The word bong comes from the Thai word “Buang”. Buangs are bamboo bongs, highly popular in Asia.
A bong is a specialized water pipe used to smoke weed flower, typically made of glass. It uses water to cool and purify the smoke.
The bowl, downstem, water chamber, and percolator are key components, which work together to provide a cleaner, smoother smoke.
The bowl is where you put ground weed. A downstem goes into the water chamber, the end of which sits under the water.
You suck on the mouthpiece of the bong while lighting the bowl and draw smoke into the chamber.
When the smoke travels through the water in the bong, it effectively removes certain toxins and particles.
When the chamber is full of smoke you stop, exhale, and then remove the downstem, or uncover the carb hole and inhale all the smoke.
Benefit of Using a Bong
When compared to smoking pipes, joints and blunts, Bongs are a much healthier alternative because they filter out harmful chemicals and cool the smoke through water filtration.
Thanks to the cooling and filtering effects of the water, you're less likely to cough when using a water-filtration device compared to dry smoking methods. Coughing less can make your smoking session more enjoyable and comfortable.
Why Buy Glass Bongs from Lookah?
From classic beaker bongs to multifunctional recycler bongs, Lookah's offerings have it all. Shop by percolator type or size to find the perfect bong of your dreams!
At Lookah, you can escape the homogeneity of the bong market and discover unique pieces. You'll never have to worry about owning a product with a generic style.
Unique Design: We are proud to say that at lookah, you can find water pipes that are unique in the industry.
From size, function, and appearance, each model has been designed and developed for at least three month, allowing for creative shapes that cater to your style, expanding your collection in exciting ways.
Variety of Colors and Styles: Our glass bongs comes with a wide range of colors and styles.
Whether you prefer a classic clear look or a vibrant, colorful design, artistic, our collection has something for everyone.
High-Quality Materials: Made from premium borosilicate glass, our Bongs are built to last and withstand the test of time.
Easy to Clean: The unique shape might look complex, but cleaning is a breeze with the right tools and a little know-how.
Portable and Fun: Our Mini & Small Bongs are surprisingly portable, easy to carry and use, making them perfect for on-the-go sessions.
Enhanced Smoke Cooling: Our Recycler & Percolator Bongs not only looks cool but also acts as an excellent way to cool down the smoke, providing a more enjoyable smoking experience.
Affordability: We're proud to stock high-grade aesthetic borosilicate glass bongs at unbeatable prices.
Fast Delivery: We have three distribution warehouses in the United States: East, Central, and West.
We will ship from the warehouse closest to the consumer's address to provide the fastest and safest delivery service.
3 Best Selling Lookah glass bongs in 2024
Looking for the perfect addition to your smoking collection? Check out our top-selling bongs that combine functionality with unique designs.
9” Mini Cute Dragon Bong: Features an adorable dragon motif that adds a fun touch to your collection. Perfect for portability, making it easy to enjoy your favorite herbs anywhere.
9" Cute Mushroom House Bong: Adorned with a whimsical mushroom house design, this bong brings a playful vibe to your sessions. When lit, it releases intoxicating spores from the cheerful mushrooms inside, guiding you on a delightful smoky journey.
12" Swiss Cheese Glass Bong: The aesthetic bullet hole Swiss cheese design gives it the appearance of an ancient artifact from Roman times, while the jellyfish percolator enhances filtration, ensuring cooler and smoother hits with every use.
What are bongs made out of?
There are 6 main types of bong materials; glass, acrylic, ceramic, metal, wood and silicone. Each one has it's own benefit and advantages.
1. Glass Bongs
Glass is the most popular material used to build water pipes and best for beginners, easy to clean and and maintain.
It provides a clean, pure, smooth taste because the glass doesn’t affect the flavor of the smoke.
Glass is very easy to monitor for resin buildup and watch those mesmerizing bubbles as you smoke because it’s transparent.
Borosilicate glass are heat resistant, allowing the bong to withstand repeated use and heat exposure without breaking.
Also, glass bongs are favored for their aesthetic appeal, available in various designs, shapes, and sizes, giving you plenty of options to choose from.
2. Silicone Bongs
Silicone Bongs are made from a soft, pliable material that's virtually unbreakable, making them a great choice for anyone who's always on the go.
Silicone bongs are also very lightweight and easy to carry around, and they come in a wide range of colors and designs.
However, Silicone bongs dampen or alter the herb's taste, and cheaper silicone bongs are know to emit a plastic flavor.
