American made glass started it all and is where these contrate pipes came from. It’s the new fad and latest addition in the family of smoking weed devices. In fact, many internationally popular concentrate pipes are made in America.
Let’s begin by first getting to know what these types of pipes are.
Its a is a water pipe specially designed for vaporizing herb concentrates like wax, hash, and oil. Also known as vapor rigs, oil rigs, and concentrate pipe, these are much smoother than smoking weed or herbs.
What is a Dab Rig?
A glass water pipe that has a female joint where the quartz glass banger will go, one of the glass pipe used in place of the bowl in a bong. This joint, linked to a banger or nail, is used for vaporizing your concentrate. Dab bongs appear complicated due to the sheer number of accessories involved. But they provide a more strong experience of concentrates. Once you get a hang of using it, you will see it’s not as complicated as it appears.
Dab Rigs are Different from Bongs
At first look they look like bongs and vice versa. But a seasoned user of these devices knows the difference. Both look the same, but these pipes are specifically used for smoking weed concentrates. They are small and have percolators that allow more air to flow and less filtration. Since herb concentrates are used, they boost the flavor of the dab used. The small chamber in a dab allows vapor to travel quickly to the lungs. Honcentrate rigs cost slightly more than bongs, but they are more portable than bongs as they are often smaller.
History and Origin of Dab Rigs
From the 60s to the 90s, stoners would heat two knives and place weed on them. Once the smoke started coming, it was inhaled using a bottomless tube or soda bottle.
The first concentrate pipes were made by Hashmasta Kut (HMK) and Lucy Carson (GGirl).
Dab Rigs Made In America
There are several dab rigs made in America. Many brands such as Chameleon Glass, Zob Glass, C2 Custom Creations, Liberty 503 Glass, make Hash oil rigs that are exclusively made in the USA. Some of these brands are brick and mortar stores along with being online retailers. Most of these brands offer shipping and you can place your order online from an online head shop.
Liberty 503 Glass started making glass in 2003. Since then, they have been making some amazing and intricate rigs, bongs, and hand pipes.
Chameleon Glass boasts of handcrafting fine pieces of glass rigs with any manufacturer’s defect. They perform regular quality checks and each piece created looks exactly like what one sees in the catalog. Since their dab rigs are entirely made in the USA, they ensure their glass pieces are of top quality. Diligent with their work, creators at Chameleon Glass ensure strong, perfect, and originally made colorful pieces reach their customers. In addition, they offer customer friendly money back guarantee.
C2 Custom Creations’ owners started manufacturing hand pipes and water pipes way back in 1994. They launched their own brand in 2006 and since then have played around with the glass blow technique to create fine pieces. Made in America, they only use German Schott tubing and Schott or Lenze joints for their work.
When shopping from online head shops like Brothers with Glass one can not only order dab rigs online but the brand provides support and educates regarding fresh and innovative ways of using them. They are a distributor and ship locally as well as internationally. They spread awareness regarding the oils and the best way to get a cheap dab rig right.
All the brands mentioned above employ highly trained staff that know the art of glass blowing technology. Their employees have years of experience in this industry, and skills at creating custom made handcrafted glass hash oil rigs.
Using A Dab Rig
Using a dab rig can be an overwhelming process mainly due to the added paraphernalia involved. If you are using it for the first time, follow the steps listed below-
- Start by filling the base with enough water to completely submerge the downstem.
- Second, heat the nail to a glowing red level so that even the tiniest of particles burn away.
- Third, the nail has to cool down to a temperature of approximately 300-450 degrees F. This means waiting for a minute or so. This way you won’t burn the herb and get a maximum kick out of it.
- Next, place some concentrate on the nail and slowly inhale the vapor by taking deep and deliberate breaths. If you happen to have a carb cap on the nail, you will get a better experience. A carb cap cages all the heat in the chamber so that you get the maximum kick out of the concentrate.
- Finally, exhale the vapor after inhaling and do not hold it inside for long.
Keeping these steps handy will ensure that you use your concentrate to its full potential.
Cleaning A Dab Rig
Cleaning one is as important as using one correctly. You can clean the inside of a quartz nail with cotton. If there are difficult to clean residual oil in the nail, use rubbing alcohol or Isopropyl alcohol to clean it. If this doesn’t do the trick, soak it in alcohol and clean it with cotton. Make sure you thoroughly rinse out any traces of alcohol before using it.
Cleaning one properly ensures that you get maximum flavor experience every time you use it.
Choosing the Best Nail
This depends on what works best for you. Titanium nails heat up quickly and maintain it. Quartz nails also heat up quickly but lose their heat as quickly. Ceramic nails take a long time to heat up, but they maintain the temperature. Glass nails are perhaps the best option. They are cheap, heat up quickly, and retain it.
Dab Rig Designs
There are several designs and types to choose from. Direct or Inject Classic, Daisy or “Castle’, Angled Cut, and Standard are some of the popular designs to name a few.
Cost of a Dab Rig
Dab bongs are more expensive than bongs, mainly due to the extra accessories involved in using a concentrate rig. If you plan on spending your money, invest in buying a dad rig.
The cost of a one depends really on how much you plan on spending. There are cheap ones that cost about $50 and there are high end pieces that can cost up to $5000. The high-end pieces do not look like regular dab rigs. Rather, these are crafted into an image. Hence, the high price. Choose a piece that suits your personality and persona.
Final Words
Dab bongs, though small in size, come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Dab rigs made in America are of high quality in comparison to the cheap counterparts available in the market. Before investing in a concentrate rig do your research regarding technique, craftsmanship, and the quality that goes into making one.
