Quartz vs titanium vs silicon carbide
Quartz is the most common choice. It gives clean flavour and heats and cools quickly, but it can crack if dropped or hit by a sudden temperature change.
Titanium is far tougher, will not shatter and holds heat for a long time, which suits frequent users who do not want to baby their gear. Silicon carbide (SiC) also retains heat well; MiniNail's universal SiC nail fits 10-18mm joints. Sapphire mostly turns up as inserts for some e-rigs, while ruby terp pearls go inside a banger to spread concentrate across the floor.
Matching size and style to your glass
Standard joints are 10mm, 14mm and 18mm, and the gender has to match: a female joint on the rig takes a male banger. Every Phoenix Star banger we stock is 14mm male, which fits the most common 14mm female rigs.
Style matters too. Lowriders sit low and compact. Terp slurpers have an airflow slot that sets vapor spinning and are usually paired with balls or pearls. Models sold with a ball cap or ball pole give you a working set without hunting for a separate carb cap.
Phoenix Star, MiniNail and Voozr on our shelves
Phoenix Star covers quartz bangers from about ฿590 to ฿790: standard, lowrider, full-welded, sandblasted terp slurper and a seven-ball design. They are a good fit for first-timers or anyone who wants a few spares.
MiniNail focuses on e-nail and Flower Wand gear: the XL Quartz Hybrid Titanium nail, the Silicon Carbide Universal nail, the Ruby Pearl Engine insert, and glass and titanium bowls for the Flower Wand. Voozr's 3mm ruby terp pearls come in packs of ten for about ฿350.
Looking after quartz
Season a new quartz banger the way its maker recommends. After each dab, swab it out while it is still warm so residue does not bake on. If it has already gone dark, soak it in isopropyl alcohol once it is completely cool.
Never dunk a hot banger in water or alcohol, because the sudden temperature change can crack quartz. Avoid scraping the inside hard with metal tools.