Carbon Filters: Educate me

There are very mixed signals about these.

Unfortunately you aren't going to get any definitive answers.

 

Yup, bingo, exactly what that guy said. Basically a carbon filter is used as a high grade toxin filter. Being extremely porous and fibrous, carbon tends to catch most toxins and carcinogens present within your smoke to provide a much more healthy/carcinogen free smoke. However, the argument and the proposed downside, is that you are also filtering out some of the essential oils and cannabinoids as well. Here's main things to consider.

Taste: Generally although the hit is cleaner and less harsh on the throat, you get much less taste of your herb. The hits are very airy and tasteless, however that means you also can take much larger hits than normal.

Maintenance: The carbon filter keeps your tube cleaner than any other ashcatcher available, however this comes at the cost of having to keep a constant supply of loose carbon around as well as constantly using new carbon. You can get new replacement carbon at pet stores or lhs' cheap, and aylt has coconut carbon which works quite well. You'll replace the carbon only as often as you actually smoke. Its anywhere from 9$-25$ for replacement carbon, and basically you just dump out and throw away the old used carbon, and pour in new fresh carbon.

Impact: Generally, with my personal experience on carbon filters, you feel less of the medicating head change and not anywhere nearly as quickly with a carbon filter. For those with haggard lungs looking for slow medication its perfect. For those looking for insta change, not so much.

My personal opinion, I go without them. The pluses are definitely not having to maintain your pipe nearly as much, as well as no lung-shredding mega blasts of death. However, I felt that at the loss of too much impact the carbon filter wasnt for me. I found myself going through far more product just searching for the same impact as going without. Its all up to your personal choice, but theres mine, and theres the facts.

 

I literally just got one from Apix a week ago and I love it. as said above, hits have less taste but you can rip the shit out of your bong haha.
there's no difference in the high at all. its still smoke entering your lungs, no thc is trapped in the carbon.
I used to clean my piece easily five times a day but now with this filter I've only cleaned it once in a week. they work well.
as far as drag goes, it adds a smallest amount possible you can barely even notice it.
the carbon itself, I got a container with probably 1000 loads of carbon from Walmart in the fish section for $7. it says activated but I clean it still.
then there's that, washing your carbon. I just fill up my filter with the carbon, hold it to the faucet and run water through it all. the carbon dust all comes out instantly.
my bong only has one water level and its pretty low/small so it gets dirty fast as hell but with this filter it takes a day of heavy smoking to even dilute the water.

 

I have a McFinn's Original carbon filter by Scientific Inhalations. I use it on my inverted circa bub to vape. When I first got it, I thought that the high was lower due to the carbon absorbing the thc and others. I was a little disappointed since it cost 60$. I then went on to vape without the filter for 2 days. I then returned to using it and noticed no difference in the high at all. I really love this filter, Really makes the hit smoother and you can intake much more. It does add some drag but it is not much, especially for the benefits of it. You can adjust the level of carbon in the filter, I leave it just above the airway which is like halfway filled up. You can also use ice instead of carbon to cool down the hit, however the carbon smooths out the hit way better. Hope this helps mate, I'm stoned sorry for writing so much lol

 

I recently got mine and I love it. I smoke a good amount of mids because good bud is expensive here, and it definitely takes out any bad taste and you can sink .4 snaps and not even cough. I have to change my carbon about every 2 days. I got 45oz of carbon from petco for like $15. I took like half an hour to clean a whole bunch of it by putting it in a mason jar and pouring in water then straining the dust out a few times, then I put the carbon in the strainer and ran the faucet over it.

I don't know how well you have to get the carbon clean, but better safe than sorry right?

And it does add a small amount of drag, not more than an ac would, and you generally pull it out to clear so it doesn't even cause a problem there.

 

The downside to only smoking shitty weed is that I can't really comment on the lose of flavor.

But when I use a Hempwick to light my weed, I always taste the bee's wax very heavily.

Maybe my tastes buds are stronger than most.

 

when i get some really nice bud i like to taste it without the carbon filter first. most of the time when i smoke without it i only feel higher because im coughing so much but idk maybe it does filter a noticeable amount out. i really like having clean pieces so i feel where the flavor is lost from the carbon u make up for by not having a resin coated bong.

 

used my bong today for the first time in a week without the filter and holy shit is it harsh. with a filter it makes the smoke sooooooooo much smoother.
I was also surprised how tasty my weed was without it lol, only been a week and I can notice huge differences

 

I love my carbon filter from roor, I use it every time. Does kill the taste, but honestly makes the hit so smooth. It's worth it completely.

 

I need to upload my pics of mine, got it the day you made this thread and its by apixdesigns.

and like you said you were gonna do and not use it every bowl, that's what I started doing. if I top my bowl with kief or want a tasty green rip I won't use it but other than that its been on since I got it

 

Here's mine