Getting my first bong tomorrow.. I've narrowed my choices down to a 10 inch beaker that is $109 and a straigh tube that's probably about 14 inches and is only $119 I was leaning towards the beaker but the straight tube only being $10 more for that extra length is winning me over.
assuming they both have downstems and are not fixed stem i would choose the beaker all day. beaker you wont have to change the water as often and it lets you have more water witch in theory will cool your smoke down more
Straight tube is stronger thicker glass. Beakers are blown with the same amount of glass as a straight tube of equal size. So the wider bottom of a beaker is thinner glass than the rest of the bong. If you buy a 5 mm thick piece the beaker bottom will be closer to 3 mm. I've had to many nice glass pieces brake themselves over time from what I assume is stress and fatigue.. I witnessed a roor beaker 7mm 18 in bong break while sitting in a closet. The ash catcher just broke through beaker.. hope this helps. I no longer buy beaker style. The roor that broke was at least 7 years old. Very upsetting.
You can put ice in any bong with ice notches my man. OP, if you don't mind, what're you looking at getting? Just would hate for you to pickup something worse than what I could recommend you for your price range.
hmmm. Has anyone seen a straight tube, with solid glass around the bottom making it appear like a beaker? Nawimean? That'd be crazy, it'd prob weigh an extra couple pounds but it'd be indestructible if the tube was at least 7mm
[quote name='"spuckle"']hmmm. Has anyone seen a straight tube, with solid glass around the bottom making it appear like a beaker? Nawimean? That'd be crazy, it'd prob weigh an extra couple pounds but it'd be indestructible if the tube was at least 7mm[/quote] It wouldn't be indestructible...and there's not really a reason to add unnecessary glass that serves no purpose. It'd cost blowers more money which means you'd be paying more for just random glass. Now If all the extra glass was worked it might look pretty cool.
maybe not indestructible, but definitely tougher. And definitely on having it worked, it'd be cool to look through to the water
[quote name='"spuckle"']maybe not indestructible, but definitely tougher. And definitely on having it worked, it'd be cool to look through to the water[/quote] Word, and what I just thought of, is if the straight tubed part covered by the extra beaker glass was worked, and the water was in the extra beaker glass the artwork would be distorted because of the water and would look pretty sick I'm sure.
fuck yea, I wanna take this whole idea and a fat sack of cash to my lhs supplier and see what he says
I like a tube more. As has been said, they are stronger. They don't hold as much water, but it doesn't mean it's not filtered as well. That's going to be more dependent on diffusion which will be more of a function of having a good downstem. And I use fresh cool water every time I smoke, so a beakers not going to make the smoke any cooler, and I don't care about being able to have longer water change intervals.
Id say go for a tube, although I feel like you may perhaps be overpaying unless your choice has a percolator or is brand name. At my LHS I could prob get a 10inch straight toob with ice notches and a diffuser for $80 or less I had a beaker bottom for days that I traded my wow account for, was probably the sturdiest bong ever,* FUCK I JUST DROPPED HELLA BLUEBERRY AND STRAWBERRIES FML* I kinda still wish I had it but it was just waiting to break on me.. I was lugging it around, it was dropped twice on concrete, my grinder has fallen off my lap and onto the beaker many times. Straight tube is going to clear faster and smack you. A beaker will clear a little more slowly and will pack your face in at the same speed.
Straight tubes clear faster, but hold less water. Beakers hold more water, and are generally sturdier due to the wide base but also produce what I can only describe as a "chuggy" feeling causing the clear to take longer then with a straight. It depends on what your preference is. I happen to prefer straight tubes.