Taking the perfect dab comes down to precise timing.
To take the best dab, heat a clean quartz banger with a butane torch at the tip of the blue flame for about 30 seconds, let it cool for 90 seconds to create a low-temp environment, drop in a tiny dab, watch it melt fully, cover with a carb cap, and inhale slowly for richer flavor.
Mastering your dabs isn’t just about timing, it’s also about how you handle each tool in your arsenal: how to torch, water levels, and when to cap the banger.
In this guide, we’ll go step by step on how to use each of your dab tools together to get the most potent and satisfying hit. Let’s get started!
Quick steps:
- Set up your dab rig (rig, torch, banger, dabber, cap)
- Torch your banger (torch evenly all sides 30 seconds)
- Wait 90 seconds (Let the banger cool for low-temp dabs)
- Transfer dabs (Use dabber tool to move dabs into banger)
- Cap and inhale (cover the banger with a carb cap and inhale)
Quick start guide: How to dab
Step 1: Setup your dab rig
First, you want to make sure you have everything you need because there are a lot of moving parts with dabbing. There are 7 different types of dab rig setups, but for now, we’ll use the classic setup listed below:
- Glass dab rig (smaller rigs are better)
- Quartz banger (where dabs melt)
- Butane torch (melts dabs into vapor)
- Dabber tool (transfers dabs into banger)
- Carb cap (lid to cover banger to trap vapor)
Start by filling the rig with just enough water so it bubbles when you do a test pull but does not splash water into your mouth. An easy way to eyeball this is to get the water level half an inch above the percolator slits/holes. If the water isn't bubbling, add more water until it does, and if it splashes in your mouth, remove a little water. Dab rigs need the correct water level to filter and cool the vapor.
Find a nice, open, surface-level space like a kitchen counter. Place your dab rig front and center, and insert the quartz banger inside the joint hole of the dab rig. Place a capable butane torch and your carb cap on the side of your dominant hand and your dabber tool on the opposite side.
Step 2: Heat the banger (30 seconds)
Now that you have everything in place and all your parts lined up, it’s time to pick up the dab torch with your dominant hand and use your non-dominant hand to hold the dab rig from the base or center of the rig, depending on the type of dab rig you have.
Aim the tip of the butane torch flame into the corner of the banger where the floor and walls meet. Heat the left corner banger side for 5-10 seconds, the right corner side for 5-10 seconds, and the floor for 5-10 seconds, and gently brush the walls for a total of 30 seconds.
Your hand needs to be moving fast and consistent, don’t hover in one area too long! You want the quartz to absorb heat into the walls evenly so that when the dabs fall into the banger, they vaporize fully.
Warning: Do not let your banger get to a glowing orange, this can cause micro fractures in your quartz banger and burn your dabs, destroying precious THC, CBD, and terpenes.
Think of it like preheating a cooking pan (conduction vaporization). You want it hot enough to vaporize the concentrate but not so hot that it burns. The end of the torch’s flame may not be as hot, but it produces a steady stream of heat, which is what a quartz banger needs to absorb it fully.
Step 3: Let the banger cool (90 seconds)
After torching your banger for 30 seconds evenly, you want to let it cool for 90 seconds to get your banger to a low-temp environment.
Low-temp dabs taste better because terpenes thrive at gentler heat levels. If you rush and drop in the concentrate too soon, the heat burns away terpenes and can make your throat feel raw from inhaling scolding hot vapor.
Waiting for your banger to cool gives the quartz time to settle into a sweet spot that produces smooth, tasty vapor full of terpenes, which not only delivers flavor but also holds many therapeutic benefits that would be lost if the banger is too hot.
- 90-second cool down for thicker, quality quartz.
- 60-second cool down for thinner quartz bangers.
For high-temp dabs (more potency), let your banger cool for 30 seconds, and for medium-temp dabs, let your banger cool for 60 seconds. We recommend low-temp dabs for beginners (cooling 90 seconds).
Step 4: Transfer dabs with a dab tool
Scoop a dab about the size of a grain of rice with your dab tool in your don-dominant hand by using the scooping end of your dab tool.
Next you want to transfer the dabs into your banger by gently maneuvering your dab tool into the hot banger, and placing the backside of the tool onto your bangers hot wall (if your dab tool is a spoon and the dabs is on the spoon, you want the back of the spoon to rest against the wall of the banger).
The heat from the quartz banger will transfer into the dab tool, and your dabs will melt and slide off the tool and fall into the center of the banger with zero smearing.
- If your concentrate sizzles, there's moisture in your banger or dabs
- If you concentrate chars, black the banger is way too hot.
- If your dabs don't melt fully it means your banger was not hot enough.
Pro-tip: The next step is capping your banger, but while vapor is being produced in the banger you can begin softly inhaling first to prevent vapor loss, but you don’t want to cap until all the dabs have melted (I’ll explain why in the next section).
Step 5: Cap your banger and inhale
After your dab melts and becomes fully oil but not yet fully vapor, place the carb cap on top of the banger with your dominant hand. Carb caps usually sit flush over the banger like a lid to prevent the vapor that you want to inhale from floating away into the air.
Begin rotating the carb cap and inhale to help push your wax around the banger so more extract touches the heated wall of the banger for vaporization (converting dabs into vapor to inhale)
Careful: Putting the carb cap on when the dabs is still bubbling can cause the airflow inside the banger to bounce dabs around, and you risk some going down your banger’s joint end and into the dab water. So make sure you wait for the bubbling and sizzling to stop before you cap your banger.
After you cap the banger, inhale slowly, using your diaphragm to draw vapor in for a smooth pull. Exhale fully, clearing your lungs of any leftover vapor. Keep inhaling until all the vapor production stops inside of the banger.
