Looking for a quality basic tube. No really fancy percolator or anything needed. An ice pinch is a plus, I like beaker bottom for stability but its not a huge deal. I'll probably upgrade to a nice alex k diffuser and a nice bowl or ash catcher eventually. The big contenders for me are HVY, EHLE and Molino right now. All good quality tubes in the area of 100 bucks and should be able to run with the big boys as far as basic tubes go. Considering I'm staying away from the fancy percs and everything are there any other options I should be looking at? Adding: The bubblicious looks pretty cool to. Although I'm not sure from the pictures how much better it would be than an alex k diffuser in a HVY beaker bottom and being able to have a more standard size connection for roughly the same price.
HVY all the way. Thick, quality glass that will last you a LONG time if you treat it right. I used to have a 9mm HVY straight tube with ice pinches that I loved. I've never owned a Molino or an EHLE so I can't comment on their quality.
HVY always seems to come highly recommended. SYN is another that seems like a decent option. So I guess my options are: EHLE 500ml Ice Notches ~ $100 : 15 inches, ice notches, straight tube, 3.5mm thick, 18.8mm joint, non diffused downstem Molino 7mm 40cm ~ $100 : 15.7 inches, ice notches, straight tube, 7mm thick, Pearl Diffuser 18.8>14.4 (Maybe spend an extra $18.50 to get the cooler looking Dirty Harry Version) HVY 50x5mm Beaker ~ $95 : 16 inches, ice notches, beaker style, 5mm thick, 14/18mm diffuser (Maybe spend an extra $45 to get the 9mm thick version) SYN 45x5mm Beaker ~ $105 : 13.5 inches, ice notches, beaker style, 5mm thick, 14/18mm diffuser Looking at that all written out, the EHLE seems like a poor choice with the thinnest glass of the bunch and no diffuser. The SYN seems pretty much the same as the HVY except 2.5 inches shorter and an extra 10 bucks so I'm tempted to throw that out as well. That would leave me with the HVY or Molino. It wont leave the house and will be used alone or with 1 other person so 9mm might be overkill, so I guess the real trade-off is the Molino's extra 2mm for strength or the HVY's beaker bottom for stability. How's everyone feel about this? Solid logic? Have I missed something?