So you’ve taken a few dabs and decided you want a setup of your own– welcome to the wonderful world of dabbing!Just as concentrates have evolved over the last few years, so too have the pieces with which to enjoy them and the sheer number of options available can be intimidating if you’ve never owned a rig before.In this article, we’ll explain the basic mechanics behind dabbing and arm you with all the knowledge you need to enjoy picking a dab rig that will serve you well for years to come.Your standard dab rig these days will consist of three parts: a glass piece, a heating element (called a nail), and a torch lighter with which to heat your nail.When done properly, dabbing is more akin to vaping than smoking because very little of your concentrate actually combusts.As a result, many of the characteristics that make a piece good for smoking make it a poor choice for dabbing.As opposed to cooling smoke, cooling vapor causes it to condense back into liquid form which leaves you with an abundance of “reclaim oil” along the sides of your piece– while still potent to a significant degree, reclaim is unpleasant to dab and many people dispose of it.

To avoid this, the ideal rig is small and has minimal diffusion to allow most of the vapor to enter your lungs.Bonus: small simple dab rigs also tend to be cheaper… economic and efficient.But before you go choosing your piece, you need to think about the most important part of your rig– the heating element aka the nail.At the heart of your dab rig is the nail; it sits on your piece and after heating it with your torch, it heats your concentrate above the point of vaporization.vaporizer duftölDepending on your preferences, you have four choices of material: quartz (fused silica), glass (borosilicate), ceramic, and titanium.pv2 vaporizerWhile there is plenty of anecdotal evidence floating around the internet, the science behind these materials is well understood.vaporizer dalkeith

The truth is, your choice of material will have minimal, if any, effect on flavor.Rather, the material will affect how hot your nail gets and how long it stays hot.As a chemist and experienced glass-blower, it’s hard for me to recommend a glass (borosilicate) nail since it doesn’t retain heat well and is guaranteed to break at some point– sometimes by shooting a hot chunk directly in your direction.The coefficient of thermal expansion on ceramic nails also means they too will break eventually, though they’re more likely to do so in a less dramatic fashion.vape stores utahThe leaves two real options: quartz and titanium.best vaporizer for tasteYou can’t go wrong with either and it all comes down to preference.topoo vaporizer blinking light

When picking your first rig, I recommend getting a Ti nail because they’re impossible to break and they stay hot for longer.The problem with Ti nails is that they can be overheated to the point that they start to burn some of your concentrate.Even when this does happen, the combustion is still minimal compared to smoking but this is why its a good idea to pick a rig with just a little water diffusion.Some people have suggested that you can overheat your nail to the point of generating toxic levels of Titanium oxide but rest assured– the nail would need to be a white hot 2,100°F… 500 degrees above the point at which your borosilicate glass piece will begin to melt into a flaming pool on your coffee table– don’t worry about it.vaporizer nach zahn opWhile it’s nearly impossible to overheat a quartz nail, they do cool down quickly which can lead to taking cool hits where you essentially melt the concentrate without vaporizing much of it.smk24 vaporizer review

It’s as frustrating and disappointing a way to waste your expensive concentrate and as a result, I tend to recommend sticking to a Ti nail until you’ve become more comfortable with setting up and operating your rig.It might seem counterintuitive but I recommend you get a domed Ti nail for your first dab rig.The Ti nail gets up to around 800°F and when you’re really, really stoned, it’s nice to have something protecting your hand (or other things) from accidentally touching your hot nail.vip2 vaporizerDomed nails are also smaller which allow for less heating time.You’re going to need torch to heat your nail and that torch should use no fuel other than butane.Propane gets too hot too fast and is just generally a bad thing to keep around the house.You can go to home depot and grab something in the pluming section but I recommend getting a smaller torch with a more manageable flame so you don’t end up heating up the glass on your piece too… which leads to another good point: choose a piece that gives you room to heat your nail (you want the nail to extend out an inch or two).

If you find yourself too intimidated by the torch, you’re not out of options!You might consider getting a pen vape or an e-nail.While I recommend a small water pipe with a domed Ti nail as the ideal first dab rig, it ultimately comes down to personal preference and by all means if you enjoyed your experience using a different rig, you should do what makes you happy!There’s no wrong answer when it comes to what you like.“Dabbing.” We’ve all heard the term, but there’s a constant veil of uncertainty surrounding this new-age cannabis-consumption technique.Here we’ll teach you how to dab, properly.Dabbing is slang for smoking/vaping concentrated cannabis.It’s only been around for about a decade, but packs a much bigger punch than any cannabis flower ever could.If you’re a new medical marijuana patient, take caution when dabbing, and loads of it.When you dab, you’re primarily inhaling the active chemicals of marijuana in concentrated form, with 70-90% THC content and no dead plant matter.

