I'll play the other side. US Tubes are my favorite. Just think of how sick it will be to smoke that LW when it's broken.....
not only that, just think about how awsome it will be to get on the 5 o'clock news because you were the first person to ever beat down and kill a burgaler with your bong without it breaking... us tubes ftw
i'd personally go with the LW inline, I've always wanted an inline, and couldn't be happier with my LW 10 arm bubbler. US tubes I hear is a great brand, but so is LW and unless you're a huge klutz the extra thickness just isn't all that necessary.
Luke Wilson all the way. With proper maintainence and care it should last years. Personally the only time I broke a bong was my buddies custom 11mm borosilicate being thrown from the cops when I was a teenager and if that thing broke, anything would break. Keep your tube clean and avoid using the salt method of cleaning and don't use ice in the water and you'll be very happy with the LW.
Micro fractures. Everytime you touch, set down or fill your bong with water you are creating micro fractures. Filling your bong with small stone like particles and swishing it around doesnt sound smart if you look at it objectivly. Inlines have small spaces that require very few microfractures to break. I'm spoiled and have a large size sonic washer beside my house so I don't have to worry as much, but I cringe everytime I see people shake their hugely expensive pieces with salt in it to clean, or add ice just to get it cooler. Fill it with solution and let it bath, then rinse and repeat. Patience is a bitch and as usual it yields the best results. Also on note of the thread, Luke Wilsons inline looks very solid. US puts THICK in their fluff about their product but I don't think one is hugely ahead of the other in terms of breakability. Most likely if you were to do something to break one, you'd break both and in terms of natural lifespan, thickness of glass doesn't mean longevity as microfractures become stressed by the weight of the glass itself and the fractures increase.
true...but US Tubes makes me think of Kind Creations. I had a KC inline with glass thickness that was beyond Toros...glass thickness plays a role toa certain extent but i can tell you for a fact the LW rips soooo much better than a US tube...plus..i personally am not a fan of beakers