Reclaim Catchers 101: Types, Fit, Worth It

A reclaim catcher is worth it if you dab often and hate cleaning, but it’s a waste of money if your rig already clogs easily or you never bother collecting reclaim. Pair one with a dab pad and your whole setup stays way less sticky, which is half the battle.

I’ve been using reclaim catchers on and off since 2026, mostly on quartz banger daily drivers, plus a couple terp slurper phases I’m not proud of. I’ve broken a few, flooded a few, and learned which ones are actually helpful.

What does a reclaim catcher actually do on a dab rig?

A reclaim catcher is a glass attachment that sits between your banger and your rig. Its job is to catch the oils (reclaim) that would normally get pulled down your joint and into the rig’s water.

You end up with two wins.

First, your rig stays cleaner longer. Less brown gunk in the joint, less nasty smell, fewer “why is my bong water basically espresso?” moments.

Second, you can collect reclaim. Some people re-dab it, some use it for edibles, and some just like knowing they’re not donating good concentrate to the inside of their glass.

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Here’s the reality, reclaim catchers don’t magically stop all mess. They mostly protect the joint and the upper chamber. If you take super hot dabs or you’re ripping a vaporizer-style pull on a tiny rig, you’ll still get some travel.

Dry reclaim catcher vs water reclaim catcher, which one should you buy?

Dry vs water is the first big fork in the road. And people get weirdly tribal about it.

Dry reclaim catchers (my default pick)

Dry catchers are basically a trap with a reservoir. No water inside the catcher.

They’re simple, they don’t splash, and they’re harder to mess up. If you’re buying your first catcher, I’d start dry 9 times out of 10.

What I like:

• Easiest reclaim to collect, it’s not mixed with water

• Less drag than many water catchers

• Fewer “oops I tipped it” disasters

What bugs me:

• If you run your rig super warm and take fat rips, reclaim can stay runny and creep

• Some designs have tight pathways that catch chunkier reclaim and clog faster

Water reclaim catchers (useful, but pickier)

Water catchers add a little water filtration before your rig. It’s like a tiny pre-cooler that also catches reclaim.

They can smooth out harsh hits, especially if you’re on a smaller dab rig or you’re using a hotter banger than you should be. But they also add drag, and they can be annoying to maintain.

What I like:

• Can cool and soften hits, especially on small glass

• Sometimes keeps the rig water cleaner longer than dry

What bugs me:

• Water can get into places you don’t want it, fast

• If you overfill, you can pull water into your banger. Gross.

• Reclaim collection is messier because it’s around water

Quick picks by type and price (no fluff)

Budget Dry Catcher ($20 to $35)

• Material: Borosilicate glass (usually thin)

• Joint sizes: Commonly 14mm

• Best for: Casual dabbers who want less rig cleaning

• Expectation: Works fine, just handle it like it’s fragile (because it is)

Midrange Dry Catcher ($35 to $60)

• Material: Thicker borosilicate, better welds

• Joint sizes: 10mm, 14mm, 18mm options

• Best for: Daily dabbers who want reclaim that’s easy to scoop

• Expectation: Better airflow and less wobble

Water Catcher ($35 to $80)

• Material: Borosilicate, sometimes with a mini perc

• Joint sizes: Often 14mm, sometimes 10mm

• Best for: People with harsher hits or tiny rigs

• Expectation: More cleaning, more drag, smoother pulls

How do you choose the right fitment (male/female, size, angles)?

Fitment is where most people mess up. And yes, I’ve ordered the wrong joint before and tried to “make it work.” It didn’t.

You need to match four things:

• Joint size (10mm, 14mm, 18mm)

• Joint gender (male vs female)

• Joint angle (90° vs 45°)

• Height and clearance (so your banger doesn’t sit in outer space)

Joint size: 10mm vs 14mm vs 18mm

Most dab rigs are 14mm. Tiny rigs and some recyclers are 10mm. Big beakers and some heavier setups are 18mm.

How to check fast:

1. Look at your banger. Many are labeled on the invoice, but not on the glass.

2. Measure the joint opening with a ruler if you have to.

• 10mm looks noticeably skinny

• 14mm is “standard”

• 18mm is chonky

If you’re stuck between 14 and 18, it’s usually 14.

Male vs female: what plugs into what?

• A male joint goes into something.

• A female joint receives something.

Most rigs have a female joint, and most bangers are male. A reclaim catcher typically needs to have a male end to go into the rig, and a female end to accept your banger.

So, for a common setup (female rig + male banger), you usually want:

• Catcher bottom: 14mm male

• Catcher top: 14mm female

But don’t trust “usually.” Check your exact gear.

45° vs 90°: the angle matters more than you think

• 90° is the straight-out joint, common on dab rigs made for bangers.

