What is a Nectar Collector
A nectar collector is a glass, straw-like pipe designed for dabbing cannabis concentrates. Heat one end with a blow torch, dip it into your concentrate and inhale from the other end. Unlike complex dab rigs, it’s portable, simpler to use, and great for micro-dosing for smaller, less intense hits.
Nectar collectors:
Top benefit: A nectar collector saves you money by vaporizing only what you need, unlike dab rigs that use up everything at once.
What does a nectar collector do?
A nectar collector vaporizes cannabis concentrates by heating its tip with a torch. When the hot tip touches the concentrate, it releases cannabinoids and terpenes as vapor. This vapor travels up the tip, through the body of the nectar collector for you to inhale through the mouthpiece.
Nectar collectors are made specifically for cannabis concentrates and cannot be used to smoke dry herbs or oil carts. Check out our list of every type of vaporizer to explore the differences.
What are the parts?
A nectar collector is shaped like a straw with three main parts: a mouthpiece, body, and heated tip. The tip prevents waste by only vaporizing concentrates it touches directly, giving you quick and controlled hits compared to dab rigs which vaporize everything inside the banger.
Anatomy of a nectar collector:
- Mouthpiece: Where you inhale the vapor.
- Body: The central part that sometimes includes a water chamber for cooling.
- Tip: The heated end that touches the concentrate (usually quartz or titanium).
Additional accessories:
- Keck clips: Secures the tip to the body (if needed)
- Dab dish: A heat-resistant container to hold your concentrates.
- Dab tool: Utensil to scoop, apply, and stir cannabis concentrates safely.
How do they work?
A nectar collector works by heating the tip with a torch until it glows orange. After a few seconds of cooling, you touch the hot tip to the concentrate while inhaling. The heat vaporizes the concentrate, and the vapor flows through the hole in the tip, up the body, and into your mouth to inhale.
- Prepare: Place a small amount of concentrate in a heat-resistant dab dish with your dab tool.
- Heat the tip: Use a dab torch to heat the tip until it's hot enough to vaporize the concentrate (the tip usually turns orange).
- Let it cool slightly: Allow the tip to cool for a few seconds to reach the optimal temperature (usually 2-5 seconds).
- Touch and inhale: Gently touch the heated tip directly on top of the concentrate while inhaling gently through the mouthpiece.
Don’t like torches? Skip the hassle and try an electric nectar collector. It heats with electricity instead of a butane torch, making dabbing easier and more consistent for beginners.
Why do people like them?
The benefits of a nectar collector are that it’s much easier to use than a dab rig and far more portable. It can save you money since the heated tip only vaporizes what it touches, making it great for microdosing and managing tolerance. Best of all, it avoids smoke completely, making it easier on the lungs.
Here are the top benefits of a dab straw:
1. Less toxins
The main benefit of using a nectar collector is you avoid smoke.
Concentrates are extracted cannabis oils without plant matter, so there’s nothing to burn and produce smoke. Dr. Dale Gieringer found that smoking dry herb cannabis (the plant) releases harmful compounds like benzene, toluene, and naphthalene into the smoke you inhale.
By dabbing with a nectar collector you avoid smoke and the above toxins entirely, making vaping concentrates healthier than smoking cannabis.
2. Save money
With a nectar collector, you only vaporize the concentrate the tip touches, so the moment you pull the tip away from the concentrate vaporization stops.
This means no wasted concentrates, unlike dab rigs where you have to vaporize everything in the banger, which leads to excess vapor that gets lost in the water chamber. A nectar collector gives you total control of what you dab, and that means you save money.
3. Keeps tolerance lower
If you didn’t know, cannabis concentrates are 3-4 times stronger than regular flowers, making it easy to raise your tolerance quickly with larger devices like dab rigs.
With a nectar collector, you can take smaller more manageable hits because the tip only vaporizes what it touches. This precise level of control lets you microdose concentrates which can help keep your tolerance low and stretch your stash longer.
