Where to start?
When it comes to customers enjoying their THC and CBD cannabis related products, the most commonly known method to use cannabis, is by inhaling (smoking) it. Choosing how you want to smoke your cannabis opens up many different selections that experienced and new users can be pick and choose between. This quick guide will introduce to you some different tools and devices that you can get your hands on to start your session the way you want it. If you are not sure whether you want a glass bong, metal pipe, vaporizer, or 510 thread cartridge with a battery, We will go through and explain each device to help you refine how YOU want to get experience cannabis!
Let’s get started!
Hand Pipes
Hand pipes can come in different shapes, sizes, and are made of different materials like glass, metal, wood, and stone. A typical hand pipe (sometimes called a spoon because of its shape) will have three working parts:
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The Bowl
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The Mouthpiece
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The Carb (a hole in the side used to build up and release smoke)
Pros:
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Hand pipes are great for portability if you are on the go.
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They are smaller in size compared to other smoking devices and can easily be stored in a pocket or purse.
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Hand pipes can be more discreet than other devices and are meant for smoking the flower form of Cannabis.
Cons:
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Hand pipes provide a dry hit that is higher in temperature and harsher on the lungs compared to a water filtered toke.
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If the pipe is short in length, it could be a burning hot hit.
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Be careful not to catch your bangs and eyebrows on fire.
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Like all smoking devices, leftover resin will dirty the inside of your pipe so you will need to clean it often if you want it to taste as clean as possible.
One Hitters
A “One Hitter” is named after this pipe’s main purpose. It is a small, cylindrical sized pipe that can be quickly packed with a pinch of cannabis, lit up, and emptied. One hitters come in various designs but are usually made out of metal. They can also include a functional case where you can store your one hitter and weed, pack a bowl, and easily tuck it into your pocket when you are done.
Pros:
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Great for a few small puffs or a quick sesh.
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It is discreet, portable and stealthy. More geared towards quick tokes outside or on the go.
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This device is a go to if you want to sneak a toke on your back porch while your family members are over during Thanksgiving dinner.
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Some one hitters are designed to look like cigarettes to anonymously blend in with smoking crowds. This was more significant before legalization and was a commonly used method to avoid conflicts with other people while you try to smoke your weed in peace.
Cons:
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One hitters are not really used for big sessions on the couch with your friends.
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They can only pack small sized bowls and with repetitive use, it can quickly clog it up with ash and resin.
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Like a hand pipe, a one hitter gives the user a dry toke that can be a bit harsher on your lungs.
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If you can smoke freely and comfortably, you may want to enjoy a different device when you invite your friends over for a sesh.
The Joint!
Let’s get back to the basics, the rolling paper! This method of smoking cannabis is still the most commonly celebrated way to benefit from the cannabinoids and aromas your cannabis has to offer. This process seems the most simplistic, but don’t get cocky. There is some skill and practice involved to successfully roll yourself a functional and aesthetic looking joint.
CLICK HERE now to watch tutorial on How To Roll A Cone Joint!
There are many kinds of papers available to fit the unique preference of many smokers. The choice between wood pulp, rice, hemp, or other fibres will result with a different taste, smoking speed, rolling difficulty, and appearance. If you want even more options, you can experiment smoking your cannabis with blunt wraps, hemp wraps, flavoured papers, pre-rolled cones, palm leaves, and even rose pedals.
Here is list of some different materials and characteristics of rolling papers.
White Papers: usually have a chemical additive (chlorine or calcium carbonate) to help slow down the burn. This isn’t the case for all white papers. Most packs of papers will list if it’s bleached or unbleached.
Flavoured coloured papers: can also contain chemicals or natural substances that add flavor and can help slow down burning times. Mindful smokers may not want to inhale these substances that are added in.
Classic Wood Pulp: These are popular papers that have been around the longest. On average, these papers are thicker than newer types of papers that are available now. White wood pulp papers are bleached while brown ones are not. The texture of these papers makes it a bit easier to roll and shape. Great for beginners with those shaky sweaty hands.
Rice Papers: Good rice papers are made from all natural ingredients of processed and pressed rice. They are usually thinner than other papers which is good for your lungs but requires a bit more skill to roll with. Even though rice papers are thin, they burn slowly and are a better choice for your lungs that doesn’t give you external aftertaste.
Hemp Papers: Hemp papers hit it off really well with the cannabis community. Since these papers are made of hemp fibre, this saves many trees which would have been used in its place.The colour of hemp papers are usually brown and are not bleached. They are thicker and rougher than rice papers and provide a decent grip to roll with. They have a medium burn rate and provide a subtle aftertaste that doesn’t compromise the aroma of your cannabis.
