How Do I Dab with a Banger?

October 14, 2017

Quartz Banger Torch Marijuana Dab — Photo by: Mitch M/Shutterstock

With marijuana concentrates experiencing something of a renaissance, more and more people are becoming aware of what a dab can do for them. Concentrates are continually being developed for the discerning consumer, and you can now find it in multiple forms on dispensary shelves across legal markets. Distillate is popular due to its purity and method of extraction. Live resin is known for its extraction method, which keeps nearly all the plant’s terpenes intact. And good old BHO is a fan favorite for its mind-blowing potency and comparably dirt cheap prices.

What do all these products have in common? They’re dabs! And we’d like to introduce you to an increasingly popular way to consume them: the quartz banger, AKA quartz bucket.

What Is a Quartz Banger?

First things first: a quartz banger is a type of nail, which is the piece you insert into your water pipe and heat up with your torch. Quartz bangers have some serious advantages over both the standard titanium nail, as well as glass and ceramic nails. These are the main benefits you can expect:

Heat Retention: Dabbing is all about temperature control, and that’s where quartz is king. Titanium and glass nails have a tendency to lose heat very quickly, making it difficult to pinpoint the sweet spot and nearly impossible to share. Quartz retains heat significantly longer, depending on its thickness. The thicker the banger wall, the longer it will hold onto its heat. A 3mm quartz bucket should give you a heat window long enough to get in two dabs.
Durability: Quartz bangers may look like glass, but they’re significantly sturdier. You can heat one up to red hot, and it won’t shatter from the temperature. Even ceramic breaks if it’s heated too consistently in one place, and a titanium nail can end up getting stuck in your pipe’s joint and breaking it! Quartz definitely comes out on top here.
Flavor: For most, it’s the flavor factor that makes quartz bangers the ultimate way to dab. Titanium nails tend to mute the flavors in marijuana concentrates, and they can sometimes imbue an unpleasant metallic taste to the dab. Quartz bangers are neutral in the flavor department, and their easy cleaning helps maintain that.

So, How Do I Dab?

You’ll be happy to hear that dabbing with a quartz banger works on the same simple mechanics as with any other type of nail.

You’ll Need: a quartz banger/bucket, a water pipe with a matching joint, a torch, a dabber, concentrate, Q-Tips, rubbing alcohol.

Apply Heat: The first thing to do is simply heat up your banger using a torch (usually butane). Be careful to point the flame only at the bucket, to keep from applying too much heat to your pipe. Get the bucket red hot.
Cooldown: While you can choose to do a high-temp dab while the banger is red hot, it will degrade the terpenes and flavor of the material. The optimal temperature for vaporization is 300-400�F, so allow the bucket to cool down for at least 10 seconds before trying to take a dab. Each banger is a little different, so you’ll need to experiment with yours to find its perfect cooldown time.
Apply Concentrate: While the quartz bucket is cooling, apply a small amount of concentrate to your dabber. If this is your first time, go easy on yourself and start with just a small crumb! Dabs are known to be extremely potent so it’s better to be overly safe than sorry. It should take enough time for the bucket to cool to near its optimal temperature.
Dab! Drop the concentrate into the bucket and let the heat do the rest of the work. It will start to vaporize as soon as it makes contact with the hot surface. Inhale when you see the vapor! If you’ve gotten the temperature in the sweet spot, the vapor will be smoother. While some types of concentrate are more likely to induce coughing than others, you can always improve the inhalation experience with low-temp dabs.
Cleanup: Cleaning up after a dab is easy as pie. Once the bucket is cool enough to be handled, dip a Q-Tip in rubbing alcohol and run it around the dabbing surface. Doing this after every dab will prolong the life of your bucket and keep every hit tasting fresh.

Pro Tip: Once you get the hang of dabbing with a quartz banger, you’ll find it’s easily one of your favorite ways to enjoy marijuana concentrates. One optional enhancement that can elevate your experience is a carb cap. It’s basically a little lid that you place on top to restrict the airflow into the banger. This results in cooler vapor, and more of it entering your lungs as opposed to air. This also means that your taste buds will get a much fuller flavor experience. Trapping the vapor inside the quartz bucket has another benefit: better development of terpenes.

Any concentrate enthusiast should consider adding one to their collection!