As dabbing tools like quartz bangers continue to evolve, accessories like carb caps adapt to the newer needs of dabbers. Until recently, most carb caps were designed to simply fit the banger they were made for. The original caps for club bangers would hang over the top with a loose seal. Newer caps that provide complete seals quickly took over because they create a higher-pressure environment where more vaporization can occur at lower temperatures.
We’ve compiled a list of carb caps with a focus on function. If you’re looking for something custom to match your piece, you’re better off directly messaging a glass artist.
Different Styles of Carb Caps
The two most common carb cap designs are bubble caps and “directional” airflow carb caps that look like flying saucers with nozzles at the bottom.
Quality Control Test
For the flying saucer style, you can test the quality of a seal by putting it on a banger with a perfectly level top. You can tell the top of a banger is completely level by placing the open side of the bucket on marble or another flat surface and blowing through the neck. If the top is completely level, air should be blowing back at you and not through gaps at the top of the bucket.
Once you’re sure you have a nail with a completely level top, place your cap on it, cover any holes on the cap–and blow through the joint of the banger. If no air leaks, you’ve got a carb cap with a perfect seal.
Terp Pearl Trend
We’ve reached a point where most caps do the same thing. However, there are a few designed with newer dabbing methods in mind. Pearls made of quartz, sapphire, ruby and more are becoming popular new dabbing accessories.
At first glance, one might assume they were just for show. However, with the right cap, the pearl(s) should spin fast, spreading the oil out to rapidly increase the surface area and hasten vaporization.
Best Flats for Spinning Pearls
If you’re still rocking a traditional club banger with a slanted top, a saucer-style carb cap is your best bet. In fact, it’s pretty much the only option if you want a complete seal. A bubble cap won’t work and caps that wrap around the top of the banger don’t provide a strong enough seal to really milk that rig without burning any oil.
The following saucer-style caps are all designed with terp-pearls in mind.
Zach Brown Spinner
Price: $120.00
Zach Brown earned himself a top spot on last year’s Best Carb Caps of 2018 list because of his price point and commitment to quality control. “No seal, no deal” he says as he tosses handfuls of seemingly perfect caps into the trash on his Instagram page.
Compared to every other cap we tried, we found Zack Brown’s spinner provided the best airflow for spinning pearls. It takes no effort to get the beads spinning and it eliminates the need to constantly twist the cap around. Harder inhales caused beads to vibrate audibly, with enough torque to move the rig.
Best of all, it provides a perfect seal on both slanted and flat top bangers with bevels.
Gordo Scientific OG V2 Riptide
Price: $99.99
The Riptide by Gordo Scientific is a solid cap for both flat tops and original quartz club bangers. It predates the existence of terp pearls. However, when they started to appear, dabbers with riptides began to discover that some of them were able to spin the pearls without the need to turn the cap.
Now, Gordo Scientific tests each cap to ensure optimum function with beads. We’ve been able to use our riptide to spin up to 4 pearls at top speeds in a single flat-top banger.
Their latest cap is the Riptide Crosscurrent which features riptides in two opposite directions with more restriction.
Best Bubbles
Few bubbles are capable of spinning pearls, but they should all make complete seals with flat-top bangers. Some extend to adjust to various size bangers while others offer several airflow options.
Gordo Scientific x Highly Educated GTR
Price: $120.00
Gordo Scientific and Highly Educated are two companies bringing innovation to the way carb caps function. The concept of the GTR started with a blueprint sent from Highly Educated to Gordo Scientific.
Ahead of their time, Gordo’s original caps were made to spin or spread out a dab to increase surface area without the need to twist the cap around. Now, they’re made with the terp pearl trend in mind too.
On top of being one of the only bubbles capable of making pearls circle, their collaboration with Highly Educated comes with 3 options in terms of airflow. There’s a carb hole at the very top and another on the side. Covering one, the other or neither will each provide a different airflow, spinning beads or oil at different speeds and directions.
Eternal Marble Cap
Price: $50.00
Eternal Quartz has made a name for themselves with their wide-selection of quartz products made to enhance just about any dab set up. If you’re in the market for durability, their marble cap is one of the sturdiest around.
Heavy at the center, the marble cap is less likely to fall off of a banger or peak that has been slightly tilted. Even if it fell, the walls of the marble are thick enough to take a hit. There is no resistance when spinning the marble around the top of a quartz banger, granting users controlled airflow.
Finally, they make the same carb cap in a smaller size at the same price for the Peak by Puffco.
Chad Bro Banger Ball
Price: $69.99
One of the most unique designs on the list is the Banger Ball by Chad Bro Glass. It spreads oils out without the need to twist the cap around.
However, it doesn’t milk as much when the nozzle is too far away from the puddle. So, it isn’t the best match for a tall flat-top banger. We found it paired best with Grails from Toro and other buckets with similar heights. Although it spins the oil without the need to be twisted, it will only move pearls around slightly and not in constant circles.
Chad Bro also makes the Banger Ball for the Puffco Peak.
Terpiscope Ball
Price: $50.00
There’s a good chance of your next banger not working as well with your old cap. Fortunately, there are some caps designed to fit as many bangers as possible. ZC Glass is constantly finding solutions to everyday problems for dabbers with peak attachments, cleaning stations, adapters and more.
Last year’s list featured their faceted saucer-style Terpiscope, with a nozzle that could be adjusted to go deeper or further away from the bottom of quartz buckets. This year, ZC Glass debuted the bubble cap version of the Terpiscope to sit comfortably in beveled, flat-top bangers.
OG Quartz Cap
Price: $40.00
The unique design of OG Quartz bangers required a new style of carb cap to match. It reaches almost all the way down the deep bucket of an OG quartz banger and the airflow tornados oil into two separate puddles that spin opposite of each other.
We also found the airflow was powerful enough to spin pearls with ease. The cold-start method and spinning airflow make quick work of any pre-loaded extract. The only downside is this cap won’t be compatible with any other bangers.
Unless you have an extremely unique quartz banger, there should be something on this list that will match yours perfectly. Having a carb cap that properly seals could be the difference between tasting your terpenes and tasting burnt oil.
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