Nectar Collector vs Rig: Which to Pick
A nectar collector is a tube with a heated tip. You touch the tip to a dab and inhale through the mouthpiece. Vapor travels down the tube into a small water chamber. A dab rig is a water pipe with a banger or nail. You heat the banger, drop in the dab, and inhale through the mouthpiece.
Small Nectar Collector for Distillate: How to Pick and Use One
Pick a nectar collector if you dab alone, take small doses, and need the device to fit in a bag. Pick a rig if you dab with other people, want larger hits, and keep a table station at home.
How Each Device Works
Nectar collector: length ranges from 6 to 14 inches. The tip is titanium, quartz, or ceramic. You heat the tip with a torch for 20 to 45 seconds, then touch it to the concentrate while inhaling. Common joint sizes are 10mm and 14mm.
Rig: a glass water pipe with a 10mm, 14mm, or 18mm joint. The banger holds the dab. A carb cap sits on top and traps vapor. You heat the banger with a torch and wait for the cooldown, or use an electric coil.
Nectar Collector Cleaning Guide: How to Clean Your Piece
Dose Size
Nectar collector dabs run 0.05 g to 0.1 g. The tip surface limits the load. A 14mm quartz banger holds 0.1 g to 0.5 g. One banger dab can deliver 3 to 5 times the THC of one hit from a collector.
Heat and Temperature
Both devices need a torch unless you buy an electric model. Quartz bangers work at 450°F to 600°F. Titanium tips work at 600°F to 700°F. Neither device has a thermostat. Electric nectar collectors run coils at 350°F to 450°F. E-rigs hold a set temperature within 10°F.
Cost
Nectar collector: $20 to $150. Torch: $15 to $40. Replacement tips: $8 to $30. Rig with banger and carb cap: $50 to $400. E-rig: $150 to $400. Butane refills: about $5 per can.
Portability and Storage
A collector and a small torch fit in a backpack. Rigs stay on a table. A 10-inch rig holds 4 to 8 inches of water and weighs 2 to 5 pounds. Glass breaks. Store both devices in a case.
Cleaning
Both devices collect reclaim. Soak glass in 91% isopropyl alcohol with coarse salt for 30 minutes. Titanium tips darken with heat. Quartz tips cloud after 20 to 50 heat cycles. Replace a tip when the surface chips.
At the Store
Licensed shops sell both devices. Ask the staff for the joint size before you buy a banger. A 14mm banger will not fit a 10mm rig. Ask for the tip material on a collector. Quartz tips cost more than titanium and hold heat longer. Test the airflow before you pay. A blocked air path on a new rig means the perc is flawed.
Options
Pick a device by group size and dose first. Then pick hardware.
- Quartz tip nectar collector, 10mm. Solo use, dabs under 0.1 g, budget under $60.
- Titanium tip nectar collector, 14mm. Larger loads, faster heat, tips at $8 to $15.
- Electric nectar collector. No torch, coil at 350°F to 450°F, battery charge per session.
- Mini rig with 10mm quartz banger. Solo to two people, 0.1 g to 0.2 g dabs, $50 to $120.
- Full rig with 14mm banger and carb cap. Groups of two or more, 0.2 g to 0.5 g dabs, $80 to $400.
- E-rig with digital temperature. Set point within 10°F, no torch, $150 to $400.