How to Choose a Bong

There are a number of factors to consider when the time comes to choose a bong that will suit your needs. Will it be kept at home, in a drawer, on a table or is it a travel bong? If you’re clumsy, you’ll want something durable. Fortunately, bongs come in all different shapes and sizes to accommodate the needs of various cannabis smokers. We’ll go over all the factors that should be considered when you choose a bong.

Does Size Matter?

The first thing you’ll want to do is decide if you’re looking for a bong to smoke cannabis flowers out of or one for concentrates. This will help you decide what size piece you should get.

If you’re going with a set-up for flower, bigger can be better for spreading out harsh hits. However, dab rigs are better off on the smaller side because there is no benefit to filtering hash oil vapors.

Is It Durable?

The next thing you should look into is the durability of the product. If it’s made of ceramic or glass, the bong is vulnerable to breaking when dropped. Acrylic bongs may bounce when dropped but they’re still vulnerable to cracking.

The thicker the glass all around the bong, the less likely it is to break. Does the glass seem sturdy or does it sounds like a wine glass when flicked? Thicker glass is usually a little more expensive.

If you’re not clumsy and trust yourself not break the bong you can put the extra money towards attachments or a bong with more percolation.

There are also unbreakable silicone bongs on the market for anyone that is tired of breaking glass, ceramic and acrylic bongs.

What is the Best Joint Size?

When choosing a joint size it is best to get something that will work with any attachments you may already have. You should also pick based on whether you’re using the bong for cannabis flowers or concentrates. For a while, concentrate pieces came with male joints to accommodate domes and nails. Now, most connoisseurs use quartz bangers when consuming cannabis concentrates.

Today, having a male joint will limit your options when it comes to replacement bowl pieces and attachments. We recommend getting a 14mm female if you don’t have any attachments you want to use because it is the most common joint size.

The angle of your joint is also something you’ll have to consider. Classic beakers have joints and bowls coming out of a removable down stem at a 45-degree angle. Many modern pieces come with joints at a 90-degree angle with a fixed stem.

Picking Percolators

Percolation is one of the main factors to consider when you choose a bong. Percolators contain one or more points of diffusion to filter or cool smoke. The three things to consider when picking a percolator is the filtration, drag and how easily it can clog.

If you’re using your bong for dry herbs, you’ll want extra percolators to make the smoke as smooth as possible. When smoke is smoother, you can take bigger rips consuming more THC in a shorter period of time. As a result, you should be higher than you normally would with less irritation to your throat and lungs.

However, there is such a thing as too much percolation, especially when it comes to concentrates. It is best to keep percolation to a minimum of dab rigs. More percolators mean more drag making it harder to clear the bong.

For dry herb bongs, there is a trade-off. More drag for smoother hits. However, with a dab rig, percolators will require more effort from your lungs on each hit with no benefit. So, for dabbing, look for a bong with one to two percolators that won’t easily clog when oil or “reclaim” begins to build inside of the piece.

The Cleaning Process

Another factor to consider is how hard it will be to clean the bong. If you’re not willing to give your bong a deep cleaning regularly, you should get something easy to clean that won’t clog quickly. Percolators with tiny holes will clog sooner than larger slits.

Certain pieces are harder to clean than others while some need to be cleaned more often for proper function. Keep an eye on the percolators. If a bong has three separated percolation chambers stacked on top of each other going up the neck, it’s going to be hard to get cleaner into that middle chamber.

Optional Attachments

Once you’ve selected your bong, there are still ways to improve the overall function.

There are attachments called ash catchers that sit between the bowl and joint. Many modern ash catchers have percolators in them for additional filtration. Not to mention, ash and tar will build up in the ash catcher before it does in the rest of the bong. If you clean the ash catcher regularly you won’t need to clean the rest of the bong as often.

On top of ash catchers, there are other attachments like glycerin coils made to cool the smoke in your bong. Glycerin is a liquid that won’t turn solid in a freezer so it can’t expand and break the glass.

Understanding the different components is the key to learning how to choose a bong. Use our guide to pick the best piece to suit your smoking style. Larger pieces with more percolators are better for people sensitive to the harshness of smoke but too much percolation isn’t recommended for people with small lung capacities. It will be too hard to rip.

Anyone that appreciates a classic bong rip will enjoy a scientific-style beaker or straight pipe. If it still isn’t smooth enough you can always add attachments to further filter the smoke.

It’s better to smoke a bong than to roll a joint when trying to hide the smell of weed. You’ll also get higher in less time. Dabs are an even stealthier way to get high in no time. Anyone planning to use their bong for concentrates as well should look into the best quartz bangers, carb caps and how to choose a dab rig.