Banger Bucket Inserts: A Beginners Guide

Banger Bucket Insert Benefits: 

  • Evenly Heated Dab
  • Heat Retention
  • Dab Efficiency
  • Better Dab Flavor
  • Increased Banger LifeSpan

Now it may be simple but the science behind a bucket insert is kinda wild! We’re talking about Increased Mass equals Better Heat Retention. Insert Material Properties. Heat Transference. Dare I say a dabgeek’s wet dream!

We’ll breakdown everything to help you fully understand what's happening so you can have the best dab time every dab time!

When it comes to heating up bucket inserts there are 2 main properties… Surface Area Difference and Heating Method / Heat Transference. 

Bucket Insert Heating: Its Properties and How It Works…

Surface Area Difference: The bucket insert has a smaller surface area than the banger itself. Because of this, the temperature difference within the insert is less likely to vary as much. To visualize this, imagine heating two screws of different sizes: a ¼” screw and a 2” screw. If you were to heat only the tip of each screw with a torch, which one would be harder to hold onto until it became too hot to touch?

The answer is the 2” screw. A larger surface area takes longer to heat uniformly, and the heat becomes less evenly distributed across the surface. Similarly, with a larger surface area like the banger’s, there’s a greater likelihood of uneven heating. While you can move the torch around to try to heat the banger evenly, the smaller surface area of the insert naturally leads to more uniform heating.

You might wonder, "Shouldn't the insert heat just as unevenly as the banger?" Well, not quite. The insert heats more evenly, not just because of its smaller size, but also because of the way the insert is heated compared to the banger, which brings us to the concept of heat transfer.

Heat Transfer:

With a banger, it's heated by a dab torch, and regardless of how many flames you use—whether it's one, two, or four—the heat distribution isn’t uniform. The area where the flame directly touches the banger will heat up faster, while the parts that aren't directly exposed to the flame will heat more slowly. This causes temperature differences within the banger itself, which can result in uneven heating.

As the bottom of the banger heats up, the bottom and the area where the insert's bottom touches begin to warm. However the heat going from the banger to the insert doesn’t apply with the same pinpoint precision as a dab torch. Instead, the heat spreads out as it travels through the banger to then heat the insert a, which means the insert heats more evenly than the banger. This spreading effect results in a more consistent temperature across the insert compared to the banger.

Now that you have a more evenly heated area, how can that help you? 

Efficient, Flavorful Dabs: 

An evenly heated surface ensures that the dab vaporizes more consistently, providing a smoother and more efficient session. Since the heat is spread more uniformly across the insert, there are fewer hot spots or cool spots. This helps maximize flavor and ensures that the concentrate is fully vaporized, without burning or wasting any material.

Heat Retention:

How does the bucket banger insert aid in heat retention? 

Increased Mass = Better Heat Retention:

Adding more mass to the heating area can increase heat retention. Heat retention is directly influenced by the material's mass and thermal properties (specific heat capacity). When you add an insert to a banger, you are increasing the total mass that needs to be heated, and that mass will store energy (heat). The more mass you have, the more heat it can hold for a longer period, with a baseline material in regards to heat retention being quartz and moving up to ceramic, silicone carbide or even titanium.

However, the increase in mass doesn’t directly translate into a linear increase in heat retention, especially when comparing different materials. The increase in mass (25-50%) with a bucket insert does contribute to better heat retention, but not in a perfectly uniform way across all materials. So, even though you have a larger heating mass, this doesn't guarantee a proportional increase in heat retention—it depends on the material's thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity.

Thermal Conductivity (Low to High):

Best at retaining heat: SiC < Ceramic < Sapphire < Ruby < Opaque Glass < Quartz < Titanium

Best at spreading heat quickly: Titanium

Specific Heat Capacity (High to Low):

Best at storing heat: Ceramic > SiC > Sapphire > Ruby > Opaque Glass > Quartz > Titanium

Least good at storing heat: Titanium

Quartz vs. Other Materials:

Bucket Insert Materials: Quartz has good heat retention, but it also has a relatively **high thermal conductivity**, meaning it loses heat fairly quickly compared to materials like silicon carbide (SiC). When you add an insert made of quartz to your banger, you're adding more mass, but the material still doesn't retain heat as well as other materials like SiC. Even though the banger and insert together may retain heat for a longer period than a single quartz banger, the heat retention would still be somewhat negligible compared to a more heat-retaining material.

Silicon Carbide (SiC): SiC has a much lower thermal conductivity than quartz, meaning it retains heat much longer. When you use an SiC insert, it can hold heat for a significantly longer period, even though the mass increase might be the same as a quartz insert. So, in terms of heat retention, SiC offers a far superior performance because it doesn't lose heat as quickly as quartz. The same can be said for Ruby, Sapphire and Ceramic, however titanium actually loses heat faster than quartz. 

The goal of every dab is to have the most evenly heated dab, for the most efficient vapor production, consistent taste, less waste and smoothness. You must always factor in the saturation rate versus vaporization rate of the surface being dabbed on and that depends on the heat of the surface and the size of the dab. Understanding the difference in all these materials and the actual properties of how a bucket insert works helps you achieve that perfect dab. 

Bucket inserts not only help with heat distribution but also offer additional benefits, like keeping your banger cleaner, reducing cleaning time and materials, and maintaining the health and lifespan of the banger (unless, of course, you drop it on concrete).

Banger Cleanliness and Longevity: 

Banger Longevity Due To Less Thermal Shock: The banger itself will not come into contact with much or any of the dab, therefore the banger will not experience as much thermal shock. The lessening of thermal shock helps maintain the integrity of the banger. Thermal shock is a contributor to chazzing and broken bangers. 

Thermal shock occurs when a material, in this case quartz gets heated to a high temperature then is touched with a cold temperature like a dab. This is why it can be dangerous to take dabs out of a freezer and put them into a 500 degree banger. The extreme temperature difference can result in microfractures or even cause the banger to shatter, especially if the banger is of lower quality. 

The banger will also stay cleaner, which helps reduce chazzing, while also requiring less cleaning time and materials. Keeping the banger clean prevents the burning of leftover dab in the next heating cycle, which is a contributor to chazzing. Less cleaning also saves time and money, as it reduces the need for frequent cleaning and lessens the amount of cleaning materials used.

Utilizing a bucket banger insert is a no-brainer, now just deciding which one is best for you is key, it should be based on the your banger size, making sure it fits, your material preference based on its durability, heating properties, compatibility with your banger and cleanliness preference.

Bucket Insert Compatibility:

Choosing the right size and style for your banger is crucial:

This may vary depending upon the wall thickness of the banger, however this is utilizing standard wall thickness of 2-3mm. 

Bucket Bottom Shape: 

For flat bottom bucket bangers utilize a flat bottom bucket insert, for round bottom bucket bangers utilize a round bottom bucket insert. 

Bucket Insert Materials: 

Bucket inserts come in the following materials and the list is ever-growing: 

  • Quartz Bucket Insert
  • Opaque Quartz Dab Bucket Insert
  • Ruby Bucket Banger Insert
  • Sapphire Dab Banger Insert
  • SiC Bucket Banger Insert
  • Titanium Dab Banger Insert
  • Ceramic Bucket Banger Insert

As you can tell by now we may have spent more time thinking about this in the span of 2 hours than most people do in a lifetime, but we love the science behind all of this and bringing you the best info so you can make the best decisions for yourself. 

22nd May 2025 VapeBrat

Recent Posts