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Bongs & Water Pipes have been popular for decades to provide a smooth deep smoking experience. In ancient times bongs were made from ceramic, bone, and even wood. Today the number one material used for contemporary water pipes is glass.

Bongs have always been popular for their filtered smoking effect due to being filled with water. Unlike dry pipes, bongs use water to add a level of filtration that enhances the smoking experience. The water acts as a filter to clean out impurities, and also allows the smoker to take deeper larger hits than with a hand pipe.

Some bongs have the ability to cool the smoke through additional percolators, and chambers. With basic perc water pipes, there may be only a slight noticeable cooling effect, but when you jump to larger multi-percolator bongs the cooling effect can be magnified immensely.

With so many choices in styles, shapes, and designs, where do you start with selecting the right bong?

Choosing the correct price point is where you want to start your bong search. Our main categories for bongs are bongs under $50 & bongs under $100. Mile High Glass Pipes carries starter bongs under $20 that perform well for lighter smokers or beginner bong users. You don't have to spend a ton of money to get a high-quality user-friendly water pipe.

What are Percolators?

Basic water pipes have a reservoir chamber that is filled with water, a down stem is inserted into the water, and the bowl is then inserted into the downstem. This is the most basic of water filtration found in pyrex glass bongs. For more complex filtering, and the smoothest smoke possible glass artists have created different styles of percolators to add to the filtration of the smoke. In these bongs, you will still fill the base up with water, but there are typically other chambers with percolators built into them that hold water. So instead of one water filtration point, your smoke may go through 4, 5, 6, or even more.

Percolators come in an endless array of designs, and sizes. Some of the more basic styles of percs are dome percs. It is nothing more than a glass tube inserted into a dome shaped piece of glass. Tree percs, showerhead percs, honeycomb percs, and frit percs are some of the other well-known percolator styles. Some artists mix and match the percs to combine 3 or more of them in the same piece. This will offer one of the smoothest smokes most users have ever experienced.

Other options to consider on a bong

Old school bongs always had bowls that were sealed with an o-ring. They are inexpensiveness to make and functioned well. As glass artists have honed their skills the introduction of glass on glass bowls changed the use of o-ring based bowls. With glass on glass hardware, there is no need for the o-ring to seal the bowl to the down stem. Both the bowl and the female or male fitting, are sandblasted to create a rough sealable textured surface. The cohesive properties of sandblasting glass make gong attachments a great alternative to o-ring based hardware.

There are numerous materials used to make bongs these days. The most popular is pyrex glass. This type of glass comes in tubes that glass artists shape into a final bong shape. Some of these bongs are made by hand, and some are made on a glass lathe. These glass tubes come in clear, and any colorwork will have to be added by the artist.

Soft glass is a different type of moldable glass that gets its name from its texture. This glass can be blown into molds, spun on long rods, and even cut with scissors. Soft glass by nature can have bright bold colors made into the bong during the molding process.

Lesser used these days is acrylic for bong manufacturing. Acrylic is durable, easily cleanable, and comes in bright colors. They will typically have a metal bowl, and down stem. The bonus with acrylic water pipes is their price. Acrylic bongs can be manufactured for much cheaper than most similarly sized glass bongs. Be sure when cleaning an acrylic bong you use the proper bong cleaner that will not deteriorate, or destroy the bong.

Ceramic bongs have been around for thousands of years. They started out as basic vessels that held water with a bowl inserted into them. There has been a Renaissance of ceramic bong makers in the 2000s. Smaller companies have brought back the art of ceramic water pipe manufacturing making high-end bongs that are just as useful as a collectors art piece.

When talking contemporary bongs silicone is at the forefront of the industry. Silicone bongs have only been around for a few years, but they have begun to dominate the market. The obvious benefit of silicone bongs is they won't break if you drop them. They can be bent, and kinked with little to no harm. There are options of glass down stems or silicone down stems. Most modern silicone water pipes come with glass bowls, and cleaning them can be as easy as putting them into the dishwasher.

Why Buy A Bong From Mile High Glass Pipes

When choosing your next bong or water pipe buying from Mile High is a no brainer. We have a diverse selection of styles, colors, and models, that are ever-changing. All of our US-based orders ship out for free. Your local smoke shop can't touch our prices. You can literally shop form home while sitting on your couch enjoying your favorite flower. We offer 100% customer satisfaction. If you are not happy with your purchase you can return the item for a full refund. We ensure that every order will make it to you intact, and if ANYTHING breaks in shipping we will replace it with no questions asked. All of our packagings are nondescript, and no one will ever know what you ordered.