Precooler/Ashcatcher or Activated Carbon Filter?

I've found that carbon makes a hit smoother than ANY number of water percs. The drawback is it takes away from the taste.

 

That isn't a carbon filter adapter, it's a carbon filter downstem, and you select your length that fits in your bong.

You can find others that aren't downstems, they are just two GonG joints with a bubble in the middle for carbon and they attatch to your downstem.

 

A precooler/ash catcher will serve as a point of additional filtration, and depending on how good it is can offer anywhere from just a bit of extra diffusion to a LOT. Both will keep your tube cleaner, but the A/C will still need to be cleaned just like a tube, while a carbon adapter will keep the tube clean and is much smaller and easier to clean. The carbon adapter doesn't offer any extra filtration, and some say it makes a hit noticeably smoother, others say it doesn't. I find that it makes a small difference, not as much as a good A/C in terms of smoothness, but it does keep your glass much cleaner.

So, to me, if you want a clean tube only get the carbon adapter, if you want extra filtration get the A/C.
p.s. if your price limit is around $40-50 (average price on most carbon filters I see, some are less, some are more if worked) then I would go with the carbon filter. Inexpensive A/Cs usually don't function very well and add a lot of drag.

 

Here's the mad scientist telling it like it is.

Most importantly, out of all the things he said was in the last paragraph. You will be very sorry if you buy a cheap ashcatcher. I did this with one of my first pieces, with the a/c on it feels like I'm sucking through a straw, so much drag the a/c whistles. But with it off the tube hits amazing, with almost no drag.
So basically the a/c sits on my shelf, very rarely ever used.

Go with the carbon filter adapter.

 

I use both to be honest, nothing is smoother then your activated carbon disc above my a/c threw my bong to another activated carbon disc right below my mouth piece


DSCN1564 by KottonmouthStoner, on Flickr

 

Hell yeah, I had the same carbon filter on mine but broke it right where the bowl slides in. That to an inline was wonderful. Kept everything super clean.

My only complaint with them is that when they're dirty, they suck. If you keep it clean its great. But once it got dirty it was hard to clean & created a ton of drag. Had to rinse it with iso after heavy seshs; but if you get into that habit its not an issue.

Once it gets super clogged, ya literally gotten sit there with a cup full of iso alcohol, moving that thing up and down until the air bubbles start coming out again. Was fucking annoying

 

Everything was spot on except for this. The only thing the carbon does is filter your smoke and help to remove tar from your smoke. It's why activated carbon has been used in air purifiers and fish tank filters for a long time and where people got the idea to even use it with smoking weed.

I don't use one since I have a vape, love the taste of my weed, and don't really feel like messing with the carbon all that much. I'm not 100% sure on this but you want to make sure you carbon is washed extremely well before using it so you don't inhale any carbon dust that makes it's way past the water somehow (my paranoia).

Good luck on whichever you decide though OP.

 

Thanks for point that out. I should have been more clear, I didn't mean it doesn't clean the smoke at all, but it does so simply by having a lot of surface area so the particulate in the smoke can collect there. The carbon filters in air purifiers have a tighter mesh...if you had that kind of mesh in a tube it would cause a lot of drag, and probably filter out a lot more than you want.
It does actually fiter some, but thats not its real intended purpose from what I understand, because it isn't very efficient. They mostly keep ash and larger particles from ever making it to your tube, and resin collects on it because it is so porous. I should have said rather that if you are looking to make the hit noticeably smoother it wont do as much as a decent A/C, but there will be some difference.