Glass Hand Pipes

Hand pipes are compact devices used to smoke dry cannabis herb. Hand pipes offer great price points, they’re easy to use, they’re durable, and they’re small enough to be stored in any pocket or bag. Hand pipes come in virtually all colors, designs, and styles to fit the needs and wants of any user. Some of the most common types of hand pipes include spoon pipes, steamrollers, sherlock pipes, chillums, and bubblers. Each of these types comes with its own unique smoking experiences, but they are all great to use for the beginner to the novice smoker. When it comes to hand pipes it boils down to preference and convenience.

Brief History of Pipes

*Yawn* We’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t get into the history of pipes. Pipes have come a long way from their first recorded use dating back about 4,000 years in ancient Egypt. Throughout time, different cultures have used pipes for different purposes, but the design has been relatively the same. In the Americas, Native Americans’ use of “medicinal pipes” can be traced back 3,000 years. Native Americans used pipes to produce smoke, which was thought to help carry prayers to the spirits (Weedmaps). Pipes were also sometimes presented as gifts, as gestures of goodwill, and they were common in social gatherings (Weedmaps). In India and the Middle East, pipes were also popular, enough to rival hookahs—another smoking device. Overall, pipes have been integral in ancient cultures, and they continue to be popular in today’s day and age.

Types of Pipes

Hand Pipe/Spoon Pipe:

When you think “hand pipe,” you probably envision a spoon pipe. Spoon pipes are akin to the look of your standard spoon found in your cutlery drawer. They’re simple in design, but they get the job done. There’s a mouthpiece, a bowl, a tunnel, and usually a carb hole. The bowl is where you’d load up your ground herb and there’s usually a carb hole on the side of the bowl. The carb hole is what you use to flush out any smoke from the body of the pipe, and it is used to control airflow into the pipe as you take hits. The bowl is usually connected to the tunnel, the body of the pipe, where you’ll usually find the mouthpiece at the end of it. Pretty simple, right? Spoon pipes vary in size, shape, and design; however, they’re readily available online and in most head shops.

Chillums/One-Hitters:  

Chillums, sometimes synonymous with “one-hitters,” are great for folks looking to smoke solo. They’re like spoon pipes, but without the carb hole and they’re usually narrower than a spoon pipe. Chillums feature a mouthpiece, a bowl, and a neck; they are often more discreet and conveniently small. To learn more about chillums, check out our piece: What the F*ck is a Chillum?

Steamrollers:

Steamrollers have a distinct design and are known for their ability to deliver powerful hits. On one end of the pipe, we have a mouthpiece, on the other end, a carb hole, and finally, the bowl that either protrudes or rests on the body of the pipe. If the bowl on the steamroller is indented into the body, then it should be used with dry ground herb. If the steamroller features a dab nail, then you should use your concentrates.

Steamrollers come in different sizes, and you should consider the size when purchasing them. The smaller the carb hole, the smaller the hits, and the bigger the carb hole, the larger the hits. Overall, they’re cool tools that can give you the most from your product and are great for group smoking sessions.

Sherlock Pipe:

We’ve all heard of Sherlock Holmes, right? If so, you’re probably familiar with the detective’s infamous smoking pipe. This curved pipe is a classic and it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The pipe features an elongated, curved mouthpiece and a neck. At the end of the neck, we have the iconic, deep bowl similarly shaped to the bell of a saxophone. There are many iterations of the sherlock pipe out there, but the general shape remains the same, and it is a beautiful classic to add to any pipe collection.

Bubblers:

Bubblers are convenient pipes. They’re portable and they can be smoked either dry or with water. You can get cooler hits in with a bubbler whenever you do not lug around your water pipe; just add water.

Think of bubblers as a cross between a hand pipe and a water pipe. They have an interesting shape and are distinct from other pipes. They often feature a small water chamber, a carb hole, a mouthpiece, and a curved neck. Interested in seeing one Check out our assortment of bubblers.

How to Use a Pipe

It depends. As described above, there are many designs when it comes to pipes, therefore, many ways to take hits. The idea is generally the same, however, if you have a bowl, then you load it up with ground flower. Pipes that have carb holes offer aerated hits where you can control airflow by completely covering or partially covering the carb hole with your finger. Water pipes, like bubblers and bongs, incorporate water to deliver cooler hits by smoke being diffused through the water. Steamrollers feature massive carb holes, which might require some users to cover them with the palm of their hand. There are so many ways to smoke out of chillums. You get the point. Different strokes for different smokes.

Hand Pipes:

If you’re smoking out of your standard spoon pipe, then you’d likely want to invest in a grinder. Grinders are perfect for turning your weed nuggets into finely ground herb. Grinding also ensures you get rid of the bad bits and smoke only the good bits. Once you have prepared your ground flower, all you need to do is load up the bowl, but not too tightly otherwise it would be harder to aerate the hit, and then light it up. If your hand pipe has a carb hole, then you want to make sure the hole is covered by your finger as you light, but when you’re ready to take a hit, be sure to release it so the air can flush out the smoke and into your mouthpiece. Easy.

Chillums/One-Hitters:

There are many ways to smoke out of a chillum, but let’s just talk about the two most popular, here.  

Steamrollers:

Steamrollers offer a similar experience as hand pipes, with one key difference, the massive carb hole. Instead of the carb hole being on the side of the weed bowl, the carb hole will be at the end of the pipe. All you have to do is cover the carb hole with your hand or finger as you light and release when the tunnel is full of smoke and you’re ready to take the hit.

Glass Hand Pipes Pros and Cons

Pros: 

+Glass pipes are affordable and portable. You can easily conceal and carry them. 

+Pipes make it easy to take quick hits without much hassle. No rolling or cleaning out bong water. 

+They’re affordable. You can get a good quality glass pipe for less than $25. 

+Cleaning a glass pipe is relatively easy and their size makes them that much easier to clean.

+They’re durable and they are easy to use. They’re also great pipes for beginners.

+Compared to blunts and joints, hand pipes eliminate the possibility of inhaling burning paper. 

Cons:

-Smaller weed bowls. This means you constantly have to reload your bowl with ground flower if you want to host a group smoking session with a hand pipe. 

-The smoke produced from hand pipes may be hotter and you run the risk of inhaling hot embers. Bongs lend for cooler and smoother hits, but hand pipes are still a great option. 

-Given their compact size, people tend to misplace their hand pipes.

Before you buy your hand pipe, you should keep the following points in mind. First, it is best to avoid hand pipes with aluminum bowls, as the health risks of hot aluminum could be harmful. Silicone hand pipes are a nice alternative to glass hand pipes as they present less of a health risk than metal and aluminum pipes, and they’re also breakage-proof. Wood pipes are also a nice option, but keep in mind that the wood, often oak, could affect the flavor of your hits. Finally, there are glass hand pipes, which are often some of the best given their ability to not alter the flavor of your flower. They’re often made with borosilicate glass, meaning they’re a tad bit more durable. 

Also, the longer the pipe length, the more time it takes for the smoke to cool your hit, and the inverse is true for shorter hand pipes. A big bowl also means more puffs and smaller bowls mean fewer puffs and more reloading. There are plenty of variations of hand pipe styles and materials, but it is up to the user as to what they want from their smoking sessions.  Feel free to shop our collection and happy shopping!