Types of Bongs Guide

In the world of weed, bongs are infamous. They are the daily rippers for some stoners, while others avoid their lung-crushing capacity opting for doobies, bowls, blunts, and spliffs. You might be saying, hey, you left out vapes. But you can vape weed with a bong too! Water pipes come in all kinds of different wild designs and colors. In short, there are a few main types of bongs with endless variances.

Photo: Stoners Rotation

Common Bong Materials 

Glass is the most popular type of weed bong, followed up by the increasingly popular silicone bongs. They have taken over a market that used to be dominated by acrylic bongs.

·  Glass Bongs – A quality glass bong is made using heat-resistant borosilicate glass. Other water bongs are made of regular or soft glass.

· Silicone Bongs – Quality silicone bongs are made from food-grade silicone like certified class VI FDA medical grade silicone.

·  Acrylic Bongs – Acrylic bongs are made from a transparent thermoplastic homopolymer, also called “plexiglass.”

Benefits and Disadvantages of Different Types of Bongs

Acrylic bongs were in head shops everywhere for the longest time. These water pipes offer multiple colors and shapes combined with durability at affordable pricing. Then borosilicate glass came along, changing the scene. Glass was easier to clean and offered a more flavorful experience. The downside is they weren’t very durable when it came to accidental drops or knock overs. As an answer for the clumsy stoner that loves water bongs, food-grade silicone bongs were made. They offer durability and affordability while still giving users a smooth, flavorful experience.

For the most part, water bongs are simple. However, the world of bongs today is much different, with some complicated-looking contraptions. While some of the new bongs may look complicated, they are, in fact, easy to use and perform just like their predecessors’ offering advantages in taste, style, and performance. Let’s explore some of the different types of bongs with pictures that you can buy today.

Gravity Bongs

Gravity bongs can be made from acrylic or glass and are a different breed of bong. They use the natural force of water and gravity to produce immaculately strong hits. A bowl is lit, and then gravity pulls the smoke into a chamber, producing very thick clouds otherwise commonly unobtainable through normal smoking. These bongs are intended for more seasoned consumers. Even then, gravity bongs have been known to make people see stars for a few seconds because of their intensity. Take caution should you decide to take gravity hits from the bong or hits from the gravity bong.

Beaker Bongs

Beaker bongs are the perfectly nerdy anti-tip bongs that look like a piece of science equipment from a mad scientist’s lab used to mix concoctions. Put another way, they have wide triangular bottoms that make them difficult to tip over. Plus, they have diffused downstems submerged in water that filter smoke into the chamber. Above all, they hit like beasts thanks in part to the shape of the chamber.

Recycler Bongs

Recycler bongs are a type of bong that you recycle when they break or you are finished with them. Joking aside, recycler bongs are totally cool-looking contraptions with multiple looping arms. They are most commonly made from glass and silicone that have two separate chambers connected together. One holds water and is where the down stem runs into, and the other is a dry chamber for smoke or vapor. They produce extremely smooth hits. 

Percolator Bongs

Percolator bongs which are also known as perc bongs, are made from silicone, glass, and acrylic. They come in all kinds of wild designs that have one thing in common, percolator discs (percs) through which smoke or vapor is filtered. These bongs also look cool in action!

Bubblers

Bubblers are basically tiny bongs that offer water filtration. They are bigger than glass pipes but much smaller than most bongs, with the exception of mini bongs. Their size makes them convenient on-the-go bongs, and they are loved by many!

Mini Bongs

Mini bongs are wolves in sheep’s clothing that come in all kinds of cool styles and colors and can be made from glass, silicone, or acrylic. These tiny little bongs may not look like much but often deliver massive, potent thick hits due to the small chamber. Remember, when it comes to mini bongs, they look small and hit big!

Dab Bongs

Just about any bong can be used as a dab bong. All you need to do is to be able to switch out the flower bowl for a dab nail or quartz banger. When a bong is used for dabbing, its name is changed from bong to rig. Most people will refer to the bong they use for dabbing as their dab rig or simply their rig.

Ice Bongs

Ice bongs utilize ice to cool the smoke. They feature three pinches at the base of the neck that to drop in a few ice cubes. Because the cubes cool smoke even further, they are becoming standard in most water pipes. What’s more, as an alternative to ice there are even glycerin coil bongs that utilize freezable bong parts.

Vape Bongs

One of the most intriguing styles water pipes are vape bongs which attach vape pens. Vape bongs offer the best of both worlds. In short, you can switch between smoking bowls or vaping for an even smoother experience.

Gas Mask Bong

A gas mask bong is a water bong, typically made from silicone or acrylic, attached to a gas mask style face mask. These water pipes are stoner bongs all the way, unlike any other. Unlike other types of bongs that you can step back from, these are worn on your head and must be taken off in order to get a breath of fresh air. They make great party bongs and have been loved by stoners for decades!

What is the Best Type of Bong?

 Naturally, you may ask yourself, what is the best type of bong for me? If so, the answer is simple. The one that fits your budget, produces the hit you are after, and most importantly, the type that you enjoy using the most. While it may take some trial and error, it can be quite fun learning which type of bong is best for you!

Day-to-Day Bongs

For most day-to-day consumers or patients that prefer to use a bong, beakers, recyclers, percolators, and bubblers are some of the most commonly embraced.

Bongs That Hit Back

For those that like to test the realms of their lung capacity, gravity bongs and gas masks are likely to be the best type of bong. 

Tiny But Mighty Bongs

For those that prefer something small yet powerful, the best type of bongs are definitely bubblers and mini bongs.

World of Bongs

As you can see, there are many different types of bongs. Still, these are just a few of the styles that are available today. To close, the wide world of bongs is booming as glassblowers experiment with new techniques, creating new percolators and shapes to achieve the perfect high.