Rio by Stache Dab Rig Review

Should you buy the Rio by Stache?

As a start from cold portable dab rig, the Rio Stache is a fairly unique dab rig on the market. It uses a unique bubbler system that works with a 14mm glass banger that hovers above a torch that sits in a silicone cubby. If you’ve either been not a fan of Electrical Dab Rigs or using a normal large dab rig, then the Rio might be right for you.

Stache Rio Key Features

The integrated butane torch lighter is what really sets the Rio apart from its competitors. It sits in a place right below so that all you’ll have to do is turn it on when you have everything set up. There are five different colors to choose from with your silicone skin, and overall this rig is a riot to use.

What’s in the Stache Rio Box?

• Boro-Glass Micro Rig Bubbler with Shower-head Perc (14mm Female)
• Core Quartz Banger (14mm Male)
• RIO Matte Color Base
• Matching Color Torch with overflow valve
• Stache Bubble Carb Cap
• Dab Tool
• High-quality matching color zip-up carrying case with Eva Foam

Portability

The whole kit is about the same size as a Mighty+ and comes in its own case where everything will be able to fit snuggly and be protected from fall damage. When it comes to actually using the RIO, most people won’t have a problem holding the base in the palm of their hand while stirring the carp cap with their other hand. While it’s already smaller than most other torch dab rigs on the market, the nice part is that the silicone base will protect you from accidentally grabbing onto a hot piece of glass. In other words, the Rio is foolproof apart from getting a hang of how long to have the torch on!

Vapor Quality

In terms of vapor quality, you’re going to get a lot of vapor quality from the portable kit. The main selling points when it comes to the vapor quality are the trumpet-style mouthpiece, the bubbler, and the high-quality boro-silicate banger. At first glimpse, you can tell that there is a lengthy vapor path that’s naturally going to provide a lot of cooling before you inhale. The borosilicate 14mm adapter is super high quality and the carb cap has a small stir tool to make sure that you get an even vaporizing from your concentrates.

How to setup the Stache Rio lighter?

Out of the box, you’ll want to fill your torch from the bottom with a butane canister for a few seconds, and then let it rest as it settles before you use it. On the silicone body, simply slide the torch in so that the torch is facing upright.

How to setup the Stache Rio bubbler?

Now that you’ve got the lighter in place, it’s time to set up the bubbler and banger. The first thing to do is fill water into the bubbler. Fill from the mouthpiece end and make sure that you fill to above the banger port. If you like more draw resistance, you can fill it up as much as you’d like. It’s a bit easy to spill water when you’re transporting it, so we recommend using the included stoppers to cap the banger and mouthpiece openings while you’re walking with it back from the sink.

How to use the lighter

After that, place the 14mm banger into the female joint and line it up so that it’s sitting above the torch. Once you’ve loaded your dab in with the included dab tool from the kit, you can then use the carb cap that’s tethered to the silicone case. On the torch, there is an adjustable butane dial that you will open until you hear a small amount of butane hissing. Then, click the ignition button to light it up. Adjust the butane dial until you see a decent-sized flame tickling the banger. If you go too big where the flame starts to wrap around the banger glass, the vapor is going to be way too hot to properly inhale. On your first few sessions on the Rio, start on a lower butane setting and second timer until you get the hang of it. If you don’t fully clear your loaded dab, you can just re-light the torch until it’s all vaporizer, there is a small stirring tool on the carb cap in case your dab is sticking to the wall of the glass, or remove it near the end of your dab to help you clear the vapor. After you’re done, just make sure that you’ve turned the butane dial completely off.

How to use dabs in the Stache Rio?

As a cold start dab rig, it will work by already having your concentrates already loaded into the banger, and then having your carb cap placed on top. Depending on what kind of concentrate you’re using, you’ll want to have the torch on for between ten and twenty seconds. Low-temperature dabs like rosin or shatter would be good to hit after around 12 seconds, and high-temperature concentrates like hash are going to be better off after at least fifteen seconds. Using the timing recommendations, we can then assume that 10 seconds would be around 400F, 15 seconds is 600F, and 20 seconds is 800F.

This will help you properly vaporize the concentrate that you buy. If you don’t know what temperature or time to run, just google what temperature your product best vaporizes at, and then just adjust your timing from there.

• For a simpler and electric similar style vaporizer to the Rio, be sure to check out the Zenco Duo vapor cup!

How to clean the Stache Rio?

To keep the flavor working best, we recommend using a vape cleaning stick that comes with isopropyl alcohol to remove any residue from your banger glass while it’s still hot and easy to come off. If you accidentally forget to clean it off and begin to get a buildup over time, you can just use your included dab tool to chip away at the hardened resin. As for the glass, it’s a good practice to empty out the water after every session to prevent mildew from growing. If you do begin to notice some discoloration over time, just take some Orange Chronic which will seriously melt off any debris after 10 seconds of shaking. Afterward, rinse it out once or twice with some water.

Warranty

There is no official warranty on the dab rig since there are electrical parts like a battery or atomizers that could be faulty. Instead, you agree to a disclaimer with your purchase from an authorized distributor that wavers Rio from any legal responsibilities should anything bad should happen from using their device.

Here’s a snippet to give you an idea: “I am assuming all risks on behalf of myself that may arise from negligence or carelessness on the part of any of the persons or entities being released, as well as from defective equipment, real property or personal property that is owned, maintained or controlled by the above persons.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Stache Rio was a unique take on a Vaporizer, but it falls short in some aspects. The torch system is a bit clunky and should have just come with one heat setting so that the instructions could be more standardized. If you accidentally have the butane dial all the way open and don’t click the ignition right away, the amount of flame you’re going to get is going to be quite alarming. While you can have a ton of session customization by using the bubbler as a 14mm bong, most people will just find a normal E-rig or torch dab rig to be far superior.

As for our personal recommendation, we would suggest The Core 2.1 as a better alternative. You’ll still have all the same cooling thanks to an integrated bubbler, but you’ll now have a quartz atomizer with precision temperature control between 400F-800F. Unless your heart is set on the Rio, why not choose better portability and more consistent vapor from your dabs.

If you’re still not sold on anything mentioned in this review, be sure to check out our list of the Best Electric Dab Rigs.