Bong vs dab rig: which piece of glass do you need?

The bong vs dab rig question comes up at our glass case all the time, usually from someone pointing at two pieces that look almost the same. They're cousins, but they're built for different things. Here's how to tell them apart, plus where bubblers and hand pipes fit in, so you walk out of our Clovis smoke shop with the right piece the first time.

Bong vs dab rig: the short answer

A bong is for flower. You pack ground bud into a bowl, light it, and the smoke pulls down through water before you inhale. A dab rig is for concentrates like wax, shatter, live resin and rosin. Instead of a bowl it has a nail or banger that you heat, then touch the concentrate to it and it vaporizes.

Rigs are usually smaller, because concentrate vapor is thin and a big chamber dulls the flavor. Bongs run bigger, because flower smoke has more volume and more water helps cool it. If you smoke flower, start with a bong. If you're into concentrates, get a rig.

Side-by-side comparison

Sizes are rough ranges. Glass comes in every shape, and the case changes as new pieces come in.

Bongs

A bong has four parts: a base that holds water, a tube or neck you pull through, a downstem that carries smoke into the water, and a bowl that holds the flower. Most bowls are a removable slide, so you pull it out to clear the chamber.

Shape and size

Beakers have a wide, cone-shaped base and are hard to tip over. Straight tubes are simpler and easier to clean. Taller pieces give smoke more time to cool, but they're also easier to knock off the coffee table. For a first bong, something in the 10 to 14 inch range is a sweet spot.

Percolators

A percolator, or "perc," is an extra chamber of glass that splits smoke into lots of small bubbles. Common styles are tree, honeycomb, showerhead and inline. Percs make hits feel smoother, but every one adds a little drag and one more nook to clean. Nice to have, not required.

Browse what's in the case now under glass pipes & bongs.

Dab rigs

A dab rig looks like a small bong, but where the bowl would go, it has a joint for a banger, a small quartz bucket you heat with a torch. Once it cools to the right temperature, you drop a bit of concentrate in with a dab tool, cover it with a carb cap and inhale.

Small is the point. Less glass means less space for vapor to sit, so the flavor of a good live resin or rosin comes through. Recyclers, which loop water back through the chamber, are popular for smooth hits, but a basic mini rig works great.

There are also electronic rigs (e-rigs): battery-powered units that heat to a set temperature with no torch. They cost more up front but are easier for beginners. See what we carry under dab rigs in Clovis, and look at batteries & devices for portable options.

Bubblers and hand pipes

Bubblers are the in-between option: a handheld pipe with a small water chamber built in. You get some of the smoothness of a bong without a big piece on the counter. Good for small apartments.

Hand pipes (spoons, chillums, sherlocks) are dry pipes with no water. They're cheap, portable and simple, and plenty of people keep one around even after they buy a bong. Hits are hotter and harsher than through water, so take smaller pulls.

Joint sizes: 10 mm, 14 mm and 18 mm

The joint is where the bowl or banger connects to the piece. If you ever buy a replacement bowl, banger or ash catcher, it has to match. There are three standard sizes:

• 10 mm: small, usually on mini rigs and little bubblers.
• 14 mm: the most common size on both bongs and rigs. If you're not sure, it's probably this.
• 18 mm: larger bongs and big-bowl setups.

Joints are also male (sticks out) or female (an opening). A female joint on the piece needs a male bowl or banger, and the other way around. The angle matters too: 90-degree bangers fit pieces with an upright joint, 45-degree bangers fit angled ones. Easiest fix? Bring your piece in and we'll match it at the counter.

Quartz bangers, carb caps and torches

• Quartz banger: the go-to for most dabbers. Thicker quartz holds heat longer and is more forgiving. Keep one clean and it can last a long time.
• Carb cap: sits on top of the banger, traps heat and controls airflow. It lets you dab at lower temperatures, which keeps flavor in.
• Torch: a refillable butane torch. A pocket lighter won't heat quartz properly.
• Dab tool: a small metal or glass pick to move concentrate from the jar to the banger.
• Timer or thermometer: optional. Many people heat, then count before dabbing. An infrared thermometer takes out the guesswork.

Check dab rigs and papers & accessories for bangers, caps and tools, or ask at the counter.

Cleaning basics

Clean glass hits better, tastes better, and doesn't smell up the room. A simple routine:

1. Change the water daily. Stale bong water gets funky fast.
2. Deep clean weekly if you use it a lot. Pour in isopropyl alcohol and coarse salt, plug the openings, and shake. The salt scrubs, the alcohol dissolves resin.
3. Soak the small parts. Drop the bowl and downstem in a zip bag with alcohol and salt.
4. Rinse well with warm water until there's no alcohol smell, then let everything dry.
5. For bangers, swab out leftover oil with a cotton swab after each dab, once it has cooled enough to handle safely.

Pre-made glass cleaners work great too, if you'd rather skip the salt-and-alcohol shake.

Budget tips from the counter

• Buy for what you actually use. Mostly flower? Skip the rig for now.
• Simple first. A plain beaker or straight tube beats a fancy perc you'll hate cleaning.
• Look at the glass thickness. Thicker borosilicate glass survives bumps better. It's worth paying a little more for a piece you'll keep.
• Accident-prone? Silicone pipes and bongs bounce instead of break.
• Budget for the extras. A grinder, a cleaner, and for rigs a torch and carb cap.
• Watch the deals. Glass and accessories can land on our weekly deals page, and members currently earn rewards points on orders.

Looking for a bong shop in Clovis? Our glass case is at Factory Direct on W 7th St, under the same roof as the dispensary, so you can pick up a piece and something for it in one stop. You must be 21 or older to shop. New to all of this? Start with our first-time dispensary guide.