Rio Portable Dab Rig by Stache Products

[SixStringToker]

@FlyingLow It's the standard "Black" base option for the MAKEover. I added the holes with a hand drill. It just seemed like wasted space!

The banger is from Dank Banger:

PREMIUM SANDBLASTED FULL WELDING QUARTZ BANGER | DANK BANGER

DANK BANGER New Premium Sandblasted Full Welding Quartz Banger is made of pure quartz which takes higher heat resistance. It comes with a male 14.5mm joint and with sophisticated sandblasting on the body and will bring u a higher level of dabbing experience. OD:25mm,Bottom thickness 6mm, Wall...

dankbanger.com

 

[Polarbearboy]

@FlyingLow It's the standard "Black" base option for the MAKEover. I added the holes with a hand drill. It just seemed like wasted space!

The banger is from Dank Banger:

PREMIUM SANDBLASTED FULL WELDING QUARTZ BANGER | DANK BANGER

DANK BANGER New Premium Sandblasted Full Welding Quartz Banger is made of pure quartz which takes higher heat resistance. It comes with a male 14.5mm joint and with sophisticated sandblasting on the body and will bring u a higher level of dabbing experience. OD:25mm,Bottom thickness 6mm, Wall...

dankbanger.com

Lovely set-up. Museum quality and tone. How did you make the hole(s)? I absolutely love that addition. I like my new Rio alot, aesthetically as well as functionally. But qtips add to the clutter on my table. This is a marvelous solution.Stache should adopt your concept in their next iteration.

 

[Evacipate]

So, I've owned the RiO for about a month now with daily use and I love it so much more. I must say it really shines with ambrosia live resin, diamonds, terp sauce, etc. I mean it's incredible how flavorful and potent some low temp sessions are with these premium extracts, sometimes I'm almost unable to finish the session because I can't see straight lol. I used to be sort of turned off to these top tier extracts because of the price, not really seeing much difference in real world use other than smell and appearance, but getting about the same result as cheaper shatter. With the RiO, shatter is still great, but compared to the others, it's truly night and day. Especially ambrosia live resin which is probably my go-to right now (Zkittlez and Runtz, I'm looking at you). Ironically, I've been saving money buying smaller amounts of more potent or at least more medicinally effective premium extracts. I usually just need like .1 of a gram and sometimes I'm soaring for 5-6 hours with an almost edible-like body high kicking in about halfway through, it's really strange but fantastic and makes the RiO an invaluable investment for someone like me.

I suspect a lot of this increased love for the RiO is also due to the fact that I've gotten the learning curve down and I can operate it mostly in autopilot mode while paying more attention to listening to music or watching youtube lol and not accidentally scorching the bottom. In fact, I haven't had any residue build up on the bottom or even around the core in weeks. I'm not certain if the properties of the banger changing or my methods were responsible for resulting in this lack of dark, black, baked on char that was so prevalent during my initial sessions. I also previously had that kind of lighter, bronze, glossy patina residue build up that you get on a cast iron pan but even that has vanished completely.

I must say, the RiO is truly impressive for the job it gets done in such a well contained unit. I do have some cons such as the ergonomics of the base leave a lot to be desired and I hope Stache is looking into such improvements for future updates. I also feel like the trigger for the torch would be better implemented within the base somehow ( this would increase the complexity and cost so probably not worth it) rather than at side of the end of the torch which causes me to have to place my hand unnaturally towards the end instead of the middle of the base. The valve could use much work too I feel like it's a mediocre design. It works fine, just feels a bit cheap and like there's a sleeker, more sophisticated solution out there.

