Bong adapters - A guide for beginners

Bong adapters are convenient and handy tools that can be a bit perplexing at first glance. You can buy bongs and bong adapters from online or a local vape or head shop. Bong adapters require some measuring and care on the user’s part to function properly but can make an excellent addition to any cannabis lovers collection. This guide is prepared to help you to understand what these neat little marijuana accessories are, what they do, and how to use and benefit from them the most.

What is a bong adapter?

A bong adapter is a cannabis bong accessory that is usually made of a type of glass. They're meant to serve a purpose and be removable to allow for a more functional and easier to personalize marijuana smoking device.

What are bong adapters for?

Bong adapters are designed to serve three different uses.

1. Converting a bong into a dab rig.
   An adapter can be used to adjust the stem size and allow for the use of additional pieces like a nail.

2. Adjusting the size of a bongs joint.
   Not all cannabis smoking devices are created equally. Though there are average sizes for bong stems they can vary greatly from one another. If you have an accessory that requires a smaller or wider joint a bong adapter will allow you to do that. Adapters will slide right into or over top of the stem on a bong for a fast and easy size adjustment.

3. Changing a dab rig into a bong.
   Dab rigs work essentially the same way that bongs do but instead of a bowl come equipped with dabbing accessories. Those pieces can be removed, and a bong adapter can be used to convert a dab rig into a bong by replacing the dabbing head with an adapter that will contain a cannabis bowl instead.

Bong adapter types

1. Female to Female
2. Male to Male
3. Male to Female

How to choose a bong adapter

Choosing a bong adapter will depend on a couple of things including what you want it to do and which device you want it to work with. Both the size and the shape of the joint on a bong are relevant when searching for compatible adaptors for your device. You will need to asses both the size and the type of joint you have.

Types of joints

Once you understand what male and female mean it will be pretty easy to spot this without the help of a guide.

1. Male - A male joint is one that protrudes from the device and requires you to place any accessories over it rather than into it.

2. Female - A female joint will look the opposite of the male. It will require any pieces that you use with it be inserted into a wider open hole instead.

Sizes of joints

Pipes, dab rigs, and bongs are all equipped with one of three standard sized joints.

10MM - This is the smallest joint you will ever find. They are most frequently present on small water pipes and pendant rigs. They are almost exclusively used on micro devices or those that are meant for concentrates.

14MM - 14mm is the most commonly found joint size among bongs, water pipes, and dab rigs and considered the standard of the industry.

18MM - The second most used size is the 18MM, and they are found in most expert marijuana smoking devices since they allow for a much more efficient airflow

Measuring a bong or dab rig joint

Trying to figure out the size of your devices joint is going to be an essential part of finding the right adapters and accessories. The smallest 10mm size is easily distinguishable by how skinny it is, but the other two can be difficult to gauge by eye. You can check this using the dime test. Place one dime over the female end of the bong. If the coin drops into it than it is an 18mm. If it stays hovering on top of it then you have a 14mm as a dime is just a smidge smaller than 18mm.