Flower is a great place to start when you're beginning your first high-journey. There’s nothing wrong with consuming the plant in its purest form, but at some point in your cannabis journey, curiosity will likely get the best of you. You’ll want to dive into various consumption methods and products, from edibles to vaporizers. Concentrates present cannabis in its most potent form, with THC levels ranging anywhere from 60 percent, all the way up to 99 percent, depending on the type of extract and the method used to extract it. You may think these extracts are only for the most seasoned of smokers, but with higher THC products and a controlled dose, you can achieve the same high you get from flowers while consuming less, and minimizing damage to our precious lungs. But how do we consume these products? That’s where Dab Rigs come in. These bong-like contraptions allow you to vaporize a wide range of cannabis concentrates from oils and wax, to shatter and diamonds.
While the process of doing a dab is a bit more complex than taking a bong rip, the dab rig is nearly identical in form and function to a bong. In fact, many dab rigs allow you to swap out the banger for a regular bowl, giving your rig dual functionality. Let’s break down the parts that make up a common rig.
No, not bangers and mash. The banger has a similar function to the bowl in your favorite bong. This is where you heat up your chosen concentrate. Unlike regular bowls, these are made from quartz glass, due to its much higher melting point. Extracts require a lot of heat to properly vaporize, which is why we use a torch instead of a lighter. Unlike a bowl, the banger is shaped like a cup. This allows the inlet to be placed above where the concentrate is placed and combusted so that you can draw in the vapor as it rises.
Carb Caps
Carb caps aren’t a mandatory accessory for using your dab rig, but they do allow you to dab more efficiently. By capping the banger after you drop your concentrate in, you lock in the heat, allowing you to vaporize at lower temperatures. Trapping the heat extends the temperature sweet spot for your dab while blocking the air reduces the air pressure in the rig, which helps reduce the temperature required to create the vapor. The lower temperature also enhances the flavor of each hit.
Pearls are another optional accessory that, when combined with a carb cap, work to bring down the required vaping temperature and distribute heat evenly throughout the banger. When you heat the banger, some of that heat transfers to the quartz pearls. The action of drawing air through the rig causes the pearls to spin around the banger, providing more even heat for your concentrate. You’ll need to make sure your chosen carb cap is compatible with pearls, otherwise, they will lay there motionless, which of course defeats the purpose.
Just like a bong, the chamber is part of the vapor path. This is where the water goes to cool the vapor. The chamber can be fitted with all the varieties of percolators commonly found in bongs and should be filled to similar levels.
Just like a bong, the mouthpiece is where you inhale the vapor or smoke from. The appearance and shape of the mouthpiece can be just as varied as with bongs and they share similar aesthetics.
As with bongs, the base of the dab rig allows you to set your rig down while you're getting set up or taking a hit. A wider base will help prevent any expensive accidents.