The Dab Nation Guide to Dabbing Essentials

Dabbing is the new kid on the cannabis block, but with all this talk of rigs, nails, blowtorches; it’s enough to put even long-term stoners off the idea entirely. But don’t worry, with our guide to the essentials, we’ll break down dabbing, step by step. You’ll find out about everything you’ll need to get started and you’ll be dabbing like a connoisseur in no time.

What are Rigs?

Just Kidding, That's an Oil Rig

The term rig refers to a modified water pipe. It’s much like a traditional bong but with a “nail” attachment that’s heated up with a torch rather than a bowel filled with flower. Instead, the extract is placed on the hot nail to vaporize, but otherwise a rig is like a typical bong. More on nails and torches later but for now, the most important factor to decide is the size, or volume, of your rig. Larger rigs will have a smoother pull, but smaller ones will have a more intense hit with more flavor. Ultimately it’s down to personal preference, so check out our range to find the rig that’s right for you.

Nails and Bangers

Both nails and bangers basically refer to the same thing. They’re the attachments that are heated up in order to vaporize your extract. Nails are vertical attachments like this Highly Educated TX2-H10 and bangers have angled bowls like this GRAV Banger. They come in different sizes, typically 10mm, 14mm and 18mm, and also have male and female connectors so make sure you buy the correct one to fit your water pipe if you buy them separately. In addition to size, the materials they are made of can also differ. You can choose between fused quartz glass or titanium. There remains debate in the dabbing community about which is better, but generally, quartz is seen as a little smoother and better tasting, with titanium is viewed as the more durable option.

Torches and E NAILS

Many find using a blowtorch to heat up their nail or banger to be the most daunting part of dabbing. But here at Dab Nation we say: don’t stress it! It’s easy to get the hang of. There are two types of blowtorches used in the 710 community, propane and butane. Both are suitable, but again, there’s debate surrounding these options as well. For a standard, butane torch, we’d recommend the Blazer Big Shot. These do away with blowtorches entirely and heat up your nail using electricity instead. When it comes to safety and ease of use, e-nails are unparalleled.

Collection Tools and Dabbers

While you can dab without one, a specialist collection tool will make the process of getting your extract onto the hot nail far easier. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes to deal with different consistencies of extract, but you can’t go wrong with our best seller Dank Fung Titanium Tool. Its scoop and hook combination make it a great all-rounder to use with a variety of extract types.

Carb Caps

Carbcaps are the dabber’s secret weapon. It’s a small tool that is used to both cover your nail or banger. That controls the air flow through the pipe and also serves to agitate your extract, ensuring a consistent vaporization. It’s use is best illustrated with this short video. Again you can dab without one but the improvement to the experience cannot be understated. We recommend the something like the Dabsavers Carb Cap.

While not essential, we do also recommend using a rig mat to catch any over excited extract that can bubble over from time to time. And if you want to complete your dabbing kit, a storage container for your concentrate would certainly seal the deal.

So that’s everything you need to get started and hopefully, dabbing now seems like a less daunting prospect. But if not, then you can forget all that and get yourself a portable vaporizer like the Dank Fung CONNOISSEUR. Happy dabbing!

Here is a professional dabber to role model yourself after: