A reclaim catcher prevents waste and keeps your dab rig cleaner by collecting unvaporized concentrate before it enters the rig. It reduces clogs, protects percolators, improves safety by distancing the hot nail, and lets dabbers reuse high-quality reclaim.
Reclaiming Control Over Your Rig
Dabbing has its own rhythm. Heat, inhale, clear. When the setup is dialed in, everything feels precise. When it isn’t, airflow tightens up, residue builds in the joint, and percs start collecting sticky buildup that changes the way the rig performs.
A reclaim catcher is a simple piece of glass that restores order to that process.
A reclaim catcher sits between your banger and your rig and captures unvaporized concentrate before it reaches the main chamber.
Instead of condensing inside your downstem or percolator, reclaim drops into a dedicated dish where it stays dry, contained, and reusable. Airflow remains open. Percolators stay clear. The joint avoids becoming glued together by hardened residue.
Here is what a properly designed reclaim catcher brings to a setup:
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An added glass chamber that collects condensed vapor before it enters the rig
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A removable glass or silicone dish positioned at the lowest point for gravity-fed collection
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Standard joint sizing such as 14mm and 18mm for compatibility with most rigs
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Drop-down or angled configurations that move heat farther from your face
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A sealed connection, often secured with a keck clip, to prevent spills
Our design team at Thick Ass Glass builds reclaim catchers the same way we build our beakers and rigs. Thick borosilicate, reinforced joints, precise fitment. I care about glass being in its ideal form. If a joint wobbles or a dish feels thin, it gets redesigned.
In this guide, I am going to walk you through what reclaim actually is, why it forms, how a catcher changes the internal behavior of your rig, who gains the most from running one, and which TAG reclaim catchers are worth bolting onto your setup.
Why Is Everyone Talking about Reclaim?
Spend enough time around dabbers and you will notice reclaim becoming part of the conversation. That is because reclaim is not random residue. It is the byproduct of physics, temperature, and airflow interacting inside glass.
Once you understand how it forms, the purpose of a reclaim catcher becomes obvious.
Understanding Reclaim at a Chemical Level
When concentrate is heated in a banger, it vaporizes and travels toward the main chamber of the rig. That vapor carries active compounds and aromatic components in aerosol form. As it moves through cooler glass, some of it condenses before it ever reaches your lungs. That condensed material is reclaim.
This is very different from the dark resin scraped from a traditional flower piece. Resin forms from combustion and contains ash, carbon, and tar. Reclaim forms from vapor that cooled and solidified. It still contains cannabinoids and terpenes, though some of the more volatile compounds burn off or degrade during the first heating cycle.
Inside a rig, reclaim collects in predictable places. It builds in the joint, along the inner walls of the neck, inside the downstem, and eventually inside the percolator.
Over time it can restrict airflow and change the way the rig draws. It can also glue ground joints together, which is something I personally dislike because it stresses the glass every time you twist it apart.
Why It Accumulates, Especially at Lower Temperatures
Lower temperature dabs produce smoother vapor and preserve more flavor, but they also create more condensation. Cooler vapor carries less thermal energy, so it transitions back into a semi-solid form faster when it meets room-temperature glass.
The inner surface of the rig becomes a condensation point. Droplets form, merge, and travel downward due to gravity.
The longer and more complex the vapor path, the more opportunity there is for that condensation to occur. That is why low-temp setups often see reclaim building up quickly inside percs and joints.
Is It Safe to Re-Dab Reclaim?
From a material standpoint, reclaim is previously vaporized concentrate that cooled before full inhalation. It is not burnt plant matter.
Many experienced users reheat it when supplies are tight or when they prefer to stretch their material further. The flavor profile is flatter because the most delicate terpenes are already reduced, but the active compounds remain present.
Some people attach stigma to reclaim use and assume it signals cheapness. That view ignores the chemistry. Reclaim exists because vapor cools on glass. Whether you choose to reuse it is a practical decision, not a moral one. When it is collected cleanly and kept dry, it is far more usable than residue scraped from inside a water-filled chamber.
What a Reclaim Catcher Does for You?
Once you understand how reclaim forms, the next question becomes practical. What actually changes when you install a reclaim catcher? From a glass engineering standpoint, you are altering the vapor path and relocating where condensation happens.
That shift alone changes how your rig behaves over time.
How the Device Changes Rig Dynamics
A reclaim catcher adds an intermediate chamber between the heated banger and the main body of the rig. Vapor exits the banger, enters the catcher, and travels downward before rising again into the rig. During that downward transition, heavier condensed particles separate and fall by gravity into a collection dish.
Instead of reclaim coating your joint, sliding into your downstem, and eventually building inside your percolator, it drops into a contained cup. The main chamber receives cleaner vapor. Airflow remains more consistent because internal pathways are not narrowing from hardened residue. Percolators continue to diffuse properly instead of becoming resin-locked.
There is also a thermal shift. By physically moving the heated banger farther from the rig’s main joint, the catcher reduces direct heat transfer. That means less stress on welds and less expansion and contraction in one concentrated area.
Advantages of Using a Reclaim Catcher
When designed correctly and fitted precisely, a reclaim catcher delivers measurable benefits:
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It keeps rigs cleaner by intercepting sticky buildup before it reaches the main chamber.
