They actually work really well. They decrease the splash and smooth out your hit. I was skeptical at first and then I just tried it with some bb's (as seen in the picture) and they really do help diffuse the smoke. They do add a little bit of drag, but you ultimately use less water so it's really about the same, just has a slightly different feel and sound when you rip it. With the ash catcher on it it doesn't even feel like you're smoking, really, until you exhale a giant cloud of smoke and start yackin' up a lung! haha.
Oh my.. That hurts my heart R.I.P. Edit: Got any old pics around? That's kind of how my last bong broke, except it wasn't me who broke it and the kid never paid me back /sigh. Got his ass to move way up to the mountains though. At least he's not breaking anybody else's shit anymore. Yeah, they were the cheapest non-biodegradable BB's walmart had. I purchased them separately, although when I went shopping I've seen some bongs come with marbles or beads in them already. I originally bought them just to try and see what the hype was over the diffuser bead thing, upon doing research they're pretty much just like 6mm bb's you can buy from a store. I ordered transparent glass BB's and they should be coming in soon. But as far as these being green- that was just the color of the cheapest bb's on the shelf. Can't wait for my clear ones because those'll look SICK and I'll upload some pic's when I get em. My biggest problem with the green is that it looks ugly and is mismatched with my lighter holder. If I didnt' have the lighter holder it would look fine imo. Edit 2: They are plastic, so far they have not degraded or been diminished at all in the water, but I am still looking forward to the glass beads to come in.
Uh....ok so from what I have read, these diffuser bead reduce the splash from the bubbles? Rocket science. What's wrong with plain ol ice and water?
They do help reduce the splash, which is nice, less water splashing towards your mouth (obviously). And yes, rocket science, because how they work, you pull your smoke through the water, creating smoke bubbles so to speak. The beads in the water help break up the larger bubbles into smaller bubbles, thus making the smoke molecules smaller, thus smoothing out your hit, plus it adds in more surface area for the smoke to go around (helping to cool your smoke if that's the route you go). Hope this helped explain it some. Try em out one day you might like em. Also, these plus HOT HOT water makes for a really nice smoking sesh. Ice and water is fine, but you put the beads in the water so there's still water. With the beads in there you can still use ice, and it all goes towards the same effect of smoothing out your hit. I have noticed, however, that hot water with ice in the tube kind of counters the hot water, and it's mostly all just cooled from the ice. Seems like a no-brainer but every time I asked that question I never got a solid answer. Edit: The hot water vapor helps expand and open your lungs so that your lungs absorb the smoke more quickly. Which is why it's also pointless with the ice in the tube. There are pros and cons to both, IMO: Cons Ice: Melts and fills the bottom, so you have to occasionally dump some of the water. Hot Water: You have to change the water every sesh(not hard), and if you don't smoke your bowl fast enough the water cools back to room temp, defeating the purpose of the hot water. Pros Ice: Cool smoke, feels nice and is a refreshing feeling IMO Hot Water: You can feel your lungs expand when you take a hit, and honestly Ithink you get more baked.
No problem, man! I'm always happy to share what I've learned with my fellow smokers/community. The best thing about life in my opinion is that there is no end to knowledge.
My mom had an old small container of body lotion that I emptied out and scrubbed up. It's a beauty for holding my stash. No smell!