How to make a homemade dab rig

There are plenty of devices to help you consume concentrates. For those who want to do so while in motion, there are plenty of vape pen and dab pen options on the market.

Dab pens are great for people who want to consume a variety of different concentrates and need a device that can handle many different textures and consistencies, and they also offer many advantages over the average vape pen.

Below, find out everything you need to know about dab pens.

Dabs are concentrates that you typically consume with dab rigs. Dab rigs are tabletop devices that use torches, bangers, and water filtration to turn cannabis extracts into a potent, flavorful vapor that gets you super-duper high. Basically, dab rigs are bongs for concentrates.

Dab pens are electronic devices that do the aforementioned process via handheld experience. They can be filled with various concentrates like live resin and live rosin and consistencies like sauce, badder, budder, and jam. Whether you're consuming solvent-based or solventless concentrates, a dab pen is an excellent device to have in your stash. It's a great complement to standard rigs for every concentrate enthusiast.

Dab pens are also called wax pens, though the term may be a little outdated due to the various consistencies of extracts that have usurped wax in popularity and use.

Honestly, they're pretty much the same thing, but vape pens usually refer to a pre-filled vape cartridge, while a dab pen is a handheld device that you put extracts into yourself.

There are plenty of advantages to using dab pens for vaporizing concentrates.

Dab pens are pretty convenient, but there are still a couple of disadvantages to them.

Using a dab pen is easy breezy once you get the hang of it.

Loading a dab pen is simple. You glob up however much of a concentrate you want and dump it into the chamber/atomizer. Avoid wiping your extracts on the side of the atomizer, versus in the middle. Yes, it will melt down, but starting from the middle of the chamber will allow a more even temperature distribution and airflow.

Typically, to turn on your dab pen, you'll have to click the power button five times. To change the temperature setting, you'll click the same button three times. To activate the pen, hit the button twice. Once on, allow your dab pen to reach the desired temperature, with the hash oil inside the chamber. It's important not to overheat your oil, thus burning off the terpenes that provide your flavorful hits and certain types of highs. Nobody wants to consume burnt cannabis oil. Nobody.

During the heating process, your dab pen's power button will blink or glow. It's ready for consumption once the blinking stabilizes. At that time, you'll inhale the vapor from the dab pen's mouthpiece. As that vapor settles into your mouth and the cannabis compounds enter your bloodstream, you'll begin to feel high.

Hit that pen as many times as necessary to achieve your desired high. Be careful, though. Dab pens are similar to dabs in that the effects are potent and long-lasting. Too many hits too fast, and you'll be way higher than you ever intended to be.

Once you're done dabbing, immediately use a cotton swab to clean any leftover oil residue from your atomizer. It's important to always clean your dab pen out between sessions. Leaving leftover gunk to cake up will not only damage your atomizer but also distort the flavor and experience of your next sessions.

Here, find the answers to your burning dab pen questions.

Whichever you and your pockets decide. There are many well-known dab pens like the Puffco Plus, Dr. Dabber Stella, and the Utillian 5 V3, but the best is up to preference. As long as you've got a sturdy device and some temperature control, you're in the game.

You clean your dab pen with a cotton swab and a good cleaning solution. Most solutions are a mixture of salt and isopropyl alcohol. You can make them at home, but a good ready-made cleaner is always worth the purchase. Take the pen apart and swab all compartments until they are residue-free.

Make sure to clean your mouthpiece if your dab pen isn't hitting. If it's an airflow issue, or your pen simply won't hit no matter what, chances are there is an issue with the hardware. Check the device's website for a solution.

It depends on the dab pen. Some companies advertise a number of puffs per charge. Others advertise the number of days or weeks you can go without a charge. In general, it depends on how often you're hitting the device. Expect no more than a few hours of use out of a dab pen that you're continuously hitting throughout the day, like a 510 cartridge.

It takes most dab pens 2 - 4 hours to fully charge.

Reviewed by Danté Jordan on 9/22/22

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The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical or legal advice. This page was last updated on September 22, 2022.

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