Hi blades- My local headshop carries some short stemless bongs with ice catchers, and I was wondering if there was anything about the way a stemless bong diffuses that puts it above bongs with diffused downstems. Also, is a stemless bong more prone to breaking? It seems like the "stem" part of it would be fragile.. any help appreciated
its more of a chug if that makes any sense. if you dont have one i would highly recommend buying one. also any glass is fragile so just be careful and no worries
I would say a normal tube is more prone to breaking due to the removable downstem. But I personally like stemless better, I find it to be smoother, much easier to clean etc.
Is there anything about the way it is diffused that makes it better than a diffused downstem? Seems like diffusers break up the smoke into smaller bubbles, if that makes sense.
stemmed is ok, but they tend to be harder to keep up, if you're going for super quality, you're going to get stemmed, but for a casual bong, that you want to use for everyday smoking, go stemless, wayyyyy easier to clean and keep up i
Yeah I have a shitload of bongs with downstems. I've been wanting to get a stemless but I haven't ripped one and I don't want to take the risk, you know? Want to make sure I'm getting something that'll hit smooth
Damn that shit is nice, how much did that run you, and how does it hit? That looks like exactly the type of piece I'd like to get
not neccasarily true. SG soverignty makes soem super high quality fixed stem tubes, and toro puts out soem nice stemless way off. its some local blower he got it from or somethign liek that.
Ha well I've seen Toro's and some of trikky's stuff that has worked sections that look like that so that's why I guessed.
It diffuses way less, if at all, due to having no diffuser unless it is fixed stem not stemless. The big advantage of stemless tubes and why I love mine is that they clear a lot faster than standard tubes with diffusers.
Trikky just started doing tubes... no stemless yet. But I did almost buy one of his mini worked beakers. OP: The difference with stemless tubes is that the water has to be pulled out of the stemless "stem" into the tube chamber before smoke can be pulled through the water. This creates a slight chug or delay before the milk can start (with or without the aid of a disc diffuser). It's a design quirk that only US tubes stemless pieces avoid. It really doesn't make much of a difference though. Stemless pieces without percs obviously clear a bit faster than standard tubes because there is no restriction of air flow from the joint once the slide is pulled.
Yawbus-Sexy ass tube right there. mmmmmm RectusDominu- I think its totally based on preference. I have a Zong GonG blown by VIP glass, about a foot and a half tall, stemless. And it is a very very enjoyable toke with my 10-hole kind creations inline a/c. It is 18mm, thick sturdy glass, and I have never had an issue with it. On the other hand I have a 14mm 3' tall ADS beaker bottom, with a stem obviously. The diffy got stuck in the joint, and the joint cracked a little(This was before I bought it though). It is still very smoke-able, the diffy downstem is just stuck in there all kinds. Tried so much shit to get it out. But it was worth it for a 3' ADS in smoke-able condition for 100$. Anyway, if your worried about your new bong breaking, I suggest just making sure the glass and joints are grade-A quality. They both rip, totally a matter of preference, so make your own decision. Stemless typically clear quicker and have a little less drag. Sorry for that wall of text BTW.
Thanks for the replies all. It seems that though stemless bongs offer less diffusion, the smoke clears, and so those factors could balance out. I just wish someone I knew had one so I could rip it haha. I noticed that in most cases, the more water the smoke has to travel through, the smoother the hit is. This is why I love huge bubble bottoms so much, because you can get a shitload of water in there. I feel like something that clears quick would be a good addition, though. Something that clears quickly with less force required would be nice to hit, sometimes if the hit's a little rough you just want it over with
Oh and on the stemless zong I was talking about, I always through on a 10-hole harmonica perc from kind creations, which leads to a very clear NOT rough hit. This is due to ice in the chamber and the perc! So yes, stemless is better with an a/c or perc, it will hit smoother, as with anything. Also, it will add a bit of drag, which can be desirable on these stemless GonGs.
Yeah I think a stemless with an ashcatcher would be my ideal setup, but aren't most ashcatchers designed for stems that are at an angle? The bowl could be at an awkward angle in that case
one of my favorite bongs is my stemless kind creations tube with an inline perc . smooth as hell, and it clears super easily.
I would say yes, most are. But thats not to say there are a lot of a/c's that are made to have a 90 degree angle. I have used both and the one that is at an angle works just fine, you just need to make sure there is enough water in the a/c to make sure it isn't dryhitting. If you get a stemless I would look for an a/c that is not angled for a downstem but both will work alright.