Smoking is a recreational activity that brings a lot of people together. To engage, one has to use certain paraphernalia. For smoking nicotine and tobacco, the only things needed are cigars and cigarettes. For cannabis, tobacco and some other herbs, equipment like bongs are needed. What are bongs? Bongs are filtration devices that are used for smoking. The principle of smoking with a bong is simply by water filtration. It is used to cool and filter smoke through water filtration. Dab rigs on the other hand, are filtration devices used to smoke concentrates or “dabs”. Ituses water to cool the vapour by placing the concentrates on a hot dab nail. Rigs are relatively newer than bongs and while they have their similarities, they are fundamentally different.
What differentiates a bong from a rig
Bongs and rigs differ from each other in various aspects. Here, the differences are explained under listed aspects:
- Substance smoked and method of smoking
This is perhaps the most distinct difference between bongs and rigs. For bongs the substances smoked are mostly dried flowers, tobacco or dried herbs. The flowers or substances are lighted from the bowl and then smoked. Rigs, in the other hand are used to smoke THC concentrates known as waxes, oils or honey. Bongs are smoked by lighting the herb with a butane lighter and inhaling the smoke through the mouthpiece. Rigs are lighted with a torch through the nail. The dab nail is lighted with a dab torch and the concentrates are put on the heated nail so that they would be vaporized and then smoked.
- Size of equipment matters
For bongs, larger ones provide the optimal results. When smoking flowers and herbs, a bigger bong system would be needed for maximal filtration and cooling. Percolators are needed for that, and you would have many percolators in a bigger bong system. When the smoke travels longer distances, it is filtered more without even losing even a little of its capacity. For rigs, a smaller equipment system is better. In smoking dabs, the heat is at a lower temperature than the raw flame used in a bong. When heated at this level, it is pertinent that the vapour reached the mouth immediately before it eventually loses its potency.
- Function
For a dab rig, a device known as a recycler is a constant. They have double chambers where the water flows between. Using this method, it ensures that the water is cooled always. On the other hand, equipment known as percolators are found on bongs (they are sometimes also found on rigs, though). Percolators are usually not found on rigs because most people would not want their concentrates to be filtered to the extent it loses its potency. Percolators are used to filter the smoke from the substances being smoked.
- Price
Bongs are usually less cheap than rigs. This is because when buying a bong, you usually do not need to purchase other secondary accessories. When buying a rig, you have to purchase the nail on which your concentrates would be put, a silicone container, a torch, etc.