Also regarding the torch, I do wish it was a bit more advanced to have increased accuracy with a low flame especially, as well as a way to lock in a setting so it fires up to that specific size flame each time so you don't have to keep awkwardly turning the entire thing to check the flame, which would be good for me as I re-fire frequently and quickly to prevent burning so all the repetitive motions to check the flame could be reduced significantly. I also wish there was more metal than plastic for the torch, but maybe it's a plus I don't realize and I'm just being a Luddite that falsely perceives metal to always be superior to plastic when that isn't always the case. Probably not worth the cost to ameliorate all those ideal functions and honestly it's still great the way it is, but if I'm being 100% honest there are definitely aspects I would change in an ideal world that might be deal breakers for others.

Also, I've been watching for the sandblasted colored glass for the bubbler as I really want to invest in a second as both a backup and because I'm not a huge fan of plain, clear glass. However, Stache has been OOS of pretty much every one that isn't clear since I began researching the RiO. I was wondering if any of the RiO vets here that have been frequenting their website for longer has noticed any patterns that might indicate they are coming back any time soon? I'm going to email them soon I just thought it might be worth asking here if anyone has noticed that they haven't been in stock for 6 months for instance, I won't get my hopes up any time soon. It's just a little scary that now even the clear bubblers are OOS so if anything happens to the one I have, no more RiO...

 

[Polarbearboy]

I'm liking my Rio very much...and maybe therefore using it too much. After a couple of dabs last night, I ended up wheezing all night, only the second time this unpleasantness has happened in more than a year. After fifty years of cigarettes--quit 7 years ago--and 45+ years of pot--quit combustion 5 years ago--I have sensitive lungs. Prior to the Rio I always ran my VapCap, Sai, G Pen Connect, and other flower and concentrate vapes through an ash catcher and then through a double perc bubbler. Has anyone figured a way to hook the Rio to additional water tools? It looks like a 10mm glass might fit, but maybe not tightly enough. Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[FlyingLow]

@Evacipate your not burning your banger is a direct result of experience. Nothing has changed with your banger, your timing is just dialed in.

@Polarbearboy IMO RiO really optimized design for flavor and portability... not so much for cooling. have you considered just doing cold starts on one of your ash catcher/double perc setups? You don't have to have a RiO, just put your banger on your other rig and try it. I do this with my Blazer big shot often.

 

[Evacipate]

@SixStringToker That is such a brilliant mod for the RiO and thank you for sharing the Dank Banger, I have it in my cart now and am seriously considering it. I am a little concerned with the price and return policy that the one I receive might not end up being perfectly compatible with the RiO but I'm really intrigued by this one, it's absolutely gorgeous imo. Thinking of pairing it with the Riptide frosted carb cap and I'm still trying to educate myself on the differences between the 3mm and 6mm terp pearls. I feel like a kid in a candy story though haha. However, it's a little odd they have a pretty in your face chat feature on their site but so far in about 18 hours no one has responded?

@FlyingLow Dang that's awesome, I'll definitely be wearing that badge proudly as I literally cannot burn anything anymore and truly suspected that something had changed within the banger itself as it is always pristine now. I was wondering if it possibly has something to do with higher quality/different concentrates? Previously, when I was still learning and having issues with black residue, I was using $15/gram pretty underwhelming shatter. Not bad, not much flavor but I mean it gets you "high". However, it's very one-note and severely lacking in medicinal potency and efficacy and it's pretty much the bargain basement extract around here. It's like the "chinese food" of wax- you vape it and you feel almost too high and then an hour later you're jonesing again. The really high-quality, top-shelf live resins and especially two in particular, aeroponic live resin and ambrosia live resin that are generally $30 - $40/gram, their effect is infinitely more medicinal and it lasts for 4-5 hours with a tiny amount. They are now my go-to and I cannot for life of me cause any residue build up from them with my technique now so I'm happy as a high clam at high tide.


Oh and here's a kind of a cool shot I got while trying to get an image of how centered my banger is while cold starting some more of that utterly incredible "strain-of-the-year" for me, Watermelon Gelato aeroponic live resin:

 

[Hackerman]

$110 for a new RIO. Anyone know if this is legit?