Pre-rolled Cones and wraps: Sometimes it is too difficult to roll your joint and you want an alternative that still looks and smokes evenly. The good news is that you can get pre rolled hemp paper cones that just need to be filled and packed down with your cannabis. No rolling necessary! No time wasted trying to roll with failed attempts. No stress and No mess.
Go the extra mile and experiment with different preroll options… like a KING PALM.
King Palms are known for their slow burn and smooth hits. They come ready to pack and fit one gram of ground up cannabis inside perfectly. In the filter of the King Palm is a poppable terpene pack that infuses your wrap with your choice of flavour.
Pre-rolls: This last option provides the best convenience. You can just order yourself a pre-roll! There is a huge selection of pre-rolls that are filled with some of your favourite stains available. Pre-rolls can come in single packs or packs of multiples. Individual joints can come in different size like 1g, .5g, and .35g per joint.
Bubblers
A bubbler is a type of pipe that uses water and a percolator to diffuse the smoke, making for a smooth hit. Usually made out of glass, bubblers a great mix between a bong and a hand pipe. It gives you the portability of a pipe combined with the water diffusion of a bong.. Just fill the bubbler up with some cold water, pack a bowl, and light it up. Don’t forget to cover the carb to build up a thick smooth hit.
Bubblers are usually much smaller than bongs and are designed to be portable but enjoyable. Bubblers can be made as one whole piece, or come with moving parts like a bowl or slide. Overall, a bubbler is a great smoking device for an Indica smoker who likes to chill inside, or a Sativa smoker who wants to go on an adventure through a park or forest.
Pros:
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Portable,
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Great for smoking a session inside or on the go
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Hits smoother than a hand pipe.
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No additional bowl or slides needed to work just add water.
Cons:
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Fragile
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If you’re on the go, it still needs to be filled with water and emptied after use.
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Can be challenging to clean if neglected.
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No removable pieces can make it harder to clean.
Bongs (Water Pipes)
The Bong or water pipe is a smoking device similar to a bubbler. It is a “pipe” with a water filled chamber that diffuses smoke through a series of holes and slits of the slide or percolator. Bongs come in various sizes, designs and materials to fit the unique needs of the smoker.
Unlike bubblers, bongs can have additional features that help with even smoother and cooler hit. Some bongs have built in ice pinchers that allow you to fill the mouthpiece with ice cubes for a refreshing cool toke. Some bongs are designed with internal percolators that filter and diffuse smoke, where other bong designs only include a bowl and slide, but gives you the option to attach additional percolators externally to your bong by attaching an ash catcher accessory.
Here are some common styles of bongs and bong attachments:
Glass Straight Tube:
In a straight tube bong, the entire piece is the same diameter except for the angled opening for a downstem. These bongs usually have an ice pincher and do not require much water in them to diffuse the smoke.
Glass Beaker Bong:
A beaker bong has a bottom base chamber that flares out in the shape of a scientific beaker. They use a downstem which allows diffusion through the water. Beaker bongs are filled with more water and give more drag compared to a straight tube bong. It is also common for these bongs to feature an ice pinch.
Glass Stemless Bongs:
Stemless bongs are made so that they do not need a removable downstem. The stems are built in and often connect some sort of percolator inside of the bong to help diffuse the smoke. These bongs are often more durable, but the stem or percolators can not be removed to clean or replaced if damaged like removable ones.
Built-in Percolators:
These bongs will usually have a higher price tag on them compared to straight tube and beaker bongs. This is because they include built in percolators which adds additional diffusion and water filtration to the smoke providing a cleaner, tastier, and smoother toke. When you see a friend with a bong like this, you know they have leveled up from traditional bongs and want to experience bong rips like a connoisseur.
If you are someone wants a really filtered and clean tasting toke, you will want to invest in a bong like this. There is more of an upkeep for cleaning the interior percolators, but in return you get an expert level smoking experience. If you tend to be forgetful and never clean or change your gross murky bong water, then this might be too much for you to handle as the percolators will get clogged if used carelessly.
Ash Catchers :
Ash Catchers are glass bong attachments that are filled with water and placed in the downstem of your bong where your glass bowl usually goes. Percolators come in a few different kinds of designs. Inside them, are small glass tubes that either have small slits or holes in them.
