Is Everyone Using Silicone Dab Rigs Nowadays?

Silicone vs Glass

Everybody knows that glass is fragile. Glass is easily prone to breakage from a hit or a fall. Over time, glass can also be susceptible to cracking from fluctuating temperatures within the glass itself. Constant heating and cooling wear out glass over time and can make it more likely to crack on you during a dab session.

The worst part is that glass is not very cheap. This is especially true if your glass piece is custom made or very elaborate in design. Silicone on the other hand does not suffer from these downfalls. In fact, silicone is the preferred way to take a dab hit nowadays. This comes down to functionality and practicality.

The icing on the cake is that silicone is also very affordable and will last you a lifetime. Unlike glass, silicone is made to withstand fluctuating temperatures and will not crack or break from a fall to the ground. In fact, some glass pieces that are encapsulated with silicone (such as the bowl) will likely survive a drop on a hard surface.

The Pros and Cons of Silicone

Silicone is easy to clean too, as most dab rigs made of silicone can be taken apart in pieces to allow for a more thorough cleaning in those hard-to-reach spaces and crevices. This is not possible with a dab rig made of glass since almost all parts are fixed and unable to come apart. The dirtiest area for your dab rig will likely be the water chamber. Fortunately, dabbing does not create the kind of residues that smoking from a bong will.

The downside to silicone is that it can melt if heat is applied directly onto the silicone itself, such as inadvertently being administered by a torch lighter. The good news is that this is totally avoidable with a little bit of mindfulness. Silicone is not translucent and will not show you how much vapor you are taking, however.

While the downsides to silicone may be minimal, the benefits certainly outweigh any of them. Silicone dab rigs are affordable, durable, practical, and easy to clean. The best part about owning and using a dab rig made of silicone is not having to deal with breakage risks from newbies. We all know the feeling of letting inexperienced users try out our beloved glass dab rigs that cost a fortune! Honestly, it is a very uneasy feeling.

How Silicone Dab Rigs Became So Popular

People started to realize that they did not have to settle for expensive and tedious pieces made from glass that were hard to maintain and easily breakable. In fact, glass is not very portable either, as even the travel can carry risks that can potentially break your glass piece. Silicone mitigates all these issues by being virtually indestructible.

Folks wanted something that was affordable, easy to maintain, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. Silicone provides on all fronts by checking these boxes and remaining a portable option for dabbing. One of the most important aspects concerning dab rigs was their portability. While vape pens have done a phenomenal job at providing to this demographic, there is a certain allure surrounding the use of a traditional dab rig.

What makes silicone superior to all others lies in its practicality. It makes more sense to invest in something that is not going to break easily on you. While it is true that glass dab rigs are the most popular, they are also the costliest and the most fragile. It goes without saying that people want something that provides more in the way of durability while also remaining unique.

The Future of Silicone

Advances in technology have paved the way for silicone to be the new gold standard in the world of dab rigs. No longer is it the only option to have glass or other expensive media that will break at the slightest fall. In fact, glass can be essentially encased in silicone to provide a buffering protection and absorb the shock from a fall.

This further provides insulation to protect the integrity of the glass and the user who would reach for a hot nail or bowl. It is only a matter of time before silicone is tailored to fit the needs of those who want a customized piece to fit over their existing apparatus. Parts can be protected with silicone and used for shielding the user against heat.

Certain desktop models already come with silicone grips to protect the user from heat created by vaporizing units. Dab rigs are a step away from being totally customizable in this way. For now, the best type of dab rig would be made entirely of silicone which comes with its own benefits. The best part is that silicone will always remain highly affordable.

Final Thoughts

A lot of people are making the sensible switch to silicone because users are starting to acknowledge the practicality of it. The price point is attractive for something that can be durable, efficient, and easy to clean. Even though glass dab rigs are the most popular as of this writing, it is only a matter of time before they are overshadowed by the demand for silicone dab rigs.

The reality is that glass looks nice and can provide a visual cue for how much volume of vapor you are getting, though it is very tedious to clean when the time comes. Silicone is opaque and blocks light from entering the chamber. This can be a good thing if water is left in the chamber.

Protection from light is a major upside when it comes to the purity of your vapor, as light on water over time can house microbes and other living media. The takeaway here is that silicone is becoming popular for all the right reasons. It is time to take the plunge and head into a new way of vaporization.

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