There are so many variations on the bong, it can be hard to keep up. Which one should you buy? Plastic? Glass? Multi-chamber? Well, you can relax about it. After all, smoking weed is all about chilling out and enjoying. We’re going to take you through the different kinds of bongs in this article, so you can make an informed purchase!
So, you’re on the market for a new bong. But oh – the choices! Seriously, buying a new bong is as important a life decision as buying a new car for some people. And rightfully so. They can be expensive if you decide to go for something fancy. But who says that fancy is always better?
I have to say that the difference between some bongs is really like the difference between an Aston Martin and a Ford. Bong designers have spent what’s probably the better part of the last century engineering the perfect hit of weed.
What we’re about to create for you is the “bong map”. Yes, it’s a way to get around in the world of bongs – because it really is a world on its own. It has basically become an artesian craft in the cannabis industry. So, let’s lay it out.
Bongs can be made out of just about any material
When someone says “bong”, you might think of a traditional glass bong. But it’s not 1995 anymore, and things are much more than traditional these days. Here are the different materials a bong can be made from and how they differ from one another.
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1. Glass
The most popular material used to create smoking paraphernalia is glass. And bong designers are not shy of using glass blowing art skills to make them really beautiful.
But aside from being shiny and beautiful, they are also practical. Glass doesn’t have a taste and it’s clear (which makes it easier in terms of cleaning). However, glass does have a downside. It’s breakable. Which is something to think about if you’re a clumsy kind of smoker.
2. Plastic
So you want to take your bong to festivals? That’s basically who the plastic bong was made for. And of course, for those who don’t want to spend money on glass. If budget is a huge factor for you, then plastic bongs are definitely going to be the cheapest and easiest to find.
You know that funky taste that happens to your water when you’ve left it in a plastic bottle for too long? Well, that’s the main downside of plastic. But again, no one’s left crying over a broken artefact if it’s dropped.
And, if you’re travelling and you actually need something much smaller than a bong, a pipe might be a better fit for you.
3. Ceramic
The third most common material to use to make bongs is ceramic. Some high-end vaporizers use ceramic as the tube through which the vape travels. That’s because it’s one of the most heat resistant materials and the most robust.
Artists usually make crazy cool designs with ceramic bongs. Which makes it a cool one to have on the shelf. But alas, breakable and hard to clean because you can’t see what’s going on inside.
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4. Bamboo
If you’re into all things organic, bamboo makes a very cool bong. It’s really simple to make bongs out of bamboo, and the material itself is pretty cheap and probably the most sustainable!
It’s no wonder that it’s becoming more popular, especially as a DIY job. Bamboo doesn’t really affect the taste of your hit, but it is harder to clean.
5. Homemade bongs
Did you know people make some bongs out of fruit? Yes, it’s possible. Homemade bongs can be made out of just about anything. You can make gravity bongs, bucket bongs and even pen pipes at home. But we don’t need to go into too much detail here, just check out our guide on how to make your own bong at home.
Different bong shapes, designs and purposes
You would probably be amazed at how many different variations there are on your standard bong. There are even various ways that you can use the same bong. Without further ado…
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1. Bongs with a hole
There is a hole that you put your thumb over somewhere on the bong that nobody knows the name of. It’s called the carburettor. Well, some bongs have them and some don’t. The general purpose of it is to allow fresh air into the bong in the last seconds of the hit so that the smoker can suck up all of the smoke.
By the way, some people “create” some kind of carburettor by removing the cone piece when they’re about to finish taking the hit. This also lets air into the bong so that all the smoke goes into the smoker.
2. The straight up tube
A bong that just looks like a tube with a cone piece. Pretty simple design.
There is a common theory that the longer the bong, the smoother the smoke. It makes sense because the smoke has more time to cool down before it reaches you. So, a short tube means a harsh, intense hit.
3. The beaker or round base
Yes, bong smoking gets geeky. The beaker bong looks more like a piece of equipment from science class than it does smoking paraphernalia.
It works the same as any other bong except that it’s harder to knock over because the base is wide like a beaker. The same is true of the round base bong. Something to keep in mind…
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4. Two, even three chambers
Most bongs have a single chamber. You pour water in, you load up the cone piece and off you go.
Actually, you smoke a multi-chamber the same way. But the smoke behaves a little differently inside the piece. Multi chamber bongs hold water in more than one location, which means the smoke is filtered twice. Some people say it cools down the smoke significantly to filter it twice, resulting in a much smoother smoke.
Just as a side note: some people add ice to one of the chambers in a multi chamber. It makes the smoke much cooler to inhale. For that matter, you can add ice instead of water in any bong. But smoke that’s filtered through water and ice? That sounds like a pretty cool hit.
5. The percolator
Finally, the most advanced bong is probably the percolator. There is some very fine glasswork going on inside one of these. Inside a percolator bong is a very fine piece of glassware that disperses the smoke. This dispersion means that all the smoke gets filtered, rather than just a small section of it. Of course, this is meant to give the user a smoother experience.
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A fun fact
A lot goes into designing a bong. People take it really seriously. Did you know that in 2011, Porsche designed a bong? Yes, that’s right. The genius engineering that is behind the Porsche was responsible for the creation of a very classy smoking apparatus. So, when you’re wondering “how far does it go?” when you’re deciding to buy a bong, always remember – there’s a bong made by Porsche.
So why not splurge a little? You’ve worked so hard on growing your weed, just go ahead and treat yourself to a sweet new bong!
