Ceramic Nail

[i love you mary]

My hive has only had ~20 dabs through it so far, but it hasn't had any issues.

There is one part of the hive that I actively dislike: no visual temperature indicator. quartz/titanium glow red and then you know to wait a certain amount of time. not really possible with the hive.

It's also a bit annoying to heat the hive the way they recommend: by holding the torch mostly vertical and rotating it

i know!

there is no way of knowing when its hot enough!

i hold my torch vertically and spin/rotate nail as heating.

i did this with my quartz, so not a big deal. i have noticed i

can heat ceramic for 30 seconds(gets hot as hell!), & can instantly

apply my concentrate, with crazy flavor! the learning curve!

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations,

Although i don't "dab" i sort of wonder, how hot does the "nail" require to get exactly?

 

[Bouldorado]

On my nail it seems temps of ~570-600 work best. If it's too cold the dab will pool (not fully evaporate) and too hot the dab gets burnt.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Bouldorado,

...~570-600...

Hummm... I see. So, if temperature happens to be around 300 - 310 °C (572 - 590 °F) then this should work fine for a ceramic nail.

 

[hishighness]

Been doing a lot of hash dabs recently, works really well with the ceramic + carb cap since the ash just burns off. To judge heat I usually just put my hand like an inch over the nail. Gotta do a few test dabs to see what it should feel like but now I'm getting pretty decent at it.

RE: cracks/fractures, I've actually knocked the ceramic base/cap off my ~3.5 ft tall table and it's still perfectly fine (even with the prior cracks from my enail).

If you're getting fractures from regular dabbing use I'm pretty sure you're heating it wrong. You gotta be realll gentle, I only use the tip of my propane flame and always move it around in a circle. Probably takes me 3 times as long to heat ceramic vs. quartz.

 

[pigfoot]

I hadn't seen this thread. I recently received my hive. I posted pics and a review in recent acquisitions.

IMHO - I enjoy my halen honey hole more. A few reasons, the hives self cleaning claims are a bit exaggerated. Unless your torch is super hot, and I'm using a GT 8000 it takes very high heat to clean. As far as taste - much better than Ti but not quite as rich or terpy as quartz. Lastly on the negative side is if the nail isn't TOTALLY cool, good luck trying to get it off your rig. It sticks like a mother fucker.

Now, with that being said there's a few really cool features. The heat retention is off the chain. I was able to pull 4 dabs on one heating. Now don't forget the retention either because you may think it's cooled down and you can grab it and switch rigs. Don't do that lol...

Another recommendation is to get the carb cap. To keep it as clean as possible I cap it everytime.

So all in all, cool piece to have but don't kill yourself over it.

I got a 14/18 male from an ebay seller. I just place it in the GoG loosely, hasn't stuck yet.

Picked up a hive today and I'm very impressed with it. Flavor blows my 14 mm quartz (domed) out of the water. Cool down takes a while; I measured it with my IR gun and from the the temperature required for cleaning (815+) it takes ~2 minutes to cool to optimal dabbing temperature (500F).

I won't be heating it to white very often since I feel it's a waste of butane and a small bit of residue probably doesn't affect flavor very much.

Definitely retains heat a LONG time. The "heat to white" feature is useful occasionally. Also scraping with a metal tool will leave marks (on mine).

ive dropped my 14mm quartz on concrete, it survived.

just tried a ceramic nail i bought off of ebay. flavor was amazing, & after

2 days of use i see cracks! im gonna try hive, until i can get a good ceramic e-nail.

the ceramic screen for ice wax is dope. i didnt want to smoke from a titanium screen!

I can only compare mine to a glass nail/dome, flavor doesn't seem as good. I tried to season it first LOL, maybe that had something to do with it!

My hive has only had ~20 dabs through it so far, but it hasn't had any issues.

There is one part of the hive that I actively dislike: no visual temperature indicator. quartz/titanium glow red and then you know to wait a certain amount of time. not really possible with the hive.

It's also a bit annoying to heat the hive the way they recommend: by holding the torch mostly vertical and rotating it

I just use my finger (a little bit from the nail) to get a rough idea of temps. @Caligula got a temp guage, pretty inexpensive I think.

 

[Caligula]

20 bucks from amazon

 

[didolgi]

I just picked up the Hive direct inject version at a LHS. In looking at the different styles they had the direct inject seems to have thicker walls then the two part so hopefully it will be a little more forgiving with heating.

