It's a fine piece, the first bong I hit was a lot like that, although not nearly as thick. That thing is fucking thick, at least the neck is. Hope you checked the bottom in-store, some of those things have a paper-thin base. I agree about the size, though...bigger isn't always better. The best analogy I've ever heard was golf clubs...sure, a driver can hit really (really) far, but you wouldn't use it to chip or putt. that thing (if you take better care of the slides ) will serve you well for years. Definitely suggest going GonG for the next one, though. A lot of shops have sub-$100 GonG bongs of a comparable size, and the quality difference is impressive.