Types of Swab Systems – Find the Best One for You

Marijuana users smoke in a variety of ways, whether through joints, blunts, pipes, or a bong. When using cannabis concentrate, the most popular way to get the full potential of the concentrate is by using a swab device. Dabbing is a consumption method with a Glass water pipe called a dab rig.

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What is a swab?

Dabs often look like bongs, many of which can even be converted dab rigs. The main difference is that these devices contain a bang or “swab nail”. This can be heated to extremely high temperatures to instantly vaporize sprinkles, wax, active resins, and other concentrates.

The rig consists of two main parts, the body of the rig and the nails. Nails are the hot part that will be used to vaporize your concentrate. The body is the main body of the rig and contains water to filter and cool the steam.

Dab types

Before buying a rig, you should understand what types of swab rigs are available and how they differ. When choosing a dab device, the options seem endless. To keep things simple, I’m going to list some of the most popular portable oil rigs and give you some pros and cons for each.

Common swabs

Although swabs come in many different shapes, sizes, and materials, most are made of relatively simple designs. Usually these are made of glass and are similar to clear glass cup bongs, albeit on a smaller scale. The average height of these varies between 8 and 12 inches.

You need a quartz popper / nail that can withstand much higher heat than glass. This means that it can withstand being heated to a high temperature by a butane burner, which will cause your concentrate to evaporate. Then you can enjoy smooth, satisfying hits of THC.

Swabs can be made from silicone, which is more durable than glass. Ideal if you have a tendency to knock things over.

Mini swab rigs

If you’re the type of person who prefers convenience and portability, you might want to purchase a mini swab rig.

These are just much smaller scale swabs and they can still make great swabs for you. Since they are small, they are extremely portable. Some of these mini-swab rigs can sit in the palm of your hand and are great when you’re going on vacation and visiting a friend’s house for a session.

Another advantage besides portability is that small swabs often make for a tastier swab. This is because the vapor doesn’t have to travel that far to your mouth, so fewer terpenes are lost.

If you’re looking for a rig that is easy to take to a friend or home on vacation, this is great.

The second benefit is the taste.

Being small also means using less glass. This should be carried over at a lower cost.

One of the downsides to these mini rigs is that they contain less water, so the steam in your throat gets hotter.

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Recycler plants

Recycler swab rigs work like any other swab rig – just heat the banger, drop your swab, and enjoy the hits. However, thanks to the recycling function, they can also improve the experience.

Recyclers are common in both bongs and some swab facilities. It’s just a hose that recycles the water around the device. When you get a hit, the suction created pulls the water up through the stem, thereby cooling the steam more. The water then falls back off and is recycled around the rig.

Because your steam spends more time in the water, they’re cooler, smoother, and cleaner by the time they reach your mouth.

These types of dab rig are popular for two main reasons. The first reason is that the recycle function has great water filtration and super smooth taste.

The second reason is that it looks great.

Of course, the additional glass and the more complex design adds to the price, so these types of swab systems cost more than a simple, functional system.

If you’re willing to spend the extra cash, it’s well worth it.

Electric swabs

By now we’ve all heard of electronic nails that can be used with your standard swab rig. The next evolution of this idea is the E-Rig, a versatile dabbing tool that does the work of the E-Nail and Rig.

They are super compact and combine all the advantages of a dab vape with those of a standard dab rig.

The electronic rig Comes with a built-in battery and atomizer coil attached to a water pipe or cone. Not only are they easy to use, they’re also very intuitive, eliminating the need for butane burners and guesswork.

Just press a few buttons and wait for your atomizer to get hot. Put a swab on and enjoy.

These devices are ideal for users who don’t need to manually heat their nails with a flashlight every time. They’re great in terms of portability and convenience too. That being said, they can be very expensive and some users prefer the taste and feel of normal Glass rigs.

Convertible bongs

The swabs usually look like bongs. In fact, they have a lot in common, the main difference being that dab rigs contain quartz crackers or nails rather than the regular peels used for weeding.

Many of the bongs can also be adapted for dabbing simply by using quartz nails instead of glass bowls.

You will need a banger or nail of the correct size to secure the joint where the bowl of the bong would normally go. That way, you can easily convert your bong into a swab rig.

These two-in-one devices are perfect for users who want to enjoy both types of products with one versatile device. You can get amazing knock hits, and if you want to replace them with weed, just replace the banger with a bowl.

Swabs can come in many shapes, sizes, and materials. If you’re looking for an effective way to enjoy a marijuana concentrate, they’re well worth the investment.

Remember, dabbing is not for everyone. Vaping swabs can be very powerful even for beginners. Some users may prefer to use connections, pipes, CBD carts and vapes or other products to consume cannabis or its concentrates.