I'm not a heavy user, but I did give it a good workout last night. This is the first nail I've owned myself, prior use was always at a friends place. So far I'm happy, and with my light use I think I'll have it for a while.

 

[RandomHero]

I recently found some cheap 14/18mm male nails. Does anybody know about a difference in the quality of available ceramics? Is Hive's nail really "medical grade" or is all ceramic medical grade and they are just fearmongering?

Is there anything to worry about smoking off of a "budget" ceramic nail?

 

[didolgi]

I just picked up the Hive direct inject version at a LHS. In looking at the different styles they had the direct inject seems to have thicker walls then the two part so hopefully it will be a little more forgiving with heating.

I'm not a heavy user, but I did give it a good workout last night. This is the first nail I've owned myself, prior use was always at a friends place. So far I'm happy, and with my light use I think I'll have it for a while.

Ok a few weeks have passed - about 1g of wax consumed on the Hive nail so far. Please read below with that fact that I am a novice user when it comes to nails. In the past I've always had somebody with me who had way more experience.

Without question the taste on the ceramic nails is great. To me its on as good as or better than glass or quartz. The self cleaning part is true, but you need an insane amount of heat for it to work. Using a simple IR thermometer I get over 900F before I see the self cleaning part working. Knowing the issue with uneven heating I've been careful to move the torch in a small circle to prevent any problems. Its a bit of a PITA, but manageable.

Heat retention has been good, not as good as Ti, but better than glass.

As a light casual user(of wax) I think the Hive and I will get along fine, but I would have a hard time recommending it to a heavy user or for group sessions.

The only issue I'm having is incomplete vaporization, but I don't know if thats my technique, the lack of a carb cap, or the quality of the wax. I often get a tiny amount of liquid left in the nail that hardens into a tacky glaze. Any advice? Please don't derail the thread, but would be happy to discuss via PM, or if there is a thread for 'nail novices' please point me there!

 

[hishighness]

@didolgi the liquid at the bottom is definitely because you're not using a carb cap. The domeless.com guy has a method where you heat up one side of the nail, dab onto the opposite side and then push the puddle onto the original side but honestly never even tried cus that sounds like a retarded amount of effort. A carb cap works much much much better and imo is essential for using any domeless nail.

And I'll do my own update now that it's been almost 4-5 months since I've had it:
It's really really great! I generally switch between my quartz banger and ceramic nail, the ceramic is hands down best flavor imo (Hive wasn't wrong about that at least), Ti gives me almost no flavor in comparison. Quartz gives me decent but I feel like ceramic actually bolsters/magnifies the taste.

I mentioned earlier how some caps have cracked (and how it was due to incorrectly attaching the enail coil) but after realizing the cause I have not had a single issue. None of the cracks got any larger and I haven't broken any of them (been using same one for few months). Probably sound like an asshole correcting people not to heat too close, move it around in a circle, etc. but results speak for themselves, everything's still in one piece (usually just heat it myself since people can't understand this).

Heat retention is still crazy. I take about 1-2 minutes to heat it and then let it sit for another minute to get the right temperature. Just hold my hand on top the nail for second or two and wait for it to feel right before dabbing. Generally only clean to white if I did a big session and the whole thing is nasty or for the first dab of the day.

Heating the nail is probably my only gripe with this thing, definitely somewhat annoying to take 2-3 minutes before every dab but I usually just use the banger when I'm alone and ceramic when I'm with people (so we can do multiple dabs on one heating).

In one of my earlier posts I said "if the nail lasts around 5 months it's worth it"... well I'm about to hit five months with just one the one cap (and I got 2 more still)! I absolutely would suggest to anyone who purchases dispensary level wax (stuff that's supposed to taste suuuuuper good) to pick up a ceramic nail. Definitely not a necessity but a welcome addition to my collection

 

[ShabbinDatter]

This is a great video that explains a Hive Ceramic nail very well!

 

[justin1287]

Cool stuff....I live in Colorado and have been rocking a Porcelain Nail by Grasshopper Pipes. First time I have ever seen porcelain nails and they are really nice!

 

[Caligula]

Do you have pictures of this?

 

[justin1287]

I'll try to take one when I have time to post one. They have a website with info also.

