Pipe or Bubbler - How They're Different

Some questions we get asked quite often are, "What's the difference between a bubbler and a bong?" or "What's the difference between a pipe or bubbler?" This has been a common topic amongst my own group of friends as well. One of my friends only smokes out of pipes and does not like to use a bong or a bubbler. For my glass, I prefer a bong and not a bubbler, but I will smoke out of any smoking accessory when it comes down to it. So what is the big difference? Does it get you any higher using a bong or pipe or bubbler?

Pipe Basics

The primary difference between a bubbler and a pipe is wet smoking versus dry smoking. Pipes will not have a chamber for water, so you will be directly inhaling the smoke and the heat from the flame when it comes into contact with your dry herb. Pipes are usually easier to clean and will not get dirty as fast as a bubbler. However, I still recommend investing in a pipe cleaner. When you smoke out of a pipe, you pack your buds into the bowl piece and cover the carb with your finger and inhale. To clear the smoke out of the pipe, you would then take your finger off the carb and inhale to pull the air all the way through it. Pipes are usually smaller and handheld, so throughout your smoking experience the smoke does not have too far to travel before it hits your throat. Because of this, there is not too much space for the smoke to cool down. The air that enters your lungs will be hotter than if you smoke out of a bubbler. So if you want a cooler hit, I would definitely suggest a bubbler or a bong rather than a glass pipe for your smoking accessory.

Bubbler Basics

Bubblers are kind of the middle ground between a glass pipe and a bong. Bubblers are usually small and handheld, you can even find a mini bubbler. The bowl will have a downstem that goes into the bubbler chamber so you can put water inside of it. The buds get packed into the bowl and there is a carb as well, just like the pipe. When you smoke weed, the smoke is pulled down through the water to help filter out some of the bad stuff and cool down the smoke. Since bubblers are small and handheld, the smoke does not have too far to travel before it hits your lungs, the water will help with a cooler hit. Because it is small, bubblers tend to get dirty quickly. I suggest changing out the water as often as possible to help keep a fresh taste. Bubblers also usually have colored glass. If you want something a little bigger, then it is time to graduate your smoking experience to bongs.

Bong Basics

Compared to rolling papers, a glass bubbler, or any other piece - the big bad boy of the smoking world is the bong. Will you get higher using a bong instead of a pipe? Of course it will depend on the size of the bong. The bigger it is, the more room you have to fill with smoke, which in turn will give you a bigger hit. So I would not necessarily say the bong itself will get you higher, but you will be taking a much larger hit that will probably get you higher.

Most bongs will also have ice pinches so you can load ice cubes into the airways. This will also be a huge cooldown factor for when the smoke hits your dry herb. Cooling down the smoke makes smoking smoother on your lungs and helps cut down the coughing. Beyond bongs you start to look at a dab rig. Both bongs and dab rigs are customizable and have plenty of accessories to choose from, like the Bear Quartz banger. For me, I will always rather use my bong than anything else. I like to see the smoke build up inside the chamber and then clear it all at once. In my opinion, a bong is the best way to smoke weed.