PERCOLATOR BONGS
Silicone Ash Catcher Bong with Jellyfish Perc – 14″
Bong percolator types
Honeycomb
The honeycomb percolator is a type of disc perc that offers a good level of diffusion with minimal resistance. Its circular shape fits perfectly in the neck of most straight tube bongs, integrating seamlessly. Each disc features honeycomb perforations throughout which maximizes the amount of smoke that can pass through, delivering filtration with minimal drag. Since this style doesn’t provide as much diffusion as more complex styles, honeycombs tend to be stacked one on top of another to compensate. They are also easy to clean given their flat pancake shape.
Turbine
Turbine percs, also known as cyclone percs or vortex percs, look a lot like honeycombs but deliver a completely different effect, especially when it comes to the visuals. Their circular shape features angled slits along the edge of the disc. These openings direct water and smoke, creating a whirlpool. To illustrate, as smoke is pulled through the mouthpiece, water and smoke converge towards the middle forming a vortex. Interestingly, the effect is multiplied the more turbine percs you have. That is to say, soon enough you have your very own mini tornado in your water pipe.
Tree/Jellyfish
While cannabis connoisseurs define tree and jellyfish percs as distinct styles, many stoners use the terms interchangeably. This style of bong perc resembles a tree or jellyfish. The top looks like the head of a jellyfish followed by tentacles or branches beneath. Tree percolators offer the best diffusion of all bong percs since the smoke has to travel up through each arm before it can pass through the bong’s neck to the mouthpiece. And while tree percolators offer second to none filtration, they require significantly more maintenance than most styles.
Matrix
This style bong perc is shaped like a treaded tire turned on its side. Matrix percs offer great diffusion yet are much easier to clean than tree percs since they aren’t nearly as intricate or fragile. While they offer slightly less filtration than tree percs, they have roughly the same resistance. Their straightforward design also makes them more robust. This style bong perc is ideal for optimal diffusion with minimal maintenance. The only catch is that the grid style is more susceptible to extremely small bits of ash and debris getting trapped.
Showerhead
Showerhead percolators are essentially a simplified version of the matrix style. They have the similar tire shape of matrix percs but do not feature an intricate grid. Instead, they are smooth with radial slits or holes along the bottom. This means that they don’t offer as good diffusion but are easier to clean. However, the real difference has to do with the fact that they have significantly less holes. So naturally there’s increased resistance and with that, more drag.
Fab egg
Fab egg rigs started out exclusively as dab rigs but expanded to bongs in part for their unique aesthetic. Originally known as faberge egg rigs, this style bong consists of two chambers, one for diffusing smoke and another for percolation. Most commonly, the fab egg perc is paired with the Swiss perc because the larger holes create tons of diffusion.
Diffused Downstems
Most water pipes feature a diffused downstem. The downstem is the piece that slides into the joint of a bong. It’s what directs the smoke from the bong bowl into the chamber at the base. Above all, the multiple slits along the bottom edge break up the smoke particles so it comes into more contact with water.