4. Dab anywhere
If you love dabbing with a torch, a nectar collector makes it portable. Unlike dab rigs, which are meant for home use, a nectar collector easily fits in your pocket or a protective travel case for dabbing on the go.
Pro-tip: silicone nectar collectors are nearly indestructible, making them perfect for adventures. Silicone dab straws usually have a titanium tip, making them indestructible from top down.
5. Easier than a dab rig
Dabbing with a torch can be tricky, but a nectar collector makes it much simpler with fewer steps than a dab rig.
Just heat the tip, touch it to your concentrates, and inhale. This simplicity is perfect for beginners who might feel overwhelmed by traditional torch dabbing methods.
The smaller size also makes it much easier to handle compared to a rig where you have to hold the torch while switching hands between a wand and the dome cap. A nectar collector you simpler light and touch the tip to your dabs.
6. More potent than a bong
Nectar collectors smoke concentrates, not cannabis herbs.
- Concentrates have higher THC levels, ranging from 60% to 80%.
- Cannabis flowers, on the other hand, have THC levels of 15 - 25%.
Don’t let the small size fool you. Vaporizing with a nectar collector delivers very potent and fast-hitting effects, even stronger than a bong rip. If you’re a beginner to smoking cannabis, we recommend you start with a more entry-level smoking device, because smoking dabs can be strong.
Pro-tip: More beginner-friendly devices are any type of weed pipe or a dry herb vaporizer.
7. It tastes amazing
Nectar collectors heat concentrates to the perfect dab temperatures which prevent burning and smoke.
Without the harshness of smoke, you can taste all the delicious cannabis terpenes that are responsible for flavor, aroma, and therapeutic benefits. Smoking cannabis also flash burns and destroys many delicate terpenes.
Even though dabbing and vaping cannabis are different, both methods preserve far more terpenes than smoking does.
Is it right for you?
A nectar collector is right for you if:
- You like dab rigs but want portability.
- You want a simpler way to dab concentrates.
- You want to dab concentrates but reduce the potency.
- You want a far less complex setup than a dab rig.
A nectar collector is not right for you if:
- You rather smoke dry herb cannabis.
- Do not want to deal with butane torches
- Are sensitive to higher concentrations of THC.
How to choose
When choosing a nectar collector, consider the following:
Quartz vs titanium tips
When choosing a nectar collector it’s all about the type of tip you use. Dab straws usually have two types of tips.
- Quartz tips heat up quickly but also lose heat quickly. This means when you heat your tip you get the most potent hits right away, and as the tip loses heat you lose vaporization strength. The upside is quartz tips do offer very pure flavors.
- Titanium tips retain heat much longer but are slow to heat up. This means you may use more butane, but once heated the tip stays hot and vaporizes much more efficiently. Metal tips are also indestructible and pair well with silicone bodies.
Water filtration
Some models include a water chamber in the center of the body. When hot vapor passes through, the water absorbs heat and adds moisture, for a much smoother and gentler inhale on the throat and lungs. The key benefit of this is reducing coughing.
Types of nectar collectors
Nectar collectors come in different model types. In most cases, enhanced models make the process easier or more comfortable. Below are the different types of nectar collectors:
- Dry nectar collectors: Direct vapor to lungs.
- Water nectar collectors: Vapor passes through water filtration.
- Silicone nectar collectors: Indestructible and travel-friendly.
- Electric nectar collectors: Uses electricity to heat, no torch.
- Glycerin nectar collectors: Vapor passes through frozen glycerin.
Final thoughts
A nectar collector gives you a simple, portable way to dab concentrates without the complexity of a full dab rig setup. The tip only vaporizes what it touches, which lets you control how much concentrates you use. This level of control can help you manage your tolerance, mirco-dose, save money, and stretch your stash.
Whether you're on the go or want an easier dabbing method, it's perfect for quick, potent, smoke-free hits that deliver the full flavor of your concentrates. Great for both beginners and experienced users who want more control over their dabs, and a slight reduction in potency if needed.
