As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m a big marijuana guy. I mean, I never smoke it or ingest it in, say, brownie form, because that is illegal. But thinking about pot and how awesome it must be is one of my favorite pastimes. My favorite band is Phish. My favorite movie is the Cheech & Chong Classic Up In Smoke. My favorite time of day—well, I have two favorite times of day—4:20 A.M. and 4:20 P.M. My favorite day of the year is, of course, April 20. I could go on and on, but you get the gist.
Of course, given my fervent passion for the bud, I’m obviously pretty much an expert on water pipes—more commonly known as bongs. I don’t use them, you know; I just, like, collect them, and what not. Anyway, I was thinking the other day it would be a shame not to share my vast expertise with you, my millions of internet readers. So to that end I present to you this list of 15 really elaborate, totally amazing bongs. Enjoy.
15. Eric Doeringer’s Untitled (Red and Yellow)
This bong is the first of 4 on this list by artist Eric Doeringer (yes, he’s an actual artist). Now, maybe you think four bongs made by one guy is overkill, but wait till you see the other three. They are ridiculous.
14. Gas Mask Bong 2
I don’t know if you could technically say the gas mask is part of the bong itself. So maybe we should just say this is an elaborate way of inhaling from a bong. Either way, this guy means business. Not very communitarian, though, and being an expert on marijuana and marijuana culture, I know that weed is best enjoyed in the company of friends.
13. 10 ft Bong
See, now this the kind of teamwork a good bong should inspire. Just look at all that camaraderie and goodwill! Then again, it appears these guys are Canadian (note the beer can), and therefore socialists. So of course they’d have a communal bong.
12. Illadelph Alienbong
Anyone who knows anything about grass knows Illadelph is one of the two or three best bong-makers on the planet. This insane alien bong is proof of that. However, I’m not sure you want to be staring a creepy one-eyed alien in the eye when the paranoia kicks in.
11. Glass Tornado Bong
I don’t know if the shape of this bong would have any effect of the enjoyment of the weed, but it certainly looks cool. Definitely very elaborate, but probably pretty hard to clean.
10. Humongous Bulb Bong
I can’t be totally sure, but it looks like this gentleman is using a heat gun (like the kind you would use to peel paint) to light “the bowl.” What’s “the bowl” you ask? Oh, silly me. I forget that not everyone is a bong expert like me. The bowl is just the part of the bong that holds the weed. Anyway, it’s nice to see an older dude who didn’t forget how to party.
9. The Is-It-Really-A-Bong Bong
With this one, I’m just assuming it is, in fact, a bong, since it popped up on Google when I searched for “really sweet totally kick-ass bongs.” It’s hard to see the mechanics of this one, aside from what appears to be the bowl right there in front. (There’s that bong lingo again. Are you sufficiently convince of my marijuana expertise?)
8. Gas Mask Bong
This is one intense bong. It’s downfall, like #15, is that it isn’t conducive to sharing. Also, imagine your parents walking in and seeing you use this thing. Hello, military school.
7. Illadelph Quad Coil
Here’s another elaborate bong from Illadelph. This one is aptly named the Quad Coil. Instead of filtering the smoke through water, this ridiculous apparatus filters the smoke through liquid nitrogen (the stuff your high school science teacher used to freeze the banana before shattering it on the floor). You’re gonna have to seriously cut back on you weed budget for a while if you want to purchase this thing. It will cost you anywhere between $6,000 and $10,000.
6. Eric Doeringer’s Untitled (Purple)
Here’s the first of three consecutive bongs from artist Eric Doeringer. Among his many artistic interest, Mr. Doeringer likes to make bongs that are not just a bongs. For example, this particular bong is also a fountain/sculpture.
5. Eric Doeringer’s Untitled (Red)
This four-person Doeringer bong is a masterpiece, is it not? Each person has their own mouthpiece and personal 10” smoking unit. The personal units are connected the central unit, where the smoke travels through three separate water-filled tubes. Also, it comes with those sweet beanbag chairs.
4. Eric Doeringer’s Untitled (Blue)
Here’s the last amazing bong from Mr. D. With this one, you use two hand levers at the back to control an automatic lighter and release the carb. Oops, there I go again with my expert bong lingo. The carb, or carburetor, pulls fresh air into the bong to push out any remaining pot smoke when you’re all done tokin. You know—waste not, want not. Anyway, the point is, this crazy bong looks like some kind of amazing marijuana cannon.
