Get Glass Distribution
New member
Hi guys, Wanted a discussion on the differences between materials, including ease of use, cleaning, and how they affect the overall smoking experience
What are the pros and cons of glass vs. silicone bongs for durability and smoking experience?
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Best bong I ever used was made of a large piece of bamboo with a bamboo stem and a thimble for a bowl. They lasted about a year or so, then you made another. Unfortunately, I no longer have access to the bamboo. Other than that, glass all the way.
Glass glass glass
i use only borosilicate glass for my vaporizer oven and bud vial. the draw tube is also borosilicate. this is laboratory grade glassware.
the vial and draw tube are easily cleaned inside with a rolled up paper towel while slightly warm. easy-peasy.
clean glassware is beautiful.
the vial and draw tube are easily cleaned inside with a rolled up paper towel while slightly warm. easy-peasy.
clean glassware is beautiful.
limegreenlimey
Active member
Small silicone bongs are great for parties and travel. Cheap. Don't break. Work. But otherwise they are usually not great bongs. They're surprisingly hard to clean. They're usually too small and often suffer from spray/backwash. I would spend a few quid on one to throw away at the end of a weekend (not very environment friendly) but a little glass bong almost certainly better, and probably not much more expensive.
Brother Nature
Well-known member
Silicon is for titties, stick with the glass...
When comparing glass and silicone bongs, both have their unique pros and cons. Glass bongs are often preferred for their aesthetic appeal and pure smoking experience, as they don’t alter the taste of your herb. They can be a bit fragile, though, so you have to be careful not to drop them. On the other hand, silicone bongs are super durable and practically indestructible, making them great for on-the-go use. They’re also easier to clean since you can toss them in the dishwasher, but some people feel they can affect the flavor a bit. Overall, if you prioritize taste and style, glass might be your go-to, while silicone is perfect for durability and convenience!
Nothing is worse when you’re cleaning your rig glass rig and then you break it accidentally
CannaRed
Cannabinerd
I have a giant collection of red silicone paraphernalia. Over 200 pieces.
I like how it doesn't break. It's super easy to clean. Just stick it in the freezer, and after it's frozen, take it out and slam it in a hard surface and all the resin shatters and you can just dump it out.
But after a year or so, the silicone starts to absorb the smoke and you can't get that out.
I think the best is silicone encased glass, that way you get the durability of silicone with the taste of glass.
I like how it doesn't break. It's super easy to clean. Just stick it in the freezer, and after it's frozen, take it out and slam it in a hard surface and all the resin shatters and you can just dump it out.
But after a year or so, the silicone starts to absorb the smoke and you can't get that out.
I think the best is silicone encased glass, that way you get the durability of silicone with the taste of glass.
I like glass cause it’s easy to put your spoon on the electric stove top and let l that stuff burn out. Can also do this with open flame. I like silicone for its durability. Had a pink peacemaker I was given for volunteering a festival and a homeycomb pipe. I took the glass insert from the honeycomb silicone pipe and put it in the peacemaker bong. Used the down stem as a slide instead of using the carb.
For spoons glass, for water pipes silicon is awesome. Gotta love art glass though too, and production pieces can smoke incredibly smooth too. But you’ve got to do the constant maintenance of alcohol and salt or risk cracking using the hotplate/open-flame methods.
majority of pipes I’ve broken are in the process of cleaning or just after. that’s the bitch about borosilicate.
oh ya, I forgot about the dishwasher thing with silicone, I did that a few times
no difference in smoke unless getting into intricacy of glass percolators for water pipes.
Also, metal threaded pipes last generations
For spoons glass, for water pipes silicon is awesome. Gotta love art glass though too, and production pieces can smoke incredibly smooth too. But you’ve got to do the constant maintenance of alcohol and salt or risk cracking using the hotplate/open-flame methods.
majority of pipes I’ve broken are in the process of cleaning or just after. that’s the bitch about borosilicate.
oh ya, I forgot about the dishwasher thing with silicone, I did that a few times
no difference in smoke unless getting into intricacy of glass percolators for water pipes.
Also, metal threaded pipes last generations
Glass is my favourite, but special shout to sebsi pipes (Moroccan bamboo type pipe with clay bowl) for smoking Moroccan Hash or flower, not really for full melt , but works and taste great just waste alot.
Delivers an amazing taste with a real smooth hit . Long pipe cools the smoke and the bamboo/wood keeps the taste intact very well.
Unfortunately you can't really clean these so I throw them away after 3-6 months depending how much I use it , but they really cheap to so not to bad.
These are 1 of the best pipes I ever used for smoking traditional Moroccan Hash.
Delivers an amazing taste with a real smooth hit . Long pipe cools the smoke and the bamboo/wood keeps the taste intact very well.
Unfortunately you can't really clean these so I throw them away after 3-6 months depending how much I use it , but they really cheap to so not to bad.
These are 1 of the best pipes I ever used for smoking traditional Moroccan Hash.
limegreenlimey
Active member
The freezer thing is interesting. I'll try it. My experience of the silicone bongs is that they're a devil to clean: sticky and hard to scrub.
limegreenlimey
Active member
limegreenlimey
Active member
Sorry and also to be boring
they're not meant for smoking hash, though are good for it. They are kif pipes. Kif in Morocco is ground weed (leaf and flower) with a bit of wild tobacco ground in. One packs the bowl very tight and smokes it in one hit, then refill and pass. Moroccans smoke hash in joints. Hash is not traditional in Morocco: it's a cash crop for the European market. It has been proposed that hash making was introduced to the kif growers by Welsh Richard in the 50s 60s
CannaRed
Cannabinerd
Yes if the resin is wet it's harder to remove. You can use a wooden poker and resin likes to stick to everything else before it will stay on the silicone. You can also let the resin dry and smack it and works the same way. But if you only have one piece, you're not going to want to not use it until the resin dries, so you can use the freezer.
CannaRed
Cannabinerd
I've not seen any color come out of my pieces, in the past 8 years. But I only collect red pieces, maybe other colors bleed. They will darken over time on the outside because of the oils on your hand, and the inside will darken from the pieces of silicone sucking up the door and resin. But I haven't noticed any color loss. I've never seen tinted or stained bong water.
I read that you can tell the quality of colored silicone by bending it, almost folding it in half. The more white color you see squeeze out from the bend, the cheaper the silicone. I do have a few pieces that will show white went bent, but all of the nicer pieces don't.
Maybe those cheaper pieces with lower grade silicon bleed?
One of my favorite pieces is beaker bong from Eyce. It has a hidden storage container in the bottom where you can put your glass bowl piece and buds. I use it when I travel. I can stuff it in a suitcase and it won't break no matter how rough of a ride, and the glass parts are safely stored inside.
If I wanted one permanent piece I would get glass because of the taste, but silicone is great for using on the go, and if it gets nasty just throw it away and get a new bowl for under 10 or new bong for under 30.
I would really like to get a Tank or a Whomp it!
