The act of dabbing marijuana concentrates might seem a fairly intimidating process to the cannabis novice; one look at all the assorted "tools" which are needed (i.e. the metallic wand, dab rig, nail, torch, etc), and it could truly appear that an entirely "different" type of drug use is taking place.
In reality, though, dabbing is turning into more and more common, and with both marijuana products and their various forms of paraphernalia turning into more and more accessible to people all around the nation, it’s an activity worth trying into if you’re serious about your weed consumption. (And in fact, some say dabbing is extra environment friendly and even healthier than smoking — and it Undoubtedly produces a extra potent excessive).
Even still, though, as soon as you do some online looking or hop into a dispensary to check out your dab rig options, the insanely big selection of products that can be found may be slightly bit overwhelming, to say the least.
In this text, we’ve tried to break down as merely as attainable how to choose the very best dab nail - we’ll be speaking strictly in regards to the variations between titanium, ceramic, and quartz dab nails, and which one could be the most effective choice for you, whether you’re a cannabis concentrate connoisseur or a first time dabber. (Additionally, on a bit of a aspect word, dab rig e-nails have additionally hit the market comparatively just lately, however we’ll go over them in a later article).
First Things First: Domeless vs. Domed Nails for Dabbing
In a broad sense, there are principally two major categories that a dab nail can fall into: domed or domeless.
Domed dabbing nails are exactly what they sound like they are - nails which have a dome over them. These are two-piece items, with the slim, slim nail sliding contained in the stem of the particular dab rig, after which the dome sitting over prime of the nail.
Basically, the dome serves two purposes: it provides an element of safety by minimizing the possibilities you (or another person) touches the purple-hot nail, and it additionally allows you to "capture" the smoke so that none of it will get wasted, which is good if you’re sharing dabs with pals. (Although it’s price declaring that the whole point of dabbing is to inhale a whole "dab" in a single hit).
Domeless nails, alternatively, are broader, wider, single-piece units that fit overtop of the rig’s stem as a substitute of inside of it. Avid dabbers just about strictly use domeless nails, as they are much more handy and environment friendly given that you've better access to the nail itself when maneuvering round with the wand. The primary drawback of domeless nails, nevertheless, is that they're completely exposed, meaning the danger of somebody accidentally touching the pink hot nail is significantly increased.
If you are new to dabbing, it’s typically recommended that you simply begin out with a dome nail - they are much safer, and for starters no less than, are easier to handle given which you could "pace" your self and only inhale as a lot of a dab as you want at anybody time. As soon as you’ve mastered the domed nail, you’ll then likely want to make the step up to a domeless selection.
As soon as you’ve decided on a domed vs domeless dab nail, you’ll then must make the ever-so-difficult choice of what material you need it in. Whereas temperature-controllable electronic nails (aka e-nails) have hit the market somewhat not too long ago, they are super expensive and type of overkill for the overwhelming majority of dabbers. As such, most nails at the moment in use come in one in all three (or 4, in case you include glass) supplies: quartz, ceramic, and titanium.
When you purchase a low-finish dab rig, most of them include a domed glass nail. While these are completely "functionable," so to speak, they don't seem to be considered a real possibility for any serious dabber, as they're frail, brittle models that don’t hold or distribute heat very properly. With few exceptions, any "real" dab rig may have a nail of both quartz, ceramic, or titanium.
We’ll begin off with titanium dab nails since, typically talking, they are most likely the most typical - and broadly used - forms of the dabbing world. Titanium is a seemingly perfect material for the technique of dabbing, as a result of it heats tremendous efficiently and relatively quickly, and it holds its heat extremely effectively; precisely what you want when executing high-temp dabs with your treasured cannabis "gold."
Moreover, ti nails are very versatile when it comes to what kinds of dab rigs they’ll fit; if a dab rig has ever been fabricated by a grasp glass-blower, then you'll be able to guess there’s a titanium nail on the market somewhere that’ll match it.
Also, titanium dab nails can come with or with out carbs for increased ease-of-inhalation, and likewise, some "drop-down" fashions are designed to prevent your rig’s stem from receiving excess heat from the torch - a pleasant feature for costly rigs that you just don’t wish to by chance injury.
When it comes to pure functionality, although, titanium dab nails are the most popular option because they're almost indestructible, and they're super ease to make use of (and clear); simply heat them till they’re purple sizzling, wait about 20 seconds, and then proceed together with your dab.