3. Guitar Bong
Rock music and weed go together like spaghetti and meatballs. This elaborate bong really is a no-brainer.
2. MRI Bong
Finally the brainiac scientists over at Harvard come up with something that will benefit mankind: a bong that can be used while patients are getting an MRI. Yes, that’s right. These science guys wanted to study the effect of THC (the magic pot chemical) on the brain to better understand how awesome marijuana is. The only problem was, you have to hold really still when getting an MRI, and you can’t have any material that will interact with the giant magnet that’s scanning your brain. So they came up with this—a bong that keeps smoke away from the expensive MRI machine and feeds it to the patient through tubing connected to a ceramic mask.
1. Star Wars Boba Fett Bong
That MRI bong was awesome, but how could a glass bong shaped like Boba Fett’s helmet not be #1 on this list?
#9 looks like something M.C. Escher would smoke out of.
Don’t be so fucking up yourself. Sweet bongs.
hate to burst ur bubble homie, but u dont actually know anything about "totally kick ass bongs." You dont even know the names of the artists that made the (relatively few) actually sick pieces of glass that made ur silly little list.
go learn urself some stuff then come back with some real glass and some artists names attached.
Seiously brotha, When i hear Salt's name i don't think alien. And that "Tornado bong" is a Hamm Scientific bubbler. Give these artists the props they deserve if you're going to drop names like Illapdelph. Non-production pieces are the best
And mr scott deppe on #9 along with Banjo for the boba fett. EDUCATE YOSELVES
thaaannkk you, kids a fag
hell yes he is! Thank you fellow glassheads.
winnnnnnn
If you're such an expert, you would know that number 9 wouldn't be considered a bong, its actually a very heady bubbler. Also, the illadelph in number 7 still filters it through water, 5 times by my count, before going through the 4 coils at the top.
I enjoyed checking these out, gives ya some cool ideas
and all of you, after taking a hit out of each of these would chill the fuck out and realize that specifics do not really matter, oh no its a bubbler not a bong! or this dude made this piece of ILLEGAL PARAPHERNALIA.
Just because you know what a bowl or carb is doesn't make you an "expert"; it makes you a pot head, just like the rest of us. Some of these are sweet pieces but others are unimpressive (personally, plastic bongs aren't very nice).
HAHA those people just posted the snobbiest comments. fuck em
#7 uses WATER in addition to frozen GLYCERIN coils, to filter smoke. liquid nitrogen? seriously? ever heard of thermal shocks effects on glass? shatter.
#9 is actually done by deppe, not a bong.
#11 hamm, all of his designs have reason for looking the way they do.
#12 salt illadaelph collab, salt should definitely be getting mention for that one.
#1 my guess is banjo, although im not sure anyone knows for sure. that piece is a mystery, though there has been murmurs of lucas comissioning banjo. **speculation**
and illy is one of the top three tube companies? really?
i get what you were trying to do here, but please try to understand what your talking about before spreading misinformation. the glass head community will thank you.
yes that's banjo alright, he spent 200 plus hrs on that one. So…… maybe you could update your blog with credit to the amazing glass workers who create this stuff. I also suggest you attend a flame off(glass blowing competition) sometime that'll blow ur mind. they happen all over the country.
Also the coils are filled with glycerin, not liquid nitrogen, and it doesn't actually filter in the coils. It just cools and condenses the hit. You fucking fail at glass, so quit trying to act like you know shit. No one is impressed.
who knew there were people who cared about this stupid shit enough to be elitist about it
ya your right who knew there were millions of idiots who gave a shit about this, dumbass
if you're going to blog about something it's best to get your facts straight first… elitist glass fans or not, Esteban is a moron.
I would love to smoke that
i know it's been said, but i just have to reiterate…it's really annoying when you keep talking about you "expertise", just because you know what a bowl and a crab is, doesn't mean you're an expert in anything…and yea, like everyone said, get your facts straight before you blog…
As much as I did enjoy viewing a couple of pieces in this post, many of these commenters bring up a good point. You really should lay off the unfounded confidence of your marijuana knowledge because YOU SERIOUSLY LACK ANY CREDIBLE INFORMATION.
Like previous comments have already stated, you should try to promote real glass art. There are many more and much better glass blowers than Illadelph Glass, which is the only company you seem to acknowledge. Also, anyone who claims to be an enthusiast of pot, smoker or not, should know that plastic provides a much less enjoyable smoking experience. I no longer smoke pot, but recognize that it would be immoral and ignorant to promote the use of plastics. Not only is it less enjoyable, it is much more likely to do environmental damage if it ends up in a landfill.
