After spending the past year smoking out of my roommate's bong I've become spoiled and am tired of constantly smoking out of my one hitter now that he has moved out and decided I am going to purchase my first bong. I was looking at spending between $200-$300 and wanted something kind of basic like a straight tube that would be sturdy, functional, and easy to clean. What I am thinking about getting is an EHLE 500ml custom angled logo for the tube since I like the look of it and it seems to be a decent tube for the price. I was also looking at upgrading to an Alex K showerhead downstem since the EHLE one is kind of crap and I wanted to get a low profile diffuser to cut down on the height. Since I'd be going with the 14/18 downstem I'd need a new slide and was looking at a B. Wilson disc screen slide to allow for better airflow and not need to keep track of a gauze. I was also looking at a carbon filter because I like the idea of keeping my piece clean without having to wash it constantly and the added benefit of filtering out some toxins is nice too. McFinn's carbon filter is what I'm leaning towards since it is high quality and has a built in glass screen so again I don't need to keep track of a glass gauze and I don't want to use any metal screens either. Let me know what you think of this setup and if it is worth it or if there is something better I can get for the price range. After browsing around ALT I feel like there may be better tubes for the money but I'm not really sure which brands are better than others but ZOB and HVY seem to be pretty good so if anyone has any experience with them and could recommend a nice piece I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
Ehle makes quality glass. This setup will be nice and low maintenance, which seems important to you. McFinn's carbon filters are great- I have two and use them over my ashcatcher all day. I've heard mixed reviews on the likes of Zob and HVY, so take that for what it's worth.
Honestly for 2-300, at your local shop (assuming they blow decent glass, I don't know where you live- I'm from CO, so I kind of assume I have a few more choices in local shops than you might...) you should be able to get a tube and an ac for around 100. Of course if you do have a good headshop around it never hurts to go in and look at your options. I got an a/c and a bong from my local headshop and I only paid ~107 after tax. It hits nice, quality, sturdy. Not sure exactly on the dimensions, but I think it's around 18 inches tall or so, obviously it came with a bowl and the downstem is diffused, ice pinch. It's easy to clean, the a/c gets a bit dirty because it's a 6-tree arm perc. All I'm saying is check out your local shop, because sometimes they have deals on things and if/when something breaks you have a ten minute drive instead of two weeks worth of wait on shipping. I got this from my local shop and to be honest with you I love it. Beads are in the bottom, that's why it's green.
I live in PA and unfortunately there isn't much in terms of local head shops around me. The closest one is about 10 minutes away but its inside a farmers market that's only open Friday through Sunday and it isn't really even a head shop they just happen to have a small 18+ section in the back with about 2 display cabinets of stuff which I'm not sure I'd trust as far as quality is concerned. The next closest one that I've been to is about 45 minutes away and is usually closed by 5 maybe 6 if you're lucky, they don't really follow set hours and kinda just close when they feel like it which makes it difficult to get to when you work everyday. The selection there is better but I think a bit over priced and the fact that it also isn't actually a headshop it's technically a wicker furniture store puts me off. I might try and make a trip to a place called Primal next week or something since they have better hours and some people have told me they are the best head shop around. I go to school in Philadelphia but don't know of any good head shops in the city I've only been into a few on South Street and they were mostly just small little rasta shops that just tried to sell you anything they could so if anyone has a place they like in Philadelphia I could try going there next time I go to the city.