Hey grasscity, This is my first post and I was wondering if I could have a bit of advice. After years of only smoking rolled goods, I think its time I buy my first piece. I really want it to be really nice and if possible, really high quality glass. Im not a big fan of massive hits or massive bubblers and I would really value portability (I have used bongs and big bubblers but for some reason, they never really resonate well with me). I have been considering the Illadelph Hammer Pipe: http://www.just4smokers.com/illadelph-hammer-bubbler-in-green/ - I find that this pipe is beautifully crafted with quality glass - seems relatively strong/durable - Nice 5 hole bowl - BUT why must it be a perfect design for a bubbler but be a dry pipe lol OR If not the Illadelph Hammer Pipe, I would be looking for a bubbler with: - similar portability. something I can walk around with, sit on the grass with friends and easily smoke while holding (aka not one that you would have to set down on a table) - hopefully as good or nearly as good a name as illadelph - quality glass - not a must, but I would prefer for there to be more diffusion than a single open hole (would be quite nice if anyone knows of a Quality brand that makes a really nice hand held with a showerhead, honeycomb, or tree perc) - up to $350 Any suggestions for such a bubbler would be fantastic. Also pros and cons of the Illadelph Hammer v. a bubbler? ps: a thought I was having was that, with this budget, getting the illadelph hammer would mean (well, at least I think) getting the nicest dry pipe of that size, whereas to get the best/highest quality bubbler of the description above would probably cost more than 350. Yes/No/thoughts? Thanks for any help you guys!
Gonna have to agree with Old School Smoker on this one. Granted, that piece DOES look very durable/ quality glass etc., but I've personally spent less than $35 on a bubbler which was no doubt comparable in quality to that pipe (maybe not the brand recognition but thats a mostly aesthetic aspect). I mean at the end of the day it's really a matter of preference, if that's what you want then by all means go for it; you'll probably love it forever! But if I were you I'd maybe take a trip to the local head shop and check out a less expensive alternative before sinking that kind of money. As long as you go in there knowing what you want (which you obviously do), you're bound to find something both durable and compact. Not to mention head shop glass is always the coolest in terms of colors/ trippy designs blown into them lol
And that's okay. I don't understand why some people (no names mentioned) troll this page and advocate for acrylic bongs but hey to each their own. As someone who has spent over 1k on glass which isn't much compared to some, I recommend getting on aqualab technologies. They have tons of high quality glass and accessories. Look through the scientific glass section by brand. It will be a mix of bongs and bubblers but you'll find something you like. Spoons too but I love bubblers the water just makes it better. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
It's 2.00 LBS of glassy goodness. Just don't drop it onto any concrete or something similar from a distance. Not only that, it's on sale...$100.00 off the original price !!
Lol This time i did not troll. I was reaching out and maybe (just maybe) someone can help me understand. Glass is way better to smoke out of than acrylic. But if a friend of mine told me he spent $250 for a pipe, and he did it for bragging rights, I would shame him and think he is out of his mind. Expensive glass does not impress me. High grade weed impresses me.
Agreed. I personally don't think really heady glass is worth the money but some people are willing to pay more for artistic value. But As long as you're smoking green, you're good with me. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Yeah, i'd mount a $500 roor in a glass case with earthquake proof bolts onto the fireplace mantle. Everyone can look, but do not touch.
Thanks for the advice guys. Checked out some cool stuff on aqua but does anyone have a recommendation for a specific piece that is high quality and is a hand held bubbler? Thanks
Do you not have an interest or hobby that you love doing? With these people it is something that interests them. It's just like people who buy a $200 composite hockey stick when there are wood ones for $20. I played goalie at very competitive levels for hockey. I (well my dad really) could have bought pads that were $500 but opted for the $1700 ones because I loved hockey and excelled at it, therefor I thought it was worth the extra money. I was also able to notice a complete difference in wearing $500 pads compared to $1700 ones and they made me perform better (lighter weight, better material, etc...) I would assume the people who own expensive glass collections can REALLY notice the difference between different percolators, brands, quality of glass etc... Just like a foodie, some people have heightened senses and that would be my guess as to why people need several expensive pieces. They all hit so differently and can give a different high. Just like how i noticed the difference in the quality of my goalie equipment. The other thing is the art, some of these pieces are absolutely beautiful. Would you criticize someone for buying a Mona Lisa when I would draw them my shitty ass version of it for $10? If you have the money and the appreciation it is understandable to want the nicer art. And perhaps the biggest thing with some of these people is that they have more money to spend. I'm assuming people with a 5-10 thousand dollar glass collection aren't scraping by on welfare. You have the money, spend it on nice things! The end, hope you liked my story.
