The great thing about basic hand pipes is that they’re affordable, easy to carry around with you, and are much simpler to use than other types of smoking tools. That being said, the harsh smoke that’s produced by pipes may be too much for some users.
If this is true for you, there’s another tool that you can turn to the bubbler. In this guide, we’ll take a look at what bubblers are. Find out what to look for when you try to find one that you want to add to your collection.
Bubblers
Bubblers are a step up from glass pipes as they have built-in water filtration. Like water pipes and bongs, you put water into a bubbler pipe to help filter the smoke to make for a smoother smoking experience.
When smoking out of standard glass pipes the smoke will be harsher and feel stronger on your throat. With a water bubbler bong, your smoke seshes will be more pleasant and you will be able to take larger hits of your flowers.
Bubblers are essential pipes that feature an additional chamber for water so that you can get a similar experience to a water pipe like a bong without having to rely on the bong for your needs.
Somewhere in between a bong and a pipe, a bubbler pipe gives you everything you need for smoother hits without the massive body that you traditionally need to achieve them.
Benefits
Arguably the biggest benefit of using a bubbler bong is that your hits will be smoother. The extra water filtration serves to cool down the smoke being produced by your pipe before it reaches your lips, which goes a long way in making your herbs more enjoyable.
Additionally, bubblers are far more portable than your regular bong, making it so that you take your bubbler anywhere and enjoy a hit. When you’re done, all you need to do is dump the water out and refill it during your next smoke session. Basically, the bubbler pipe offers everything you love in a bong but puts it in the body of a pipe.
Bubblers tend to be more compact than a water pipe, and cheaper than a bong. This makes them good choices for people that need to store their smoking pipes when not in use. Not everyone wants a giant bong sitting on their coffee table.
Bongs can be very expensive depending on how much work, and how intricate they are. Standard sherlock bubblers are a cheaper budget option that won't break the bank.
Features
The key features that play a role include:
Water Filtration
Water filtration is important for two reasons. The first reason being that water helps to take out some of the contaminants found in the smoke, which can make it cleaner for you before it ends up reaching your mouth. The second reason water filtration is so important is that it cools the smoke down to make your hits less harsh. Too often, smaller pipes only produce hot smoke because of the limited range of travel between the bowl and the mouthpiece. With these two benefits, you’re going to find your bubbler bong to be much more enjoyable than your basic pipe.
Portable
The problem with almost every product that relies on water at some point in the process is that they’re difficult to carry around. Bubblers are much smaller in size, making it so that you can easily store them in a safe place and travel without worrying about them getting damaged in the process. Of course, it’s still important to take the necessary precautions to make sure that nothing does happen to it, even if it’s unlikely to break during transport.
For portability, water bubblers win hands down over water pipes. Taking a big bong camping, canoeing, rafting, biking, hiking, or to a concert or festival isn't very practical. A bubbler bong can be put into a backpack or a padded pouch, and when you want to smoke you can use a small amount of water from your water bottle to have a wonderful smooth smoke anywhere anytime. Once you are done you can dump the water out, and carry on with your activities.
Design
There are many different styles and designs of water bubbler pipes. The pipes we sell are all made of pyrex glass that is hand-blown one at a time by a skilled artisan. They use a torch to heat up the glass tube and mold it into the final product. These glass artists use many different techniques, and glass styles to make the finished water bubblers. Some use inside out techniques where they blow the glass tube out and put the artwork on the inside of the tube, while others use outside techniques where they mold the glass tubes into a bubbler shape and add the artwork on the outside of the glass tube. Some more basic bubblers are made of a colored glass tube with no additional artwork added.
Types of Bubblers
As it is with pipes, there are multiple types of bubblers out there to try. Some of the types that you should know about are:
Glass
Glass bubblers are basic that you can get absolutely anywhere. As with pipes, glass helps to preserve the quality of the smoke as it travels into the bowl, through the water, and to your mouthpiece. Additionally, there are a host of unique designs and creations out there, meaning that you can likely get your hands on a glass pipe that represents your unique tastes or even matches some of the other tools that you already have.
