Bongs

A bong is a water pipe. Smoke from the bowl travels down a downstem into a water chamber, bubbles through the water to cool and filter, and fills the tube before you inhale. On most modern bongs the bowl is a removable slide you pull out to clear the chamber. Water makes the hit smoother than a dry pipe of the same size.

A beaker has a wide, cone-shaped base that holds more water and is harder to knock over, so it is the most popular first bong. A straight tube is a straight cylinder that holds less water, so smoke clears faster and the hit feels punchier. Both come in the same heights and glass thicknesses.

A percolator is an extra diffusion stage inside the tube that splits smoke into more, smaller bubbles for more cooling. Percs make the hit smoother but add a little drag and more cleaning. If you want the smoothest possible hit, choose a percolator bong such as a HiSi Double Bell Perc; if you want simple and easy to clean, a plain beaker or straight tube is enough.

It is the tube size: 50 millimeters in diameter with 5 millimeter thick walls. Scientific glass makers like ROOR, Illadelph, HiSi and Sheldon Black list sizes this way. Thicker walls such as 7mm and 9mm are heavier and more resistant to knocks, and wider tubes hold more smoke.

Most bongs use a 14mm joint, while many large scientific tubes use 18mm. Bowls, downstems and ash catchers must match the joint size, the gender and the angle of your bong. If you are not sure, call Angies Boutique at (213) 680-0080 or send a photo of the joint.

A mid-size beaker, around 12 to 18 inches, is the easiest first bong: the wide base resists tipping and the hit is easy to manage. The Angies Boutique 18 inch Clear Beaker and Human Grade beakers are solid starting points, and a GRAV Mini Beaker works if you want something small.

Fill the chamber until the water covers the slits at the bottom of the downstem by about an inch. Too little water skips the filtration, and too much makes the bong hard to pull and can splash. Change the water daily for the best flavor.

Empty the water, add 91 percent or higher isopropyl alcohol and a spoon of coarse salt, plug the openings and shake. For heavy buildup, let it soak, then shake again and rinse with warm water, never boiling. Cleaners like Formula 420 make it faster. An ash catcher keeps the main chamber cleaner between washes. Use a gentle cleaner on fumed or heady glass.

Angies Boutique at 838 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012 has sold bongs since 1990, from scientific glass by ROOR, Illadelph and HiSi to Hemper and BigFun! novelty bongs and heady glass. Open daily 11am to 7pm PST, near the Metro A Line Chinatown station. Order online for same-day in-store pickup or same-day delivery in Los Angeles, or shipping to all 50 states and worldwide. 21+ only.