3. Acrylic Bongs
Acrylic bongs are worth considering if you need a bong that's cheap, light, and highly resistant to damage.
However, They can alter the flavor slightly, and Less aesthetically pleasing and fewer design variations.
4. Ceramic Bongs
Ceramic bongs are a blend of durability, aesthetic appeal, and a personalized smoking experience. They also offer a smooth smoking experience without change the flavor.
However, Ceramic bongs are more expensive, and can be heavy and bulky, which can make them difficult to carry around or store.
Additionally, because you can't see through ceramic bongs, it can be harder to tell when they're fully clean, which can be a concern for some users.
5. Metal Bongs
Metal Bongs are very durable and long-lasting. It’s also pretty cheap.
The downside of metal bongs is that they can affect the taste of your smoke and you never really know when it’s time to clean them.
6. Wooden Bongs
Wooden Bongs are sturdy and can have a natural, rustic appearance. They offer a unique smoking experience.
However, Wood can be harder to clean and maintain compared to other materials.
Different Bong Types and Designs
Bongs comes with different designs and types, from classic straight tubes to intricate percolator bongs, Each type of bong offers unique benefits.
1. Beaker Bongs
Beaker bongs are a classic favorite, known for their stability and larger water capacity, making them ideal for beginners.
Their wide, sturdy base minimizes the risk of tipping over, while the spacious beaker design allows for more water, enhancing filtration and cooling the smoke. This results in smoother, more enjoyable hits.
2. Straight Tube Bongs
An iconic vertical look, the straight tube is made from a single or couple pieces of glass tubing. Cut with a lathe machine, the bong stands straight up and upright.
Straight tube bongs are also generally easier to clean. However, the smaller base makes straight tubes less stable and more prone to accidents.
3. Recycler Bongs
With multiple water filtration chambers, recycler bongs offer extensive smoke filtration and cooling, ensuring smoother hits without compromising your lungs.
These versatile water pipes can be used for both dry herbs and concentrates. However, the intricate designs can make these water pipes more challenging to clean.
4. Percolator Bongs
A percolator bong contains a percolator, which helps to break down the smoke into smaller bubbles, increasing the surface area.
This additional filtration cools the smoke more effectively, resulting in a smoother hit.
Percs come in a variety of types, such as tree percs, honeycomb percs, and inline percs, each offering their unique benefits and aesthetics.
5. Gravity Bongs
Gravity bongs are a special type of cannabis smoking pipe that use air pressure and water to draw smoke.
The pressure between the empty water bottle and the water in the bucket funnels smoke up through the bowl or socket.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Bong?
When choosing a bong, consider factors like size, material, Filtration, cleaning, durability, and portability to find the right one for you.
1. Size
The size of the bong affects both the smoking experience and its portability.
Larger bongs provide cooler and smoother hits due to the greater distance the smoke travels, which allows more time to cool.
Portable and discreet, mini bongs (8 Inches or Smaller) are perfect for smokers who need a compact piece that’s easy to carry and store.
Offering a balance between portability and performance, medium bongs are the go-to choice for most users.
2. Design and Aesthetic
The look and design of your bong might be important to you.
Bongs also offer unparalleled versatility in design and look. You can find them in an incredible array of colors, shapes, and styles—from sleek and minimalist to ornate and eye-catching.
Whether you're into classic beaker bongs or intricate recyclers, there's a bong to match your unique taste.
3. Material
Bongs are typically made from glass, silicone, ceramic, wood, or acrylic.
Glass bongs, like those offered at Lookah, are popular for their purity, offering a clean taste without affecting the flavor of the weed.
4. Filtration
Look for bongs with percolators, Recyclers or diffusers, which filter the smoke, making it smoother and cooler.
Lookah offers a range of bongs with different filtration systems, such as honeycomb, tree, or inline percolators.
5. Ease of Cleaning
Regular cleaning is vital for keeping the flavor and hygiene of your bong. Some designs are easier to clean than others.
Glass bongs can be easily cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and salt.
6. Additional Features
Some of the best bongs come with extra features that can totally elevate your smoking experience.
Ice catchers: indents on either side of the neck, hold ice to further cool the smoke,
Splash guards: Includes holes so smoke can still pass through, but the top is domed so the water falls back into the base of the bong, prevent water from reaching your mouth.
Diffused Downstem: Creates tons of tiny bubbles for ultimate smoke filtration.
Ash catcher: This attachment pre-filters the smoke before running it into the glass bong, which helps keep the water pipe's main chamber clean.
