Shopping for a bong? Choosing a bong can be a fun process. There are more than 300 different styles of bongs to choose from. Which makes it easy to find one that perfectly matches your unique personality and aesthetic.
Before choosing your perfect type of bong, consider the following:
Are you using flowers or concentrates? This can change what you’re going to do with the bong. For example, if you use flower—you’ll want a bowl. If you use concentrates—you may want to look into a dab rig.
Choose a size that matches you. 14mm and 18mm joint sizes will change depending on the size of the bong. Make sure you know what type of millimeter size you’re looking for and what this will do for your smoking experience.
Glass or silicone? If you want glass—know that it can break. Plain and simple. Silicone, while much more durable—may have a different smoking experience. Think about travel, use, and where you might store your piece before purchasing.
Features of a bong
The features of a bong can be classified into these 7 parts:
Bowl
Joint
Downstem
Water Chamber
Neck
Mouthpiece
Percolators
1. Bowl
Easily one of the most important parts of glass water bongs is the bowl, where ground flower will be packed and lit to start the bong rip process. Most of the time, bongs will be accompanied by a compatible bowl but if not, making sure you grab the right joint size to match the bowl. This matters more than the size and attractiveness.
2. Joint
The joint of a bong is what holds the downstem and where the bowl will be placed. The joint is what connects the bowl and downstem to the base, and it is essential to have the correct joint size or the bong sesh is not happening! A great stoner hack is to grab a dime coin for easy measure: if the joint size is the same size as a dime, it is a 14mm joint. If the joint is smaller than a dime, it is a 10mm joint and anything larger than a dime is an 18mm joint.
If accessories like bowls fit over the joint, that means the joint is inserting itself into the accessory and will be a male joint. If accessories are inserted into the joint that means you are working with a female joint.
Remember that when buying bongs online, if it does not include a bowl you will have to get a compatible bowl for the specified joint. If you buy a bong online that is a female joint, you will need male accessories and vice versa.
3. Downstem
It is pretty much impossible to take a bong rip without a functioning downstem to connect your bowl and water chamber to create and carry smoke. Without a downstem, everything would stop at lighting the bowl, as the smoke would have nowhere to go!
Some downstems are built into bongs, whereas other bongs have removable downstems which can make things a bit easier when it comes to cleaning a bong.
4. Water Chamber
While the name is self-explanatory, there is so much more going on when it comes to the water chamber stage. The water chamber not only holds water but starts to perform the filtration process once the bowl is lit and smoke travels through.
The water chamber can also house multiple percolators, which contributes tremendously to the filtration process. A water chamber will help in removing resin, toxins, and other debris before it moves through the rest of the bong.
5. Neck
Also known as the tube, the neck of a bong can determine how cool each filtered hit can be - the longer the better! The tube of cheap glass bongs are especially handy when it comes to big bongs because it also doubles as a handle to provide extra sturdy comfort.
The neck is where other features of a bong are located, like splash guards and ice catchers for extra cooling smoke sessions.
6. Mouthpiece
The mouthpiece, for obvious reasons, is where you put your mouth and start to slowly inhale when lighting the bong bowl. A mouthpiece can range in size, but most prefer a larger mouthpiece to inhale bigger hits more comfortably.
A mouthpiece can go straight up and down like a tube but with a slightly rimmed finish, or it can be curved which makes bong rips much easier to inhale.
7. Percolators
While percs are optional and might not be available with all bongs, it is one of the MVP parts of a bong that must be mentioned.
Percolators provide extra filtration and can live anywhere in the chamber and lower neck of a bong. A lot of times, downstems of a bong can be slittedto provide a percolator feature to quickly start the filtration stage.
What different bong materials are used?
There are several different materials that water bongs are made of, and this is an essential part in determining what kind of bong you are going to use.
Here are a few bong materials you’ll commonly come across:
Glass
Silicone
Ceramic
Acrylic
Metal
Most popular material types for bongs
Here are the most popular material types that you’ll see used in bongs.
Heat stable borosilicate glass
Heat stable borosilicate glass is one of the most widely used bong types, and is the top recommended material to smoke out of in terms of health and quality performance. Smoking out of glass allows for a clear smoke stream and users are not inhaling any toxins or chemicals from the glass material. Glass water bongs have a ton of compatible accessories, come in various sizes and designs and can be found easily.
Glass material also adds a sense of sophistication so it can double as decoration around the home, you just gotta keep it nice and clean!
Silicone
Silicone is another commonly used bong material, and water bongs are usually made of medical grade silicone. An extremely budget-friendly device, silicone is also nonstick and the preferred material to use to avoid a mess post smoke session. Silicone is extremely easy to clean and does not need extra tools to scrape out the less than desirable substances that are left behind in a bong after use.
Ceramic
Ceramic is an old-school material that is tried and true in consistent quality performance and top of the line aesthetic. The art of pottery making has been around for thousands of years, so imagine how good us smokers have gotten at perfecting the bong making process!
What types of bongs are there?
From beaker bongs to mini bongs—there are so many to choose from. Before you make your selection, consider learning a little more about what type of bong might be the best choice for you.
Beaker bongs
One of the most common bong designs is a beaker bong, which features a wide and sturdy base in the shape of a beaker that typically features a long neck. Beaker water bongs are great for clumsy bong users that need more stability and rely on a flat base, and can come in various sizes leaving a lot of room for options. Beaker bongs can also feature percolators, an ice catcher and splash guard to really ramp up its functionality.
A beaker bong might be simple in design, but the way it functions can range based on its additional features. You can find beaker bongs at pretty much any price point and in several different materials, and beaker bongs can deliver quite large hits. Pro tip: beaker bongs are some of the easiest to clean, so you can have your setup looking brand spanking new whenever you get the time.
Straight tube bongs
Like the name states, straight tube bongs are basically a straight tube of glass, so the water chamber and the neck of the bong are the same. Typically, straight tube bongs are thicker and taller to allow for better durability and boy does it pack a punch!
A straight tube bong might look basic but the girth of the bong can usually hold more smoke than most bongs, which is guaranteed to send you off to space.
Percolator bongs
The bongs that create a whole smoke show are the ones with percs in them! Percolator bongs will filter and diffuse smoke for smoother hits, and there are so many different percolators within a bong. Check out a beginner’s guide to percolator bongs for the various types of percs.
Bubblers
Just like bongs, bubblers work by filling the water chamber and mixing your favorite smoking material into the bowl to ignite. Bubblers are similar to mini bongs with their compact build but are much more mighty than their size!
Mini bongs
Need a travel-friendly bong to use while on the road? Mini bongs are where it’s at, and with so many different designs you will find a reason to grab at least one since they are too cute to pass up!
Bong FAQs
Common questions about bongs:
1. How do I choose the right bong for me?
Usually, you’ll want to consider a few factors when shopping for bongs:
The price
Size and height of the bong
Material of preference
Aesthetic style
Percs
These factors play a role in making your selection.
2. What does a percolator do for a bong?
A percolator (referred to a perc) is used to diffuse hot smoke. This makes the smoking experience far more enjoyable. It creates a “cooler” and “smoother” experience when using the bong. It will effectively diffuse the smoke by exposing it to as much water surface area as possible.
3. Is there a big difference between glass and silicone bongs?
In general, glass bongs are made with borosilicate glass while silicone bongs are typically made with food-grade BPA free silicone. Glass can certainly be more heat resistant. And generally, some people prefer the “feeling” of a glass bong during use. Alternatively, silicone bongs can be slightly more flexible and easy to store or transport.
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