10 Best Bongs

The 10 Best Bongs for Dedicated Smokers

 

So, you smoke?. And not like a pedestrian who takes small hits from plain  pipes, techy vaporizers, or cheaply rolled joints; but like a renaissance man who revels in getting the good stuff into your body the indulgent, profound way—via a bong, otherwise known as water pipe.

A bong is (still) a status symbol, one that announces a posh life vociferously. As such, a good bong can cost a pretty penny compared to other ingesting tools. And with good reason! It holds more smoke and uses cold water or ice to filter out burnt ash and cool down the smoke for larger, stronger, smoother—easier on throat—hits. (When you draw in a really big hit, you get a nice rip.) And, as always, bigger bong, bigger hits.

You probably already know the nitty-gritty of pulling a water pipe. You just want the best bongs to set you soaring. So here are 10 best bongs for smoking, each with its own schtick or stylish riff to make ripping it even better. (And there's no better time than now for one big celebratory rip, as we're one step closer to legalization, federally.) Lastly, please read on for facts regarding the health aspects of bongs. Forgive our language, but smoking kills, so do it responsibly.

10 Best Bongs Rundown:

• Best Affordable Bong: Beaker Ice Bong• Hands Down Best Bong: The Freeze Pipe• Best Value Bong: LA Pipes Showerhead Perc Bong• Best Ceramic Bong: RYOT Ceramic Traveller Water Pipe• Best Durable Bong: Session Goods Bong• Best Luxury Bong: Marley Natural Bubbler Water Pipe• Best Bong with Perc: Heir Waterpipe• Best Bong for Pros: Stündenglass Glass Gravity Infuser• Best Discreet Bong: Puffco Budsy• Best Looking Bong: BRNT Hexagon

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Best Affordable Bong

Beaker Ice Bong

Beginner-friendly

Easy to draw and pull

To ease you in, let's start with something, well...easy. Our beaker bong is one of the most affordable options that doesn't skim on quality. It's durable, made of borosilicate glass that won't crack. The bowl, downstem, and mouthpiece are pretty run-of-the-mill, though there are a few built-in ice notches in case you want to use ice to chill the smoke. Otherwise, nothing fancy, nothing special, just a solid bong that does what it’s supposed to.

Size: 10 inches tall

Hands Down Best Bong

The Freeze Pipe Glycerin Beaker Bong

Glycerin chamber guarantees silky cold hits

Mess free, easy to use

Need one hour of freezing before use

If you're looking for the coldest, smoothest hit—i.e., if you never want to cough again from ripping—just adding ice cubes won't cut it. You'll need the power of glycerin coils which can cool the smoke down by over 300 degrees. Simply attach the glycerin chamber back on after you chill it in the freezer, and when you draw, the smoke travels up through the chamber and comes out like an arctic cloud—crisp, silky, and high.

Size: 12 inches tall

Best Value Bong

Showerhead Perc Beaker Bong

Percolator for better smoke

Affordable

Onto the land of percolator, or perc, that'll further chill and filtrate the smoke after it goes through the downstem. LA Pipes' bong has a perc with small holes or slits at the bottom—like a showerhead—to create bubbles that render the smoke easier to inhale. There's even the double option—perc on top of perc—that'll take the edge off of your hits twice, since a rip can never be too smooth. At this price, it's a no-brainer.

Size: 12 or 14 inches tall

Best Ceramic Bong

Ceramic Traveller Water Pipe

Sleek, classic look

Removable cork stoppers seal off openings

Can be tricky to fit the mouthpiece

A lot of design effort went into this thing, so it'll look beautiful and function beautifully. Plus, a totally frosty rip is now feasible since its heavy-wall ceramic build can withstand being in the freezer. Even better, you won't have to bear the unsightly visual of dirty water. The soft, squared-off cork base also makes it easy to handle. Though the port top looks a bit large and the removable downstem a bit long, once you get it right, it's entirely satisfying.

Size: 9.5 inches tall

Best Durable Bong

Modern Bong

Extra protected, easy to clean

Comes with extra bowl and downstem

The plausible future of bong: a bong that doesn't look like bong, but more like a metronome. At first, judging by its cover, "modern" and "minimalist" come to mind—but you get a bit of maximalism in the mix once you pack the bowl. With an angled mouthpiece and tapered form, it's extra easy to hold. The silicone footer both indicates water line and offers extra protection for the already very thick borosilicate glass body. And, as per reviews, the hits are fat—so it'll rip hard.