Finally, the heat gun should be a recognizable means of achieving an effective vaporizer. With sufficient knowledge and practice with a given heat gun, one can learn to produce a nice potent vapor sans material combustion. Before the days of the Volcano, this was the preferred method of vaporizing for seasoned enthusiasts. A bit of practice with a heat gun can actually yield better productivity than a Volcano or any other vaporizer on the market. The Volcano is merely an easier means to that end.
Comment sections around the internet are often extremely critical and sometimes cruel. But in this instance, take the advice of the many comments here that encourage you to obtain the knowledge necessary before spouting off illegitimate or inadequate information.
You should really lay off the self-righteousness… knowing what a bowl and a carb are doesn't make you some ganja guru, I learned that shit the first time I hit a pipe. And it appears the "guitar bong" isn't a bong at all, there's no water filtration.
Cool post though, besides your incessant douchebaggery.
I can’t remember the last time I saw so many commenters fail at sarcasm. One could be led to believe that bong fanciers are an utterly humorous lot. “…knowing what a bowl and a carb are doesn’t make you some ganja guru…” ahahahahaaaaa! Do any of these people grasp that the his so-called “expertise” is obviously self-deprecating humor? No, apparently they do not. Geez, I thought potheads were supposed to be a bit more amiable.
if you were real stoners, ya wouldnt be botherd talking shit on the net, you would be stoned, pathetic
I wasn't totally convinced at all that you know jack shit about bongs. And Im pretty sure just about everyone knows what a fucking bowl is. tard.
Do some more research than a google search for "really sweet totally kick ass bongs" before you publish something that smarter people than you will stumble upon.
Give credit to the artists. dumbass.
Also Illadelph is definitely a very notable american glassblowing company and i respect everything they do, the collaborations on coils with artists like SALT (who you should have credited) and their insistence on NON-IMPORTS…..but there are many more than 2 or 3 leading businesses right now.
that being said, gonna go puff out my sovereignty now.
Omg wow you’re such a bong pro you know what a bowl and a carb is!!!11!
Stfu, hit you bong and try and be less condescending prick in an article which didn’t call for it. Awful jackass
you don't sound like an expert on bongs, more someone full of himself that searched googled for bongs and knew what a bowl was…. way to go mate
Me gusta the guitar bong.
i know what a bong is
ya man, you reeeeaaallllly dont know your bongs…. the man in picture # 10 is using the heat gun as a DUI vape, as they get to that glooorius temperature… ANYONE can google search a bong and think their pros. that paranoia you get is from you being a weed-narb, go back to the basement and hit your homemade piece of shit please.
I can't believe the comments on here. Some people are so fucken stuck up. Bet they feel good now that they got to prove someone wrong on the internet though
TBH I don't really care if its a bong or a bubbler or a softdrink bottle with a socket in the lid as long as I can smoke something with it! Your list rocks, can you do one about the best munchies for after using one of thee fabulous creations?
You disgrace the glass community.
#9 is probably the headiest piece there and isn't a bong..
It's a piece by S. Deppe, one of the best blowers out there.. The other pieces of shit aren't bongs.
Fuck this bullshit.
Go search TC for real sick glass
I've seen the Star Wars one before.
I heard you have to actually wear the helmet to smoke.
fun fun
bigger question is what it takes to clean some of these. or are they never going to be used?
why so much hate? who cares if they got their facts wrong. nicely inform them that they are not understanding the piece and inform them with the correct info. dont be a dick about it just enjoy the pieces in their glory and wish you could smoke them.
who the fuck cares so much about the details, it's about gettin lifted and appreciating the unique utensils that get you there. shiiit, why you gotta hate so much I thought potheads are supposed to be about the love.
"As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m a big marijuana guy. I mean, I never smoke it or ingest it in, say, brownie form, because that is illegal. But thinking about pot and how awesome it must be is one of my favorite pastimes."
"Of course, given my fervent passion for the bud, I’m obviously pretty much an expert on water pipes—more commonly known as bongs. I don’t use them, you know; I just, like, collect them, and what not."
Grow some balls and do it then before you label yourself an "expert on water-pipes". Thats like saying "all my life i've dreamed of being a doctor, so im obviously an expert on brain surgery." Like, come on man.
Either way… I would like to smoke out of them all. and im pretty sure that everyone knows what a carb and a bowl is.