I should prolly post this in another forum and prolly will but i want JCJ and other regular readers of this thread to comment as well.
I have never bought or shopped for glass so i really have nothing to compair this too at all so ill try to explain what i wanted,what i got and how much i paid so any info will be as accurate as possible,dont hold any thoughts back and tell me like it is even if it seems i wont like what you have to say.
I did recently get a plastic P.O.S. for $25 at a haed shop 12' tall and 2" wide with an ice pinch.
I wanted a really nice Roar and was willing to pay several hundred for one but found something much cheaper and thought i can always add another piece later after i do much research at a later time.
After reading several comments about Venice Beach prices i had planed to look there for my first glass water pipe,always owned wood or stainless steel but never glass and am still very uneducated about glassware and all the lil bells and whistles.
I only went into 3 shops and i found and paid for the one i got in the second of the three within 30 min.(seemed i just knew what i wanted but didnt know it untill it happened.weird shit man).
I wanted a small to mid. sized straight tube with no bell,thick stout with a base.
I knew i didnt want a solid color or a busy multi-collored or sand blasted one.
I wanted one with an ice pinch but beyond that i was clueless,read about defusers and ash catchers but didnt really know much about them.
After going through my 500 questions and 20min.looking around i thought i knew new what i wanted.
Not sure about the 14 VS 18 (think its the glass on glass connection size in mm??)Seemed the bigger 18mm was better from what i saw(my uneducated guess).
I didnt want any rubber o-rings or plastic parts at all on this new toy,so i went with the glass on glass ground down to seal with a lil pressure type and went with the bigger 18mm (if i am correct).
I think the sales guy said it was 6-7 or 8mm thick,looks real beefy with about a 2" straight tube at 17 and 1/4" high.
4 and 3/4" base and a nice lip opening for the draw.
Its nearly clear with a nice tint of yellow (it said color changing on it,and i have noticed the yellow tinting does go from nearly clear to a lightly shaded yellow near the mid. to lower areas.
Nine inches from the top it has 3 inside probes for ice to keep from passing and just below that is some type of tube inside a pointy dome with 4 holes(its last built in defuser for separate water cooling.
Then a 7" ground to fit 18mm defuser which fits into a 1.5" diameter ash catcher thats about 5" long which also has its own built in defuser tube and receives a nice clear bowl with a lil handel,four parts in all.
The guy also offered me a $40 soft padded pockets and zippered EURO original travel bag for $20 so what the hell,i think it would make the bong warm and comfy.
I also got a 2.5" SharpStone four piece precission grinder for $25.
So the bong was $150,$20 for the bag and $25 for the grinder and no tax,$195 OTD.
Ive used it twice since i got it on Sun. and its by far the smoothest bong i have ever used bar none,the grinder works very well as well(I read somewhere about a grinder which was the very best and worth every penny,i hope the sharpstone was the one they were writing about)
The only thing which worries me is a seam in the glass just where the main built in receiver comes off the main 2" tube for the bowl or defuser,looks like its cracked all the way around or its the way it was made but unless it was designed in two pieces and seamed there with heat,it must be either where it was fixed or its cracked and it will eventually break.I did get a card and its not really too far away so if i can find it i will call him before i use it again and chance breakage and a complete loss.
Any comments or info will be greatly apreciated as this is my first glass baby and it works as great as it looks!!
