Bangers

 Many of you reading this are no doubt familiar with the large variety of portable vaporizers that have made dabbing concentrates both convenient and affordable. But what happens when you want to take your dabbing to the next level? Dry herb vapers like desktop setups for an even cleaner and better control over their vaping session, but what are the the options when it comes to concentrates besides just e-nails?

What are Bangers for Concentrates

This is where bangers come in. Bangers, also called dabbing buckets, are a type of dab nail that are shaped into clear bowls or cylinders. They act as a receptacle or dish ideal for heating up your concentrates. Bangers come in many shapes and sizes. They are fashioned out of a variety of materials such as glass, titanium, ceramic, or quartz. The best results stem from quartz bangers due to their high heat threshold, durability, and undoubtedly clean flavor production in comparison to glass, titanium, or ceramic.

Benefits of a Quartz Banger

While bangers deliver a more intense and flavorful experience compared to their portable counterparts, not all bangers are made equal. Quartz banger nails are coveted for their exceptional advantages over ceramic and titanium equivalents. Here's why:

Heat Retention

Compared to glass, titanium, or even ceramic, quartz is, in essence, better at retaining temperatures from your chosen heating element. This means that a quartz banger will stay at a higher temperature longer. It also won't require you to constantly stroke the banger with a torch to keep it at high temps. 

The slower dissipation of heat from a quartz banger is also helpful for more precise temperature control. Titanium and glass bangers tend to lose heat very quickly.  A properly stoked quartz banger with adequate thickness offers a decent time window enough to get in a couple of dabs before the banger needs to be reheated.

Flavor

Quartz is chemically inert. It offers the best performance flavor-wise over its counterparts. For example, titanium has a reputation for giving off a slight metallic taste when heated up. This is something that really doesn't bode well especially when health is a concern. The structural integrity of a quartz banger nail is perfect for high temperature dabbing. You don't have to worry about heating the banger to a point where adverse chemical reactions may take place and potentially ruining your dab.

Durability

Ceramic and glass bangers are also generally favored for their clean flavor production. They don't hold up well to repeated heating and cooling, especially where high temperatures are concerned. Eventually, glass bangers will break when they are brought to high enough temperatures.

Quartz, on the other hand, doesn't have such a limitation. It can be heated rapidly for countless sessions without breaking as quick or even shatting. This makes it a more ideal material for use especially for dabbers who value keeping and using their dab tools for the long-term.

Airflow

Often times a quartz banger nail will come fritted slits that helps improve the airflow. Since deep dish nails don't need a carb cap, it helps to have the airflow from the slits.

Joint Gender:

It's important to know what kind of joint your current equipment or water pipe has. There are only two types of gender joints. Getting one that isn't compatible with your water pipe will simply be an exercise in frustration and an unfortunate waste of cash

Male

If your water pipe has a wider joint where you typically insert your usual bowl into, you'll need a male joint. Similar to how there are male and female versions of electrical outlets or pipes, the same applies here. Basically, if you spot a wider opening on your water pipe, it's safe to assume it has a female joint. You'll need to purchase a male banger in order to use it in tandem with your water pipe. Also, keep in mind that bangers with male joints are inserted into the opening of the water pipe

Female

Now if your water pipe has a narrower opening for where it connects to the bowl, you'll need to find yourself a female joint. Bangers with female joints go over the opening of the water pipe. If you find yourself using bowls that go over the opening of your water pipe, it's highly likely that a female joint.

Sizes:

Now that we've covered the different types of joints and hopefully helped you in determining what joint your water pipe uses and what type of joint you'll need for your banger, it's time to tackle joint size. While there are a lot to choose from and potentially get confused with, bangers mostly come in three standard joint sizes among which will be the perfect size for your pipe.

10mm

Sometimes referred to as a nano or micro joint, these are often used in smaller, more portable setups

14mm

While 14mm joints are actually 14.4mm in diameter, values are often rounded down for simplicities sake. These are used by most medium sized water pipes

18mm

With actual measurements of 18.8mm, this particular joint size is used for mostly bigger water pipe setups.

Now that you're familiar with the different joint sizes commonly available, how do you actually select the perfect size for your water pipe? Well, that's pretty simple. If your water pipe has a female joint measuring 14mm, then you'll need a banger with a male joint measuring 14mm as well. Inversely, if your water pipe has a male joint with an opening that measures 18mm, then you'll need one with a female joint measuring 18mm as well.

How to Maintain and Clean a Banger Nail:

Quartz in comparison to glass or ceramic is pretty durable However, that doesn't mean you can get away with a lack of basic maintenance in order to keep your setup performing at its utmost best. Cleaning a quartz banger nail is very similar to cleaning a water bong. There are various available methods used to clean quartz. Which method you should actually use is mostly dependent on how dirty your quartz banger is.

First and foremost, it's important to note that you should NEVER use bleach or any other corrosive substance to clean quartz. Another no-no is using abrasive tools to clean the banger as this will inevitably lead to ruining the clear finish of the quartz. It will leave you with a ton of micro scratches that aren't nice to look at. A simple Q-Tip, cotton swab, or even microfiber cloth are all acceptable mediums in which you can use to clean your banger nail.

While most dabbers might forgo this step, its actually the most important step to follow if you want to avoid any problems in the future. Clean or wipe it down after every few uses or sessions. The leftover residue has a tendency to stick to the quartz material when it has already cooled down so make sure you give it a good wipe down. Failing to do so will leave your banger with a cloudy, yellowish look which might not be that great to look at compared to the pristine clear look of well-maintained quartz.

But we're all human, sometimes we just get lazy to give these bangers the cleaning they deserve post-session. So what should you do once your quartz banger has supposedly reached the point of no return and looks like some glass straight out of Breaking Bad?

All you'll need is some 99% isopropyl alcohol, salt, warm water, and Q-Tips. Soak the banger overnight in a salt and alcohol solution overnight. After that's done, rinse the banger with warm water and scrape off any leftover residue with your dabber. The alcohol salt solution should have softened the residue to the point where it can easily be removed. After the majority of the gunk has been removed, heat up the banger to around 700ºF which should burn any leftover residue. Then wipe it clean with some alcohol wipes.

Tips:

Heat Outside the Nail

Make sure that when you heat the nail, never point your torch downwards. Heat the nail from the outside, preferably from the side perpendicular to the joint stem as this will prevent heat from traveling down further into the pipe itself. The goal here is to only heat up the portion of the nail where you'll be inserting your dab. Heating up the joints might lead to the nail inadvertently sticking to the pipe itself, potentially ruining your setup.

Don't Overheat or Under Heat

Probably the trickiest part about dabbing with bangers is getting the temperature right. While personal preference does come into play here, ideally the best method to get the most flavor out of each dab is to take low-temperature dabs. While that may result in some wasted concentrate, some say that the flavor trade off is well worth it.

On the other hand, for those who prefer more intense hits, hitting the pipe at high temperatures has some potential to combust or burn the concentrate leading to a nasty taste. It can also be bad because dabbing at high temperature heat can create Benzene and other harmful toxins. To get a good feel on how to best gauge the right temperature, heat up the nail until its glowing orange, then wait around 20-40 seconds before inserting the dab and taking a pull. This might take some trial and error best result but fine-tuning your dabbing skills pays off well