The first step to becoming a more educated cannabis smoker is knowing all of the available products for you to smoke out of. There are hundreds of different products in the market, so even if this list may not be able to cover them all, it will still give you an idea of what kinds of products are available.
This first section will cover traditional hand pipes and bongs. A “bong” is just another word for a water pipe, so both will be grouped under this term.
Bongs
A bong is a water pipe that features a chamber that holds water above the bowl where you place your cannabis. The smoke gets filtered through the water to create an incredibly smooth hit, and if the chamber has ice added, it filters the smoke even further to help cool it down before it hits your throat.
The best part about bongs is that because of how smooth they are on your throat, you can take bigger hits without coughing as much or at all. You typically have to use something referred to as “dab rings,” which are used to vaporize your cannabis so you can take big hits with minimal damage to your lungs.
You can also consider buying pipes and bongs together to complete your smoking arsenal that much quicker.
Hand Pipes
A hand pipe is precisely how it sounds. It’s just a small pipe that you use to smoke out of, with no water involved. A hand pipe typically consists of three different pieces- the bowl, where you place your ground up cannabis; the stem, which is just an extension piece that extends from the bowl that filters and sends the smoke into your mouth. Lastly, there’s usually some type of carb (or “clear” as some people call them) on most pipes which are used for clearing all of the smoke or vapor in between hits.
You don’t need to use dabs rigs when smoking out of a hand pipe, although dab rigs will work just the same. Hand pipes are some of the most uncomplicated products on this list, and they typically come in very cheap varieties.
Bubblers
A bubbler is basically a cross between a bong and a handheld pipe. It’s typically made up of three pieces like any other hand pipe or water pipe would be, but it features a chamber that holds water so you can get smooth hits off of it like with a bong.
The significant difference with bubblers is that they don’t always have ice chambers to cool down your smoke before it hits your throat and lungs, making them more similar to regular hand pipes than anything else. You can use dab rigs with bubblers in a pinch, but it will be a little bit awkward because of the small size and shape of most bubblers.
Dab Rigs
A dab rig is just another term for a vaporizer that’s designed to be used with concentrates. They’re typically made from very high-quality glass and have either a “nail” or a “banger” on the end where you place your wax.
The nail is used when there’s no water involved (although some people use nails with water- it’s more difficult, but not impossible), while the banger can still work even if it has water in the chamber.
You’ll need to know how to operate one of these before you get too far into cannabis smoking because you can’t take massive hits like you can with a bong. Consider getting an entire collection, from dab rigs, pipes, and bongs, to find out which one is most suitable for your requirements.
Joints
A joint is exactly what it sounds like- a rolled-up paper containing cannabis flower or ground herb where you light one end and smoke the other. Joints are typically rolled up using either cones or tips, basically empty cylinders that you place into the paper to roll your weed into.
You typically use something called “bust out” when smoking joints, making it so that only half of the paper contains cannabis while leaving a space on the other side for airflow. Bust-outs are usually pretty tricky to get right until you’ve practiced enough, so while they do allow for bigger hits than what you’d typically get with half a joint, it’s much easier to take smaller puffs off of the whole thing.
Blunts
A blunt is just like a joint, but instead of using rolling papers or tips/cones, you use the actual tobacco leaf itself. Blunts are typically made by taking half of a cigar and replacing the other half with cannabis flower or ground herb- so they’re not only delicious when smoked, but they provide much bigger hits than joints can offer.
You’ll need to know how to deconstruct cigars to make blunts work for yourself thoroughly and properly. There’s no way to show someone exactly how to roll one besides actually walking them through the steps, so it may take a few tries until you get it right. But again- practice makes perfect.
Pipes
A pipe is a tool made of glass or metal used to smoke cannabis flowers and ground herbs. A pipe typically consists of three pieces like any other hand pipe or water pipe would be- although some pipes do not include the carb on them.
You can use dab rigs with pipes if they’re designed to hold bigger dab nails in place, but there’s no way for one to demonstrate how to make their own homemade rig out of one precisely. Just make sure you know what kind of material your pipe is actually made out of before you try and put anything scalding hot into it.
Pipes are only going to offer you the biggest hits if you use a bong, a scoop, a gravity bong, or some other type of contraption for consuming cannabis. If you’re using a pipe by itself, it’s impossible to take more than just one or two tiny puffs from it at a time. It’s ideal to use pipes and bongs together for the best session. You can explore numerous products online to add to your collection of smoking supplies as you enjoy smoking the herb.