Zob, sovereignty, möbius, mad rob, hit man, seed of life, any big brand will have nice bubbs on there. Or you can click scientific and there's a section called "bubblers" a lot are rigs tho. 350 will get you a very very nice scientific bubbler. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Do you want a carb or can it be glass on glass? Nearly all high-end scientific pieces will be glass on glass, but you might find it too similar to a bong.
i am down with heady glass. the only issue i have with most of it is this, why pay 500$ or 1000$ for named glass that smokes just like the china glass people pay 50$ for? so yeah, i am down for heady glass as long as it works as advertised. i purchased a hand blown bong when that scene was just starting. well a couple years into it anyway. bong tokes used to choke the ever loving shit out of me and i could never understand why. i was in one of the original "mister bill's" located in south east Portland Oregon and was saying that very thing to a friend. the lady behind the counter, and i use the term "lady" very loose as she was one of the hairy, dirty and stinky hippy types that were here and there. she mentioned that i try a specific bong by a local blower of some renown. it smoked soooo smooth and i rarely choked when i smoked out of it. it actually made smoking out of other bongs easier over time. i paid 475$ for it when at that time it was practically a fortune for me. young scrubber just starting out that adventure called life. we had many amazing sessions out of that bong. which is one of the characteristics you judge true heady glass by.
Because it doesn't, and that's what these people notice. Just like someone could look at an expensive painting and say it looks exactly the same as one for a fraction of the cost but someone with a true eye for art notices a vast difference. You're just not into it like others, which is fine, to each their own.
i agree, your opinion is far different then my own. i am sure that if you were to judge your glass by how it looks and not by how it smokes they would all be master pieces. i dont. just because i expect something to work as good as it looks is no need to be so defensive. i didn't mean it that way.
I wasn't being defensive, I guess that is sometimes difficult to tell over a written statement. I was simply refuting your evaluation of a China piece vs a high end piece. And I was speaking of function as well as looks. As you said in your original post, there is a very big difference in quality and harshness of smoke with these nice pieces. I was similar to you where I would cough up a lung after every bong hit, then I finally tried high end pieces and I no longer have to run to the toilet after taking a big hit.
Floppy, you're right, based on what i've seen, many of the scientific pieces seem to be glass on glass but if you could help with a suggestion, carb would be preffered (although a dope glass on glass that is scientific and quality would be great if it is relatively small, thick, and portable). I really appreciate it. PS.. thanks to everyone who is defending my recent obsession with wanting something really nice (and wanting to pay a fair amount of cash for it) even though its small and even though you can still smoke out of a lesser quality chinese piece. Much love. Just a personal preference.
A lot of the pieces with carbs are heady, but some scientific glass companies have bubblers with carbs, like GravLabs. From what I've seen, a lot of those offerings are from mid-tier companies that may or may not produce in the United States. With your budget, you're definitely going to want US-made glass. I highly recommend you check out Mobius, though their offerings are all glass on glass. However, you'll get a top notch piece that fits comfortably inside your budget. Specifically, I'd look at the Ion Matrix bubbler or the Atom bubbler. AquaLab is running a sale right too, so now's the time to buy if you go that route.
Grav makes a hand held hammer style bubbler look at it on GC Sent from my SCH-R970 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
http://www.highpriorityglass.com/brands-p-t/stone-glass-works-sgw-pocket-pebble-vapor-rig/ http://www.brotherswithglass.com/GRAV-Labs-10mm-Octobowl-8-Hole-Female-Glass-Slide-p/bwg-glbo10f.htm http://grasscity.com/mobius-nuc-bubbler-with-matrix-perc.html