7. Brand Reputation
Finally, consider the brand and reputation of the company producing the bong.
Lookah have the newest and most unique glass bongs in the market and are generally more durable than their counterparts.
Bongs & Water Pipes FAQs
How Much Do Bongs Cost?
Bongs can cost anywhere from $30 to $200 or even more. The more you pay for a bong the smoother, cleaner, and tastier the bong rip is!
The cheapest bong might seem like a bargain, but if it's made from low-quality materials (Acrylic or Silicone) and doesn't deliver a great smoking experience, it’s not worth it and is not advisable to buy.
Typically $100 - $200 is considered a good investment. Bongs in that price range are usually made out of good borosilicate glass material, and will offer quality percolators and function.
Expensive glass bongs costs $200 and Beyond, usually feature artistic designs, hand-blown by a famous glass artist or at least made in the United States.
How To Clean A Bong?
A dirty bong can harbor bacteria and mold, which can be dangerous to inhale.
Regular cleaning will help keep your bong free from harmful contaminants.
Here’s instructions on how to clean your glass or Ceramic bong.
Step 1: Prepare Cleaning Materials
You don't need a fancy cleaning solution to keep your glass or ceramic bong clean. These household ingredients will get the job done!
Supplies will include: Isopropyl alcohol (preferably 91% or higher), Coarse salt (Epsom salt), Paper towels, pipe cleaners (for hard-to-reach spots), Ziplocks, Rubber bands/hair ties.
Step 2: Remove any Detachable Parts
Removing any detachable parts, such as the bowl, downstem, and percolators. This will make the bong cleaning process much easier.
Rinse the detachable pieces with warm water. Give each component a thorough rinse to remove any loose debris. This initial rinse will help prepare the pieces for the deep cleaning to come.
Step 3: Place the Bong Parts in the Cleaning Solution
Place the detachable parts like bowl and downstem in separate bags, add about a tablespoon of salt and enough isopropyl to cover it.
Seal the bags, give each one a good shake for roughly 30 seconds, and let them soak for a while.
The salt will act as an abrasive, while the alcohol will dissolve the tar and resin buildup.
Step 4: Plug the Openings of the Bong
Pour the rubbing alcohol and salt cleaning solution into the bong until it's half to two-thirds full.
Cover the openings of the bong with your hands, fashion covers out of plastic bags and rubber bands, or rubber stoppers to seal them.
This will prevent the salt and alcohol from spilling out while you shake the bong.
Step 5: Shake the Bong or Bags
Shake the bong so that the salt and alcohol mixture cleans the interior of the piece.
Shaking creates friction between the salt and the interior of the pieces, which will remove buildup.
If necessary, repeat this step a few times until the inside of your bong is clean.
After letting the bowl and downstem soak for a long time, shake it again and rinse with hot water.
Step 6: Rinse with Warm Water
Wash the bong and its parts with warm water, using the bottle brush and pipe cleaner to remove the residue from the hard-to-reach places.
It's best not to use boiling hot water because this could bust the glass.
Step 7: Dry the Pieces
Use paper towels to dry each piece and bong body thoroughly. Make sure that each piece is dry before reassembling the bong.
Step 8: Reassemblethe Bong
Put the pieces back together, making sure that they are snug and secure.
Store it standing upright in an out-of-the-way location where it won't get bumped, jostled, or broken.
How to Use a Bong?
If you're new to using a bong, it can be a bit intimidating. But with a little practice, you'll soon be able to use one like a pro.
Here are some steps on how to use a bong.
Step 1: Fill Your Bong With Water
Add water to your bong, filling it just above the main percolator or downstem, but not so high that it gets into the bowl.
Test the water level by taking a pull before adding your herbs to bowl. If you get water in your mouth, remove some water until it’s right.
Step 2: Pack Your Bowl
Grind your dry herb and pack it into the bowl.
Make sure it’s not too tightly packed, as this can restrict airflow.
Step 3: Light Up & Inhale
Hold the bong with one hand and the lighter with the other hand.
Light your bowl while inhaling through the mouthpiece, allowing the bong to fill with smoke.
When the chamber is full of smoke, remove the bowl from the downstem and inhale the smoke into your lungs, ideally until you “clear” the neck of smoke.
Step 4: Exhale
Hold the smoke in your lungs for a few seconds, then exhale slowly.
When Smoking, take slow, deep breaths to avoid inhaling too much smoke at once, and don't hold your breath for too long.
