Buying A Bong - Looking For Advice On What To Buy

Discussion in 'Bongs, Dab Rigs, Bubblers, Water Pipes' started by BVCS, May 23, 2013.

  1. #1 BVCS, May 23, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: May 23, 2013
    I've looked through these forums before for various information, but never made an account. Now that I'm going to be making a bong purchase I figured it's a good time. I looked at some other posts, but since everyone wants something different in a bong, it's hard to find out exactly what's right for me without reading through a hundred different threads and articles. 

    Basically, I'm a big toker and I toke often so I want something of decent size. I'm thinking about 12 inches with a wide stem to prevent clogging. 

    All glass

    I want it thick so if it gets knocked over it won't break. I don't know if this is a very reasonable attribute to hope for though. If even the thickest glass will break, I will look more towards saving money with slightly thinner glass and just be extra careful.

    I want it to be easy to clean and be easy to clear quickly, so I was thinking just a basic straight bong, but I also want the smoke to be as cool as possible so I may look into some add ons for the bowl. I've also noticed stoned in the bottom of some, does this help out much?

    Any additional info or add-ons that won't make it too hard to draw from or clean will be greatly appreciated.


    Looking to spend $100-$200, but price isn't an issue if it's truly worth some extra (to a degree, of course lol).

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Get a straight beaker and put an inline ash catcher
     
  3. i used to have a straight tube with an inline ashe catcher. hit like a fucking champ, cleared extremely easy and the smoke wasnt harsh at all unless you took way too big hits (like i always did).  mine was nearly 2 feet and the inline was a good 7in wide so im not sure how the scale down would affect the smoke if it might not be as smooth as you want. 
     
    so to sum it it id go with a straight tube with an precooler/ashecatcher.  just remember to size the precooler/ashecatcher aproprietly to the bong or else it will be too front heavy and fall because of the small base.
     
  4. #4 Bianchi94, May 23, 2013
    Last edited: May 23, 2013
    Go with a stemless. This one is extremely sturdy, and if the downstem breaks my LGB who made that tube said 40 bucks to re weld it just in case. Stay away from tree Percs, UFO Percs, dome Percs Ect. Too much drag on all of them.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. ^ @[member="Bianchi94"] Good advice.
     
    my stemless syn minishowerhead ran around $200, definitely the way to go
     
    [​IMG]
     
  6. #6 Bianchi94, May 24, 2013
    Last edited: May 24, 2013
    I love the rasta label. Reverse draw? Btw I forgot to include the details on my piece, paid 350 for the tube, it's a double loop stitched disk (finally got in contact with the blower) made by ray baby down in cfl. 14 mm to a 15 buck ash catcher which works amazing, to a step up and my 18 mm slide. I usually use diffuser beads too, too the OP what ever you do end up buying, put some air soft bbs in your tube, be gentle putting them in but it's great diffusion.
     
  7. #7 Dr. Sheldon Cooper, May 24, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: May 24, 2013
    @[member="Bianchi94"]
     
    Me too, only color available but I'd have it no other way.

    And reverse draw? The water pulls into the middle chamber if that's what you mean. Making it a showerhead, versus the same design that percolates normally: Showercap.
     
  8. #8 Bianchi94, May 24, 2013
    Last edited: May 24, 2013
    ahh, because I have a 16 hole shower head bubbler, but since the down tube connects at the top, the bubble flow from the inside out, but yours bubble from the outside in, right? Am I even making sense? Gahhhh. Just snapped a gram of purple Urkle. .3s lol not the whole thing. I really need to kill the spell check on the iPad, it keeps removing s's
     
  9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLofX6qryt0
     
  10. in a little bit I'll stop procrastinating and make a YouTube channel. That syn looks great though, quick clear. Doesn't have the volume for me, I'll make a vid in a bit.
     
  11. It's a nice daily driver, wish I got the full sized showerhead vs mini, but it still works great for me. Just means more bong hits :bongin:
     
  12. Thanks for the replies. I have a few more questions.

    What's the benefit of stemless? I've never even seen one in person. I was also looking into a beaker style one, wouldn't that cool the smoke more?

    And is a high end company like Roor worth the money? I can't see it being that much better. I can get a 14" 7mm beaker bong from HOSS for $170 when a similar bong from Roor will cost $150 for only 3.2mm.
     
  13. #13 Bianchi94, May 24, 2013
    Last edited: May 24, 2013
    Stemless IMO is better because of less drag, better percolation depending on what's above it, I'm not a fan of 45 degree stems because they tend to hang weight too far away from the base. The disk perc is what sold me on mine, I haven't yet found anything like mine that isn't stemless. My tube doesn't have a name on it, made by a local artist. I can't speak for brand names, I just know that IMO they tend to be a bit more because your buying the brand as well.
     
  14. Another day of thinking and I don't understand the stemless bong. Here's what people have said about them, and what I don't understand about either claim:

    Easier to clean - When my stem gets clogged, I pull it out and push something through to clear all the resin. If I try to push the resin out of a stemless bong it will be a lot harder to maneuver, and have more of a chance of breaking, which would render the entire bong useless.

    Less drag - I just can't see how that's possible. More water travels into the "stem" of a stemless from what I've seen, so you have to pull that water out before the smoke enters the chamber. Wouldn't that cause slightly more drag?

    Am I missing something? I think they look nice and would enjoy looking straight down into a bowl as I light it, but it seems like extra hassle for a more unique look.
     
  15. WHy would you push resin out? You put iso and salt in, shake, and rinse. Easy. No stem removal, which is nice because Ive broken a few cleaning them.
     
    and check my video, there's not much drag in my bong, and there shouldn't be water in the stem, unless you bought something poorly designed where the perc is positioned close to the bottom of the stem opening, my water level is nowhere near that point.
     
    IMO, they're easier, and allow more air to flow through instead of reducing your joints with smaller pieces (IE removable downstem). My joint is 19mm, if it were a removable downstem, it would be effectively lower because the joint of the stem fits in the joint. Even if it's a nice downstem, you will always lose air volume in your joint.
     
  16. #16 BVCS, May 25, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2013
    Yours is trippy to see in action, had to watch it a couple times to understand how it worked. The ones I've been seeing were just like this:
     
     
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SJgvmOyMq4


    One like yours would be nice. It seems like way too little water for my taste, can you get a similar style that can hold more water?
     
  17. #17 Bianchi94, May 25, 2013
    Last edited: May 25, 2013
    I would stay away from tree Percs like the one on that guys tube. I paid 350 for mine, it was a bit more because the bottom perc is some serious business. Look for a good stemless to waffle, disk, or shower head. Probably cost under 200. I also can't speak for brands, all my glass comes direct from a local blower.
     
  18. How my tube works is the smoke travels down the upstem as I call it, then makes large bubbles, which is then forced through the disk which has a bunch of little holes in it, so it makes a bunch more little smoke streams, which makes a ton of smaller bubbles on top of the disk. Hope it makes sense, I'm drawing images in the sand on the moon ATM.
     
  19. No perc? Usually it's stemless to perc, what you posted looks bizarre to me...lol too much drag definitely.
     
    And mine was around $200. And i'm sure there are other styles, check out your local headshop for some ideas. I like this design, very smooth, fast clear, great taste.
     
  20. #20 BVCS, May 25, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2013
    So in your bong does the smoke first go down to where the water is through like a hollow wall in the base, then both the water and smoke travel up the diffuser at the bottom? I'm still not sure I understand how it works lol, I'm going to need to try one out or at least see it in person I think. I'm too used to basic bongs.
     

Share This Page