in front of our eyes. You can even throw your silicone dab pipe into your dishwasher for cleaning. With proper care, a silicone dab pipe can last forever.That's why you can see in the past few years silicone is being used to make all kinds of cannabis consumption related products from pipes, nectar collectors, bongs and dab rigs to cannabis concentrate containers and dab mats. You can say that silicone had become a good friend to the cannabis industry.The Final CountdownSo let's get into the subject and compare the nectar collector and the silicone dab pipe and see which one is the best for you!PortabilityPhoto Credit: Denver WestwoodWhen it comes to probabilities, there are some factors that we need to take into consideration, for the nectar collectors, some of the mini nectar collector kits can be very compact in size, for example, the 10mm mini nectar collector kit listed on Puffing Bird is no bigger than a general Sherlock weed pipe.But the downside of using a nectar collector on the go is that you'll need to take the box to go with you if you want to keep the body, mouthpiece and the quartz tip/titanium tip apart from each other, if you use the clips to secure the mouthpiece and the tip trying to travel with it in a single unit, that might not be so practical as well because we know that the body of the nectar collectors are mostly made from glass and if the mouthpiece or the tip takes too much pressure the joints might be damaged since an assembled nectar collector is shaped like a long thin stick.And don't forget the nectar collectors requires water for them to work so you'll need to get the water out of the body before packing it into your bag. But since the nectar collector's body is designed to be spill-prooved(like most of the dab rig or bongs with percolators), trying to get the water out might take some time and effort.For the silicone dab pipes though, things are much simpler.Since most of the dab pipes are made in one piece from the get-go, so there aren't really much of a fuss to pack it in your bag.This round, silicone dab pipes surely takes the cake.TasteNectar collectors work like any dab rig, as we mentioned nectar collectors require water to work like any other water pipe, not only can water provide filtration it also can effectively lower the temperature of the vapor making it smoother to inhale and easier on your lungs. No matter high or low-temperature dabs you can always get the purest taste out of a nectar collector set.For the silicone dab pipes, though things are different, the overall design for the dab pipes are largely the same as any spoon pipe, there will be no water for filtration and cooling down the vapor. You can only heat the glass bowl of the dab pipe for around 30 sec with a butane torch to get it hot enough to dab, we are sure that dab pipes are only good for low-temperature dabs, high-temperature dabs will ruin the taste of your cannabis concentrates and it's pretty bad for your throat and your lungs.Taste wise, nectar collectors win.FunctionalitiesNectar collectors can only be used to vaporize cannabis concentrate, it's designed to dab only so the structure of the nectar collectors kit cannot be used for dry herb combustion.However, almost all the silicone dab pipes are dual-purpose. A simple flip of the weed bowl can convert the dab pipe into a weed pipe. For those who like to smoke and dab, a silicone dab pipe is the way to go.PricePurchasing a set of nectar collector can cost you from $18.99~$500+, just like any other dab rig, the design of the nectar collectors, the sizes and the brands are all key factors when it comes to the price. If you want a mini nectar collector kit as a starter, it won't cost you more than $30.Silicone dab pipes are much cheaper, it won't go higher than $50 because they are so much easier and cheaper to manufacture than glass nectar collectors, you can get a starter silicone dab pipe for less than $30 on Puffing Bird. So, price wise, silicone dab pipes are much more available and it has some many different variants for you to add to your collection, this round, silicone dab pipe takes the cake.In ConclusionJust like any smoking gear, choosing the right tool for yourself is essential, all of the factors we listed up there merely scratch the surface of the world of nectar collectors and dab pipes, we hope that you can find your ideal piece and begin your own journey in the wonderful world of dabs 2019! Some Basics Of Dabbing Cannabis concentrates in 2019...Ever since 2012, when the terminology of dabbing had emerged in the cannabis community, slowly but steadily the sweet, pure and non-combustion needed cannabis concentrates rich in both THC and CBD captured our heart. As we mentioned in some of the articles on Puffing Bird Wiki before, comparing to traditional dry flower(or dry buds) smoking via rolling, pipes or bongs, dabbing is so much more healthy because dabbing mainly requires vaporization of concentrates instead of dry herb combustion, taking in THC or CBD via vaporization is also much more effective than traditional smoking as well as the THC and CBD are both highly concentrated in dabs, one small pick of live rosin can contain THC purity as high as 80 Percent!So in a way, such an effective and clean way to medicate ourselves, who wouldn't like it? I know I do. Further Reading:How To Use A Nectar CollectorWhat's A Nectar CollectorWhat's An Enail Dab Kit? - Dabbing 101