RiO Makeover Kit, Stache Products

Rio Makeover Kit, Stache Products The Rio is an all-inclusive set up designed to perfectly facilitate dabbing essential oils. Unlike other units on the market, The RIO is 100% mechanical, meaning there are no coils to go out on you or need to be replaced. Designed by Stache Products, The RIO is...

thesevenstarwholesale.com

EDIT: Never mind. Fake news, it seems. Still waiting for VaporSolo to restock.

 

[Shrike]

^^^They seem "iffy"...and misspell "Business" on the header area...hmmm? But, what do I know?

 

[Evacipate]

@Shrike Agreed...that's always a red flag. I guess when it comes to trying to snag "the best" deal on such life purchases, I'm not even comfortable with risking a cheap knock off for like a bottle of cologne in the name of the lowest possible price, but a butane torch that you hold up to your face?...

I'm also a bit of a tech and audio equipment enthusiast and I've had 3 friends over the past few years seek my advice after becoming victims of the laughable but effective "parking lot surround sound system scam", where someone sells you what they claim is a super high end audio equipment out of their mom's dingy car but it's just cheap imitation garbage. So, I guess I'm always looking out for scams and trying not to jump on anything "too good to be true" or "decison/research time limited". Always red flags in my experience.

 

[Shrike]

Yeah...there are hundreds if not many thousands of fake scam sites out there right now not just for this industry, but selling all kind of non related products.

Many of them seem to use the same few templates. So easy to spot once you've seen a few of them. The one we were looking at has a little bit of that vibe, but they could be legit for all I know...but why take a chance if you don't have to.

The Rio all the way up to list price is worth the bucks. Love mine!

 

[Evacipate]

After digging through this thread and several others, I've decided to upgrade my RiO a little bit with a better banger, spinner cap, terp pearl and a SiC insert. I typically love window shopping for things but with dab related items it's admittedly been a bit of a chore because everytime I find something unique I like, it's always OOS FFS. Or It's in stock but only for uncommon size and when I select 14mm, OOS. And a lot of these websites are poorly crafted with little explanation as to what a new trending item is/does with pictures or videos demonstrating its use nowhere to be found so I get excited about something but then feel lost not knowing if I truly understand how it will function with my circumstances due to limited information available. Seems like you have to just take a chance with new unproven items to get them before they're OOS?

That said, I'm grateful I finally found something I truly like instead of feeling like I was settling and can afford. I'm nearly about to pull the trigger on this banger combo and this SiC insert. For about $100 total it seems like a good investment to have something different and while it's nothing fancy or name brand like ESB, I still feel like it will be a nice addition, especially with the no-weld design and I think it will complement my Teal RiO nicely. Anyone have anything good or bad to say about these?

 

[Evacipate]

Well, I went a whole hour before I decided to pull the trigger after finding a discount code but it put me under free shipping lol so I added a terp pearl grabber (hoping it will actually also function to grab the SiC insert and drop it in the hot banger though probably not as the insert says it's 16mm and the grabber says max pearl size of 12mm but I'm crossing my fingers anyways) and a pretty decent tool kit to bring the price back over $100 for free shipping. So far I really like Dabbing Warehouse. Nothing I was interested in or even saw listed as OOS, logical site that doesn't look like it was made on GeoCities in the 90's, ample explanation, instructional video section right on the main page, etc.

I'm really excited, I will let everyone know how these work with the RiO as soon as everything arrives.

 

[LesPlenty]

The SiC insert looks like good value...the banger and carb cap are on Dhgate for $30

 

[FlyingLow]

I am over DHGate. I don't mind buying from a reseller, especially a reseller stateside with easy and fast shipping.
Also I find resellers tend to get better quality than anything I've gotten direct... never been satisfied with a single DHGate purchase.

