The world of concentrate consumption is always growing and changing so it can be hard to keep up. The introduction of concentrates to the marijuana industry formed an opportunity for the glass industry to build something new. This led to the Dab Rig’s creation, and to the most important tool the banger. Bangers, or as some call them nails, are an essential component of any dabber’s inventory. They are most commonly made of quartz, but can also be made with ceramic or titanium. Quartz bangers or nails are the preferred method because they heat up three times faster than either ceramic or titanium bangers/nails, and stay hot for longer. The quartz nail or banger also provides a smoother, tastier hit. Ceramic or titanium has also been known to emit harmful gasses compared to quartz. It is important that one of these materials is used to make the banger as it will need to withstand extreme heat in order to function without breaking. We would highly recommend high quality full-weld quartz over any other material for its superior durability, design, heat retention, and overall safety.

All bangers come with either male or female joints. This describes whether the end of the banger that connects to your rig is designed to go into the female joint or go over the male joint of the rig. The banger’s joint will come in the three standard sizes 10mm, 14mm, and 18mm. There can also be different thicknesses to the quartz, but the most common are 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm.

Because there are so many styles and types on the market, we have created this guide to help everyone understand the terminology and each piece’s unique function. The hyperlinks throughout the guide will take you to the page of our website where you can purchase them yourself. Let us know in the comment section which is your favorite, or if there is a style you would like us to add!

90° Banger: This describes the angle of the neck of the banger. It most closely resembles a 90-degree angle. The quartz can vary in terms of thickness, shape, and function, but the 90° signifier will always refer to the angle of the neck/stem. 

45° Banger: This describes the angle of the neck of the banger. It most closely resembles a 45-degree angle. The quartz will usually come in either 2mm, 3mm, or 4mm thickness. This design is commonly used to convert bongs, with joints that will not fit right with a 90°, into concentrate oil rigs. Heady rigs may also have 45 Degree joints, and may require a similar angled banger depending on its shape.

Flat Top Banger: This describes the type of opening of the banger's dish/bucket. Old-school nails/bangers come with an angled cut opening, whereas the newer aged flat tops create a perpendicular opening so carb caps. spinner caps, and marbles can rest easier on the lid. These can also have thick bottoms that absorb more heat to stay hotter longer. Although applicable to an abundance of styles of bangers, the phrase "flat top banger" will usually signify a 25mm wide bucket banger similar to the image above.

Flat Top Insert: This describes an insert that can be placed inside a flat top banger that allows for easier cleaning and more indirect heat. If the concentrate is placed in the insert and dropped into the banger at the right temperature, heat from the external banger walls will transfer to the insert and begin the vaporization process of your dab. Those who consistently used inserts for dabbing swear that you get a much cleaner, more flavorful hit. As an added bonus, when it comes time to clean, you can simply remove the insert and soak it in isopropyl alcohol or a similar kind of cleaner. The most popular sizes are 25mm and 30mm in diameter.

Auto-Spinning Bangers:  This refers to any banger that has angled port holes (circled) on the side walls of the bucket as the points of airflow. A much newer-aged style of banger, auto-spinners are phenomenal at keeping your concentrate towards the bottom of the banger and simplifying the carb/capping process. Instead of requiring a cap that produces the spinning airflow, a simply marble is all that is needed to create the proper restriction. 

Terp Slurper: This describes a banger with an opened dish (red) on the bottom of a thin extended style of bucket, primarily created for those who enjoy the larger side of dabs. Ports and slitted openings on the base of the dish will become the new focal point of airflow, allowing you to seal the top and use an internal valve accessory for maximum efficiency (green). Your extract or dab will be placed against the elongated walls in the center (yellow). Once it has melted down into the dish and the top airflow has been sealed, the overall design will cause concentrate to “slurp” up the banger walls, then slide back down into the dish section for further vaporization and reheating.

Terp Blender: The word blender will indicate that the dish or bottom of the banger will have angled or curved ported air slits designed to create a spinning effect from underneath. Very similar to a Terp Slurper in function, a blender will usually have uniform sized walls down to the dish whereas the slurper will have various narrowing points. This allows for a variety of different accessories and even larger dabs to be had. On occasion, a banger will feature both a slurper shape and a blender dish for the best of both worlds!

Terp Cycler: This describes a very unique banger that cycles the oil through the banger. There is a specially designed insert to create more surface area to vaporizes the extract that sits at the base of the banger. Once concentrate is placed into the insert it will melt down through it until it slips into the loop attached that cycles the extract back to the top of the insert which starts the process over again. Only intended for the largest of dabs. 

Round / Bubble Bottom: This indicates that the bottom of the banger is rounded instead of flat. The round shape is designed to allow the concentrate to melt down to a single point instead of collecting on the flat surface which spreads it out. This makes reheating so much easier, and cleaning becomes substantially more convenient as well. Terp pearls still work well in a round bottom, and it also opens you up to a number of different shaped pearls, gems, bouncers and other spinner accessories.

Cold Start / Splash Guard Bangers: The term "cold-start" refers to bangers that the user puts the concentrate or extract into the bucket before heating the quartz up. Placing the dab before torching will cause the dab to begin vaporizing during the heat up process as opposed to the cooling down one. People who enjoy cold start dabs get the benefit of always ensuring a lower temperature dab, and will always get more flavor from the experience. Be careful though, if you are not a meticulous cleaner after every use, your banger could chazz more easily over time due to excess leftover concentrate whenever you go to reheat the banger. Keep in mind that cold start dabbing doesn't necessarily require a particular shape, however some are better at it than others. Since you'll be dealing with more "melted" concentrate, these cold-start splash guard bangers will usually have a flared round bottom shape with a bevel about midway down the bucket to make sure unwanted dabs are not pulled down the stem.

Long Barrel / Finger Bangers: This refers to bangers with overly long, extended buckets where the user can consume even larger dabs without having to worry about pulling excess down the stem. These are also technically cold start bangers as well, and will usually come in a round bottom shape to help collect your dab for reheat. You will sometimes see them called "finger bangers" because the point of heat at the base of the bucket is far enough away from the top air flow that you can potentially use your actual finger as a carb cap if one is not provided. Of course, this is not recommended at all for serious risk of burn or injury.

Core Reactor: This describes a banger with a solid thick quartz cylinder in the center. The added block of quartz allows for greater heat retention and gives a larger surface area to come in contract with the extract. The “core” can have heat reactive color changing crystals added inside to help better gauge the temperature level. Another popular style amongst larger dabbers.

Thermal Banger: This describes a banger with two levels of walls. This creates a separation between the flame and the quartz which helps for lower temp dabs. It also helps stop the flow of extract from going down the neck into your piece. Heat reactive color changing crystals can be added to help better gauge the temperature level.

Bell-Shaped Flare: This describes a shape made famous in the industry by Evan Shore which flares out at the bottom making it harder to pull through the neck and gives a larger surface on the bottom for heat retention.

Heat Reactive Color Changing Crystals: These crystals are added to certain banger nails to help gauge the temperature level of the quartz. The crystals change color from yellow to red depending on how much heat is applied. The visual effect is fun to watch and will help you find that perfect temp dab. 

For more information on how to dab, check out our blog: I Use a Blowtorch To Do What?!