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It protects percolators from clogging, preserving diffusion performance.
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It moves the heated nail farther from your face and hair, improving safety and posture.
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It gives a clearer view of concentrate melting and bubbling, which helps refine timing.
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It collects reusable reclaim in a controlled, dry environment.
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It reduces the temptation to manipulate a hot banger to catch dripping material.
From a usability standpoint, it also reduces how often you need to deep clean your rig. Instead of dissolving residue from multiple chambers, you empty and rinse a dedicated dish. That localized maintenance lowers the risk of twisting joints under stress or knocking percs during cleaning.
Who Benefits the Most from a Reclaim Catcher
A reclaim catcher is not about preference or identity. It solves specific mechanical problems. The users who generate those problems are the ones who gain the most from running one.
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Low temperature dabbers benefit because cooler vapor condenses faster inside glass. More condensation means more reclaim forming in joints and percolators.
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Frequent dabbers benefit because buildup compounds quickly with repeated sessions. Without a catcher, residue spreads across the joint, downstem, and perc. With a catcher, that accumulation is isolated in a removable cup.
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Remote buyers benefit because collected reclaim can be reheated later. When supply is delayed, having usable material already separated and kept dry provides practical flexibility.
- Beginners benefit because maintenance becomes simpler. Instead of cleaning reclaim out of multiple chambers, they empty a dish. That reduces frustration, reduces the chance of forcing stuck joints apart, and keeps the rig looking clean longer.
Setting Up a Reclaim Catcher
A reclaim catcher is a simple piece of glass, but glass only performs well when it fits correctly. Ground joints are precision surfaces. When they are aligned properly, they seal cleanly and distribute weight evenly.
When they are forced or mismatched, they wobble, leak, and eventually stress the joint.
How to Connect a Reclaim Catcher Properly
Before attaching anything, take a moment to confirm sizing. Joint dimensions are standardized for a reason, and guessing is how pieces get chipped.
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Check joint sizes such as 10mm, 14mm, or 18mm to confirm compatibility between the rig and the catcher. A correct fit should seat smoothly without grinding or forcing.
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Insert the reclaim catcher into the rig first. Seat it fully into the joint using gentle pressure and a slight twist so the ground surfaces mate evenly.
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Attach the banger to the catcher, not directly to the rig. This keeps the added weight supported by the catcher’s joint rather than pulling at the rig connection during setup.
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Secure the reclaim dish if your model uses a keck clip. A properly clipped dish prevents accidental separation and keeps the collection chamber stable during use.
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Test stability by lightly tapping the banger. The assembly should feel balanced with no visible tilt or wobble. If it shifts, reseat the joints before heating.
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Apply heat only to the banger. The catcher body is not meant to be torched. Heating the wrong section introduces unnecessary thermal stress.
After your session, allow the glass to cool fully before removing the catcher. Once cooled, detach it carefully and empty the dish while the reclaim is still workable. This keeps residue localized and prevents it from hardening inside the main rig.
Why Thick Ass Glass Is the Go-To Source for Reclaim Catchers
I started designing glass because I was tired of pieces that looked good online and felt sloppy in hand. Thin joints, uneven welds, airflow that felt restricted for no clear reason. Over time we moved from reselling to engineering.
We do our blueprints with CAD so dimensions stay consistent from batch to batch. We reinforce joints because that is where stress concentrates. We increase wall thickness because durability is measurable, not theoretical.
Reclaim catchers are no different. They carry weight at the joint. They sit between heat and the main body of the rig. If they are thin or poorly aligned, they become the weak point of the setup. I refuse to build glass that becomes the weak link.
Our approach is straightforward. Thick borosilicate. Clean ground joints. Stable angles. Secure dish fitment. When reclaim is captured, it stays dry. When the catcher is installed, it sits level. When heat is applied, it is directed where it belongs.
Recommended TAG Reclaim Catchers & Accessories
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TAG Reclaim Adapter with Collecting Dish (90°)
A straightforward 90-degree design with a removable collecting dish and keck clip. Stable, easy to seat, and compatible with standard joint sizes.
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TAG Reclaim Drop Down Adapter (0.5" Drop)
Extends the vapor path and shifts heat slightly forward. That added distance improves comfort and gives a clearer view of the melt while directing condensation into a dedicated chamber.
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TAG Replacement Reclaim Cap (Super Thick)
Built with heavy glass to withstand repeated heating cycles. Designed for longevity and a tight seal, whether replacing an older cap or upgrading a thinner component.
If you are going to add glass to your setup, it should improve function, not complicate it. That is how we approach every piece that carries the TAG name.
A Friendly Nudge Toward Cleaner Dabs
A reclaim catcher is one of those upgrades that quietly fixes problems you may have accepted as normal. Cleaner joints. Clearer percs. Less time scraping hardened residue out of places it never should have reached.
When glass functions the way it was designed to, the whole session feels smoother and more controlled, not to mention more economical.
If you are going to run one, run one that is built properly. You want thick walls, stable angles, and a collecting dish that fits tight and stays dry. That is how we build them at Thick Ass Glass.
Take a look through the reclaim catcher lineup on the TAG website and see what fits your setup. Your rig will thank you for it.