What is the Best Quartz Banger?

Comparing Different Quartz Bangers

The age-old question of “What is the best kind of banger” has been a topic of discussion amongst dabbers since quartz bangers came onto the scene. Many dabbers began with titanium nails and may still be new to the quartz game. You may ask yourself, “What do I need to know about quartz bangers”, “How much should a quartz banger cost”, “How do I choose a quartz banger”, and more. 

We put fourteen, American-made, quartz bangers to the test to figure out which banger really is best. None of those cheap, China-made bangers. Heat retention was measured and the fit of the banger into the dab rig was judged. Together, these determined Mayoral Quartz to be the best banger on the market. Mayoral Quartz bangers fit perfectly into dab rigs without any wobble. They also hold heat within a dabbable range for the longest duration. Let’s look at the specifics and answer a few commonly asked questions regarding quartz bangers.

What is the Best Quartz Banger for a Perfect Fit?

When searching for the best kind of banger, finding the perfect fit is of the utmost importance. If the banger wobbles when placed into the dab rig, the airflow will be altered. If the carb cap does not fit perfectly on top of the banger, the seal will be weak and the banger will lose heat more quickly. If you are paying for high-quality, you should not settle for anything less than exactly that. All bangers that were tested were 14mm, 90°, male bangers. Out of all of the ones that were tested, the following, in no particular order, had perfect fits with no wobble:

• Toro classic
• Toro fullblast
• Long Island Quartz
• Mayoral Quartz
• E.Ross Tourbillon
• Binary Banger - Synapse
• Joel Halen Honey Bucket
• QCB regular
• QCB tessellated
• DCS Quartz

What is the Best Quartz Banger for Heat Retention?

To determine which banger with a perfect fit was the best overall, heat retention was measured. The bangers were heated using a fully-filled Blazer Big Shot butane torch for 30 seconds each time. Then, using a Dab Rite infrared digital thermometer and a stopwatch, the time to cool down from 800° to 400° was measured in intervals (800° - 600°, 600° - 500°, 500° - 400°). The test was done 3 times and the cool down times were averaged. 

It is best to dab between 600° - 400° to fully vaporize your dab while maintaining the flavor. Any lower and you may have to reheat to finish the dab. Any hotter and the dab could burn and the flavor is not pleasant. So the longer a banger holds heat within this temperature range, the better because the nail will stay in the ideal range long enough to vaporize the dab fully.

The quartz bangers that held heat the longest are listed here in order from longest to shortest:

• M Glass Co
• Hoyes Quartz 
• Bear Quartz 
• Mayoral Quartz
• Long Island Quartz
• DCS Quartz
• E. Ross 4.0
• Alien Flower Monkey
• Binary Banger
• Joel Halen Honey Bucket
• QCB Regular
• QCB Tessellated 
• Toro classic
• Toro full blast

The top 3 in this category did not have perfect fits into the rig. The 4th best, Mayoral Quartz, had a perfect fit and held heat for almost as long as the top in this category, making it the overall best quartz banger for dabbing. It took JM Glass, the longest heat retention, 78 seconds to go from  600°F - 400°F. The quartz that lost heat the fastest was the Toro Full Blast and that took about 45 seconds. The 33 second difference in heat retention between the top and bottom bangers of this group is quite significant. See the table below for the exact times.

Many dabbers, after using their banger for some time, begin to wonder, “Why is my banger cloudy”? The cloudy look develops as leftover product is repeatedly heated up inside the banger. This can be referred to as “chazzing”. If you are wondering how to not chaz your banger, it is really quite simple: proper cleaning. To learn how to clean a quartz banger, first, let the banger cool down a bit.

Then, use a cotton swab to soak up any excess dab left inside the banger. You can wet the cotton swabs with rubbing alcohol to more efficiently soak the excess dabs up. The better you clean the banger after each dab, the longer it will last. Using a banger that holds heat long enough to fully vaporize your dab decreases the amount of cleanup necessary and can extend the banger’s usable lifetime. 

Summary

It is easy to become lost in the sea of quartz bangers on the market and you may ask yourself “What is the best quartz banger?". What you need to know about quartz bangers is that they should fit into your glass pipe perfectly with no wobble, and they should hold heat long enough for you to fully vaporize your dab without burning it.

A nail with the best combination of these will be the best for your dabbing experience. We tested 14 different nails for fit and heat retention. The table below lists the nails with a perfect fit in order from longest heat retention to shortest. Mayoral Quartz tops the list, making it our best pick.