 

[Evacipate]

@LesPlenty Thanks bud, while I certainly do my best to avoid being "had" and love finding a good deal, in my subjective experience, there is more to a good deal than just paying the lowest possible price. The two times I've ordered from DHGate in the past, it took over 4 MONTHS to arrive. I actually forgot about the orders both times and was like "oh yeah" when they arrived. Granted, this was years ago and it might've just been exceptionally bad luck, but when it comes to the laws of diminishing returns, I'd infinitely rather pay $75 to have most things now than $30 in 4 months and I believe other than the most diehard frugal types, most would agree.

@FlyingLow Agreed, that is the other flip side. Here's a terrible analogy from my perspective: I like potatoes but I don't like growing them. If someone wants to invest months waiting for potatoes to grow, I'll gladly pay them several times more than they are technically "worth" for the convenience to not have to wait to have one when I feel like it and I'll never feel "ripped off" with that arrangement. Hell, I'll even thank the farmer's patience for a $1 bag of potatoes that costs me $5 to not have to wait months for something and have it essentially "now" and never have to get my hands dirty. Similarly, if a big warehouse wants to buy a bunch of stuff in bulk from DHGate or similar, do all the waiting for me and then charge me a roughly 60% markup for that uncertain wait while offering much quicker and superior customer service than DHGate ever could hope to? Sold!

 

[LesPlenty]

If you like the locally bought ones, get a spare or 3 underway from China as a back up as all glass is consumable...Dhgate has not changed for the better with delivery times...months not weeks usually but now and again I get surprised (usually by the same few decent sellers I use on there)

I find resellers tend to get better quality than anything I've gotten direct

I have a lot of 'not quite right' glass in my collection...pretty well all the really wonky ones were free as I just open a case when stuff is not as advertised. (glass is handmade so I allow a bit of error)

 

[Dopeydad]

So, I've owned the RiO for about a month now with daily use and I love it so much more. I must say it really shines with ambrosia live resin, diamonds, terp sauce, etc. I mean it's incredible how flavorful and potent some low temp sessions are with these premium extracts, sometimes I'm almost unable to finish the session because I can't see straight lol. I used to be sort of turned off to these top tier extracts because of the price, not really seeing much difference in real world use other than smell and appearance, but getting about the same result as cheaper shatter. With the RiO, shatter is still great, but compared to the others, it's truly night and day. Especially ambrosia live resin which is probably my go-to right now (Zkittlez and Runtz, I'm looking at you). Ironically, I've been saving money buying smaller amounts of more potent or at least more medicinally effective premium extracts. I usually just need like .1 of a gram and sometimes I'm soaring for 5-6 hours with an almost edible-like body high kicking in about halfway through, it's really strange but fantastic and makes the RiO an invaluable investment for someone like me.

I suspect a lot of this increased love for the RiO is also due to the fact that I've gotten the learning curve down and I can operate it mostly in autopilot mode while paying more attention to listening to music or watching youtube lol and not accidentally scorching the bottom. In fact, I haven't had any residue build up on the bottom or even around the core in weeks. I'm not certain if the properties of the banger changing or my methods were responsible for resulting in this lack of dark, black, baked on char that was so prevalent during my initial sessions. I also previously had that kind of lighter, bronze, glossy patina residue build up that you get on a cast iron pan but even that has vanished completely.

I must say, the RiO is truly impressive for the job it gets done in such a well contained unit. I do have some cons such as the ergonomics of the base leave a lot to be desired and I hope Stache is looking into such improvements for future updates. I also feel like the trigger for the torch would be better implemented within the base somehow ( this would increase the complexity and cost so probably not worth it) rather than at side of the end of the torch which causes me to have to place my hand unnaturally towards the end instead of the middle of the base. The valve could use much work too I feel like it's a mediocre design. It works fine, just feels a bit cheap and like there's a sleeker, more sophisticated solution out there.

