How a Nectar Collector can change everything you know about taking Dabs.
When you think of taking dabs what does that look like? Does it involve a rig set up and torching the banger until it’s hot enough to smoke, do you add small pieces of shatter to a bowl before you smoke, or are you brand new to all these concepts and just wanna try some fat dabs? Regardless your level and experience with dabs and rig configurations, nectar collectors offer smokers new ways to get high. We will look at the different forms of nectar collectors and I will weigh in with my opinion on what I think is the best bang for your buck.
Get to know a Nectar Collector
Say Nectar Collector 5x fast. While it may seem like a tongue twister, don’t get it twisted, this guy packs a punch. The name itself comes from the way the hardware is used. The idea is that you are using this piece to collect “nectar” aka your wax or product. Most nectar collectors will have you heat up a titanium tip, from there like most dab rigs you would let it cool for about 15-20 seconds before hitting your wax. Some nectar collectors are electronic, they heat up internally and generally they involve a quartz tip similar to the quartz you would come to expect with most bangers, with temps ranging anywhere from 500-750 Fahrenheit. Once you have either heated up your nectar collector physically or you clicked the button, as soon as the proper temperature is hit you can place the tip into the product and take a heavy pull. Because the tip of the Nectar Collector is so hot, the product is vaporized and pushed through up to the mouth piece. Different companies and brands offer water chambers, waterless chambers and even silicone models too.
Should you invest in a glass, silicone or electronic Nectar Collector
I think the choice is truly something that is up to the smoker, but rather then just give my opinion I thought the most helpful thing to do, would be to break down common features you could expect to see across the board when it comes the different variations of this product.
Silicone
Silicone products to me are great if you are someone who breaks things…. A lot. I imagine that people are more careful and respectable with their glass just because of the money they invest in these pieces, but accidents do happen and as my dog has proven, tails can destroy anything. The silicone build would typically have three things, a titanium tip for proper heating and distribution. A glass middle which usually leads to or acts as a mouth piece as well. Some middle chambers even are designed to have water in them giving you the smooth hit you expected with dab rigs. Typically, my problem with silicone comes down to the cleaning and upkeep. Cleaning a silicone piece can often times leave an odor, and I notice over time silicone does rip depending on how gentle you are with it.
Source/ Smokea
GLASS
Glass is a key feature to most rigs and dab devices, but when we talk about glass nectar collectors we are talking about a piece that you yourself need to heat up manually before using. Similar to the silicone, the glass piece generally has a long narrow titanium neck which then connects to a glass chamber that then cools the vapor and allows for a smooth and easy hit. I am a big fan of these Nectar Collectors given the fact it really keeps in line with taking a dab off a rig, but again you do have to heat this up yourself with a torch. The other thing that typically gets me is all the fragile and complicated pieces of glass involved on these guys and cost. These pieces can be extremely expensive, really tricky to clean and hard to prevent from yellowing. This is more of a piece I would acquire after some time and experience with dabs.
Source/ Nectar Collector
Electronic
Electronic rig accessories can mean a lot of different things. When we are talking about electronic nectar collectors, we are talking about something that produces internal heat and raises in temperature. Rather, then bringing in an outside source of heat like your torch, you have a product that has inner coils heating a quartz tip which then once it hits its designated temperature and applied to a wax product will vaporize instantly. This usually then moves into a chamber that depending on your configuration can either be a water based chamber or a dry chamber. The piece itself is easily portable and regardless of your experience most devices have super simple designs that allow you to heat up the piece with just a few clicks of a button. Problems can occur with battery life and the tips are made of a rough quartz, they can become very dirty from material and generally have to be replaced rather than cleaned.
Source/ Kromedome
My Opinion
I think that for most of us we have our preference when it comes to smoking. When choosing a piece, I think the most important part is finding out what is the most comfortable for you as a smoker. At this point for myself I love looking at ease and innovation, something that doesn’t necessarily fit in one category or the other, but cements itself as unique. For this reason I truly believe that the electronic version of the nectar collector is the best bang for your buck and a fun cross between age-old tradition of smoking and technology. If you are already a long time dab smoker you will find a much easier and laid back way to enjoy a dab without needing a torch or flame. At the same time if you are new to dabs and aren’t in the market for a rig or expensive set up, having an electronic nectar collector is a great start. The Kromedome Dart 3.0 would be a great purchase for the long time dab advocate and the freshman smoker.