 

[mvarela420]

I am a FAT dabber and I just Got a ceramic nail but after 3 days of constant dabs my nail is already starting to show cracks. Do you think its because I've been heating it up wrong? Or is it normal? I really like the ceramic nail though

 

[didolgi]

I am a FAT dabber and I just Got a ceramic nail but after 3 days of constant dabs my nail is already starting to show cracks. Do you think its because I've been heating it up wrong? Or is it normal? I really like the ceramic nail though

I can only speak for the hive nail I have - two months of light use and no cracks. Light use=2or3 sessions per week.

I use a butane torch with the flame not quite touching the bowl as I move it in small circles overhead pointed down onto the bowl. Ceramic doesn't move heat as easy as metal does so if you get one part too hot you'll end up with a stress crack. They don't stop you from using the nail, but of course too many and the nail is garbage.

 

[justin1287]

Fuck man...forgot to post that pic, but I'm lazy. This is what they look like if the computer message link thing works.

http://grasshopperpipes.com/product/porcelain-nail-male-18-mm-free-shipping/

 

[Jared]

Was looking for a cheap ceramic nail/cap last night and found a pretty killer deal. Not sure on the quality but I'll be sure to post back when it comes in.

Domeless 14/18 female nail, carb cap/dabber combo, and wax container for $14 total shipped from USA.

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=271621606228

 

[Caligula]

I should note that I ordered an adjustable ceramic nail to use with my flat coil enail. Also snagged a ceramic carb cap in the super cheap for various reasons. Well see how it goes!

 

[Jurkone]

I am a FAT dabber and I just Got a ceramic nail but after 3 days of constant dabs my nail is already starting to show cracks. Do you think its because I've been heating it up wrong? Or is it normal? I really like the ceramic nail though

Interesting... What brand it was? Do you heat it always for the same side? Thank you!!

 

[Jared]

Finally got that deal from ebay in. Been anxiously waiting ever since I hit buy.

First time using a ceramic nail so I wasn't really sure about how long to heat it up or how long to wait. First 2 dabs were pretty awful but the 3rd one I forced myself to wait about 35 seconds before putting my dab on and it was perfect. Easily one of the tastiest dabs I've ever had. The carb cap doesn't fit perfectly but it fits more than good enough. Same with the nail. Not an absolutely perfect fit on the joint but it's not going to be moving around at all. The head of the nail is pretty big with plenty of room to work with.

Only thing I can even complain about is that the dabber end of the carb cap is way too big but that's honestly not even an issue in my book for the price.

 

[Jared]

 

[Caligula]

Figured I should post this here as well, since it may be of x-interest...

In any case, I've been experimenting with my new NectarNail Enail. Ive tried out ti nails, quartz nails, and now (duh) the domeless.com ceramic nail. And it is a pretty awesome combo I may add!

Now, my specific coil is a rebranded "NectarNail" 15.8mm (16) flat-coil type heater. As such it fits perfectly under the ceramic cup of the nail. Now, I should note that I had to use their optional "non slotted" (doesnt have a slot for a carb in the nail dish, which is fail anyway IMO since all carb caps have a carb hole already) since it doesnt come with the threaded adjustable nut.

And why is that? Of course it would be ideal to use it, since the nut would be a slick way to secure the flat coil to the underside of the cup. Sadly the threading for said ceramic nut makes it just slightly ever too large to fit my coil around. As such, I had to use the non-threaded version and domeless' optional cermaic washer/boro tube "kit" to rig something up. After all was said and put together, though, its quite solid. And it WORKS!

The flavor is on par with quarts as far as I can tell, and the ceramic has the added bonus of behaving like a titanium nail, with its large surface area and more efficient vaporization of the material. Hopefully the downsides to ceramic (i.e. cracking) will be reduced or eliminated due to the fact that I'm never torching it (which would unevenly heat the piece and probably over-heat it in the process).

As far as I am concerned, other than the possibility of it breaking do to a fall or something, this seems to be the perfect compromise between flavor and performance.

One other note, I noticed that I have to bump my Enail controller up quite a bit over what I set it at for titanium, in order to get the same temp at the nail surface, as measured by my IR probe. I'm assuming this has to do with the physical properties of each material. In any case, I set it to about 775-777 °F in order to get about 610 °F on the nail surface (which I find to be ideal).

 

[Jared]

Update on the eBay nail. For the price I'd recommend it still but it seems to have warped some from heat I guess and now it doesn't fit very good on my joint at all. If there's a few dabs worth of reclaim built up it's airtight otherwise it's not.