Nectar collectors are fast becoming one of the most popular ways of smoking wax and concentrates. This is mostly because of their lightweight, simplicity, and efficiency.
A typical nectar collector has three parts - the mouthpiece, body, and tip. While the mouthpiece and body are usually made from glass or silicone, the tip is made from glass, quartz, or titanium.
The tip is considered the most important part of the honey straw because the tip is what you heat and dip into the dabs before you can inhale from the mouthpiece.
The tip also plays a vital role in the vapor/flavor quality you get when using a nectar collector. As a result, dabbers who want the best experience while using a dab straw must understand the difference between quartz and titanium tips.
What is a Nectar Collector Tip?
Using a nectar collector is similar to using a standard dab rig, which requires a torch. However, unlike a rig that uses a nail, the nectar collectors come with a tip that is heated and used to vaporize the concentrates.
Basically, after scooping your wax into a jar or container, you heat up the tip, and place it directly on the dab and then inhale from the mouthpiece.
Titanium vs. Quartz
Many avid dabbers have come to prefer one tip over the other, and that's understandable. But most times, it is quite hard to tell the difference between titanium tips and quartz tips, especially for beginners.
Not knowing the difference reduces your chances of selecting the best tip for your nectar collector, and that's why having the right information is essential.
This article compares the differences between titanium tips and quartz tips using key factors like flavor, durability, heat retention, maintenance, etc. We hope that the information provided will help you choose the best tip for your nectar collector.
Titanium
Nectar collector tips made from titanium have become extremely popular because of their lightweight and high-temperature resistance. Titanium tips are a favorite choice for cloud chasers because of their unique alignment with high temps.
Flavor
Perhaps the biggest downside of titanium tips is that they are no match for quartz tips when talking about flavor quality. Using a titanium tip with your nectar collector could produce a bit of metallic taste, especially when it's still new. Seasoning your titanium tips would help remove the manufacturing residues.
Time to Heat Up
Titanium tips are slow to heat up and take twice as much time as quartz times. Heating up a titanium tip takes between 15 to 20 seconds, but its upside is seen in its heat retention properties.
Heat Retention
Despite heating slow, titanium straws can retain the heat for a long time. You and your friends can even take multiple draws with a single heat cycle.
Durability
Titanium tips are made from tough metal material, making them durable without losing their functionality. But using a titanium straw for a very long time without replacing it could cause the release of toxins when dabbing.
Maintenance
Cleaning a titanium tip is quite challenging because of the residues that may get stuck in the metal surface. The best way to maintain your titanium tip is by using a cotton swab with isopropyl to clean it properly before the next session. You can also heat it up with a torch to melt the residue for easy cleaning.
Quartz
Quartz tips are specially designed for those who enjoy low temp dabs. Using a quartz tip ensures that you get the very best flavor from your dabs in the shortest possible time.
Flavor
Nothing can go wrong with the flavor when using a quart tip. These tips deliver pure and clean flavors. However, it doesn't produce thick vapors, which makes it a poor choice for cloud chasers.
Time to Heat Up
Quartz tips win the day when you talk about heat up time. It only takes between 5 to 10 seconds to heat a quartz tip with a torch. This is one of the biggest upsides of quartz tips because you can enjoy quick hits.
Heat Retention
Despite having a fast heat-up time, the quartz tip does not retain heat for long. And how long it can hold the heat depends on the thickness of the quartz material. This means you have to continuously torch it up to maintain the desired temp level.
Durability
Quartz tips are fragile and not as durable as those made from titanium. Your quartz tip could crack after extensive usage. It can also break if dropped or handled carelessly.
Maintenance
Cleaning your quartz tip is quite easy. A cotton swab with ISO would do the job and leave it sparkling like new.
Tips on Using it
Using a titanium nectar collector tip can be quite tricky, and you could end up either wasting your dabs or inhaling toxins when you overheat. Here are some tips to get the best from your dab straws.
Season Your Tip
While quartz tips don't require seasoning, there's a need to season your titanium straw to get rid of the metallic taste before using it.
Thankfully, seasoning your tip is pretty straightforward. Simply torch the tip until it is red hot and drop in a bowl of water to cool down. Doing this like 3-4 times would get rid of all residue in the tip. Of course, you'd want to make sure you're holding the tip with a plier and not your bare hands during the process.
Don't Overheat
Always stay within the recommended heat up time for both quartz and titanium tips to avoid overheating.
Overheating your tips will damage the tip (mostly quartz) and cause the release of toxins that are harmful to your health.