How to Choose a Concentrate Bucket Banger for Your Dabbing Needs

It is clear that bucket bangers are the way to go for many dab enthusiasts, and many cannot imagine dabbing without one. Concentrate bucket bangers offer many advantages over simpler nail designs, holding more product, allowing for better temperature control, better flavor and other factors that matter a great deal when dabbing.

Because concentrate bucket bangers have become increasingly in-demand, there is a wider variety of them than ever before on today’s dabbing market. While variety is a good thing, as it allows us to enjoy our dabs in all kinds of unique ways, it can leave beginners completely confused, not knowing which one is the most compatible with their setup as well as their ultimate goals. Fortunately, we are here to help.

What is a Concentrate Bucket Banger?

A concentrate bucket banger, sometimes referred to simply as a banger, is a type of dab nail that has a bucket-like shape, hence its name. While traditional dab nails look like, well, nails, bucket bangers act as vessels that hold the concentrate while maintaining contact with the heat source. The bucket is attached to a joint through a tube that allows for easy airflow, and heating it involves the same process as heating a traditional nail, which can be done through a butane torch or an e-nail that heats the bucket electronically.

Bucket Banger Options

Today’s bucket banger market is loaded with options, so let’s cover the main varying factors that will give you a sense of what’s out there, and what each type of bucket banger can do for your dabbing experience.

Different Materials

Bucket bangers come in all kinds of materials, and each material comes with its own pros and cons.

Quartz

Pros:

• 1.Without a doubt, quartz bangers are the most popular of all.
• 2.Extremely durable.
• 3.Leave no trace chemicals in the concentrate that don’t just alter its flavor but potentially put our health at risk.
• 4.Essentially indestructible.
• 5.Handle heat beautifully, while retaining heat between hits.

Cons:

• 1.Although slightly thicker than glass, it still tends to get damaged very easily. This can become annoying when you have to replace your bowl or nail every two months. Replacements are cheaply available through our website.
• 2.Extremely weak when it comes to retaining heat. Basically, even though it can heat up in seconds, the flip side is it will also lose the heat in seconds. So, if you’re looking for a longer sesh, you will need to keep re-heating it.

Ceramic:

Pros:

• 1.Do a great job at retaining heat.
• 2.Available in a variety of aesthetically pleasing and complementary colors.
• 3.More durable than quartz. It does not get fractured as easily even if heated to high temperatures.
• 4.Does not outgas when heated.
• 5.Ceramic does not leech chemicals, similarly to quartz, so this is an advantage that it has.

Cons:

• 1.Fragile material, so the user must be extremely careful when using and storing their piece.
• 2.A porous material that makes cleaning harder, as trace amounts of gunk can get into the ceramic and alter its flavor.
• 3.Ceramic parts are not as readily available compared to quartz or titanium.
• 4.Slow heating, making it not ideal for a quick fix.
• 5.Some dabbers feel that ceramic alters the taste and flavor of the concentrate.
• 6.If the ceramic is made in China, and not made in the USA, it’s notorious known for cracking at high temps.
• 7.Ceramic parts can be heavy if you have plastic rigs- better suited for glass.

Titanium

Titanium

Pros:

• 1.Are as durable as quartz, being virtually unbreakable.
• 2.Non-porous and therefore easy to clean.
• 3.Heats faster than ceramic.
• 4.Excellent heat retention which happens in seconds and is ideal for those extended sessions.
• 5.Can purchase size-adjustable titanium nails to be used with your rig, irrespective of its size.
• 6.One-time investment that should outlast any other accessory.

Cons:

• 1.Heats slower than quarts.
• 2.Can alter the taste of your concentrate, giving it a metallic flavor that’s not appealing. This why they should be seasoned before you use them, and the process for doing so consists of:
• - The metal being polymerized to remove any coating or polish applied to it.
• - Nail is then heated.
• - Finally, a thin layer of oil is applied to it to significantly reduce the possibility of Titanium affecting the taste or flavor of the dab.
• 3.Although they heat up very quickly, which may seem like a good thing, it could also put your concentrate is at a higher risk of burning in a way that loses its flavor as well as potency.
• 4.You need to be careful handling titanium bangers of any kind when in use and shortly after, as the material retains heat for a long time.
• 5.Titanium is more expensive than quartz, ceramic and even glass.
• 6.Titanium replacement parts are heavy, so they must be compatible with your glass bong. Not an option at all for plastic rigs.

Glass

• 1.Good choice if you are on a serious budget.
  • 1.Glass is fragile, as we all know, so they require careful handling.
  • 2.Sometimes can be harder to clean.
  • 3.Can get scratched real easily.
  • 4.Takes longer to cool down after use.

#2: Different Styles

There are three main styles of bangers, referring to their shape and design.

Flat Top

Easily, the most popular type of bucket banger, its design consists of a cylindrical bucket-like shape, being flat on the top and bottom. Flat top bangers ensure even heat throughout the concentrate, so one single torch application appropriately and evenly heats the concentrate so that the hits are smooth and consistent. 

Trough

Trough-style bangers look like troughs used to feed livestock, with a wide rectangular mouth and a base that curves at the bottom. The wide base allows even melting of concentrate, but the wider design can also make the dabs less concentrated.

Thermal

Consist of a bucket banger with an inner bowl that acts as insulation for the concentrates. This allows them to retain heat in a highly effective manner, so you do not need to torch the banger each time you wish to take a hit. However, thermal bangers are known for being a pain to clean.

#3: Different Features

As bucket bangers become more advanced, new features are being innovated in an effort to improve the overall dabbing experience.

Angular

Bangers that have a top cut at an angle are not just an aesthetic choice. Some say that this style offers more adequate airflow so that the hits are even smoother and more flavorful.

Center Core

We are seeing more bangers on the market that have a center core, which is a small heating core that runs through the middle of the bucket, acting as a secondary source of heat from the inside. This heats the concentrates more quickly, thoroughly, and evenly.

Different Diameters

The diameter of your bucket banger is actually especially important to pay attention to. Banger sizes typically run from 10mm to 19mm, with 14mm being the most common by far. The size of your banger plays a big role in how concentrated your hits are, with smaller bangers being extremely concentrated and larger bangers diluting the potency of your concentrates.

So, 14mm is often regarded as a sweet spot, offering the perfect balance between smooth hits and potent compounds/flavor. Not only that, but this option is by and large the most popular, with the best size for a satisfying experience, an exceptionally durable and heat-retentive material, and a design that enables even heating and proper airflow. 

Today’s Bucket Banger Market Has Something for Everyone

Hardware companies are constantly at work developing new ways to experience dabs through unique banger innovations. That means a lot of dab enthusiasts are enjoy trying out different bangers to see how each type affects their dabbing experience. Feel free to explore the wide world of concentrate bucket bangers on our website to see for yourself how these different details impact your flavor, potency, airflow, and more!