Can You Use a Bong as a Dab Rig?
You already have a perfectly good bong. Do you really need a separate piece if you want to get into dabbing? Why not just toss a banger on that bad boy and call it a day?
Well, you can.
But whether or not you'd want to is a bit more complicated.
It depends on your bubbler or bong. If you have a small, simple piece, you're over halfway there. You just need the right accessories to convert it. If you have a larger piece, a dedicated dab rig will serve you better as you explore cannabis concentrates.
Here's what you need to know.
If You Have a Bubbler or Small Bong: How to Convert It
If you have a smaller bong or bubbler that you love, then you may already be on your way to dabbing goodness. All you'll need is a compatible quartz banger and a butane torch and you're good to go.
What Makes a Banger Compatible with Your Bong or Bubbler?
Your banger must have the right joint type, angle, and size to work with your existing water pipe. Here's what to look for when you're retrofitting your bubbler to a dab rig.
Joint Type
Bongs, bubblers, bowls, and bangers are either "male" or "female." Male joints slot into female joints. And female joints sit over male joints. (Don't make it weird.)
The GRAV® Eclipse Rig has a female joint and a male banger.
Most GRAV bongs and bubblers have female joints, while our bowls and bangers usually have male joints. But if your piece and your banger are both male or both female, you'll need an adapter to make them work together.
Neck Angle
Most bangers have either a 45° or a 90° neck angle. If your bong's joint is diagonal, you'll need a 45° banger so the bucket isn't dangling like a broken spliff. If your bong's joint is vertical, you'll need a 90° banger so the bucket sits horizontal when it's inserted.
The GRAV® Rain Rig comes with a 45° banger.
The GRAV® Hourglass Pocket Bubbler Rig comes with a 90° banger.
Joint Size
The joint size of both your bong and banger need to match up. Standard joint sizes include 10mm, 14mm, and 18 or 19mm, with 14mm the most common. But if you have a mismatch between bong and banger, you may be able to find an adapter to make them compatible.
If You Have a Larger Bong: Why a Dedicated Rig Is a Better Choice
If your current bong is a big 'un, then it may not be a good choice as a long-term dab rig. Here's why bigger isn't better with dabs.
1. Reduced Flavor & Potency
The lower temperature of dabs preserves their terpenes better than the higher heat of flower combustion. That's one of the reasons people love them so much—beyond the high THC content, they're just more flavorful.
But this is why major water filtration and air cooling can actually hurt your experience. With a longer path to travel, your dab can cool too much, dulling your hit and dropping the quality of your pull.
2. Wasted Concentrate
Because the vapor from dabs is already cooler than the smoke from flower, it's more likely to collect in the chamber of a large piece. If resin is stuck to the glass, it's not reaching your mouth and lungs where you want it.
So while you may save money short-term by not buying a second smaller dab rig, you'll lose money long-term on wasted product.
3. More Work to Clear
Clearing a big piece is big work. And if you're trying to pull vapor through a big ol' chamber, you're going to be sucking up a lot of air with that vapor. That may mean you'll have trouble clearing the whole thing on one pull.
Flower smoke is harsher and hotter, so it can withstand a bit of a wait while you clear the chamber in multiple draws. But dabs are smoother, cooler, and more delicate. That means you need to clear them faster, so they don't go stale.
That being said, you can absolutely put a quartz banger on a larger piece if you want to test the dabbing waters before committing to a whole dab rig. It's just not the optimal way to enjoy your oils long-term.
If you do choose to repurpose a water pipe into a dab rig, make sure it's very clean before you use it for dabs. Leftover resin from smoking flower will make your dab taste nasty.
Upline Water Pipe: Amazing bong. Not a great dab rig.
Why Use a Dedicated Dab Rig?
So now let's look at our other option: a dedicated dab rig.
Dab rigs are designed to optimize the flavor and THC content of your concentrate. Smaller chambers and simpler designs create a shorter vapor path, giving you fresh, terpene-rich pulls. The small design also means vapor moves from banger to mouth fast, instead of getting caught and wasted in lots of restrictions or recycler arms.
Plus, dab rigs are built with minimal percolation. Lots of percs are great to smooth harsh smoke, but with silky dabs, excess percolation can dilute the taste.
And since rigs usually come with a banger, you won't need to worry about hunting down a compatible dabbing accessory for your existing bong.
What Else You Need for Dabs
On top of a small rig or water pipe and a quartz banger, you need a couple more things before you're ready to get waxy.
A Butane Torch
With flower, you pack your bowl, then burn the ground-up weed with a lighter to create smoke clouds.
With dabs, you apply heat to your quartz banger while it's empty. Then you drop your dab into the bucket, which vaporizes on contact. (This is why heat resistance is so important—because we're talking high temps here that can crack borosilicate.)
To bring your banger up to temp, you'll need a heating element. A small butane torch is your best bet for even heat. You'll apply the torch flame directly to the banger to let it get nice and hot. If you want to be precise about temperature, an infrared thermometer is key.
Dab Tool
Since your banger is going to be bananas hot—we're talking 400°F or more—you don't want to drop your wax in there with your fingers.
This is where the dab tool comes in. This little metal pick is the safe way to pick up and apply a sticky glob of goodness, keeping your hands well out of the way.
Additional Dab Accessories
The only mandatory items for dabbing are your dab rig, banger/nail, butane torch, and dabbing tool.
But there are other accessories you can use to upgrade your setup.
Carb Cap
A carb cap sits over the top of your banger after you drop the concentrate inside to keep vapor from evaporating into the air.
Some are simple lids, while others (like the GRAV® Yo-Yo Carb Cap), can help you direct airflow to make sure every bit of concentrate is vaporized.
While a carb cap isn't an absolute must, it does make your dabs much more efficient. Most serious dabbers wouldn't consider breaking out the torch without one.
Quartz Inserts
Quartz inserts are small cups that you load and drop into a heated banger. They have a couple benefits:
- The extra layer of quartz means concentrate is vaporized by induction instead of direct heat. Heat distribution is even, efficient, and gives you smoother, high-terp hits.
- Since your dab goes in the insert instead of directly on the banger, inserts keep your accessories clean longer.
If you go this route, you'll also want a pair of reverse tweezers so you can drop the insert into the banger without burning yourself.
Pearls & Pillars
Some dabbers absolutely swear by pillars, pearls, and marbles in their bangers when they dab.
Pearls (sometimes called beads) are small spheres that swirl around your banger when you pull. They distribute heat evenly, helping to vaporize every last bit of concentrate.
Pillars are rod-shaped inserts that stand vertically in your banger. They're often used with taller bangers like slurpers or hybrids—high airflow setups that can make the pillar really swirl around to spread heat around the whole bucket.
Neither of these inserts are mandatory. But as GRAV® fan Kimberly N. put it:
"If you aren't managing your flavor profiles with this level of precision, are you even science-ing? It's the difference between a snack and a five-course meal."
Pieces That Do Double Duty
You don't have to drop cash on both a bubbler for herb and a dab rig for concentrate.
Instead, you can keep your collection streamlined and ultra-functional with a hybrid piece that can do double duty—just swap out a banger or a bowl to suit your mood that day.
Check out the GRAV® Eclipse Rig or GRAV® Rain Rig as great hybrid options. Both pieces have a small footprint and they hit hard, whether you're using the included banger or adding an affordable bowl.
Whichever route you choose, you can get equipped with GRAV. Check out our accessories and get everything you'll need, whether you're starting fresh or upgrading your setup.