Also regarding the torch, I do wish it was a bit more advanced to have increased accuracy with a low flame especially, as well as a way to lock in a setting so it fires up to that specific size flame each time so you don't have to keep awkwardly turning the entire thing to check the flame, which would be good for me as I re-fire frequently and quickly to prevent burning so all the repetitive motions to check the flame could be reduced significantly. I also wish there was more metal than plastic for the torch, but maybe it's a plus I don't realize and I'm just being a Luddite that falsely perceives metal to always be superior to plastic when that isn't always the case. Probably not worth the cost to ameliorate all those ideal functions and honestly it's still great the way it is, but if I'm being 100% honest there are definitely aspects I would change in an ideal world that might be deal breakers for others.

Also, I've been watching for the sandblasted colored glass for the bubbler as I really want to invest in a second as both a backup and because I'm not a huge fan of plain, clear glass. However, Stache has been OOS of pretty much every one that isn't clear since I began researching the RiO. I was wondering if any of the RiO vets here that have been frequenting their website for longer has noticed any patterns that might indicate they are coming back any time soon? I'm going to email them soon I just thought it might be worth asking here if anyone has noticed that they haven't been in stock for 6 months for instance, I won't get my hopes up any time soon. It's just a little scary that now even the clear bubblers are OOS so if anything happens to the one I have, no more RiO...

Thanks for this post. I have been looking into getting a rio and I am just being a weenie about pulling the trigger. There aren't too many indepth reviews of it so I appreciate you taking the time to write this.

 

[Evacipate]

@Dopeydad Welcome aboard and I'm quite pleased that my manically medicated ramblings have managed to offer more than a mere temporary window into my insanity for once.

Sometimes I sit down and start typing and 2 minutes later I've desecrated the internet again with yet another ponderous tome. So, whenever any of that drivel ends up being of some use, I'm indeed as happy to help as I am with my RiO and would certainly highly recommend it as of this posting. Its efficiency and functionality are the two top aspects that make it so easy to recommend. Its price isn't terrible but better deals can probably be found, I think it's perfectly fair though. The steampunk-esque quirky appearance is big plus imo too.

I hope Stache gets a little bigger, not so much that they turn into yet another out-of-touch conglomerate and water down their offerings, but enough that they don't risk going under and are able to develop more versions with better ergonomics, torches, features, etc. And more importantly, to have better stock as their website has been OOS of key items for nearly 2 months now, such as the waterpipe which you simply cannot use the RiO without. And while you can buy the RiO itself from other vendors for cheapter, Stache themselves seem to be the only ones that sell the individual parts. So if anything happens to my waterpipe right now, instead of the $60-80 for one on its own from Stache, I would be forced to essentially buy an entire new RiO since the waterpipes are always OOS (technically the clear sandblasted waterpipe is still available but probably because no one wants them since they're using the previous "inferior" inline perc instead of the "improved" showerhead perc so it would essentially be a "downgrade").

That all said, it still wouldn't stop me from purchasing one, especially for a good < $200 price. I will admit though that this has me already researching a more dedicated rig for desktop use and if so I'll likely plan to use the RiO for when I want to hang out in the backyard or veg out in front of the OLED.

Oh great I've done it again, another tome ffs...

 

[Polarbearboy]

So if anything happens to my waterpipe right now, instead of the $60-80 for one on its own from Stache, I would be forced to essentially buy an entire new RiO since the waterpipes are always OOS (technically the clear sandblasted waterpipe is still available but probably because no one wants them since they're using the previous "inferior" inline perc instead of the "improved" showerhead perc so it would essentially be a "downgrade").

I'm not sure that's right. I've looked at the pics of all the colored and sandblasted wps--which are sort of stunning--and it depends on the color. A few colors are the older perc but some colors definitely have the shower perc.

 

[Evacipate]

@Polarbearboy While I agree the waterpipes are stunning, I'm at a bit of a loss at how you interpreted the text you quoted as me saying anything other than the clear sandblasted having the inline perc? Seriously, put the joint down and step away slowly my friend

Here's some screenshots for clarity:

Clear Sandblasted sole version in stock but limited to inline perc, which most previously complained about.

