If you are reading this, you are probably looking for some advice on how to use glass pipes, what to pay for them, what to look for, etc. There are so many options available that choosing your first pipe can seem daunting. Which to choose? Will I like it? How will it hit? Why this and not that? Don’t worry, this glass guide has everything you need. So, let us take you through the process in easy to follow steps.
Why Glass Pipes?
Basically, glass pipes are the best kind of pipe to go for if you want a quality smoking experience. Plastic pipes taste funny and there are all sorts of health risks involved in heating up and inhaling plastic fumes. Plus, they usually look and feel tacky.
There are alternatives like metal pipes or wood pipes, and they are OK, but glass wins out because of a few factors:
Heat Transfer
The glass is a heat insulator. This means that it is difficult to heat up an entire glass pipe, even if you are blazing away for a few minutes. With a metal or plastic pipe, if you are holding you’re lighter over the bowl for more than a few seconds, the entire unit can get really hot and you might drop it. This is why glass is so useful. It stops the heat in its tracks. There is also the benefit of helping you to keep your herbs burning consistently and not cooking them while you are not using it.
Glass Is Inert
This means that glass does not react with anything. Silicon dioxide is a remarkable substance, it has all sorts of fascinating properties, like not behaving like a solid or a liquid. A physicist will tell you more, but for now, the take-home fact is that glass will not affect the flavor of your herbals. Whatever you put in there, you are going to get only the smoke and none of the pipe. It makes a difference.
Glass Pipes Are Pretty
The title says it all. Glass pipes can be more like works of art than tools.
Supporting Local Industries
Many glass pipes are blown by hand by masters in their art. For a surprisingly low price, a customer can pick up a pipe that was lovingly made by someone who is passionate about their trade. Instead of faceless corporations, you can support local trades and industries and encourage the growth of a once-dying art.
Disadvantages Of Glass Pipes
This is a glass pipes beginner’s guide, so you need to know about the disadvantages that come with glass pipes, as well as the benefits.
Glass Is Delicate
Even borosilicate, the glass used in laboratories and hospitals, can shatter quite easily. Some pipes, like spoon pipes (see below) are made from thick glass and can withstand a few drops, but other pipes are more delicate. When you can see a joint where two pieces of glass have been melted together, that is where the pipe is most likely to break.
Glass pipes can be as complicated as you want them to be (check out the Grav Labs Upline for delicate but awesome pipes,) they get more and more delicate the more intricate they are. A top of the range glass pipe can cost up to $2,000 and shatter in a second if you drop it. For the eternally clumsy glass pipes are probably not the best choice. However, with a proper case and a bit of care, you can keep a glass pipe going for years. They become like old friends in the end.
Glass Is Expensive
When you are buying a hand-blown piece of glass, you are paying for a local tradesperson to make something, so you are paying for the education, the time taken to learn the skills, the profits etc. This makes it more expensive than ordering pipes made in enormous factories by people who have no idea about pipes and glass blowing culture. However, you are paying for a quality product. That man or woman who made that pipe by hand intimately understands what the customer needs and wants, so you get a much better product.
When Buying A Glass Pipe
Go and try them. A pipe is a totally personal thing, you might not know you like a certain feature until you have tried it. That does not mean going into a headshop and blazing away in there, but you can go in and handle the products usually.
Types Of Glass Pipes
No glass pipes beginner’s guide would be complete without looking at all the different types of glass pipes, so here we go.
Steamroller Pipes
We shall start off with one of the more powerful ways of smoking your herbs. The steamroller is basically a small bong that is used horizontally, not vertically. Unlike a bong, there is no water or ice to soften the hit, so these are tools for serious smokers. It might be a bit much for the beginner, but it is worth taking a look at them. Glass blown ones can range from about $20 to hundreds of dollars with extra features like percolators, interchangeable bowls and the choice of a carb (the hole for your thumb). In general, steamrollers are for the seasoned smoker, so be warned!
Spoon Pipes
This is probably the choice for the beginner. A small, portable, discreet and often colorful choice of a glass pipe, they are shaped like spoons (hence the name) and are as simple as a pipe can be. Thin glass spoon pipes are more delicate but lighter and heat up more quickly. A thick bowl and a thin stem are generally recommended. Look for designs by different artists; Instagram is a great place to find the best glass pipe, artists. You might be surprised at how cheap a good spoon pipe can be.
Bubbler Pipes
Also known as bongs or water pipes, a bubbler pipe has a chamber for water (or beer/wine/orange juice) and/or ice that cools the smoke on its way to your lungs. What you lose in portability you make up for in smoking pleasure. They range in price from around $30 to however much you are willing to spend. Optional extras include percolators, interchangeable bowls, ice chambers, extra chambers, water recyclers, extra length air paths, the options are endless. Once again, there are hundreds of local glass blowers making astounding pieces of art that work as beautifully as their desired function.
Glass Pipe Beginning User’s Guide
Once you’ve picked selected your piece, using it is easy, but here are a few tips for getting it right your first time.
First, grind up your cannabis. A fine grind will help it burn evenly and consistency, keeping the flavors intact.
Secondly, use a gauze. These act as filters for the smoke and stop most little hot bits reaching your mouth. Brass or steel gauze is recommended, just make sure it is packed down into the bowl before you use it.
Thirdly, get your lighter technique right. Burning in from the side is the most controlled way of smoking a pipe. By burning up only a section at a time. The user can keep the rest of the bowl fresh for the next hit or for your friend when you pass them the pipe.
Fourth, don’t EVER blow through your pipe. The result will only ever upset you.
Fifth, take your time. A slow toke will get the herbs burning nice and thoroughly. If you inhale super-hard through the pipe you can get bits coming through as well as nasty flavors. Pros call this the ‘scooby snacks.’
FOR MORE PNW MUSIC AND CANNBIS UPDATES FOLLOW RESPECT MY REGION ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER.
TO BE FEATURED, PLEASE EMAIL RMR AT INFO@RESPECTMYREGION.COM
