Terp Pearls Guide 2026: Sizes

“Terp pearls are small heat-safe beads that spin inside a quartz banger to spread oil into a thinner film, improving vaporization, flavor, and puddle control, if your airflow and temps are dialed.” If you can already clean dab tools and keep a decent dab station, pearls are the next tiny upgrade that can make your daily driver rig feel smoother.

I’ve been using terp pearls (banger beads) for about 6 years across cheap import bangers, name-brand quartz, terp slurpers, and blender-style nails. Sometimes they’re magic. Sometimes they’re just one more thing to lose in the carpet. Let’s keep it real and useful.

What are terp pearls (banger beads), and what do they actually do?

Terp pearls are little spheres, usually 3 mm to 8 mm, made from ruby, quartz, sapphire, or ceramic. You drop them into your banger before the dab.

Then you use airflow (carb cap directionals, spinner caps, or valve-style caps) to make them move. That movement pushes the concentrate around.

Here’s what I actually notice when they’re working:

• Less “one sad puddle” in the middle of the banger

• More even vaporization at lower temps

• Better flavor for the first 2 to 3 pulls

• Fewer surprise hot spots that scorch rosin

But pearls don’t create flavor out of nowhere. If your banger is dirty, your temps are too high, or your cap airflow is trash, pearls just spin in sadness.

What terp pearl sizes should you use for your banger?

Size is the whole game. Too small and they don’t move. Too big and they choke airflow or clack into your walls like tiny wrecking balls.

Here’s the sizing that’s worked best for me across common setups.

Quick size picks (my default choices)

3 mm

• Best for: terp slurpers, blenders, narrow channels

• Pros: fast spin, less splash

• Cons: easy to lose, needs good airflow

4 mm

• Best for: most 20 mm to 25 mm buckets, daily driver quartz

• Pros: spins easily, not too splashy

• Cons: can still fly out if you rip hard with a loose cap

6 mm

• Best for: larger 25 mm to 30 mm buckets, lower airflow caps

• Pros: stable, doesn’t “teleport” as easily

• Cons: can feel sluggish in small buckets

8 mm

• Best for: big buckets and novelty setups

• Pros: moves oil like a bulldozer

• Cons: I rarely recommend it, it can slam into the walls and cool your puddle too fast

Match pearl count to bucket size

One pearl is easier to live with. Two pearls can work better, but it’s also more noise, more cleaning, more chance of splatter.

My rule:

• 20 mm bucket: 1 pearl (3 mm to 4 mm)

• 25 mm bucket: 1 pearl (4 mm to 6 mm)

• 30 mm bucket: 2 pearls (4 mm each) if your cap can spin them

Ruby vs quartz pearls, what material should you buy?

Real talk: both work. The difference shows up in durability, heat behavior, and how fussy you want your setup to be.

And yes, half the “ruby” pearls out there are just colored something. If the price seems impossible, it probably is.

Ruby (or sapphire) pearls

Ruby and sapphire are basically corundum. Hard stuff. They take abuse, and they stay smooth longer.

What I like:

• They resist scratching and chipping better than quartz

• They keep their shape even after a lot of heat cycles

• They look cool, which is dumb, but true

What bugs me:

• They’re usually pricier

• Quality varies a lot, especially online listings with mystery materials

Quartz pearls

Quartz pearls are the classic option. They work fine, especially if you’re good about cleaning.

What I like:

• Cheaper and easier to find

• No “is this real ruby?” guessing game

• Solid choice for a backup kit or travel

What bugs me:

• They can get cloudy faster if you’re sloppy with temps

• They can chip if you clack them around or drop them

My opinion after years of use

If you dab daily, buy ruby (or sapphire) once and stop thinking about it.

If you’re still figuring out how to dab without torching everything, buy quartz and spend the money on a better carb cap. Airflow matters more than gemstone vibes.

Here’s a simple buy guide with realistic price ranges in 2026.

Budget Option ($6 to $15)

• Material: Quartz (usually clear)

• Best for: beginners, backups, travel kits

• Typical pack: 2 to 6 pearls

Midrange Option ($15 to $30)

• Material: Ruby or sapphire (verify seller details)

• Best for: daily dabbers who want more durability

• Typical pack: 2 pearls

Premium Option ($30 to $60)

• Material: Lab-grown ruby or sapphire, tighter tolerances

• Best for: terp chasers with nice quartz and consistent low temp habits

• Typical pack: 2 pearls, sometimes with a matching cap

When should you use terp pearls, and when should you skip them?

Pearls aren’t mandatory. Sometimes they’re perfect. Sometimes they’re just extra clutter on your dab station.

Use terp pearls if you want…

• Better low temp performance (especially rosin)

• More even puddle spread

• A little more vapor without cranking heat

• Cleaner walls because oil doesn’t sit and bake in one spot

I notice the biggest difference with cold starts and “almost cold starts” where I heat until it barely bubbles, then cap and sip.

Skip terp pearls if…

• You take hot dabs on purpose

• You don’t have a directional or spinner cap

• You cough like you’re trying to exorcise your lungs and you inhale like a shop vac

• You hate extra parts

Also, pearls can be annoying with certain glass pieces. If your dab rig has a super open draw, pearls can spin too hard and splash. If your rig is restrictive, they might not move at all.

And if you’re using a vaporizer for concentrates (like a portable wax pen), pearls usually don’t apply. Different tool, different physics.

