If you’re a serious dabber and don’t like having to heat up a nail with a torch on a regular basis because you find that you’re just blowing through butane, you may want to consider an e-nail dab rig. Called e-nails for short, this piece combines the nail with the torch to help you keep your experience efficient and enjoyable. There are several reasons why many dabbers like having these costly little numbers on hand instead of a traditional nail and torch. Let's get into it.
The Power is Yours
With an e-nail dab rig, you have more control. We know that dabbing at high temperatures is super easy with a torch. You literally just turn it on and fire the flame at your nail and heat that sucker up. But you don’t have control over that. There are people out there that believe dabbing at lower temperatures, like within the 600 degree range, will lead to inhales that are tastier and less harsh on your throat and lungs. Since the e-nail is electronic, you can program what exact temperature you want coming from your nail and it will heat it up to precisely that. It won’t go over or under.
With all this power in your hands, you also take guesswork out of how hot, or cold, your nail actually is. You won’t have to rely on deciphering what color your nail is as it gets heated to know when exactly to dab. The e-nail will tell you.
This is good for those of us who are a little bit more anal about precision. You also avoid running the risk of ruining your dab by waiting too long or not long enough to apply your concentrate to the nail.
Show Me The Money
You’re not wasting money on concentrates anymore, but is that it? No way! While the e-nail is more costly in the beginning, it certainly pays for itself in the long run.
E-nail dab rigs can run you around $250 depending on where you get them and what features they have. That can really dent your wallet if you’re just starting, so many newcomers to dabbing will steer clear from them for their dab tool kit. If you’ve got the change or are more experienced and looking to invest in your hobby, getting an e-nail will save you bigger bucks in the long run.
We already told you how they’ll save you from wasting your concentrates, but they’ll also save you money on fuel. Remember we said the e-nail combines the torch with the nail for efficiency? Because you won't need a torch, you won’t constantly need to buy butane to refill it. The cost of butane can seriously add up if you’re serious about this hobby. For people who dab daily, they can need to refill their torches more often than they’d like.
You save money on fuel and you save money by not letting your dabs go up in smoke, literally, before you can enjoy them. So far we think this is a pretty serious win for the e-nail.
Don’t Play With Fire
Now it’s time to play a little devil’s advocate here. Yeah, the e-nail dab rig sounds beautiful and easy to use, which it is. But with great power comes great responsibility.
The basic function of the e-nail is that you plug it in and it heats up right away. It’ll stay hot for as long as you have it plugged in which is great if you’ve got a group dabbing. You won’t have to worry about the nail cooling down between hits which will make your concentrate go farther.
However, there is a serious danger with e-nails that you need to be aware of. We already mentioned it above: it stays hot the entire time it’s plugged in. What do you think that means? That means if you plug it in and walk away, it’ll be hot. If someone goes to touch it, you’re going to have some serious burns. These things can get up with 1200 degrees and that is definitely remove some layers of skin. Another concern is that if you walk away while it’s on, there is a higher likely hood of something, like fabric, coming into contact with the nail and starting a fire.
Are you terrified into paying attention now? Good. That’s all you really need to do: pay attention. There are some higher end e-nails that have a safety feature built in where the nail will turn off if it’s on for too long or the temperature gets too high. It is totally worth it to spring for this feature. Peace of mind is priceless.
Lack of Portability
The only other serious drawback to the e-nail is that you need to be somewhere with power. This means no dabbing parties out on the deck or on a camping trip. If you’ve got portable sources of power that’s one thing, but most people don’t think to have or carry things like that. It just means that your dabbing can’t be overly spontaneous unless you also keep a torch on hand for situations like this.
The Choice is Yours
We think we’ve made a pretty good case for e-nails here. Just like everything in the smoking hobby, there are pros and cons. You’ve got to think about who you are as a dabber and consider whether or not this investment is for you. For serious smokers who enjoy on a daily basis, you really can’t go wrong with an e-nail. If you’re just starting or aren’t as hardcore as daily, you might shy away. Either way, we’ve got something for you, no matter what you decide.