Chillums & Downpipes
Weed Wissen
Neben dem Köpfchen entscheidet vor allem das richtige Chillum über Zugverhalten und Rauchkomfort. Wir erklären die Unterschiede zwischen Aluchillum, Diffusor und normaler Kupplung.
Once you have chosen your bowl, one more decision is waiting: the right chillum. Besides the length, which is already determined by your choice of bong, three types of chillum go head to head here: plain downpipes, diffusers and aluminium chillums. We will introduce the latter first, as they are mostly needed for acrylic bongs and are often the only option. After that we compare diffuser and downpipe and look at the respective pros and cons.
The aluminium chillum
- Aluminium chillums are mostly used with acrylic bongs. But they also work with almost any other material. The only exception is glass bongs, which usually come with a standard 14.5 or 18.8 mm joint.
- Aluminium chillums normally have a screw fitting to attach the bowl. To use a glass bowl with a standard joint you need a matching adapter.
- Aluminium chillums come in various colours. Unfortunately the anodised coating often wears off over time, which could be harmful to your health.
- Via an adapter, aluminium chillums can also be fitted to bongs with a standard ground-glass joint.
- Aluminium chillums are not flavour-neutral.
- Aluminium chillums are practically indestructible and are therefore well suited to bongs that get transported a lot. They are easy to clean and maintain.
Before we turn to comparing diffuser and plain downpipe, a few introductory words are needed. Both chillum types come in the standard joint sizes of 14.5 and 18.8 mm. There is now also an oversized joint of 29.2 mm, used mainly on bongs in the 2-litre range. To use a bowl with a different joint size or a screw fitting, matching adapters are required.
Advantages of the plain downpipe
- Available in all lengths. Chillums can be cut to the required length and therefore fit any bong. Normally it is adjusted for you at the point of purchase.
- Low price. Standard chillums are cheaper than diffusers.
- Easy to clean. There are matching brushes, so a glass chillum is quickly and easily returned to a pleasant, flavour-neutral state. With a diffuser, cleaning is trickier because the brush cannot be pulled all the way through.
Advantages of the diffuser
- Cooler, cleaner smoke. The turbulence at the diffuser slits guides the smoke through the water more effectively, making it cooler and filtering out more particulates.
- Pre-made lengths. Diffusers come in many lengths. They are industrially produced and, unlike cut-to-size chillums, already perfectly deburred.
In closing, the decision for or against a diffuser does have a certain influence on smoking comfort. In the end, though, the differences are marginal.
Vorteile des Diffusors
- Kühlerer saubererer Rauch. Durch die Verwirbelung an den Diffusorlöchern wird der Rauch besser durch das Wasser geleitet, wird damit kühler und es werden mehr Schwebstoffe ausgefiltert.
- Vorgefertigte Längen. Diffusoren gibt es in vielen Längen. Sie werden industriell produziert und sind somit anders als zugeschnittene Shillums bereits perfekt entgratet.
