Bong Bowl

Bong bowls in the shop

The shape

• The slide bowl: this bowl can be used without a screen. It's usually rather small and easy for beginners to handle. Slide bowls are probably the most popular bong bowls of all.
• The funnel bowl: similar in shape to a slide bowl, but usually much larger. Funnel bowls start wide and stay wide. The tapering shape accelerates the smoke and pushes it straight down through the water. A popular alternative for experienced smokers. Needs a screen.
• The cylinder bowl: long and evenly shaped, cylinder bowls are the endurance athletes among bowls. Larger ones in particular can usually be smoked for a long time. Better suited to experienced smokers. Needs a screen.
• Special shapes: alongside the three standard shapes there are also special forms such as the bubble or the pyramid bowl. In how they work they usually resemble one of the three main types, but they differ visually and through minor pros and cons. So if the standard bowls don't quite do it for you, or you fancy something visually different, you can happily reach for one of these variants.

The size

• The size of the bowl should match your bong. If you've gone for a small bong and pick an oversized bowl, you'll quickly notice that the smoke gets too hot or the bowl goes cold before it's fully drawn. The reverse is also true: running a small slide bowl on a 2-litre bong only makes limited sense, since the bowl is spent before the bong is fully filled.
• Small bowls are better suited to individuals. The slide bowl in particular is a good portion size for a single deep pull. For larger smoking groups a smaller bowl is less suitable, as you constantly have to repack.
• Large bowls suit experienced smokers who don't want to repack so often, or several smokers at once. For those situations there are even oversized party bowls.
• Besides holding the right amount, small bowls, and especially small slide bowls, have the advantage that the contents burn more evenly, so little active ingredient is lost or wasted burning off into the air.

The material

• Glass: most bowls in the standard 18.8 and 14.5 mm ground joints are made of glass. Besides the standard joint, glass bowls are flavour-neutral, easy to clean, heat-resistant and available in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The downsides are the fragility of glass and the fact that glass bowls quickly become unsightly and therefore need cleaning more often.
• Metal: whether aluminium or another metal, these materials all share the same pros and cons. The bowls are usually screw bowls for use with aluminium chillums. They're virtually indestructible, available in many sizes and colours and easy to clean. Among the downsides is that metal bowls can quickly take on a certain taste of their own. Coloured bowls often lose their coating quickly, which can pose a health risk. Metal bowls can also usually only be run on a pipe with a standard joint via an adapter.
• Wood: wooden bowls are usually screw bowls. They're often decorated and make a visual highlight. Unfortunately wood isn't infinitely heat-resistant, which can lead to discolouration and scorching. Wood is also not flavour-neutral. Wooden bowls usually need an adapter to run on a standard joint.
• Soapstone and ceramic: similar pros and cons apply to both materials. Good cleanability and attractive looks are offset by limited flavour neutrality and a risk of breaking. Most bowls in these materials are screw bowls and need an adapter for bongs with a standard joint.