Your Tastes

[Bulldog_916]

This is along the lines of what is generally asked when one buys a hookah, kind of a this or that but with a more general question.

What do you look for when you look for a hookah? Asthetics? Do you look for name brand? Smokability? Size? Accessories? Colors? What do you personally look for?

Second....

I'm torn between getting a larger hookah than my 21" Egyptian or a smaller one than that. The smaller one would likely be either a Bambino, QT, or Diva. The larger one would be either a 26" Blue Sahara from HC, a Horas C with blue striped base from HC, KM Elizabethia from Hookah-life or a 28" Zeus Syrian from World Hookah.

Plusses of a smaller one?

1. Easy transportation for parties
2. Good smoke from any of those
3. Good personal hookah to prevent tip overs or coal burns in the carpet
4. Relatively easy to find parts for them

Plusses of a bigger one?

1. Asthetically pleasing
2. Some say better smoke from a larger hookah (KM or MZ or Sahara or Syrian)
3. Show piece for parties or get-togethers

Minuses or a smaller one:

1. Not as attention grabbing
2. May be more difficult to clean, depending on which one (ie. the QT or Diva)

Minuses of a bigger one:

1. More expensive
2. Maybe more difficult and expensive to find parts
3. Easy tipping

I realize there are exceptions for each of these points, but in general, let's say they are accurate.

Thoughts?

[NickReppinThe909]

http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?showforum=26

[Bulldog_916]

I know where the reviews are, I'm not looking for reviews because they generally dont reflect the personal tastes of the buyer. Yes, valuable for looking at the quality of the piece you plan on getting. Bad to look for advice on the points above.

[NickReppinThe909]

honestly it boils down to personal preference so you may get answers that you like and you may get answers that make you want to bitchslap ghandi. IMO i would go with a MYA staff or obelisk both are great hitting hookahs and the obelisk is a reasonable size and super eye catching and the staff it has a bit harder pull than the obelisk but is still a great hookah and reasonibly eye catching. sorry that neither of those were one of your original choices but thats my $0.02

[gaia.plateau]

How many hookahs do you have? Do you normally smoke in one place, or many places? What percentage of your smoking sessions do you smoke with others?

If you only have the 21" Egyptian...

If you have multiple places that you like to smoke, that's points for getting a Bambino. Fuck divas.
If you smoke with other people a lot, that's points for getting a larger pipe like a Syrian or a KM.

Personally I think that the Elizabethia is too tall, that's going to tip like a motherfucker if you have it at a party... also I hate pear hookahs, but that's just personal preference.

The MZ is apparently a great pipe, but it's aesthetically simple/dull, which defeats the purpose of a large hookah to add a presence of magnificence to the atmosphere. At 26" the Sahara isn't really tall enough to do this either.

So that narrows the GP referral down to the Zeus and the Bambino, which all depends on what you answered to those two questions.

I really like the Zeus, I actually had never seen this before so thanks for mentioning it. It looks fantastic, durable, and very smokeable. It'll definitely add a presence to the room and probably won't tip easily. On the other hand, it doesn't say if it's made of brass or steel (looks brass to me but who knows), and most importantly it isn't in stock It's also twice the price of the Bambino.

I've been smoking a Bambino for about 6 months, and it's an incredible little piece of hookah engineering. It honestly defies physics how well the little bastards smoke. They're like bumblebees. You'll definitely be able to find one, and they're actually quite aesthetically powerful due to the unique base design and the cloisonne shaft. The downside to the Bambino is that it gets tipsy when you smoke it with a nammor/razan, so you'll have to be careful when using these hoses and I definitely recommend against using the Bambino with one of these hoses at a party, it will tip. Repeatedly.

I hope that's helpful. If I were you I'd get both!

Edit: oh, and to answer your initial question... I generally look at smokeability first, then aesthetics/colours, and then size. Accessories and name brands don't mean anything to me. Even size means very little, as I have 5 hookahs in varying sizes, so I'm covered for all occasions.

Oh and here's a link to my Bambino review. Click the little arrow.

Third and final edit: Bah! Why don't I just write my essay? Bad! Bad Gaia! Edited April 11, 2008 by gaia.plateau

[jonm1357]

i love my qt i couldn't be happier, thought of going with the bambino but wanted two hoses and find the qt a little more aesthetically pleasing for my tastes

[Snoopy1966]

If you are looking for a bigger Hookah get a KM Tri-Metal. They are an awesome Hookah and you will not be disappointed with it. In fact if you order one and do not like it, I will buy it from you.

Very excellent smoke, easy to clean, great purge, and a very solid and stable Hookah.

Tri-Metal for the win FTW!!!!!!!!!!

[jordanneff]

What do you look for when you look for a hookah? Asthetics? Do you look for name brand? Smokability? Size? Accessories? Colors? What do you personally look for?

Typically when I look for a hookah size and colors differ between what I feel like I want at that point in time but here are my constants and a few useful tips.

First thing I look for is not necessarily a name brand, but a hookah that is known to not be junk. For instance I've heard bad things about chinese hookahs and stargates and the like so personally I just wouldn't waste my time - however visually pleasing they may be - with one that had the chance of being a big ol POS.

Second thing is typically cost. I'm a guy who doesn't like to spend a decent chunk of change unless I know what I'm getting is truly worth it. So unless you're going with a KM or MZ, at least for me I'd stick in the < $100 range. But that's just a personal thing, if you have a bunch of cash to toss around then knock yourself out.

After that it's typically all about aesthetics. Since I know whatever I'm getting is reliable and not too costly I just want something that looks nice, does't have to be eye candy person but something that I find visually appealing for whatever quality it may be.

Accessories aren't really a big deal to me, I mean you can use just about any hose with any hookah, tongs are tongs, coal baskets are coal baskets, you can hook a diffuser up to about anything, a windcover is a nice addition but I rarely use the one I have so it's not a necessity with me. Besides accessories are just that, things you can always get later if you feel the need to. For example: Sure a nice looking hose cover is sweet but you may take more pride in making your own if you've got the sewing skills.


That's about how I shop for hookahs. Now here are three things that you may want to keep in mind about the different sizes of hookahs. I remember a while back seeing a thread or two about small hookahs versus large hookahs, and I don't quite recall all the scientific mumbo jumbo about why but I have head that smaller hookahs create something like 50% (don't quote me on that number lol) more Co2 than a large hookah. Don't know why that is but after reading the article it made sense to me, not that I cared much because smoking is smoking and it in itself is just plain not a healthy habit but all of us here do it regardless. Another thing to note is that smaller hookahs 'typically' have a smaller downstem, diameter wise and length wise alike, and with a smaller diameter downstem you're likely to have a slightly harder pull then you would on a larger hookah because you can't pull as much air down at once. The last thing I'd like to point out is actually a plus for small hookahs: they're a lot harder to tip over. Sure a hard yank on a hose will tip about anything but as I learned in physics the further the distance from the point of rotation (this being the bottom of the hookah where it meets the floor) the less torque you have to apply to get it to turn, so essentially it's easier to tip the big ones, although depending on the size of the base the weight of the liquid may cancel that out.

Hope that helped cause it took forever to type! haha