How Does the Temperature of Your Banger Affect Your Dab Hits?

There are many questions about dabbing, and we're here to answer them! One of the most challenging aspects is getting a perfect dab temp nail. A specific dab temperature range can be difficult to get right, especially if you're new to dabbing. Let's dive into how the temperature of your banger affects your dab hit and what you can do to get the perfect dab temp every time.

What Is a Banger?

If you're new to cannabis, you might ask, "what is a banger?" Good question. Dabbing rigs are made specifically for dabbing, and every rig has to have a banger. The banger is the nail, a small, flat-bottomed bowl where the concentrate is placed, heated, and vaporized. Bangers come in various sizes and can be made from glass, titanium, ceramic, or quartz. Titanium and quartz are generally considered the best type of banger. The type of banger you choose impacts how your concentrate is heated - the best temp for a titanium nail will be different than the best temp for a glass nail. This makes a massive impact on your overall experience. The banger is an essential element of dabbing.

Different Methods of Heating Your Banger

Now that we know what a banger is, let's talk about how to heat one properly. The most common method is with a torch. There are two primary ways to heat your banger with a torch: low temp dabbing and high temp dabbing (we'll get to the specifics in a minute). Both are viable options that offer very different smoking experiences. Other methods that don't involve a torch include using an e-nail or stove. E-nails are heated via a coil and can be recharged and used anywhere. They are considered more controlled and safer but cost anywhere from $200 to $500. When you use a gas or electric stove, you turn your stove on high, hold the banger with tongs and place it on the burner for up to five minutes. Once heated, you put your banger on your rig and dab like you normally would. This method offers a lot less control and is generally not advised.

Why Is Temperature Important for Dabs

Temperature is critical to dabbing for a variety of reasons. The best way to describe its importance is to highlight the differences between low temp dabs and high temp dabs, their benefits, and some of the risks.

Low-temperature dabbing provides a much smoother experience with enhanced flavor, lower stress on your throat, and no chance of inhaling harmful chemicals due to combustion. At the same time, low temp dabbing results in more leftover residue (which means more cleaning), and it also takes a lot longer to get your concentrate heated. If you want to know how to low temp dab, you need to know the ideal temperatures. The ideal temperature to heat your nail to is between 380 and 420 degrees Fahrenheit (and no higher than 450 degrees Fahrenheit) - to do this, you fire up your torch and heat the nail until it turns red and glows - at that point, you take the torch away, add your dab, and smoke.

On the other hand, high-temperature dabbing requires that you heat your banger between 600 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit. To do this, you'll fire up your torch to the medium or highest setting and place it under your banger. It should only take a few seconds to heat up completely, at which point you remove the torch, add your dab, and smoke immediately. The pros of high temp dabbing are the immediate, intense high you'll feel, a flavorful hit, hardly any residue since the concentrate will disappear nearly as soon as it hits the banger, and the entire dabbing process takes less than a minute. Of course, there are some downsides to high temp dabbing, including that you might burn off all the terpenes and THC, that you could damage your rig, and that your throat could become heavily irritated. Most importantly, at 700 degrees Fahrenheit, the harmful chemicals Benzene and Naphthalene are released, meaning you could breathe in toxic chemicals with adverse effects.

The Best Temp for Dabs with Different Concentrates

In addition to changing the flavor, time range, intensity, and health risks, the optimal temperature depends on the type of concentrate you're smoking. While all concentrates are isolated THC and other cannabis compounds such as terpenes and other cannabinoids, how the concentrate is created is different for each. The creation process and the final product dictate the best temperatures for dabbing. Here's a list of the primary types of concentrates and their best temperature for dabs.

Shatter

Among one of the purest cannabis concentrates available, shatter sports a THC concentration of 75% or higher. It's created with the use of solvents but differs because it goes through an extra filtration process to get rid of excess fats and waxes. It is usually hard, sticky, and brittle, like toffee. Here at Where's Weed, we prefer to dab Shatter at around 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crumble

Crumble is an incredibly potent cannabis concentrate that can contain upward of 90% THC. It is produced using a solvent like butane or CO2 in combination with heat and pressure, resulting in a dry, crumbly product that's usually yellowish-orange color. Crumble is considered to be at its best when dabbed between 450 and 550 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wax

Wax, sometimes referred to as budder, is a type of Butane Hash Oil (BHO). It is made by soaking cannabis in the solvent butane, which separates the plant from its cannabinoids. It is soft and opaque that's usually a dirty yellow color. Wax's ideal temperature range for dabbing, like crumble, is between 450 and 550 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rosin

Rosin is a THC-rich concentrate that is the product of placing cannabis under intense heat and pressure without the use of solvents. Many argue that Rosin is the purest concentrate available because of how it's made. It is a thick, oily syrup that's usually an off yellow/green that's very easy to dab. Here at Where's Weed, we prefer heating our rosin between 550 and 580 degrees Fahrenheit for the perfect hit.

Live Rosin 

Similar to rosin, live rosin also uses intense heat and pressure to create your concentrate. The main difference between rosin and live rosin is that live rosin is created from fresh frozen flower instead of dried flower. We recommend dabbing live rosin anywhere between 375 degrees Fahrenheit to 500 degrees to enjoy the full spectrum of terpenes from the flower.