• 45° is angled, common on some bong-style pieces that also get used for dabs.

Wrong angle means your banger sits tilted or sticks out awkwardly. That’s how you end up tapping a hot banger with your elbow mid-sesh. Ask me how I know.

Clearance and : the hidden problem

Reclaim catchers add length and weight. On small glass, that can stress the joint.

If you run a heavy quartz banger, a big carb cap, and a chunky catcher, your joint is doing overtime.

If your rig is small or top-heavy, look for:

• Shorter catcher profiles

• Lighter designs

• A keck clip to stabilize the connection

How do you build a dab station with a dab pad and catcher?

A reclaim catcher helps, but it doesn’t solve the “sticky tools everywhere” problem. A clean little dab station does.

This is where a dab pad earns its keep. It gives you a safe spot for a hot tool, a carb cap, and whatever dab tool you’re using, without gluing everything to your desk.

My basic station setup looks like this:

• Silicone dab mat or concentrate pad (I use a black one because it hides stains)

• Rig + reclaim catcher

• Q-tips or glob mops in a cup

• Small ISO bottle (91% or 99%)

• Dab tool, plus a backup because they disappear like lighters

• A little dab tray for jars so they don’t tip

If you’re shopping around, Oil Slick Pad carries the kind of wax pad setups that actually sit flat and don’t collect dust in deep ridges. I’m picky about that. Deep grooves sound cool until you’re scraping reclaim flecks out of them.

And yeah, a silicone mat dabbing setup feels a little “extra” until you’ve knocked a jar onto carpet once. Then it feels like common sense.

If you want to nerd out more, these related reads pair well with a catcher:

• A guide to building a tidy dab station (rig layout, tool placement)

• A walkthrough for cleaning quartz bangers without chazzing them

• A comparison of dab tools and tips for handling rosin vs shatter

How do you clean a reclaim catcher without hating your life?

Cleaning is where people either become reclaim-catcher believers… or throw the thing in a drawer forever.

Here’s my method after a few years of trial and error.

The quick weekly rinse (5 minutes)

1. Let it cool fully. Don’t be brave.

2. Dump any liquid reclaim into a silicone jar if you collect it.

3. Rinse with hot water first (hot tap water is fine).

4. Add isopropyl alcohol (91% or 99%) and a pinch of coarse salt.

5. Cover the openings and shake gently.

6. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

7. Air dry upside down.

If you want a legit safety reference for ISO handling, PubChem’s isopropyl alcohol page is a solid quick read: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Isopropyl-alcohol

The “I ignored it for a month” deep clean

If reclaim hardened into tar:

• Warm water soak first, then ISO soak

• Swap ISO once it turns dark brown

• Use a soft brush or pipe cleaner for tight corners

Truth is, some catcher designs have little traps and ledges that hold onto gunk forever. If yours is one of those, it’s not you. It’s the design.

If you want a deep dive on why borosilicate handles heat better than soda-lime glass, an authority source like Corning’s technical notes on lab glass is worth a look. It’s dry reading, but it explains a lot.

Are reclaim catchers worth it, and who should skip them?

Worth it, if you’re any of these people:

• You dab daily and your rig joint gets nasty fast

• You like keeping glass looking clean

• You want to collect reclaim for rainy days

• You run expensive live resin or rosin and hate waste

Not worth it, if you’re any of these people:

• You use a tiny rig that already feels tippy

• You hate extra parts and extra cleaning

• You travel a lot with your setup (more glass to break)

• You mainly use a vaporizer for concentrates and only dab once in a while

My honest take in 2026: reclaim catchers are more popular now because concentrates are stronger and people are taking bigger, faster pulls. That combo sends more oil down the neck. A catcher helps. Simple.

But some rigs and bangers already have good reclaim control, especially if you dab lower temp and don’t inhale like you’re trying to clear a bong in one breath.

My “worth it” checklist (quick gut check)

If you say yes to two or more, grab a catcher:

• Does your joint get brown within a week?

• Do you take hot dabs or big clouds?

• Do you hate cleaning glass?

• Do you use a terp slurper or a tall bucket that tends to pull oil?

If you say yes to these, skip it or go minimalist:

• Is your rig joint delicate or already repaired?

• Do you knock stuff over a lot?

• Do you prefer a super open airflow feel?

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Reclaim catchers are one of those dabbing accessories that feel pointless… until you find the right one for your joint size and angle, and your rig suddenly stays clean for twice as long. Pair it with a dab pad, keep your tools on a silicone dab mat, and your whole sesh stops feeling like a sticky science experiment.

If you try one and hate it, you didn’t fail. Some setups just don’t vibe with the extra glass. But if you’re a daily dabber with a favorite rig, a catcher is one of the few add-ons that can actually make dabbing feel easier instead of fussier.