Dabbing for Beginners: The Complete Dab Kit Buyer’s Guide

Out with the old, and in with the Cannabis!

Cannabis—more commonly known as marijuana—is a budding business. No pun intended, the cannabis industry has been on the rise in the United States for the last few years and is only projected to increase exponentially.

Medicinal marijuana is exploding, but many people are more interested in the recreational side, and with good reason. Who doesn’t like to smoke a nice blunt, gravity bong, or dab kit every so often?

Well for the blossoming enthusiast, these all sound like good options to partake in one’s favorite strains. However, chances are you are more familiar with the first two options than the last one Here is  weed and creativity.

Have no fear! Following is a complete guide to dabbing and how to set up the ultimate dab rig starter kit for you to enjoy!

What Is “Dabbing”?

First of all, what is dabbing? Well, if you are versed in your cannabis and cannabis-related products, it involves a ‘dab’—no not the dance—but a concentrated dosage of cannabis that, when extracted, comes out as an oil containing all the compounds that make the plant so enamoring.

When the oil is heated using convection rather than conduction, the resulting vapors create a more pure and smoother inhalation that makes you feel like you’re floating on cloud 9!

There are different types of dab but here are the most common ones:

• Wax— a sticky substance that must be handled with a dabber, and usually may have lower levels of CBD and THC concentrates
• Crumble— it has the consistency of ground-up wax and usually has higher levels of THC than wax
• Shatter— it is extremely brittle, hence the name, but is extremely refined which makes it highly potent
• THC Butter— it has a consistency almost like that of peanut butter and can be made from melting shatter into a paste
• Oils— Simply put, cannabis or THC concentrates

The costs of each one depend on location and local availability. Once you have any of these, you then can use your dab kit.

So Then, What Are Dab Kits?

Simply put, dabbing rigs are water pipes or bongs that are specifically designed to use the dabbing process and handle concentrated doses of dab with the water vapor inside. These dab rigs are comprised of a few extra components compared to their counterparts.

The Components of a Dabbing Kit

Built similar to most bongs, dab kits have some pretty interesting differences.

The rig is almost always composed of glass, whereas the nail is either made of glass, titanium metal, or quartz stone. Like any other product, there will always be various types on the market to fit the preference of the individual.

Prices vary wildly, from about $20 to well over $100 due to customization and personal preference.

Customizations aside, a dab kit consists of the nail, a dome, and a bowl. The bowl is where you place your concentrates.

The nail, the most important part of the dab rig, sits above the bowl so that when heated, it can vaporize the concentrates. They come with a vapor slide as well.

Nails are sold as both part of an entire dab rig starter kit and also individually. However, if you buy them individually, be sure to know if it properly fits the rig you have. And because they are the most important pieces, this where you will spend the most money if bought individually.

Then there is the dome, which captures the vapors, along with your nail so that none of the vapor is lost while heating.

This is where the difference between bongs and dab rigs come in:

Where bongs have 45-degree joint arms, a dab rig uses a smaller, 90-degree joint arm that will allow the dab to remain concentrated. The arm is connected and brings the vapors into the bowl.

Then there is the recycler. The recycler does exactly that! It recycles the water and concentrates in a closed loop to allow the water to turn to vapor, which then mixes with the concentrates and makes for a smooth inhalation. You do not lose any potency and can smoke for extended periods of time.

Then you have the ceramic dabber which will allow you to safely place the dabs on the hot nail without injury. And of course, you can do nothing without a hand blowtorch to light up with! Both of these are fairly inexpensive.

Dab rigs can usually be identified by “gender”: if it is “male”, that is if it has a dome, then it is a dab rig. If it is “female”, then it is just a water pipe. But conversion from a water pipe to a rig is possible.

With many a unique bubbler on the market, you can easily find one works best for you.

Can I Build One Myself?

Now what if you want to go complete customization? Well in the age of DIYs, naturally you can make a dab kit by yourself.

If this your first time, it would be best to purchase a complete dab rig starter kit and go from there. However, you should consider that although these components will cost a bit of money, it will be worth the expense.

Well made rigs can last you a few years, and the more sophisticated the rig, the more expensive it will be. The same goes for the nails.

Time to Smoke Your Dab Kit!

Dabbing has been around for a while, but it is steadily becoming the preferred choice of many cannabis enthusiasts due to its ability to give you almost unparalleled THC highs.

The great thing is, just like bongs they come in every shape or size that you could want. Their prices may vary, but once you buy your dabbing starter kit, you will never regret it.

Once you have found the best arrangement for yourself, you will agree that dabbing kits are certainly worth the investment. Once you go dab, smoking anything else will seem mad! Smoke your dab rig responsibly, and prosper.