WATER PIPES
AND HAND PIPES
Handpipes
Also called spoons, pipes, and bowls, handpipes are the classic piece that everyone has used at some point. They usually measure about 4-6 inches long and feature a carb on the side of the bowl that allows for control of airflow. Handpipes are dry pieces and don’t use any water to filter the smoke.
Sherlock Pipes
While similar to handpipes, Sherlock pipes are distinguished by their curved dip shape, inspired by the kind of pipes Sherlock Holmes smokes as he solves mysteries. Their longer neck makes them very comfortable to smoke. Sherlock pipes are typically dry as well.
Water Pipes
Your piece, your daily driver, “The Water Pipes”—whatever you call them, it’s likely that you have a special affection for these oddly-shaped pieces of glass. Many smokers go so far as to name them! Looking at today’s intricate creations it’s hard to imagine that the basic structure of the Water Pipes (a bowl connected to a bulbous base, filled with water, leading up to a skinny neck) has remained basically unchanged since 2400 years ago when Scythian tribal chiefs used them to smoke cannabis and opium. The Scythians used it to steel themselves for battle; we forgive you if you’re only using it only to steel yourself for the pizza that’s about to be delivered to your house.
Bubblers
Bubblers are handheld pipes that feature one or more chambers that are filled with water, cooling and filtering the smoke as it travels from the bowl to your mouth. Bubblers are quite popular because they combine the portability of handpipes with the smooth water filtering of Water Pipes and other larger pieces.
Steamrollers
So named for their resemblance to the roll of a steamroller, steamrollers are interesting pieces that are a ton of fun to smoke. They have three openings—the mouthpiece, bowl, and carb—that are all in-line, the mouthpiece and carb forming the two ends of the cylinder. Because the carb is so large, steamrollers allow for large amounts of airflow, letting you clear a bowl in only a few hits!
Dab Rigs
The Water Pipes’ hip younger brother, dab rigs are basically the same thing as Water Pipes but with one big difference: the use of a nail instead of a bowl, allowing for concentrates (highly potent products such as wax, dabs, shatter etc.) to be smoked. Most Water Pipes can be made into dab rigs by adding a nail, and vice-versa, so if you like both dry herbs and concentrates don’t worry—you won’t have to buy two different pieces to smoke them. Like Water Pipes, dab rigs come with either 10mm, 14mm, or 18mm joints.WATER PIPES MATERIALS
Now that we’ve discussed the materials from which Water Pipes can be made, we’ll move to the Water Pipes design. Each of the Water Pipes below could could be built from any of the materials above, although some materials are more common than others thanks to their ease of use.
Glass
Glass is the most popular material used to build Water Pipes. It provides a clean, pure taste because the glass doesn’t affect the flavor of the smoke. Glass is very easy to monitor for resin buildup because it’s transparent. It’s also very easy to clean when the buildup becomes a problem. Because of these factors, glass Water Pipes are often more expensive than Water Pipes made from other materials.
Plastic
Plastic is probably the second-most popular material for making Water Pipes because it is extremely durable. You can drop a plastic Water Pipes during a coughing fit and the only damage done will be the water stain on your carpet. Plastic Water Pipes are also fairly cheap when compared with other materials. Water Pipes made from plastic are great for traveling because they are difficult to break and don’t shatter or crack like glass or ceramic. The only downside of plastic Water Pipes is that they might affect the taste of your smoke slightly.
Ceramic
Ceramic Water Pipes tend to be heavier and more robust when compared to the other materials on this list. For that reason, and their general fragility, ceramic Water Pipes don’t usually travel well. They do, however, come in all sorts of novelty shapes, sizes, and colors thanks to the fact that clay is extremely malleable and easy to work with. Ceramic Water Pipes are usually a bit more expensive than plastic Water Pipes because of the work that goes into making them. Though a ceramic Water Pipes might not be your daily smoker, they are certainly great for special occasions or to display in a cabinet or on a shelf.
Bamboo
Bamboo is another popular material from which Water Pipes are made. Bamboo Water Pipes can range from pretty basic—just a tube of bamboo sealed at the bottom—to fancy and ornate with metal, varnish, and paint incorporated into the design. Bamboo is also very durable meaning that your bamboo Water Pipes will pretty much last forever if you treat it right.
Metal
Metal is also used to make Water Pipes although the practice is not as common as glass or plastic. Metal is very durable and long-lasting. It’s also pretty cheap. The downside of metal Water Pipes is that they can affect the taste of your smoke and you never really know when it’s time to clean them.WATER PIPE DESIGNS
Carburetor Water Pipe
Your Water Pipe will either have a hole in the middle somewhere, or it won’t. If your Water Pipe does have a hole, it’s a carburetor Water Pipe. If there is not hole, it’s not a carburetor Water Pipe. Pretty simple, no? Carburetors are not necessary to the design of the Water Pipe, but many feel that carburetor Water Pipes produce a much more intense hit. This is because, when you release your finger, the carburetor hole allows fresh air into the pipe. This fresh air forces the smoke into your lungs more rapidly and makes it easier to inhale all the contents of the pipe.
Straight-Tube Water Pipe
Straight-tube Water Pipes are the simplest design available. They consist of a simple tube sealed at one end with a stem and a bowl poking out of the side. You pour a bit of water in the tube, place your ganja in the bowl, and go. It’s simple, straight-forward smoking at it’s best.
Beaker-Shaped Water Pipe
The beaker-shaped Water Pipe is similar to the straight-tube Water Pipe except that the bottom is flared into a cone shape that looks like a beaker. Hence the name. Beaker Water Pipes are more stable than straight-tube Water Pipe because they have a larger base. The smoking process is the same: just add water, cannabis, and fire and you’re good to go.
Round-Base Water Pipes
Round-base Water Pipes are similar to beaker Water Pipes in that the base is wider than the tube and the mouthpiece. Round-base Water Pipes, as the name suggests, have a sphere-shaped water chamber with a flat base. They are more stable than straight-tube Water Pipes, but slightly-less stable than beaker Water Pipes because the flat surface is smaller. Regardless of the shape—straight, beaker, or round—the basic mechanics of using them are the same.
Multi-Chamber Water Pipe
A multi-chamber Water Pipe, sometimes called a recycler Water Pipe, is a variation of the straight-tube Water Pipe (although the chamber can come in various shapes). In a multi-chamber Water Pipe, the straight tube is separated into two chambers connected by a tube or third chamber (you can see one of them on the right in the picture above). Both upper and lower chamber hold water so the smoke is filtered twice. This produces a much cooler, much smoother smoke than the straight-tube, beaker, or round-base Water Pipe can provide. Because of the complexity, multi-chamber Water Pipes are more difficult to build. That makes them more expensive than the simpler builds on this list. Multi-chamber Water Pipes are also harder to clean.
Percolator Water Pipe
A percolator Water Pipe, or bubbler Water Pipe, can be straight-tube, beaker-shaped, round-base, or pretty much any other shape you can imagine. The thing that makes them unique is that they contain a percolator. The percolator (shown up close below) is a piece of glass that dissipates the smoke before it passes through the water and causes a bubbling effect in the Water Pipe. Spreading the smoke out in that way helps to filter it better and cool it faster. The percolator can be at the bottom of the Water Pipe (a single-chamber percolator), in another chamber (a multi-chamber percolator), or both (a multi-chamber, multi percolator). Because of the complexity of this type of Water Pipe, they can be difficult to clean, not to mention more expensive.VAPE
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KATY, TX
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KATY, TX
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KATY, TX
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