Their purpose is to diffuse smoke by pulling it through the small submerged glass tubes resulting in a crisper, cleaner, cooler, and smoother tasting toke. Some ash catchers can be complicated with many tubes and holes and have an end where you slide in your bong bowl. Other ash catchers can be more simplistic with just one tube, a water chamber, and a built in bowl.
Pros:
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You can customize your bongs by swapping out different percolators to match the quality of toke they are looking for.
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A damaged percolator can be replaced unlike internally made percolators.
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You can attach multiple percolators to each other.
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Your bong itself will stay cleaner because the smoke first passes through the percolator and collects ash and resin.
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They provide an extra pass through water that diffuses the toke more. They can be used together with percolators and will catch most of the residue left over which keeps bongs and percolators clean.
Cons:
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Since percolators stick out, there is more of a risk of knocking it into something and breaking it.
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They require a good cleaning after a session or two, if neglected for too long, your quality of toke will suffer and you risk getting your bowls and attachments stuck together.
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Although ash catchers are not that difficult to clean,( thanks to the variety of liquid base cleaners that are offered today) you will have to clean it out a lot if you smoke often. But thankfully, that time spent cleaning a small ash catcher is time saved from having to clean out a large sized bong or intricate designed percolator.
Silicone Bongs:
Silicone Bongs are usually made from BPA-free, Food Grade safe silicone. Silicone bongs are easy to clean, cheaper than glass alternatives, and are very durable. They come in handy for traveling and are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want their bong to break if dropped or knocked over by a pet cat.
Silicone bongs can bend and flex, which allows for easy storage at home or in a backpack for a road trip or bike ride. Silicone bongs come in various colours, shapes, and designs to suit a smoker’s needs. Along with bongs, you can also get pipes and oil rigs available in silicone.
Pros:
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It functions the same way as a glass bong so you can produce the same kind of hit you are familiar with.
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With a silicone bong, there is 0% chance of the instant fear you feel you when knocking over a glass bong.
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They are nearly indestructible… unless you plan on trying to smoke a bowl inside an active volcano.
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The pliability and durability of silicone bongs make them very portable and ideal for camping trips, festivals, and barbeque gatherings
Cons:
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Aesthetically, silicone bongs don’t look as appealing or sparkling clean as glass pieces look.
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Some people do not like the unpleasant taste that comes from silicone bongs.
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Silicone bongs do not have to options to have percolators built inside of them.
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Some people like to see the size of their toke build up. It’s harder to tell when it needs to be cleaned.
Ice Catchers/Pinches:
Ice pinches are pinched glass formations inside the neck of the bong just above the water chamber or percolators. They are the last filtration point before you inhale the smoke through the mouthpiece. Ice pinches are a must for smokers who enjoy the option for extra cooled smoke.
They have become a fairly standard feature in new bongs because of the demand of this style over the years. Putting ice in your bong takes your bong’s filtration process to the next level. When smoke flows through the body of the bong, it will eventually hit the ice, bringing the smoke’s temperature down to an even more comfortable level.
Pros:
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It filters smoke and helps contribute to a nicer toke.
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It makes inhaling large amounts of smoke easier.
Cons:
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Ice melts at room temperature and will gradually raise the water lever in the bottom chamber.
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This can fill your bong up too much for your liking and even overflow water out of the bottom opening.
Smoking Accessories :
There are many smoking accessories that making your smoking experience a bit more convenient. Here is a list of different items that come in handy for your Cannabis smoking set up:
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Grinders
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Joint/Concentrate containers
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Joint Roller
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Rolling Trays
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Metal screens
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Glass screens (daisies, jacks)
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Glass Cleaner ( Chronic cleaner, purple power, Randy’s black label, 99% rubbing alcohol)
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Pokers
Glass and metal screens help keep your toke from sucking into the water chamber and helps with building up smoke until you are ready to pull out the bowl. Pokers will helps you clean out and unclog your bowls that get coated in resin. Glass cleaners are great to fill a bong and shake clean. You can also put small pieces with cleaner in a large sandwich bang and shake it real good. Rolling machines and trays make it easy to roll joints effortlessly. If you want a way to store and protect that joint you rolled, you can seal those cannabinoids and aromatic terpenes, by using a Doobtube.
Smoking accessories are convenient and provide helpful solutions to common problems that occur when having a smoke session. They can fix small issues and be a life saver. I always like to be prepared whether I am out and about or dwelling in a basement. I like to keep a small pack of assorted accessories on hand that acts as my emergency stoner kit. If I go out the door with a pipe in hand, the other hand usually has the tools that I find helpful to me.