“Dabs” come in many forms, including shatter, crumble, wax or oil, and can be consumed many different ways.Check out this video to learn more about the different forms of cannabis concentrates.The following six dabbing methods will keep you lit no matter how much experience you have with smoking concentrates.Click on the dabbing method below to jump right to it: Dab Rig Electric Nail Health Stone Dab Pen Pre-filled Vape Cartridges T-waxing I recommend dabbing from a rig ONLY if you have a fairly high tolerance AND know what you’re doing.If you have no clue, find someone who does—seriously.For many, a single hit from a monster rig is equivalent to smoking an entire blunt in one sitting.But what is this “dab rig” I keep referring to?Above you see a custom rig in-action with the use of a blow-torch.The picture displays the four main components of a typical dab rig: oil rig, torch, nail, and wand (also known as a dabber tool).Smoking cannabis concentrates from a rig intimidates a lot of people, simply because “let me get my blow-torch” and “let’s get high” don’t typically sound like things that belong in the same sentence.

In order to properly use a rig and inhale a dab,  you: If the idea of using a blowtorch to get high is too maniacal for you, then the electric nail is the way to go.The process is similar to your typical dab rig, except instead of blow-torching the “nail,” it’s already plugged into a separate power source!This means you have full control over the temperature (which helps ensure that you’re vaporizing your concentrates instead of combusting) and you’ll never have to worry about third-degree torch burns.A health stone is essentially a porous rock that slips into your bowl-piece.Unlike using a nail or e-nail, this method requires you to place your marijuana concentrate directly onto the health stone.You don’t even need a dab tool!However, you’re still going to need that scary blowtorch.The great thing about this dabbing method is that you don’t need to use densely packed marijuana concentrates like shatter.Shatter is best used for dabbing with a rig & nail because it sticks easily to your dab tool, but dabbing with a health stone allows you to explore other cannabis concentrates like hash or crumble!

Watch this video to learn how to dab from a health-stone.(for all you World of Warcraft fans, now you know what your character was really doing when you clicked that Health Stone) Using a dab pen, sometimes referred to as a “G-Pen“ is perhaps the most convenient way to consume highly-concentrated cannabis.Dab pens are completely portable, easy to use, and don’t confine you to medicating indoors.You don’t need that scary blow torch, or a dabber tool, or a rig.You really don’t need anything except your pen and the liquid concentrate to pour in it!The only downside (and it’s not a big one) is that most pens leave a less-than-desirable metal/plastic aftertaste in your mouth, which is why most experienced dabbers prefer the rig over anything else (it has the best taste and the smoothest hit).For a full rundown on the best vape pens available, check out the PEN15 Challenge: 15 Vapes in 15 Hours.There is absolutely no work required with a vape cartridge, as long as you have the means to enjoy the delectable liquid found inside.

You can use them with dab pens (see #4) that allow for refillable cartridges, just by dropping the concentrated liquid into the existing cartridge.Or, and probably even better, you can usually just plug-and-play a vape cartridge into your existing pen type— I’m talking your e-cigarette, vape pen, and dab pen should be compatible with a cartridge!In my humble opinion, there’s nothing more convenient or discreet on the market.But convenience often comes at a price.These bad boys usually go for $35-$50, just for half a gram!I’d recommend getting one for social activity and one for relaxing at home, but this might be too pricey if used daily, especially when you can get a half gram of potent shatter or wax for $10-15 instead.SEE ALSO:  The best and worst vape cartridges on the market today You don’t need any fancy devices to consume super-potent cannabis—it’s really as simple as mixing the concentrate of your choice with some dry herb.Admittedly, the quality of the hit is sub-par compared to an oil rig or dab pen, and you just don’t get as high.

That being said, adding concentrates to flower is a great way to enhance you’re smoking experience, just be warned it might not be the best bang for your buck.Note that when smoked alongside flowers, concentrates like shatter, crumble, wax or oil often burn slower, so please puff-puff and then pass to your friend who’s been waiting patiently for a hit.My personal recommendation is to sandwich the concentrate in-between your flowers and simply roll a joint.Just make sure you use the proper terminology when rolling a joint mixed with concentrate—it’s “Twax.” So, we’ve covered six ways to dab—that is, ways to consume cannabis in its most highly concentrated, super-potent forms.There are many other ways to dab not mentioned in this article, but these six methods are most commonly used, and should be a great starting point for anyone new to the dabbing game.It really is all a matter of preference.And, don’t forget, once you decide on how you want to dab, you need to decide what type of cannabis concentrate you want to dab with.