Percolators: Do These Smoke Swirlers Actually Do Anything?

To round off this section on the key features of a bong, we want to turn to a trend that keeps winning fans: percolator bongs. They have taken the market by storm and convince more and more customers by combining the best features of a multi-chamber bong with a diffuser. But what are the real pros and cons of percolator bongs, hype aside?

Advantages of a percolator bong

• Percolator bongs are cool. Thanks to their two or even more water chambers, the smoke is cooled and filtered several times over. That makes for an excellent smoking experience.
• Percolator bongs look great. They are usually among the most elaborate bongs in any maker's range and, alongside the percolators, feature row after row of visual and technical highlights.

Disadvantages of a percolator bong

• Percolators are harder to clean. The first generation of percolator bongs had percolators fused permanently into the glass. That generation was often clogged to the point of being unsmokable after just a few sessions. Current versions have improved on this on most bongs thanks to removable percolators, but the water chambers themselves are still practically impossible to reach and so remain exposed to grime.
• Percolators are extremely fragile. Usually a small knock is all it takes and the percolator shatters.
• Percolator bongs tend to be disproportionately expensive compared with similarly sized bongs.

Ultimately, choosing a percolator bong comes down to taste. Whether one is right for you depends entirely on your own preferences.