How to Use an Electric Nectar Collector: The Lookah Giraffe, Step by Step
Posted by Vigil Carter on 26th Oct 2026
An electric nectar collector is the simplest way to take a dab. There is no torch, no banger to heat and nothing to time: the tip heats itself in a few seconds, you touch it to your concentrate, and you inhale. This is how to use one, written around the Lookah Giraffe, $54.99, which is the one most people pick up at our counter.
Quick start: how to use an electric nectar collector
- Five clicks on the power button turns it on.
- Two clicks cycles the voltage. Green is the lowest, then blue, then pink.
- Pull the magnetic cover off the tip and set it somewhere you will find it again.
- Hold the button down, touch the hot tip to a small amount of concentrate, and inhale. The tip heats in a few seconds and you can hold it for up to twenty seconds at a time.
That is the whole thing. Everything below is the detail that makes it last.
What is in the box
- The Giraffe pen
- A magnetic tip cover
- A cleaning brush
- One Type V quartz tip coil, already fitted
- A USB-C cable
- The user manual
Nothing else is needed to use it on the day you buy it. A dab tool and a silicone container make it tidier.
Buttons and settings
The Giraffe sets voltage, not temperature. That is worth knowing because the numbers look low next to an e-rig, which quotes degrees. Higher voltage means a hotter tip and a thicker draw.
| What you press | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5 clicks | On, and 5 clicks again to turn it off |
| 2 clicks | Change voltage: green 3.2V, blue 3.6V, pink 3.9V |
| Press and hold | Manual heating, up to 20 seconds per press |
| 3 clicks | Session mode: it preheats, then holds the tip hot for about 30 seconds. 3 clicks again to leave it |
The battery is 650mAh and charges over USB-C, and it supports pass-through charging, so a flat battery does not end the session.
Step by step
- Charge it first. USB-C, a normal wall block or a computer port.
- Turn it on with five clicks, then set the voltage with two clicks. If this is your first time, start on green.
- Portion the concentrate. A piece the size of a grain of rice on a dab tool is plenty, sitting on a silicone mat or in the lid of a container.
- Take the magnetic cover off.
- Hold the button and wait a few seconds for the tip to come up to heat.
- Touch the tip to the concentrate and inhale through the glass mouthpiece. Keep the tip moving rather than planting it, and lift off before the button runs out at twenty seconds.
- Let go, and put the cover back on once the tip has cooled.
For a hands-free version, three clicks puts it in session mode and the tip stays hot for about thirty seconds without holding anything.
Tips that actually change the result
- Small amounts, every time. A tip coil holds far less than a banger. Overloading it is the main reason people end up with a sticky pen and a weak draw.
- Let one finish before you add more. Dipping into a fresh pile while the last one is still on the tip is how residue builds.
- Start on green. Low voltage tastes cleaner and wastes less. Move up only if the draw feels thin.
- Keep the cover on between uses. It is magnetic for a reason: a bare tip in a pocket picks up lint and that lint burns.
Cleaning an electric nectar collector
After every use: burn the leftover concentrate off the tip. Residue that is left to harden shortens the life of the coil, and the tips are the part you pay to replace.
A deep clean, when the draw gets harsh:
- Power the pen off.
- Pull the glass mouthpiece off and unscrew the quartz tip coil.
- Dip the cleaning brush in isopropyl alcohol and clean the threading.
- Soak the quartz tip and the glass mouthpiece in isopropyl alcohol for about thirty minutes, then rinse with warm water.
- Let everything dry completely before you put it back together.
Do not clean the quartz tip coil with the brush. Lookah is explicit about this: the brush damages the tip. Soak it, never scrub it.
Not working? Three things to check first
- Nothing happens when you press. It is almost always off. Five clicks, and look for the light.
- The draw is thin or tastes burnt. Either the tip is coated in old residue, which is a clean, or you are on pink when green would do.
- The tip will not heat. Check the coil is screwed in properly. A tip that has been soaked and not dried fully will also behave strangely until it is dry.
Replacement tips
The Giraffe ships with a Type V quartz tip, and Lookah's own page says it takes the full range of five Seahorse tip coils, in ceramic and quartz. We stock the Lookah Seahorse Quartz Coil V, 4-pack, $34.99, which is the same type that comes fitted. Tips are a wear part: how long one lasts depends almost entirely on how clean you keep it.
Other electric nectar collectors we carry
- Lookah Whale Mini Electric Nectar Collector, $34.99, the smaller and cheaper way in.
- Lookah Seahorse Queen Electric Nectar Collector, $89.99, with an 800mAh battery.
- Arsenal AK47 Electric Nectar Collector, $79.99.
The glass ones, which need a torch rather than a battery, are on the same nectar collectors shelf.
Want the rig version instead?
A nectar collector goes to the concentrate. An e-rig brings water filtration and a loading chamber, and you drop the concentrate into it. If that sounds more like what you want, read how to use the Lookah Mini Dragon Egg e-rig. For glass, torches, bangers and the rest of the bench, our Smoke Shop Buyer's Guide covers the lot.
For adults 21+. Use only with materials that are lawful in your jurisdiction, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.