Step 6: Clean your banger for the next round
Once you finish your dabs, let the banger cool slightly. While it’s still hot the oil residue hasn’t hardened so you can wipe away any remaining residue with a Q-tip. If it still looks dirty, dip a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol (IPA) and give it another quick cleaning until the quartz is 100% free of any residue.
Important: If you skip this step, you are going to have extract residue left in your banger. Each time you torch it the residue will begin charring and will ruin the flavor of your dabs.
To make things easier, use an Isoplex dab station. It holds your banger, isopropyl alcohol, Q-tips, and carb caps all in one spot, no more fumbling with hot tools while trying to take that perfect hit.
Troubleshooting your dab tools
Banger issues: What to do when dabs won’t fully melt
One issue that stock model bangers have is that their walls are too thin to hold heat for longer periods. Thin banger walls only hold heat long enough to turn part of your concentrates to vapor, leaving a puddle of wax behind.
If you see any half-melted dabs in your banger you can solve this by heating your banger longer or decreasing the cool down time from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. The best option, though, is to upgrade your banger.
There are dozens of different types of bangers to choose from, but here are the best ones to prevent puddling so whatever dabs you drop in your banger get fully converted into vapor:
- Thermal banger: A banger with a smaller bucket suspended inside it, creating an insulating air pocket between two layers. This helps trap heat so your dabs can fully melt into vapor.
- Core reactor banger: A banger with a solid quartz hockey puck on the floor of the banger. As you torch the banger, the puck stores heat, which helps to convert your wax into vapor for you to inhale.
Avoid torching from the “blue flame”
It’s a common misconception to heat your banger at the eye of the flame (placing the torch’s blue flame right up to the banger).
There is so much velocity and force when you heat at the eye of the flame that the velocity of the flame will bounce around. So you may think you’re heating one side of the banger for 10 seconds, but it was in and out, giving you less consistency.
Instead, you want to focus the banger at the very end of the flame. This part of the flame holds a very consistent heat, so you know your banger is fully absorbing the heat into its walls.
You can follow the 30 second rule (10 seconds bottom, and 20 seconds all around the walls) but the most important thing is hand movement: make sure your hands is always moving, never hold the torch in the same spot for too long, because you’ll create hot spots.
Why Wait 90 Seconds?
After heating your quartz banger for 30 seconds with a butane torch, the secret to buttery and rich dabs is letting your banger cool for 90 seconds. This lets your banger settle into that perfect low-temp zone.
Why low-temp dabs are best
Keeping your dab temperature around 350°F to 400°F protects the delicate terpenes that give concentrates their unique flavors, aromas, and therapeutic benefits like euphoria and creativity.
At these gentler heat levels, you inhale more of the original compounds which gives you the full effects of the strain.
Not waiting long enough for your banger to cool sets your banger for high temperatures above 500°F, which might seem like they produce stronger hits, but in reality, it destroys so many of the important compounds.
Not waiting the full 90 seconds for your banger to cool can lead to scorching hot vapors (coughing), duller flavor (char taste), and even weaker hits because you burned away 40% of the compounds like THC and CBD.
Dosing made easy: How much dab should you use?
I’ve watched countless beginners waste expensive concentrates by loading massive dabs. Trust me, start with a rice-grain-sized portion; it’s more than enough, especially if it’s your first dab.
When you keep dabs small, they vaporize fully without leaving puddles behind, so your hits taste cleaner, feel smoother, and your lungs will thank you for not overwhelming them with dense clouds that trigger coughing fits.
Plus, smaller dabs save you serious money over time. If you find it not enough, just increase the size lightly, and avoid doubling up the size.
Advanced dabbing techniques
Cold start dabbing removes all dab waste
Cold start dabbing flips the usual process around. Instead of heating the banger first, you drop a small dab into a cool (unheated) banger and place the carb cap on top. Then, you slowly heat the banger for about 5 to 10 seconds until vapor begins to form. Once you see vapor, you stop torching and begin inhaling.
This is one of the most beginner-friendly methods to heat dabs, and also, by starting at a lower temp, you gradually vaporize all the terpenes and cannabinoids without risking overheating, similar to using a dry herb vaporizer for cannabis flower.
Even with traditional dabbing (heating for 30 seconds and cooling for 90 seconds before dropping dabs in), there are still variables, like your banger and torch movements. With cold start dabs, you remove all the risks and prevent overheating and underheating every time.
Temperature cycling for full extraction
Temperature cycling helps you get more from the same amount of dabs when compared to traditional dabbing. You start by heating your banger to a low-temp setting (heat for 30 seconds, cool for 90 seconds). After you drop your dabs in and take the first inhale, you might notice some dabs leftover in your banger.
Instead of wasting it, just gently “tap” your torch to the banger with the flame in flickering motions. This second, lower-intensity heat wave helps vaporize the leftovers without burning them.
Think of it as steeping tea leaves for a second round. The first steep gives you all the flavors of the herbs, while the second round is milder but still worth it to pull the remaining herbs from the tea. With temperature cycling, you maximize flavor and potency from a single dab without any waste.
Final Thoughts
The perfect dab comes down to attention to detail and timing. By intentionally heating your quartz banger for 30 seconds with the tip of the flame, allowing a full 90-second cooldown, and using a proper rice-grain-sized portion, you're setting yourself up for the perfect dab hit.
Remember that patience pays off, and rushing any step leads to overburning (burning away precious compounds or burnt flavor) or underburning (not fully vaporizing the dabs you intended to smoke). Getting the steps and timing down will reward you every time with richer flavors, a wider range of effects, and a much more satisfying effect.
