Collection: Dab Rigs

Glass Dab Rigs	Electric Dab Rigs	Silicone Dab Rigs	Recycler Dab Rigs	Dab Pens	Nectar Collectors	Heady Glass	Dab Accessories

What is a dab rig?

A dab rig, also known as a wax rig or oil rig,...

Glass Dab Rigs	Electric Dab Rigs	Silicone Dab Rigs	Recycler Dab Rigs	Dab Pens	Nectar Collectors	Heady Glass	Dab Accessories

What is a dab rig?

A dab rig, also known as a wax rig or oil rig, is a type of water pipe specifically made for smoking concentrates, more popularly known as "dabs". Their design is made to produce smooth dab hits and accentuate the flavors of your dabs. 

While these pipes may seem complex to a beginner, they're actually quite simple to use! Pretty much everything you see involved in smoking out of a dab rig is done with one primary goal in mind: to deliver clean, flavorful hits. Once one takes that into account, everything that goes into the process becomes a bit easier to understand. 

How do I use a dab rig?

Smoking dabs starts at the dab nail, which you need to make piping hot with a butane torch. Once it's red hot, let it cool for 10-30 seconds (visit our dab nail section for more info on this step). Then, drop your dabs in and spread them around the bottom of the dab nail. Once it begins to vaporize, inhale through your mouthpiece. To keep your precious vapor inside the rig, we recommend using a carb cap.

As you take your rip, the smoke is pulled through the joint and downstem into the water at the base the rig. This water cools down the hit and makes it more voluminous, creating a hit that is smoother and easier to inhale. Then it travels up the neck and meets your mouth. 

Buying a dab rig? Here's what to look for.

Size: Unlike with bongs, dab rigs don't necessarily benefit from being larger. You want just enough space to cool down your hit so it isn't super hot when it reaches your mouth. With this in mind, smaller dab rigs are an awesome choice for dabbing! They are more efficient and provide more flavorful hits, as too much water can steal some of your dabs when you smoke. That being said, larger rigs do have their own benefits. They're generally more durable and can double as a great dry herb bong if needed.

Materials: Like most other pipes, dab rigs come in a range of materials. The most common constructions of dab rigs are:

• Glass dab rigs have been the standard for as long as people have been smoking dabs! They give you the purest experience of any material, free of any sort of chemicals that can possibly get in the way of the flavor of the dab. They can also handle high temperatures, and are relatively simple to clean.
• Silicone dab rigs are lauded for their portability and durability. They're almost unbreakable, making them perfect for travelers, pet owners, or for those of us who are on the clumsier side.
• Electric dab rigs are often made out of a range of materials throughout the piece. The Puffco Peak Pro, for example, has a ceramic nail and a glass chamber.

Filtration: Another major difference between dab rigs and bongs is in filtration. While bongs benefit from adding more filtration, dab rigs don't. Most percolators, which are the best way to filter hits of dry herb, generally don't work very well for smoking dabs since they get easily gunked up with sticky wax. Not to mention that filtering out your dab hits with a tightly-constructed perc, like a honeycomb perc, causes some loss in flavor. Not all percs are bad for smoking wax, though. If you're looking for a good way to cool down your dab hits, recycler dab rigs provide the perfect combination of cool hits with no percolation and little space.

Dab Nail Type: Making sure you have the correct dab nail is an important part of getting your new rig! Some dab nails work better than others at different temperatures, and each dabber has their own preference when it comes to temperature. The type of concentrate you're using can also play a factor in your banger choice. Visit our dab nail page for more info. 

Intent (Form vs. Function): When looking for a new dab rig, it's very helpful to consider what you value most in a new piece. It's important to consider what we refer to as "Form vs. Function". Do you value form, or the way your piece looks and feels? Or do you primarily care about how well the dab rig functions? People valuing function should focus on pieces that will best serve this purpose, like recycler dab rigs. People who want a cool or unique looking piece should consider more exotic options, like those in our heady glass section.

Analog vs. Electric: We have a lot of amazing technologic advancements to be thankful for in the modern age. This is also true in the world of dabbing! Given that dabs are vaporized rather than burned (like dry herb), they can be heated up and smoked through electronic means. While some veterans swear by analog methods, there's no denying the unparalleled convenience, portability, and connectivity that electric dab rigs bring to the table. A major consideration to be made with these electric dab rigs is their high cost. If you can foot the bill, they're well worth it!

Portability: Another question to ask yourself in your search for a new dab rig is: will I be taking this on-the-go? If so, you need to make sure that your new dab rig is a portable one. Luckily, there's a lot of options, including mini dab rigs, silicone dab rigs, electric dab rigs, nectar collectors, and a whole lot more!

Dab Tools You'll Need

One of the things that can spook people who are looking into getting into dabs is all the tools that you need in order to smoke them. While there are more tools involved than with smoking dry herb, it's nearly not as difficult as it may seem.

Remember: Everything involved in using a dab rig is done with the primary goal of delivering clean, flavorful hits straight to your dome. These tools are vital to having quality dab sessions and saving you as much of your precious dabs as possible, so don't overlook them! The base dab tool set that you'll need can be found below.

