Bongs are hands down the most legendary devices for smoking weed. They have been used for years to provide smokers with smooth, potent, and flavorful hits. Bongs can take your smoking experience to a whole new dimension, but if you don’t feel convinced yet, listen up.
There’s more to bongs than just the flavor and potency. In fact, bongs are some of the most versatile smoking devices out there. Whether you’re looking for a sturdy piece that will withstand heavy group sessions, or you just want to impress your friends with your newly bought, designer piece, a bong is the way to go.
But before we elaborate on these benefits, let us introduce you to the bong and explore the ins and outs of using this device.
What is a Bong and How do You Use One?
The bong is the most iconic way to consume cannabis. These devices come in various shapes, sizes, and styles, from simple tube-like bongs to massive rigs with ice chambers and multiple percolators made of scientific glass.
Bongs are also called water pipes. They are generally considered a healthier way to consume cannabis than spliffs and joints. A bong typically features a cylindrical structure with a capacious base that is filled with lots of water.
The bowl of a pipe rising from the outside of the bong breaches the surface of the water. This means that the smoke must be first filtered through the water before you inhale it. As a result, bongs give cleaner and healthier experience, allowing the user to revel in smooth, cool, and tasty smoke.
To use bong, you just simply fill the base with water, pack the bowl with your favorite strain, light it up with a lighter or hemp wick, and then gently inhale to get that milky smoke right into your lungs. Depending on the type of your bong, you’ll either need to remove your finger from a small hole on the tube or take the bowl out of it.
The Benefits of Using a Bong
In this section, we explain why you should use a bong for your next smoking session. From potent hits to exceptional durability, there’s definitely more than one reason to toke out of that scientific glass pipe.
1. Bongs Pack Powerful Hits
One of the most appealing benefits of bongs is the potency of the high it provides. Better yet, the high hits you almost instantly.
For example, when you take a bulky nugget of your herb, and place it within a joint or blunt, it may take anywhere between 10–15 minutes to finish it off and feel the effects of THC reaching your brain.
This isn’t a problem with a bong. You just take the same amount of the herb, pack it into a bong bowl, ignite, and pull the THC along with the thick smoke. The bong offers a rush and a far cleaner experience than a piece of rolling paper and a filter.
2. Bongs Make Smoke Cool and Smooth
When you use a bong, the smoke from the pipe goes through a body of water, and sometimes even ice — if the bong comes equipped with an ice catcher. This process cools down the smoke, making it smoother and far more satisfying than the smoke you get from, say, a joint or pipe without a bubbler.
On top of that, the water filters the smoke, removing harmful substances that not only make the smoke less pleasurable but also negatively impact your experience with cannabis. If you want the smoothest hits possible, use a glass bong — this material doesn’t each any residue into the water, keeping it away from your lungs unlike some plastic devices.
2. Bongs Give You More Flavor
Aside from giving you smoother and more potent hits, bongs are known for drawing more flavor from your herb. For one, the smoke gets cooler when filtered through the water, so instead of harshness in your throat, you can feel the unique notes of any given strain in a much better way than if you smoked a joint or spliff. Besides, you don’t inhale the contents of your rolling paper — or tobacco if you’re smoking a spliff. It’s just pure cannabis smoke in your mouth.
3. Bongs Are Sexy
As we said, bongs can take many shapes and sizes, but the amount of designer pieces you can get your hands on these days is simply amazing. While most people use regular glass pieces that have a more scientific look, an ornamental bong can add more shine to your collection.
High-end bongs combine artistic looks with functionality. They may require additional maintenance measures but the overall effect is definitely worth the hassle. When searching for designer pieces, though, be prepared for a higher initial cost — some of those pieces are sold for hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars.
4. Bongs Offer Unmatched Durability
A decent bong will last you for years if given proper maintenance. This is essentially important if you care about the environment. It’s also much more cost- and time-efficient. Yes, a high-quality boong will cost you more than an average glass piece spotted in a random head shop, but you’ll end up saving much cash on your equipment that you’d otherwise spend on papers, blunt wraps, tips, etc.
But the best part about bongs is their durability. Acrylic or borosilicate glass bongs are extremely hard to break and can be taken just about anywhere. Moreover, glass models produce much more flavor than any other smoking piece you encounter.
The maintenance part may be a bit time-consuming at the beginning, but with the right cleaning solution and some practice, this won’t be a problem any longer. There’s plenty of cleaning stuff designed specifically to handle smoke glassware.
5. Bongs Are Just Easy to Use
The ease of use is another appealing benefit provided by these devices. Although bongs come in many shapes, sizes, and additional features, they all include the same simple mechanism.
The user simply ignites the bowl an inhales from the mouthpiece — that’s it. Bongs are, in essence, easier to use than joints, spliffs, or vaporizers. You don’t need to roll your weed in papers or master the temperature curve as you do with a vape. All you have to bring is some quality bud.
Will you use a bong for your next smoke session?