Size: 10 inches tall

Best Luxury Bong

Walnut Wood & Glass Bubbler Water Pipe

Holed downstem for better hits

Removable wood for easy cleaning and maintenance

The best of two worlds collide here—high-grade borosilicate glass and sustainably-sourced wood—to make a case for craftsmanship in your  devices. Then, making a point for style-meets-substance, this bong uses a thick Swiss downstem that has several holes (like Swiss cheese) for smoke and water to pass around, filtering and cooling them in the process to turn out a super smooth hit. However, it is prone to cracks and breaking, according to a few user reviews. So handle it with care.

Size: 12 inches tall

Best Bong with Perc

Waterpipe

Slotted percolator for better hits

Holed bowl that prevents clogs

Alumina ceramic, stainless steel, soda-lime glass—simply the names of these materials scream "high-end." They are pretty hardwearing too, forming Heir's Waterpipe, which is easy on the eyes and lungs. Specifically, it has an eight-slotted percolator for better filtration and smoother smoke. The mouthpiece is ergonomically angled as well to make taking a hit easier. If there's ever been a bong for getting beautifully stoned, this is it.

Size: 11 or 13 inches tall

Best Bong for Pros

Glass Gravity Infuser

Delivers big, cool, smooth rips

Contactless draw and inhale

Very expensive and not beginner-friendly

You might well question the relevance of Stündenglass's $600 sizable, tablet-shaped hourglass contraption to your cannabis lifestyle, but we’ll do our best to sell it. First, it’ll get you mightily stoned—it even gave Seth Rogen a coughing fit. Second, it can rotate 360 degrees, and once flipped, it’ll leverage gravity and opposing airflow to pull in and filter the smoke. Lastly, when flipped back, gravity will push the smoke out, and you won’t even need to touch the mouthpiece to inbreathe. Clean and seamless. But high practically perfected by physics definitely doesn't come cheap.

Size: 15 inches tall

Portable, all-in-one design

Easy to use, quality smoke

Should you opt to stay under the radar—for any occasion or reason—Puffco's Budsy camouflages as an ordinary Tritan water bottle for incognito smoking. As novel as that sounds, the bong's design actually delivers quality vapor. Unfold it and you'll see it's fully rigged with a flip-spout mouthpiece, ceramic bowl, and a downstem and perc disguised as straw. In other words: everything you need to draw a powerful rip.

Size: 9 inches tall*Fill bottle up to 420ml

Best Looking Bong

Hexagon Bong

Freezable for smoother hit

Dishwasher safe

Lastly, a bong meant to stand out as a sculptural centerpiece. It resembles a vase in geometric design—inspired by the architecture of Daniel Libeskind—which is spot on for housing your flower. Should you choose to use it, it does pass muster, utilizing a ceramic build, interchangeable bowl, diffusing downstem, and a silicone seal that prevents leaks, to boot.

Size: 9.5 inches tall

A Myth: Smoking with Bongs Is Healthful

Look, we don't mock you for uttering "bongs are safe(r) on lungs" to yourself whenever you hit it to conjure up some placebo effect. And sure, you'll feel heavenly from the high. But the bottom line is, as long as it involves combustion—lighting something on fire—it will be harmful, regardless of however or whatever you're smoking.  Hopefully, this will cast away any silver lining you might have clung to when it comes to toking via a bong. It'll feel less harsh compared to toking from a bowl,  because of the smoother fume. But the evil one is still there, smiling.

And do consider the danger of secondhand smoke to non-smokers. A recent study by JAMA Network Open of the American Medical Association shows that cannabis bong smoking in homes may produce four times more secondhand smoke than cigarettes, which poses many potential health hazards—breathing issues, heart attacks, or the big C. What we're trying to say is: be responsible to yourself, and to others.

If you're a risk-averse smoker—as oxymoronic as that sounds—going smoke-free with e-cigarettes or weed vaporizers is considered healthier, since nothing is lit on fire.