I've been pondering this lately... There are so many great pieces of glass out there today, the average Toro would cost you hundreds. Likewise wise with SG, SGW, RooR, Ett. My question is... What do you see these high end glasses going for in say 50 years(When they are obsolete and rarely used) ?
You're asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is "Are high end glass pieces going to be obsolete?" In my oppinion, no. Glass composition may change (in an effort to creat more shatter-resistant pieces) but glass pieces will never disappear. Glass does not let off harmful gasses when exposed to heat, and with the exception of being fragile, serves its purpose very well. That being said, the future is bright for high-end glass. Aside from the countless number of ways that artists will continue to incorporate their work into funtional glass pieces, there is always going to be some new technology being incorporated into pieces. Think activated carbon adapters, ash catchers, perculators, that sort of stuff. As for the price for high end glass; it will probably keep rising over the next decade or so. Then it will level off, as the glass blowing techniques that are advanced to us today become commonplace. Look at it this way, just having a glass-on-glass bong two decades ago would have been a big deal, but now almost all bongs are GoG.
Yeah what's gonna make the bong obsolete? No matter what the rest of the world has done, one thing that's been consistent throughout history is people burning shit, and inhaling the smoke. What do you foresee causing that to change?
I guess vaporizers could replace glass pieces, but the truth of the matter is that you can't carry your volcano with you on a hiking trip. Thus pipes and joints will always have a purpose. And besides, there's always going to be someone who just doesn't prefer, or is able to afford, a vaporizer.
On top of totem's post you have to think of it in the same way that you think about cars. Just because it may be a luxury item (sorta i suppose lol) doesnt meant that someone will want to pay more for it in the future; however, you always have to remember that an item will only be worth what someone's willing to pay.
a new/better device... like how the bong took away joint smoking. i see it happening. everything is obselete evtually. but glass pieces will become antiques, as there are very few compared to what there will be in a decade or 5, and the ones that are still around after we use a new material 100% of the time have a good chance of breaking.
Like a 57 les paul, only 400 or so made, half of them smashed by rockers in the 60s, the rest are priceless.
therell always be someone who likes to use something old. thats how antiques get made/kept. precisely.
Well if JBD is any indication of what glass does over time, then i see all my pieces being quite a wise investment. My local shop is selling a few and the cheapest one is $650, non-gong, no ice pinches, just some original heady tubes.
If I lived 100 years from now, I would want to smoke from antique bongs that have been used for generations. High end glass is not going to go obsolete. I think that there will always be a market for them.
Nah, dont think they'll become obsolete anyday, i cant imagine any smoking tool replacing a bong, its just a very own smoking experience, and just because there might sth someday wielding better results with the same experience i think a lot of people are still gonna buy glass (like me, couldnt imagine smoking anything else)