If you're new to the world of dabbing or just looking to upgrade your setup, understanding bangers, the essential attachment for any dab rig, can elevate your experience. Think of the banger like the bowl for a bong. It’s where your concentrate is vaporized to create those flavorful hits. Here’s a breakdown of the types of bangers available, their unique properties, and how to choose the best one for your dabbing style.

What Is a Dab Banger?

Dab Banger Types and Their Benefits

Here’s a quick look at the types of banger materials available. While we’re not recommending all of these options, this list will help you understand what’s out there:

• Quartz Bangers: Quartz bangers are widely recommended because they offer a pure, unaltered flavor. Quartz is inert, meaning it won’t interfere with the terpenes in your concentrate. For those who prioritize terpene retention at lower temperatures, quartz bangers are the go-to.
  
  
• Glass Nails: Affordable and inert, glass bangers are suitable for beginners or occasional dabbers. However, they’re more fragile. Unlike a Quartz banger, that could last you a lifetime with proper care, a glass banger has a very short life. Borosilicate can handle temperature fluctuations briefly, but with rapid repeated heat ups and cool downs it will break quickly.
  
  
• Titanium Nails: This metal is known for durability and quick heating, but it will slightly alter the taste of your concentrate. These were popular in the early days of dabbing with “E-Nails”. We would never recommend you purchase a titanium or stainless steel banger today.
  
  
• Ceramic Nails: Ceramic holds heat well and provides smooth flavor, ideal for low-temp dabs. However, ceramic is a bit fragile and can chip over time. This type of banger is most commonly seen built into E-Rigs like the Puffco Peak or Puffco Pivot. 

Which Banger is Right for You?

Choosing the right banger really comes down to your personal preferences around flavor, heat retention, and durability. At Lowtemp, we don’t claim to know exactly what you like to smoke or how you smoke it, but we have a few solid recommendations to help guide you.

Generally, quartz bangers are the industry standard for a reason. Quartz offers durability, heats quickly, and doesn’t interfere with the natural flavors of your concentrate. While glass bangers might seem like an affordable option, they break easily and often need replacing. Over time, you’ll likely end up spending as much on replacements as you would on a quality quartz banger right from the start.

As for titanium bangers, we can’t say we recommend them. They were popular in the early days of dabbing, especially with e-nails, but now they’re considered a bit of a faux pas. Titanium just doesn’t offer the same clean flavor as quartz, and many seasoned dabbers avoid it for that reason. If you are looking for an e-nail like experience without the titanium we recommend the cobra coil from Disorderly Conduction. This is allow you to heat your banger without a torch. 

And ceramic? You’ll mostly see ceramic in e-rigs or e-pens these days, as it’s better suited for controlled, low-temp settings rather than open-flame dabbing. 

The bottom line, quartz is the way to go for clean flavor and solid performance. 

Popular Banger Shapes and Their Uses

Beyond materials, the shape of your banger can also influence your dabbing experience. It is good to know what other shapes are out there when you are shopping around for the first time or for an upgrade.

• Flat-Top Bangers:. Flat-top bangers offer a consistent surface for vaporizing concentrates, giving solid control over temperature and vapor density. They work well for all concentrates, but specifically they are great for dry sift and full melt. The open top of the banger makes it very easy to clean out residue from these types of concentrates, where a slurper will be significantly more difficult to clean. They are also compatible with almost any carb cap. 

• Terp Slurper or Terp Taster Bangers: Best for those dabbing with rosin, slurper bangers have a unique design that draws concentrate up through the banger, maximizing flavor. Slurper bangers help capture every last bit. Toro glass is our recommended retailer for this product, but there are many different quartz manufacturers that make this style of nail. Mostly, we just recommend you keep it American made rather than import.
  
  
• Round-Bottom Bangers: The rounded shape prevents residue buildup, making them easier to clean and great for even heat distribution. Round bottoms are one of the most common types of bangers you will see. 

• Thermal Bangers: Designed with a double-wall structure, thermal bangers retain heat longer, making them perfect for those who prefer lower temperature dabs. The design reduces the chance of burning concentrates, providing a smoother experience.
  
  
• Core Reactor Bangers: These bangers have a quartz pillar in the center that retains heat, making them ideal for efficient vaporization at lower temperatures.

Tips for Using Your Banger

Getting the perfect dab takes a little practice. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your banger:

• Use a Timer or Temperature Gauge: Many dabbers use an infrared thermometer to ensure the banger is at their preferred temperature before applying the concentrate. Others prefer to heat and let it cool for a set time. We recommend the Dab Rite Digital Dab Thermometer for this!
  
  
• Clean Your Banger After Each Session: Regular cleaning helps maintain flavor and prevents residue from building up. A quick wipe with a Q-tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol right after each dab is a quick fix for daily upkeep. For slurpers it is common to have a "dunk tank" full of ISO that you dip your nail in to ensure it is clean before its next use. If you choose to go this route, your nails will be very clean but you need to make sure you are torching in a safe manner.
  
  
• Choose the Right Carb Cap: Using a carb cap helps regulate airflow.The best carb caps are directional and allow you to move your concentrate around on the banger to get an even vaporization.
  
  
• Add Terp Pearls: Terp pearls spin around the bottom of the banger when dabbing to distribute concentrate and heat evenly, providing consistent dabs and helping to maximize flavor. Our favorites come from Ruby Pearl Co.  

For information on how to heat your banger please see our article “How to Take a Dab.”

 

Now that you know most everything there is to know about bangers you might want to know where to get them. We recommend Toro Glass, Quave Club bangers, and Black Market Glass.