Smoke & vapor glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms you'll see across our catalog, from 510 threads to whips. New to a category? Start with the shop or the FAQ.
510 thread
The most common screw-thread standard for vape batteries and cartridges. A 510-thread battery fits any cartridge or attachment that uses the same thread size.
Ash catcher
An attachment that sits between the bowl and a water pipe to trap ash and resin before they reach the main chamber, keeping the pipe cleaner for longer.
Banger
A bucket-shaped nail, usually quartz, that attaches to a dab rig. Concentrates are placed in the heated banger to vaporize.
Beaker bong
A water pipe with a wide, flask-shaped base. The shape adds stability and water volume, which cools smoke more than a straight tube of the same height.
Bowl
The removable piece of a water pipe that holds dry herb. Bowls are sized by joint diameter, most commonly 14mm or 18mm.
Bubbler
A hand pipe with a small built-in water chamber. It filters smoke like a bong but stays pocket-sized.
Butane (refined)
Purified butane fuel used in torches and lighters. Refinement grades like 5x, 7x or 11x refer to how many times the fuel was filtered; more refinement means fewer impurities.
Carb cap
A cap placed over a heated banger to restrict airflow and trap heat, letting concentrates vaporize evenly at lower temperatures.
Chillum
A small, straight one-hitter pipe with no carb hole. One of the simplest hand pipe designs.
Cold start (reverse dab)
Loading the dab into a cold banger first, then gently heating it until it vaporizes. Uses lower temperatures than a traditional dab.
Dab rig
A water pipe built for concentrates instead of dry herb. Rigs are usually smaller than bongs and pair with a banger and carb cap.
Dab tool (dabber)
A small metal, glass or ceramic tool used to pick up a dab of concentrate and place it in a heated banger.
Diffused downstem
A downstem with slits or holes at the bottom that break smoke into small bubbles, increasing water contact and cooling.
Downstem
The tube that carries smoke from the bowl down into the water chamber of a water pipe.
Dry herb vaporizer
A device that heats ground herb to release vapor without combustion. Available as portable units or desktop units like the Volcano.
E-nail (electronic nail)
An electronically heated nail for dab rigs that holds a precise, constant temperature instead of being torch-heated.
E-rig (electric dab rig)
An all-in-one electronic dab rig, like the Puffco Peak or Focus V Carta, that heats concentrates at set temperatures with battery power. No torch needed.
Grinder
A tool that breaks dry herb into an even grind. Multi-chamber grinders also collect kief through a screen into a bottom chamber.
Ice catcher (ice pinch)
Notches inside a bong tube that hold ice cubes so smoke passes over them and cools before it reaches you.
Joint size
The diameter of the ground-glass connection on a water pipe, most commonly 10mm, 14mm or 18mm. Bowls, bangers and adapters must match the joint size and gender.
Kief
The powdery, resinous trichomes that fall off dry herb, often collected in the bottom chamber of a grinder.
Nectar collector
A straw-shaped dab pipe. The heated tip touches the concentrate directly while you draw through the body, often with a small water chamber.
One-hitter
A slim pipe sized for a single draw. Often paired with a dugout case that stores the pipe and a small amount of herb.
Percolator (perc)
Any internal glass structure that breaks smoke into bubbles for extra filtration and cooling. Common styles include tree, matrix, honeycomb, showerhead and lace percs.
Quartz vs titanium nails
The two main dab nail materials. Quartz heats fast and preserves flavor; titanium is nearly unbreakable and holds heat longer but can affect taste.
Recycler
A water pipe that continuously cycles water and smoke between two chambers, giving constant filtration with minimal drag and splash.
Rolling papers
Thin papers for rolling your own. Sold flat or as pre-rolled cones, in materials like rice, hemp or unbleached fiber.
Rolling tray
A flat tray with raised edges that keeps herb, papers and tools contained while rolling.
Silicone pipe
A pipe made of food-grade silicone. Practically unbreakable, easy to clean and travel-friendly; most designs use a glass bowl insert.
Smell-proof storage
Bags, cases and jars with carbon lining or airtight seals that keep odor contained, like the Dime Bags line we carry.
Spoon pipe
The classic hand pipe shape: a bowl at one end, mouthpiece at the other and a carb hole on the side to control airflow.
Straight tube
A water pipe with a straight cylindrical body from base to mouthpiece. Simple to clear and easy to clean.
Terp pearls
Small quartz or ceramic balls that spin inside a banger under airflow, spreading the concentrate evenly across the hot surface.
Torch
A butane-fueled tool that produces the high heat needed to warm a banger or nail for dabbing. Kitchen-style and jet torches are the common formats.
Trichomes
The tiny resin glands on herb that carry most of its aroma. Kief is made of dried trichomes.
Vaporizer cartridge (cart)
A pre-filled or refillable tank that attaches to a battery, usually via 510 thread, and vaporizes its contents through a heating coil.
Water pipe
Any pipe that filters smoke through water before you inhale it. Bongs, bubblers, rigs and recyclers are all water pipes.
Whip
The flexible hose used with some desktop vaporizers to draw vapor directly from the heating chamber.