Terp pearls, also called "dab beads," are small balls placed in the bottom of your banger that help distribute heat and concentrate for an even burn with less waste.
What are Terp Pearls?
dab pearls are small balls measuring around 4-8 mm in diameter.
The tiny balls are made from quartz, borosilicate glass, or other materials.
These beads are placed in the banger of your rig and help improve and distribute the heat evenly. This even heat distribution prevents hot spots in the banger are optimizes flavor at lower temperatures.
Dab pearls are also known as "dab beads" or "banger beads."
Do Terp Pearls Melt?
If banger beads are exposed to extreme heat for a prolonged time, they may deform.
Banger beads can also suffer from thermal shock. Thermal shock is a sudden change in temperature (cold to hot or vice versa) that causes tension as material contracts or expands.
This can cause the pearl to crack or break. It is more prevalent in brittle materials such as ceramics.
How to Clean Terp Beads
Terp beads or terp balls can be cleaned with a butane torch. Another common way to get your pearls clean is by waiting for them to cool and soaking them in isopropyl alcohol. Do not transfer hot dab beads into cold water or alcohol as this can cause them to fracture.
Why Use Dab Pearls for Dabbing?
When you heat a quartz banger or dab nail, different parts will heat at different rates. As soon as the torch is removed, the banger will begin to cool. Even in the highest quality banger, the surface will cool at different rates. The middle of the banger may hold the heat for longer while the edges cool faster, or vice versa.
Terp balls can be used to counter this uneven cooling issue.
As the beads spin around the banger, they will distribute the heat evenly to the surface of the banger. Ensuring the banger cools evenly means that any wax in it will vaporize at a uniform rate.
This avoids the concentrate puddling in cool spots or scorching in hot spots and spreads the wax around as it melts.
The result is that you can efficiently dab wax at a lower temperature which results in more flavor as less of those precious terpenes and flavonoids will be consumed by the intense heat.
So terp beads mean bigger rips at lower temperatures.
More flavor from each dab and more efficient use of wax concentrates.
The beads also look really cool when spinning around inside your banger.
Different types of Terp pearls
Like dab bangers, dab pearls also come in various sizes and materials. Also, like bangers, the material they are made from will determine their durability.
The different sizes and types of materials used to make dab beads vary in price. We provide a breakdown of what to expect for each type so you can see which might be best for you.
Quartz pearl：
The majority of bangers are made from quartz, and the same is true of dab pearls. Quartz pearls strike a good balance of cost, durability, and heat retention. Quartz is reasonably resistant to thermal shock. This means you don't have to worry about cleaning the pearls in iso or torching them clean at the end of a session.
Ceramic pearl：
Ceramic pearls are similar to quartz when it comes to heat retention.
Some people think they offer a superior flavor.
The downside to ceramics is they are difficult to clean and are sensitive to thermal shocks meaning they can easily crack if under direct heat.
But, over time, this does make them difficult to maintain.
Borosilicate pearl：
Borosilicate glass pearls provide a good all-around performance
and are very reasonably priced. They provide sufficient surface area and spin for vaping. The downside is that they retain less heat than other options and, if heated directly for too long, can deform. Leaving them to cool naturally and soaking them in iso is the best way to clean them.
Ruby pearls：
Do not confuse ruby pearls with natural rubies.
These are lab-produced rubies but have the same qualities as natural rubies.
The heat retention of these is excellent, and they preserve flavors.
Ruby pearls are susceptible to thermal shock, so treat them with care when cleaning.
They are UV reactive, and the red will shine nice and bright when heated and spinning in the dark, which adds an amazing look to your rig when dabbing.
SIC pearl：
These beads are made of silicon carbide. This has excellent thermal retention. SIC pearls are very resilient to thermal shock. So it is easy to clean them with a torch. They are a great option for flavor and are easy to use and maintain.
How to use Terp Pearls
Terp beads are designed for use with bucket-shaped bangers or terp slurpers.
In order to make them spin, you will need a carb cab with directional airflow. A bubble cap, spinning cap, or directional cap will help you get the most from your terp peals.
Put a few beads inside the banger. Put the carb cap on and inhale through the pipe to check the pearls spin.
If you're happy with the spin, remove the carb cap and start evenly heating the banger with a butane torch.
Once you have the banger up to the temperature, turn off the torch and allow the banger to cool to the desired temperature.
Once that is reached, add your concentrate to the banger. Put the carb cap over it and start to inhale.
When you want to move around hot terp beads, you will find a dab claw tool that makes it easy. This is an adjustable dab tool that's ideally suited to picking up dab pearls or small nuggets of cannabis wax.
How Many Terp Pearls Should I Use?
We recommend using 1 or 2 pearls. This produces the optimal amount of spin. Any more and the pearls tend to crash together and disrupt each other.
Why Doesn't My Terp Pearl Spin?
Check you are using the right type of carb cap. If there is no directional airflow, then the pearls will not spin.
It could be time to clean the banger and pearls. The residue that can build up on the pearls can act like glue when heated and causes added friction which prevents them from spinning freely.
Are Terp Pearls Worth it?
If you want to get the most out of your dabs, then dab pearls are worth the investment, especially if you prefer large hits at lower temperatures. Terp beads are also available in various materials and styles that can personalize your setup, so you can find ones to match your dab rig setup.
