Dabbing 101: Titanium Dab Nails

Titanium dab nails are hailed as the most durable dabbing option. Made from titanium they are nearly impossible to break, heat up very quickly and retain heat better than any other dab nail option, making them perfect for people looking for a quick and powerful dabbing option. The only downside of dabbing with a titanium dab nail is the taste is not as good as quartz, which is where hybrid nails come in, offering the best of both worlds, the durability of a titanium nail with the flavor of a quartz, ceramic or silicon carbide dish. 

There are so many different titanium nails to choose from so we’ll be going through each different style, explaining the pros and cons of each so you can decide, which if any is best for you. 

As with any dab nail, understanding which size is best for you is the first step. The 20mm titanium nail is meant for dabs under 0.1grams, with the 25mm medium dish being best for dabs under 0.2grams, the 25mm deep dish being best for dabs under 0.25grams, the 30mm medium dish for sabs under 0.3grams and the 30mm deep dish being best for dabs under 0.35grams. 

Here’s a quick chart to view which size is best for each dab size

One way to increase the capacity of any of this dab nails is by pairing it with a titanium nail spinner carb cap and terp pearls. The terp pearls used with the dish should be in line with the size of the nail, for instance the 20mm titanium nail should be paired with 4mm terp pearls while the 25mm and 30mm dishes should be paired with 6mm terp pearls. It is not recommended to use terp pearls above the 6mm size with any titanium dab nail as they will have a difficult time spinning and will be a net loss for your dabbing experience. 

Here’s a chart showing the proper terp pearl sizes for each dish size

The 20mm dish is is the most narrow and shallow of all the options, it is traditionally only paired with an e-nail coil, however some people do use it with a dab torch. The 20mm titanium nail is fairly straight forward as there isnt any customization capability with it, so utilizing the spinner carb cap is the best way to increase the vaporization rate to get bigger clouds and be able to consume larger dab sizes. 

When dealing with the 25mm and 30mm titanium nail sizes customization really comes into play. 

For both the 25mm and 30mm everything mentioned holds true for both. 

For these sizes you have a few options when it comes to the dish which is attached to the nail. 

Different dish heights

You can choose for the medium or deep dish option. The different dish heights will impact the efficient dabbing capacity, with the deep dish being able to handle 25-50% larger dabs than the medium dish version. Utilizing the titanium spinner carb cap can help the deep dish efficiently vaporize up to 50% more than the medium dish version. The deep dish dishes are able to handle larger dab sizes because of the larger surface area, if you recall the large pot small pot theory we have mentioned countless times in previous blogs, taht will help you understand why this is the case. Suffice it to say, the larger surface area, means the dish can more easily vaporize larger dabs efficiently. 

Different Dish Materials

Another advantage to utilizing 25mm or 30mm titanium nails is there customizability of materials. By purchasing other dish materials it can completely change the dabbing experience. Although titanium is extremely durable and heats very quickly the taste may not be the best. Switching the dish to one of the following materials can help increase the flavor profile of the dab while not compromising entirely on durability. Quartz offers the most premium taste although it is the most fragile of the four dish options. 

The following materials are available in 25mm and 30mm titanium nail compatible dishes: Titanium, Ceramic, Quartz, Silicone Carbide. With titanium being the standard option. 

The 20mm titanium nail is only compatible with a 20mm titanium dish

Dabbing with Titanium Nail Essential info:

Of everything mentioned this is possibly the most important part of dabbing with a titanium nail. 

Being that titanium nails conduct heat so well they heat up quickly, the downside is that the entire nail can reach the same temperature as the dish portion which is hit by the enail coil or dab torch. 

The impact of the entire nail heating up is that the dab nail joint get really hot and nearly all dab rig joints are not able to withstand the heat of the nail. This is why so many dab rig joints shatter when the dab nail reaches over 400 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s a simple tool to help with this which has several benefits. As always its recommended to utilize a reclaim catcher when dabbing, however when dabbing with a titanium nail its practically essential. 

The catch is that a borosilicate glass reclaim catcher is made from the same glass as most dab rigs. The trick is to utilize a silicone reclaim catcher, silicone reclaim catchers can withstand the heat of a titanium nail and do not transfer the heat to the dab rig joint, saving the dab rig from breaking. It’s a minor investment that helps you save big!

Now there are a few different styles of silicone reclaim catchers, the typically curved neck reclaim catcher and the inline silicone reclaim catcher. The curved neck silicone reclaim catcher tends to bend slightly with the weight of a silicone dab nail so it is only recommended to utilize the inline silicone reclaim catcher when dabbing with a titanium dab nail. 

Titanium Nail Compatability

Titanium nails also have a unique advantage in that many styles offer a 10mm, 14mm and 18mm male joint. This joint is able to be unscrewed and flipped to become a female gender joint, making titanium nails compatible with pracically any size dab rig joint in male or female. This is pretty cool however titanium nails are only meant to be used with 90 degree dab rig joints and should not be sued with 45 degree dab rig joints as the nail will be on an angle and the dab will slide of the nail.