Mini
Mini bubblers are much smaller versions of a regular version that do the same thing but with added portability and convenience. If you have one that’s strictly for home use, you can always get a mini bubbler for on-the-go use as it’s more discreet and easier to use.
Sherlock
A sherlock bubbler is reminiscent of the types of pipes that Sherlock Holmes would smoke. With a long curved smoke pathway that connects to a wide bowl and water chamber on the bottom, a sherlock bubbler allows you to get more water into your tool and helps you smoke in style.
Hammer
Hammer bubblers get their name from the shape of the pipe. They literally look like a hammer you would use to hammer nails. The Water reservoir is usually a cylindrical shape, and the tube coming off goes into a tapered mouthpiece. Where Sherlock styles have an S-shaped tube for the mouthpiece a hammer bubbler is typically a straight tube of glass. Hammer bubblers are more stable when they are set down than sherlock-style bubblers.
Sidecar
Sidecar bubblers are similar to hammers but the bowl and the water reservoir are turned to the side. They function pretty much like a hammer, but some smokers like having the bowl more to the side than out in front.
Scientific
Scientific water bubblers are made of scientific-grade clear lab glass. They can have attributed more like a water pipe. They may have removable bowls that are either glass on glass or standard slide bowls that fit into a grommeted-down stem.
Lab glass bubblers will usually have built-in percolators like bongs. They can come with tree percs, showerhead percs, inline percs, or a combination of many different percs. Some of these bubbler pipes end up being as intricate as a water pipe but instead of standing up, they lay down.
Percolators
Although some glass bubbler bongs may be very minimalistic in their design, others feature more exciting percolators that need to be considered when you shop for your new bubbler pipe. Let’s dive into some of the percolators that we can find in today’s bubblers.
Showerhead Perc
A showerhead perc is named this because it looks like a showerhead. This showerhead features many different slits or holes for your water to travel through in order to filter the smoke, eventually leading up into the mouthpiece.
Showerhead percs are very effective at filtering smoke and giving you a much smoother hit once it reaches your mouth.
Drum Perc
Drum perc is thicker than the showerhead perc, featuring more slits that allow you to filter smoke more effectively, even when it’s contained within the same space. If you're wondering, the bubbler with drum perc is an excellent choice.
Inline Perc
Inline perc breaks away from some of the other percs we’ve mentioned above. Instead, the inline perc is a horizontal tube that extends through the water chamber and features several slits designed to create bubbles and filter the smoke.
Inline percs will vary in terms of how many slits they feature in their design. The more slits you have in your inline perc, the more diffused your smoke is going to be. Make sure that you pay attention to this when you find a perc that you like.
Honeycomb Perc
A honeycomb perc is a perc that is shaped like a disc and features many small holes to diffuse your smoke (think of how a hive features many different entrance points for bees and honey storage). These types of percs are very effective at diffusing smoke and are certainly products that you should have in your collection.
Are Bubblers Better Than Bowls?
When it comes to the debate between bubblers and bowls, it all boils down to preference. If you don’t mind harsh hits every once in a while or you simply find hand pipes to be a better option for you, you can buy one and keep it on hand.
If you like smoother hits and don’t mind filling your pipe’s water chamber each time, go with a bubbler pipe! As a cannabis enthusiast, you know that the best way to experience your herbs is to try new things and look for new experiences every time you go to light up. Having both is better than having just one.
Most of the bubbler bongs we carry will be priced well below a comparable water pipe. You get the benefits of water filtration but without the high cost of the water pipe. In the unfortunate event that you drop your bubbler, and break it you won't feel quite as bad as if you dropped a $300 bong.
If you find yourself shopping and getting stuck between buying a pipe or buying a bubbler, all it takes to determine which one is the best for your needs is a basic understanding of what they are and how they function.
The guide above will provide you with more information about what the benefits and features of bubblers are, what the different types are and what they have to offer, and even the types of percolators that may be used to diffuse your smoke. Once you understand these features, all you have to do is shop for the right one based on your preferences!
