How to Choose a Glass Pipe or Bong: A Buying Guide

Walk up to a wall with a hundred pieces on it and it's easy to just grab whatever looks coolest. That's fine if looks are all you care about — but a few basics about size, thickness, and percolation make the difference between a piece you actually reach for and one that ends up as a shelf decoration. Here's what actually matters.

Hand pipe, bubbler, or water pipe?

• Hand pipes are the simplest option — no water, nothing to clean out between uses, easy to carry. Best if you want something low-maintenance for quick use.
• Bubblers are a hand pipe with a small water chamber built in, giving you smoother, cooler hits without the size of a full water pipe. A good middle ground.
• Water pipes (bongs) use water filtration and usually a percolator for the smoothest, coolest hits, at the cost of being bigger and needing regular cleaning to stay that way.

What a percolator actually does

A percolator is the internal piece that breaks smoke into smaller bubbles as it passes through water, which cools it down and filters out some of the harshness. More percolation generally means a smoother hit, but there's a tradeoff: more percs also means more drag (harder to pull through) and more surface area to clean. Common types you'll see on our shelves:

• Tree percs — multiple arms branching out, high diffusion, moderate drag
• Honeycomb percs — a flat disc with dozens of small holes, smooth and relatively easy to clean
• Showerhead percs — a single slitted tube, good diffusion with less drag than a tree perc

If you've never used a percolator piece before, honeycomb or a single showerhead is the easiest starting point — smooth hits without a steep learning curve on cleaning.

Glass thickness matters more than it looks

Thicker glass (look for pieces described as thick or heavy-wall) is more durable and generally feels more substantial, but it's also heavier and pricier. Thinner glass is lighter and often cheaper, but more fragile — fine for a careful desk piece, riskier if it's getting passed around or traveling with you.

Joint size: 14mm vs. 18mm

This determines what accessories (bowls, downstems, ash catchers) will actually fit your piece. 14mm is the more common size and tends to have a wider accessory selection; 18mm pieces often pull slightly better on bigger water pipes. If you're planning to buy accessories separately, check the joint size on the piece first — it's usually noted on the tag or the display card.

Setting a budget

Price mostly tracks glass thickness, percolator complexity, and brand. A solid, simple hand pipe or basic bubbler is the least expensive way in. Multi-perc water pipes from name-brand glass artists sit at the top of the range. Neither end is "wrong" — it's really about how often you'll use it and whether you want function, art, or both.

Come see them in person

Photos online (and even our own gallery) don't do glass justice — the weight, the thickness, and how a percolator actually feels to pull through are things you notice holding it. Both our Beavercreek and Vandalia locations have full walls of hand pipes and water pipes across every price point, and our staff can walk you through what fits your budget and how you'll actually use it.