What are Dab Rigs?

Dab Rigs are a variation on the tried-and-tested classic form of the bong.  You can think of them as the cousins of Bongs.   They are essentially the same thing, but with certain tweaks aimed to make dabbing more of an enjoyable experience.

Why the Name “Rig”?

All of the cannabis concentrates are, at their core, hardened cannabis oil.  And to differentiate the emerging new class of dabbing glass from the classic, flower-based, beaker bong style, a new category of glass needed to be created.  The name “Rig” was derived from one of the earliest terms for this new class of glass, “Oil Rig”, which was a creative moniker for a device used for consuming cannabis oil concentrates. 

Over the last decade or so that dabbing has really become popular, the name has evolved from “Oil Rig” to “Dab Rig” and currently, simply just “Rig”.  

What’s the Difference Between a Bong and a Dab Rig?

First of all, Dab Rigs tend to be shorter and stubbier than the typical beaker bong.  They also have a perpendicular, elongated mouth-spout, to make it easier to watch where you are sticking your dab as you inhale.  They also tend to have a lower centre of gravity, which eases worry about accidentally tipping it over while dabbing.   They are almost always stemless, and the glass joint tends to be male, as opposed to the more common female joint on bongs.  This, initially, was for the original style of the quartz Nail, the one that resembled a Carpenter’s Nail.  It would slide down inside the male glass joint opening and use little tabs at the top to hold it in place.  Slits on the sides of the tabs would allow the vaporized cannabis concentrate to flow through into the rig.  The dome was female, and would slide onto the mail joint and encapsulate the nail.  The male glass joint has stuck around even as dabbing has evolved away from the original nail-and-dome style.