Pearls and other gear trends (2026 reality)

A lot of people have shifted to compact rigs and smoother recycling glass. Great for flavor. But it changes airflow, which changes pearl spin.

I’ve also seen more people building a real “dab corner” with a dedicated dab pad, a grinder nearby for flower sessions, and a bong or pipe in rotation. Pearls fit that vibe because they’re small and easy, as long as you keep them corralled.

A silicone dab mat or concentrate pad helps a lot here. I use an Oil Slick Pad because it grips tools well and keeps hot quartz off my desk. Simple problem, solved.

How do terp pearls fit into clean dab tools and dab maintenance?

If you’re serious about flavor, pearls force you to get better at dab maintenance. Because dirty pearls taste nasty fast.

Here’s the basic truth: pearls collect film, reclaim, and burnt residue just like your dab tool tip or banger walls. And they hide it better because they’re tiny.

My routine is boring, and that’s why it works.

The “don’t ruin your flavor” workflow

1. After the dab, keep the banger warm, not blazing.

2. Swab with a dry glob mop or q-tip.

3. Swab again with a lightly ISO-dampened tip (91% to 99%).

4. Let it air out before the next heat cycle.

If you do that, pearls stay cleaner longer, and you spend less time doing deep cleans.

What counts as “too dirty” for pearls?

• They look brown or rainbow-scorched

• They feel sticky when you tap them out

• They stop spinning smoothly

• Your first pull tastes like old popcorn

If any of those hit, don’t just keep dabbing through it. Pull them and clean them.

How do you clean terp pearls without cracking or losing them?

You’ve got a few options. I’ll give you the ones I actually use.

Method 1: ISO soak (easy, works for most people)

What you need:

• 91% to 99% isopropyl alcohol

• A small glass jar with a lid

• A strainer, tweezers, or just patience

Steps:

1. Drop pearls into the jar.

2. Cover with ISO.

3. Shake gently for 20 to 30 seconds.

4. Soak 15 minutes for light residue, up to a few hours for gnarly film.

5. Rinse with warm water.

6. Fully dry before using.

The dry step matters. Water trapped on a pearl can make it “stutter” in the banger, and it can pop and spit when you heat.

Method 2: Hot water plus dish soap (good for light haze)

This is my “I don’t want my whole room to smell like ISO” method.

1. Put pearls in a small cup.

2. Add hot water and one drop of dish soap.

3. Swirl, then rinse well.

4. Dry completely.

It won’t touch heavy chazz or baked-on reclaim. But it’s solid for maintenance.

Method 3: Torch cleaning (fast, but you can mess it up)

Yes, you can torch pearls. I do it sometimes. But it’s easy to overdo.

If you torch:

• Use tweezers. Don’t play finger games with hot corundum.

• Heat until residue burns off. Don’t keep blasting them for fun.

• Let them cool on a dab pad or silicone dab mat, not directly on a cold counter.

My favorite “don’t lose them” trick

I keep pearls in a little glass jar with a screw lid, like a mini concentrate container.

And I clean them in that same jar. No chasing wet pearls around the sink. No sacrifice to the drain gods.

If you’re already trying to clean dab tools regularly, add pearls to the same cleaning cycle. Same jar, same ISO, same time.

What’s the simplest terp pearl setup that actually works?

You don’t need a museum display of dabbing accessories. You need a setup that spins pearls consistently and keeps mess contained.

Here’s what I’d call “minimum effective”:

• Quartz banger (20 mm to 25 mm bucket is easiest)

• Spinner or directional carb cap that seals

• 1 terp pearl (4 mm is my safe pick)

• Q-tips or glob mops

• ISO (91% or 99%)

• A dab pad that grips, so you stop setting hot stuff on your desk

That’s it.

If you want to get fancier, terp slurpers and blender nails can milk pearls harder, but they also punish lazy cleaning. Great flavor, more upkeep.

Pearl problems and quick fixes

• Pearl won’t spin: Your cap doesn’t seal, or your airflow is too straight. Try a different cap.

• Pearl spins but oil splashes: Use one smaller pearl. Slow your inhale.

• Pearl gets stuck in reclaim: You’re dabbing too hot, or not swabbing right after.

• Harsh hits: Check temps, then cleanliness. Old residue tastes harsh even at “perfect” low temps.

A few good reads and sources to keep handy

If you’re building out your dabbing guide knowledge, these are worth having bookmarked:

• Oil Slick Pad blog: dab station setup ideas, dab pad and concentrate pad basics, and dab maintenance routines

• Oil Slick Pad product pages: silicone dab mat options and tool-friendly pads (useful if your current station is a slippery mess)

• Safety and handling: isopropyl alcohol safety info from a manufacturer SDS page (smart if you store ISO at your station)

• Material basics: Mohs hardness references for quartz vs corundum (helps explain why ruby/sapphire stays nicer longer)

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Terp pearls are a small upgrade that pays off if you already have the basics handled: decent quartz, a cap that seals, and the discipline to swab after each dab. If you treat them like a “set it and forget it” accessory, they’ll taste like burnt leftovers and you’ll blame the wrong thing.

Keep your station tight. Use a dab pad. Build the habit to clean dab tools and pearls on the same schedule. Your banger, your flavor, and your lungs will all feel the difference. And yeah, your rig will look less like a crime scene too.