What Are Dabs and Dab Rigs?
Dabbing has become one of the most popular forms of consumption due to it’s potency, interest in the actual process of creating and taking dabs, and large community of committed #DabLife fans. The art of dabbing has been around for at least a decade but it’s growth in the past few years has made it one of the biggest trends in the history of the industry.
What is a dab?
An actual dab or dabbing is the action of smoking wax, oil, or concentrate through a heated bowl or nail. The bowl or nail can be heated at a low or high temperature and then that concentrate is inhaled through the steam of a dab rig. It’s called dabbing because smokers use an aptly-named tool called a ‘dabber’ to dab the oil onto the rig’s nail.
Concentrates have also been developed into dozens of varieties, and have become a popular choice for smokers.
How do you take a dab/use a dab rig?
Now you clearly can’t consume a dab out of the palm of your hand, the best way to do it is through a dab rig. Typical rigs look much like bongs, in that they have at least one chamber for water, a tube through which to draw smoke, and a joint for attachments. The main difference between a dab rig and a water pipe is that a dab rig already comes with a nail. But a water pipe can easily be modified by replacing the flower bowl with anoil dome or glass adapter. And if you want to dab on the go there are portable dab rig options, such as an electric dabber pen.
The actual process of taking a dab seems complex but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Take about a pea sized amount of your wax, shatter, budder, or concentrate and stick it to the end of a dabber. Pre-heat the nail or oil dome with a handheld torch, wait for about 10 – 30 seconds, because the biggest mistake new dabbers make is to overheat their nail, rendering much of the concentrate’s active ingredients useless. Then finally you can apply the concentrate to the heated nail, inhale, and enjoy.
Should I dab?
Like most natural products it is possible to over smoke, and because dab hits highly concentrated it can be a challenge knowing when when you’ve had enough.
Choosing to dab instead of smoking traditionally has it’s pros and cons, like all things, but overall it is a very effective way to get a high dosage with a small amount. A little goes along way, making it a popular form of smoking for those with extreme symptoms such a PTSD and chronic pain or illness. Hence why it is one of the biggest and still rapidly growing trend in the industry.
Dabbing is a great alternative for both social and daily users. The vapor created by dabbing is different. You only need a very small amount. Time will tell if dabbing retains its popularity, but for now it seems to be the popular way to smoke.