Dab Nail You can't use a dab rig without a dab nail! There are many different shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, they all serve as the place where your wax turns into vapor.	Butane Torch In order to vaporize your dabs, you need to get your dab nail to temperatures of 400°F-600°F. Unless you're using an electric dab rig, the only thing that's going to get your dab nail that hot is a butane torch. This fact makes butane torches absolutely vital to smoking dabs!	Dabbers Dabbers are what you use to portion and place your wax in your dab nail. They're also helpful in moving the dab around the bottom of the nail, which makes your hits smoother and more efficient.
Carb Cap Carb caps are essential for efficient dabbing! They retain heat inside the bucket and keep your precious wax vapor from escaping. Using a carb cap also enables you to generate more air flow. Carb caps are especially vital for low-temp dabs.	Cleaner Keeping your pipe clean is necessary to maintain peak function! This is especially true with dabs, as the sticky resin it can leave behind can be difficult to clean. A critical part of a good dab session is cleaning out your nail with a cleaning swab after you're done smoking. There are also a variety of high-quality cleaning solutions that are great for cleaning out your dab rig.	Reclaim Catcher  One unique thing about dabs is their ability to be "reclaimed". When you drop wax into your dab nail, some of the dab will get hot enough to liquify but not enough to vaporize. This liquid can often get gunked up in the the joint or in other parts of the piece. Using a reclaim catcher not only helps keep your piece clean, but it also allows you to reclaim the dabs that may have slipped away for later use, saving you a lot of money in the long run!

Various Types of Dab Rigs

When it comes to dab rigs, there are a variety of types to choose from. Each one has its own strengths and specialties. Read below to find out about some of the most popular types. 

Recycler Dab Rigs

Recycler dab rigs provide the perfect combination of cool hits with no percolation and little space. They generate smooth rips in a captivating way, creating a ton of airflow. They feature two or more chambers that are attached by a series of two or more tubes. Every time you take a rip, the smoke travels through the bottom chamber, where it's then pulled through the series of tubes into the second chamber. Most of these second chambers take on some sort of cone shape, which creates a whirlpool effect.

Since the water has nowhere else to go when it's pulled up into the second chamber, it "recycles" back down into the lower chamber, creating an endless airflow loop with every hit. This recycling process creates cool hits while requiring little space and creating no splash-back, which makes it an awesome option for dab enthusiasts!

Electric Dab Rig

Electric dab rigs, also known as e-rigs, represent the point at which smoking dabs meets modern technological advancement. At their core, these high-tech dab rigs vaporize your wax without the need of a torch. Some devices, such as a basic e-nail, do only this. Many other electric dab rigs go far beyond this, pushing dabbing into new realms of convenience, portability, and connectivity. Their price tag can sometimes seem steep, but if you can afford one of these dab rigs, they're well worth the money!

Nectar Collectors

A nectar collector, also known as a dab straw, nectar straw, or honey straw, is a straw-shaped dab rig used to directly smoke wax. This special type of dab rig is handheld and portable, making it a convenient way to enjoy your dabs. They almost act in the same way a one-hitter does for dry herb, but even better!

One of the great things about nectar collectors is their ease of use. All you have to do is heat up the heat-resistant tip with a torch. Once the tip is nice and hot, just dip it into your dab of choice and inhale the resulting smoke through the mouthpiece.

Heady Glass

Heady glass, also called heady dab rigs or heady bongs, are where dab rigs cross over from simple smoking pieces to straight up art. These pieces are hand-crafted by individual artists and usually one-of-a-kind. To try to lock down heady glass under a certain look or design would be a foolish undertaking! We suggest checking out our heady glass section to learn more about this special category of dab rig, as well as to see all the gorgeous heady pieces we have in stock. 

Dab Rig Frequently Asked Questions

How do I clean a dab rig?

There are a few different ways to clean your dab rig, depending on how dirty it is. 

The easiest way to clean your piece is to use hot water, as long as it's not too dirty and is made of quality glass. Heat up your water to a full boil, then remove it from the heat source and let it cool for about a minute. Pour it into your dab rig, cover the holes, and shake vigorously. If you need something to cover the holes with, use some silicone caps. Once the hot water has dislodged all of the gunk in your piece, pour out the water in one rapid motion. 

If hot water doesn't do the trick, the next step up would be to use isopropyl alcohol (at least 85%) and course salt. This classic cleaning method still involves hot water, so you'll want to prepare that the same way you do in the above method. Add the alcohol and salt to the piece and shake vigorously until sufficiently clean. Add the hot water and then dump out all of the liquid in one rapid motion. Finish off the process by rinsing out your dab rig with cool water. 

Dab resin can be particularly fickle, especially if it's built up over time. If alcohol and salt isn't getting your rig clean, then we suggest utilizing a cleaning solution. These cleaners are made specifically to clean out dab rigs, and have a range of other features. Some of them, for example, are reusable! Cleaning brushes are also very helpful. Using a quality dab rig cleaner is your best option for attacking caked-on wax.

How do I reclaim the dried wax from my rig?

Some dab rigs have their own built-in glass reclaim. This allows you to collect and gather up all the wax that slips through your joint without the need of an attachable reclaim catcher. Once you have some built-up inside this glass reclaim, collecting it is rather simple. 

First, empty the water out of your dab rig and remove the dab nail. Let it dry out before proceeding to the next step. Turn the rig upside down, with the joint opening facing over whatever dish or wax paper you're emptying your reclaimed dabs into.

Then, just heat up the part of the reclaim with the dried dabs on it until it liquifies. Watch as that liquid gold drizzles out of your dab rig! Make sure not to heat it up too much. Overheating can vaporize or even burn the wax, and even crack your piece.