Quick Overview
Nectar collectors are an innovative approach to enjoy marijuana concentrates in a portable and fun way. They are unique in their design, acting as a bit of a crossbreed between a bubbler, a dab rig, and a dab straw. Like traditional hand pipes, nectar collectors are made up of a neck, body, and tip – they are usually constructed from glass, quartz, or titanium. Nectar collectors come in a variety of shapes and internal chambers, for all different budgets and preferences. Certain nectar collectors even have a bubbler chamber to add water for an additional layer of filtration that is going to add a level of smoothness to your dabs.
Fun fact: Nectar Collector® is the brand name for the first vertical vaporizer that hit the market. As the popularity of this smoke device became widespread, more people started referring to it as the brand name instead of “honey straw” or “dab straw.” Because so many people refer to it as a nectar collector, the word is written in all lowercase letters and the trademark symbol has been removed.
How to Use the Nectar Collector
To properly operate a nectar collector, all one would need is their piece, cannabis concentrates, a butane torch, and a dabber dish. Your concentrates will be placed in your dabber dish for use. Once they have been laid out to your personal preference--little dollops or long lines--your concentrates are ready to be vaporized. Start by heating the nectar collector tip with your butane torch. After your piece has reached the desired temperature, place the tip near your wax and be ready to inhale. When you are ready, start sipping at your wax concentrates. Don’t create a complete perpendicular connection with the dabber dish but leave a little bit of room on the sides for airflow. Just drag the heated tip across the wax and marvel as it is instantly vaporized for your enjoyment.
The Designer and the Inventor
The nectar collector was an ingenious idea. It was originally designed by Jeff Zobell in 2014. He forwarded the idea to Kristian Merwin—an engineer and experienced glass artist—who worked with the design for several months. She eventually came up with a workable device. Since then, the cannabis community was introduced to the fruits of their combined labor: the nectar collector. This smoking device has remained a popular way to dab ever since.
Benefits of the Nectar Collector
There are several benefits to nectar collecting. As previously mentioned, nectar collectors have been designed to be portable. They are much smaller than dab rigs, which makes them an easy choice for long trips or when you are out of town and do not feel like bringing your whole dab rig and all its components—all you need is your piece, your concentrates, and a torch—easy peasy. Because nectar collectors are usually comprised of three pieces—neck, body, and tip—they are easy to disassemble and clean with running hot water.
Is Dabbing Safer Than Smoking Cigarettes?
The harm caused by smoking cigarettes is due to the tar, carbon monoxide, and thousands of other toxins that are produced when tobacco burns and releases smoke. Products that produce vapor do not burn tobacco the way cigarettes do; a coil heats the liquid without burning it.
Most of the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes are either not found in the vapor, or the ones that are present are at a much lower concentration—less than 1% than you would find in cigarette smoke.
When a cigarette smoker switches to dabbing, the number of toxins and carcinogens measured in their blood and urine are significantly lower. These same toxins, measured in someone that does not smoke cigarettes are roughly the same for someone who inhales vapor from a nectar collector.
If you are someone that smokes cigarettes, you may be able to quit the habit by switching over to dabbing, and slowly weaning yourself off of it. People that switched from cigarettes to dabbing showed an improvement in their blood pressure, as well as with their asthma and emphysema.
Dabbing Provides Pain Relief
On average, marijuana concentrates are up to four times stronger than smoking regular cannabis, and the effects are felt quicker. Because it offers quick pain relief, it can be very helpful to patients that experience quick onset pain that makes it difficult for them to live their lives comfortably. Concentrates have high levels of THC so the psychoactive effects are stronger. The high levels of THC can help those with pain-induced insomnia get to sleep, and when they wake up the psychoactive effects will have already worn off.
As we have covered, dabbing marijuana concentrates has some benefits: it is safer than smoking cigarettes, it does not require as much set-up or pieces as a dab rig does, and they help with pain relief. Whether you are experimenting with concentrates for recreational purposes or using them for their medicinal characteristics, dabbing may have a purpose in your life.
Sources
https://honestmarijuana.com/nectar-collector/
https://www.hemper.co/blogs/news/what-is-nectar-collector
https://www.tokersupply.com/blogs/toker-supply/what-is-a-nectar-collector-and-how-does-it-work
https://cannabistraininguniversity.com/blog/growing-marijuana/benefits-of-the-nectar-collector/
https://honestmarijuana.com/nectar-collector/
https://www.athra.org.au/blog/2019/12/23/vaping-is-95-safer-than-smoking-fact-or-factoid/