dab

Learn various ways to smoke Shatter, Dabs & Wax today on Cannabasics episode 100

Let’s take a look at several ways to smoke shatter, wax and rosin along with the pros & cons of Dab Rigs & Nails, Dab Pens, Vaporizers, Enails and Nectar Collectors.

Dab Rigs and Nails

Perhaps the OG of ways to do dabs is the trusty dab, or oil, rig fitted with titanium nail or quartz banger, and it is truly one of the most effective ways to do a dab. You’ll get a huge hit instantly and usually get the most out of your wax too as it is fully vaporized in seconds. Dab rigs might be one of the most effective ways of doing dabs but there are drawbacks. Such as needing a torch and gas to heat the nails and also a recovery time to re-heat the nail for the next dab. Also when you introduce open flame and exposed high heat into the process you also sacrifice safety to some degree.

Dab Pens

Dab pens on the other hand are probably one of the safest ways to do dabs. These types of pens usually use quartz, ceramic or metal coils to heat the wax enclosed inside of a sealed glass or metal cap. These types of pens can be effective and give big hits but usually will take several puffs to smoke the same amount of wax as doing a single dab off of a nail. Another common drawback to wax pens is that the un-vaped wax builds up and they require constant cleaning to keep functioning properly.

Vaporizers

Some vaporizers that are made for dry herb can also be used to vaporize wax and rosin too. These devices usually provide a cup or pod that inserts into the dry herb heating chamber to vaporizer the wax.These types of devices can be very convenient but cons are that they often do a mediocre job of vaporizing wax as they lack the required heat. And the small pods can be cumbersome and leaky so it can be hard to keep the heating chamber clean for dry herb.

Nectar Collectors

Nectar Collector or vacuum systems could be considered the dark horse of dab methods. These types of devices use a heated tip on the end of a handheld device that you dip directly into the wax. There are both electric collectors as well as those requiring external heat source such as a torch. One big advantage of the collector type rig as that you can get huge hits when dipping the tip directly into the wax. But they have a learning curve and can be a little awkward to use.

E-Nails

Perhaps the biggest favorite among dabbers is the E-Nail. E-Nails are very similar to the standard titanium nail on an oil rig with one key difference. The E-Nails have an electronic control center to set a precise temperature and a heating element that will keep the nail continuously heated and ready for a dab. The pros of E-Nails are that it’s ready for a dab any time it’s on, you can do dabs back to back without reheating the nail. They may also arguably be safer than using open flame and a clearly more convenient than needing a secondary heating torch. Cons are that they usually require a power source to operate so may not be as portable as the other methods. And also it’s so convenient to use, you might find yourself smoking through your wax very quickly and passing out on the couch very early.

Overview

Whichever method you choose, dabbing wax or rosin, so long as it is free of impurities, is actually healthier than smoking cannabis flowers. By not smoking or vaporizing the plant materials you are clearly putting less unnecessary chemicals into your body. And by taking concentrated doses you are required to smoke less frequently, not to mention that the time it takes to do a dab is far quicker than the time it takes to smoke a joint, bowl or especially a blunt.

But if you are an everyday dabber like myself, a nice e-nail set up would likely be the way to go. But if you only occasionally dab and prefer to vaporizer, then a 3-in-1 vape pen that does wax too might be satisfactory. Or an inexpensive wax pen might be even better or perfect for the beginner  just looking to dabble in wax, shatters and rosin concentrates.

Music Attribution: Apero Hour – Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/