​Different Styles of Bongs

So, you wanna invest in a bong to take your sessions to a whole new level? Well, good news is that there are countless bong styles on the market from which you can choose. Bad news is, however, that knowing which style to choose can be enormously difficult if you do not have much bong experience. But, fortunately, we are here to help.

Does It Matter?

Maybe you think that any old bong will do, and don’t want to put the effort into selecting a number of precise attributes like material and size. But the reality is that the bong you select must be chosen carefully, because each attribute truly makes a difference in the quality of your sessions, how potent each hit is and even how long your bong will likely last for.

Now, let’s go over the key factors to consider when choosing a particular bong.

Material

Bongs can be made from various materials and choosing a quality material is hugely important because of factors like durability, flavor, and ability to clean.

Glass

Glass bongs have been around for centuries and are still widely available today. Many people like glass because it does not have a negative effect on flavor, and it’s easy to clean. But glass bongs can break easily, so they must be handled and stored with caution.

Silicone

Silicone bongs are quickly becoming an extremely popular option. Like glass bongs, they do not interfere with flavor, and they’re extremely easy to clean. But they have the added bonus of being enormously resilient, as silicone is a practically unbreakable material which can handle extreme temperatures more efficiently than glass. This also makes them travel-friendly.

Acrylic

Acrylic bongs are the cheapest option that you will find. The problem is that acrylic is even more fragile than glass, so you will likely go through them quickly. Therefore, they are not recommended.

Ceramic

Ceramic bongs may seem like a fancy option, and they are great at retaining heat as well as keeping the flavor nice and clean. Ceramic is also a very fragile material, and it is porous enough to make cleaning difficult. Therefore, ceramic is not recommended.

Design

Bongs come in a wide range of designs, with each design benefiting the actual smoking experience in one way or another. Here are the most popular bong designs that you’ll find today.

Beaker Base

Beaker base bongs are widely available, and the thick base allows the bongs to be tall and skinny without a large risk of getting tipped over easily. Thanks to this design, bongs can reach several feet tall without being unstable in any way.

Straight Tube

A straight tube bong style is the most traditional design out there, and most long-time users are familiar with this style very much. It consists of a long, straight tube that never tapers at the bottom, with a flat base for stability. Despite this flat base, straight tube designs are more prone to getting knocked over, so be mindful of this if you are on the clumsier side.

Round Base

A round base bong has a spherical base that, like a beaker base, keeps the bong nice and stable so that it’s less likely to tip over, and allows bongs to be taller without the huge risk of falling over easily. The bottom of the base is flat, of course, and the sphere can be large or small.

Percolator

Percolator bongs can have straight tube, round base or beaker base designs, as their key feature is the percolator. A percolator cools down and filters your smoke so that it’s smoother and cooler on the inhale, which makes each hit easier on the throat, and more pleasurable overall. Percolators force the smoke through a water chamber that greatly improves the quality of the smoke. This added water chamber does mean that the overall bong requires more cleaning and maintenance, but many will tell you that it’s totally worth it.

Bubbler

A bubbler is a sort of pipe/bong hybrid, being a smaller, handheld pipe with a water filtration system. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of a bong while having the portability factor that many users desire. Most bubblers do not use percolators but have simpler water filtration systems that do effectively cool down the smoke and make it smoother on the inhale. One drawback is that bubblers are tough to clean as they do not have removable pieces like bongs, and so you really need to work hard to maintain them properly so that they continue to produce adequate flavor and airflow.

Rig

Also known as a dab rig, a rig is not a bong, and a bong is not a rig. But a rig is inspired by bong. Confused yet? Allow us to explain.

A rig is for dabbing concentrates, and a bong is for smoking straight flower. The reason we are talking about rigs is because they are a sort of offshoot of bongs, copying many elements of the typical bong style.

Rigs are unlike bongs in that they use a dab nail rather than a bowl to hold the concentrate. This is because concentrates are thick and often sticky and must be vaporized rather than smoked. The nail is heated with a butane torch so that it melts the concentrate on contact. Dabbing with a rig gives you a more potent experience due to the fact that concentrates are, well, highly concentrated.

Size

Finally, bongs come in a variety of sizes, with larger sizes giving you bigger hits, and smaller sizes giving you the advantage of portability and easier storage. Smaller bongs can be 5 inches tall, while larger bongs can be several feet in length.

Styling and Profiling with Your Bong

With so many bongs to choose from, there is no doubt that you will find the perfect piece to take your smoking journey to new heights of enjoyment. Carefully consider all of these important factors to ensure that you end up with a model that suits your needs in terms of durability, flavor, storage, stability, and more!