Clear non-sandblasted, colored clear AND colored sandblasted ALL OOS.

Each one is described like this, none of the colored or clear say "inline", they all have the shower-head perc. Nothing changes when you choose different colors.

 

[Evacipate]

What a Friday yesterday was! My order from DW arrived early as did my sweet new headphone amp. Then my main dispensary had a smoking BOGO deal on the ambrosia live resin, effectively making each gram a mere $25. Sadly, while their site had been showing the deal pending all week, their inventory was showing nothing for ambrosia. Because I'm evil, I actually called them at 7 am when they opened and mananged to snag the last 8 grams that they take off leafly when each one goes below 3. My minifridge and my wallet have never looked so good...

Everything from DW came in perfect condition and was packaged very well. I really like the new banger and cap and it really improves the RiO's appearance and functionality. It does stick out a bit further than the stock banger but I just pulled out the torch a few millimeters to compensate and it's literally dead center so I'm thrilled. The terp pearl grabber is a little cheap and feels like it won't last but the tools are top notch and so much better than that standard overused skillet tool that comes with everything wax related. I must have 50 of those ffs lol. The terp pearl grabber DOES work to pick up the SiC insert, not around its entire circumference but rather just by grabbing the edge. Though the terp pearl doesn't really spin until higher temps are reached, it is still very nice and a welcome improvement though and it has me already looking into sapphire pearls.

Perhaps I just need more experience with it, but I am a bit underwhelmed with the SiC insert. I realize they're better suited for e-nails or like a peak/switch, but I was hoping I could still use it in my RiO. It works, but I don't like how much I have to torch my banger to transfer the heat and honestly, the taste was surprisingly disappointing. I tried it with some Mandarin Cookies which tasted incredible with the new naked quartz and the terp pearl but it tasted like shatter off titanium in the insert to me, not like terpy live resin as it should. I'll continue to experiment with it, I might need to find the sweet spot but I'm probably better off with SiC terp pearls instead of the insert tbh and that's likely the direction I'll go.

Hope everyone's weekend will be as "productive" as mine is destined to be...

 

[delicatebunting]

What's the benefit of using a SiC dish inside quartz? Isn't straight quartz going to be a better experience?

If you get a sapphire/ruby insert, there's no purpose of spending money on an expensive banger, right? I'm thinking that might be my next move.

I tried the terp balls and I think they're a placebo.

I've tried a bunch of bangers and keep coming back to the Sneaky Pete Frost Bottom, which sits too low, so I use the torch externally.

When do you guys q-tip your banger? I followed Troy's Rio review (11:35), wait for the beginning of a boil, turn off the torch, get a couple pulls from that, reheat for 1-2 more pulls, then clean. I read somewhere that the reheat is not necessary that all the THC will have been vaped on the first go. Is the reheat necessary?

 

[Evacipate]

@delicatebunting Apparently not much, I saw a few videos of people using SiC in quartz with torches and the general consensus here seemed to be that the full insert was better than the pearls so I decided to give it a shot on a lark. It isn't that bad, it's just not as good as the quartz on its own imo.

I don't think TPs are a placebo though. Unless you're paying hundreds of dollars or using them improperly, the laws of diminishing returns are likely on your side for under $10 each. Hell, even if they just add aesthetic you're still getting your money's worth imo.

 

[Kins]

Looks like they have new glass recyclers for the Rio,

LiP x RiO

Limited Edition LiP x RiO Recyclers 1 of 1 made each with a specific release day and time! First come first serve!

stacheproducts.com

Unless I'm just slow but this is the first I've seen of them. Pretty expensive though.

 

[SixStringToker]

@Kins Nice! I feel like they look a bit too dainty for the RiO, though. However, options are always nice!

It looks like they've added a custom LIQ banger, too. The LIQ round-bottom banger is my current favorite for cold-start dabs.