Some avid dabbers with nice style will say that they get a refined "metal" taste when utilizing ti nails, though, so keep this in mind if you’re super picky or sensitive to total taste.
Also, it’s essential if you do determine to get a titanium dab nail, to ensure it’s of high-high quality grade 1 or grade 2 titanium, and not another knock off metal material, because the very last thing you want is to be inhaling trace amounts of heavy metallic every time you hit a dab. Principally, you get what you pay for when it comes to the most effective titanium dab nails - if you see and "awesome quality" one that’s half the value of other ti nails available on the market, then odds are it’s not product of pure titanium.
Ceramic dab nails are type of a "niche" merchandise; they’re very nice to use and produce an incredibly clear hit and easy flavor, but they generally is a bit tricky to use for the novice, for a couple of various causes.
For one, they can be robust to know the way lengthy to heat. Since they don’t glow red-hot like titanium nails, you’ll type of have to judge when the temperature is at its peak - and when you’re tremendous duper excessive, this may be more difficult to do than you may suspect. Also, if overheated (or dropped on a tough flooring), ceramic is liable to cracking and shattering, not like titanium. That being stated, ceramic holds its heat for an incredibly lengthy time period.
Numerous "dabbing connoisseurs" love ceramic because of the extremely easy and clear flavor that it gives. Overall an excellent possibility for avid dabbers, but not essentially advisable for novices.
Quartz dabbing nails are another favourite of critical dabbers because of the ultra-smooth taste that they supply. While they seem very just like cheap glass nails, you possibly can usually identify genuine live quartz if it has an engraving of some sort in it.
Additionally, quartz is extremely preferable for numerous dabbers because of cost - in comparison with most ceramic or titanium nails, they are rather more inexpensive. This is nice because, whether or not you understand it or not, you’ll probably, break, lose, or in any other case wear-out a dab nail at some point or another.
Also, lots of quartz nails are made as what’s referred to as "bucket nails," due to their obvious look as a small bucket. These are tremendous easy to heat and use, as you'll be able to merely dab the focus into the bucket and "stir" it around in order that it sublimates evenly.
If you’re making your first improve from a cheap glass nail and aren’t fairly ready to drop the money on titanium (or if you want to keep using a dome nail), quartz is probably your greatest choice. Nevertheless, they don’t hold heat practically so long as ceramic or ti, so this may be a difficulty when you plan on hitting several dabs in one sitting (i.e. so that you don’t have to maintain re-heating).
No matter whether or not you decide to go with a quartz, ceramic, or titanium dab nail, you’ll want to interrupt in - or "season" - the nail earlier than you get to using it straightaway. The seasoning course of allows for any overseas supplies or excess residues to burn off that will have been left over from the manufacturing or packaging process.
Methods to season a dab nail is pretty simple course of - you merely heat the nail up to a average temperature (not full-heat), after which spread a small little bit of your wax or focus evenly over the nail’s floor until it melts fully, letting it all burn away without inhaling. After the focus has fully sublimated (burned off), use a pair of cooking tongs to pick it up and drop it in water, and then repeat the process two or three extra times to make sure that the nail is totally cleaned and ready for high-temp use. (Also, should you don’t need to waste any of your concentrate material on seasoning, you should use water as a substitute).
Another vital factor that you’ll need to remember when selecting the most effective dab nail, is to contemplate the wide selection of sizes and fittings which can be out there.
While increasingly extra nails are being made as "combo units" (which means they will fit any dimension rig on the market), there are nonetheless loads which have specific sizes and male/feminine joints that you simply need to be paired up appropriately.
By way of size, there are principally three essential diameters of dab nails and dab rigs out there to select from: 10 mm, 14 mm, and 18 mm.
The majority of rigs are 10 mm, but some larger and more expensive models will employ the 14 or 18 mm varieties. Whatever measurement rig you end up getting, make it possible for your nail corresponds to the identical dimension (i.e. if you happen to get a 14 mm rig, be sure to get a corresponding 14 mm dab nail).
Also, male/female joints must be considered as effectively. Most dab rigs can have a male stem, which require a feminine nail for correct attachment. Nevertheless this may be flip-flopped on some models, so ensure you concentrate to whether your rig has a male or a feminine stem.
Effectively, that’s about it! Hopefully this article on how to decide on the best dab nail was useful and informative, and naturally, in case you have any extra questions or considerations, be at liberty to drop us a message by way of our Facebook web page!