Tired Of Mooching Off My Roommate's Hookah

[Guest Joe@UCF]

Hello from UCF. I'm a student and my roommate got me into smoking hookah. I think I'm ready to take the plunge and buy a set-up of my own. But, I don't really know anything about them other than that he has a 26" single hose hookah. Here are some questions:

1) Should I buy a smaller one like 14-19" or go for around the same size 23-28" Do they smoke differently?

2) Where should I buy from, a website or ebay?

3) I heard about some brands like Mya, are they better than the no-names on ebay, etc.? I'm willing to spend up to around $75 for a good one.

4) What coals should I buy, my roommate uses 3 kings charcoal rolls, but I'd be willing to try other brands. I also heard of natural coals without chemicals.

5) Shisha brands, flavors, tell me what you think.

I'd really appreciate the info, and if you could set-up me up with a one stop website where I could buy everything at once, it would be even better.

Thanks,

Joe

[Canon]

moved so you can get some responses to these questions

[dead_lemons]

1) Should I buy a smaller one like 14-19" or go for around the same size 23-28" Do they smoke differently?

A:A large hookah will typically have a better draw or pull due to a larger downstem, however smalle hookahs like the MYA QT smoke extremely given its small size. All in all its up to you, small hookahs are easy to transport, large hookahs are more wicked lokking(in my opinion)

2) Where should I buy from, a website or ebay?

A:Website, ebay sells crap most of the time. some times you can find a good hookah or antique hookah but most of it is crap. Try thehookah.com hookahcompany.com or hoookah-shisha.com

3) I heard about some brands like Mya, are they better than the no-names on ebay, etc.? I'm willing to spend up to around $75 for a good one.

A:MYA makes awesome hookahs( ihave a QT and am extremely happy with it). The big three here on the forum are Khalil Mamoon(KM's) Magdy Zidan(MZ's) and MYA's. Nour syrian hookahs are also picking up a following.I have a 27" KM and i can tell you that while my Qt is good my KM is a monster, the draw is effortless and i get huge clouds each session. The cheaper KM's are about 80$ but a MYA of similar height will be like ~120and up

4) What coals should I buy, my roommate uses 3 kings charcoal rolls, but I'd be willing to try other brands. I also heard of natural coals without chemicals.

A:3K's are all right if you have nothing else however if you have acsess to a stove or could buy a single coil burner than Naturals are the best( they leave no coal taste and burn much longer). For naturals coconara's are the forum fav.

5) Shisha brands, flavors, tell me what you think.

A: most people on here love tangiers but it can kick your ass if your not ready for it. Al Falkher is also very popular(especially grape, golden grape, mint, golden esk. apple). If you liie more natural flavors i recommend Nakhla, its the cheapest(7$ for 250g) and in my opinion has the best flavors i recommed peach, sweet melon, and strawberry.

hope that helps

-DL

p.s. if you go with a KM you wont regret it, ever!

[dead_lemons]

oh yeah i forgot to mention laylina and al amir. they are both good shisha's but some of there flavors are off center and its hit and miss like antwoun said. Also INVEST IN A GOOD HOSE!! KM has awesome hoses that dont fall apart. Most people like Nammor/Razen hoses but they have a tendency to fall apart after some use(or none at all ={ )

-DL

[Lysolz]

1)I love my Bambino, it's (relatively) inexpensive and smokes like a champ!

2)Pretty much everyone around here will tell you MNH. I've always stuck with Hookah-shisha. (No problems with MNH, just never given them a chance personally).

3)I've had experiences with two Myas (bambino & qt), and two no names. Both the myas smoked significantly superior.

4)I've always stuck with golden quicklights and see no reason to spend extra on coconaras, but everyone swears by them (They are pretty good though).

5)I've gradually moved up to strictly Tangiers. Not to say other brands aren't good, but Tangiers is king as far as I'm concerned. For many it's too harsh / intense buzz-inducing, so if you've never had it I suggest others. Personal favs - (Al fakher - cafe latte, rose, mint, pipe, esk. apple; Starbuzz - white peach, marlette, blue myst; Fantasia - blueberry, pumpkin spice, pink lemonade; Tangiers - orange soda, cocoa, kashmir peach)

[modisess]

Hello from UCF. I'm a student and my roommate got me into smoking hookah. I think I'm ready to take the plunge and buy a set-up of my own. But, I don't really know anything about them other than that he has a 26" single hose hookah. Here are some questions:

1) Should I buy a smaller one like 14-19" or go for around the same size 23-28" Do they smoke differently?
From my personal experience, no. I've smoked from a KM 30 incher a couple of times and never noticed a difference with my Mya QT as smoke volume wise.

2) Where should I buy from, a website or ebay?
Website, MNH I think has one of the best deals or prices on tobacco i've seen so far. Also try thehookah.com, gothookahs.com

3) I heard about some brands like Mya, are they better than the no-names on ebay, etc.? I'm willing to spend up to around $75 for a good one.
Yes they are definitely, Myas I think are made to last a very long time, and they smoke significantly better as well.

4) What coals should I buy, my roommate uses 3 kings charcoal rolls, but I'd be willing to try other brands. I also heard of natural coals without chemicals.
For a better smoking session, stick to natural coals. Coconaras, Exoticas or even those bulk / lump wood charcoal.

5) Shisha brands, flavors, tell me what you think.
Al Fakher. Try Mint, Eskandari Apple, Watermelon, etc. Also see fantasia, tangiers and nakhla.

I'd really appreciate the info, and if you could set-up me up with a one stop website where I could buy everything at once, it would be even better.

Thanks,

Joe

[Giant Ninja Robot]

Just wanted to thank all the forum dudes who posted here for actually helping and not throwing out the SEARCH BUTTON BLA BLA BLA excuse.

1- I have a 27 inch KM and am extremely pleased with it. Amazingly easy pull, great look, sturdy construction, great purge, just nice nice nice.

3- I bought my KM for about 72 dollars after discount and will never regret it, I will be picking up a Mya QT though for a more portable smoking experience

4- For quicklights 3K is definately the best imo (used them for 3 yrs) but if you have the patience for them, nats are much better. I've been using Exotica finger coals and love them though they do split on the burner or during ashing now and again - no biggy more surface area covered that way.

5- Get you some AF homie. I love the mint, watermelon, esk apple, plum, and cardamom so far. For great Tangiers flavors try the Lucid line which is washed just like AF or SB etc etc so it's easy to pack and smoke without the insane buzz. I'd suggest Blue Gum Ball, Cocoa, Horchata, and Orange Soda. SB X on the beach is also good. Edited November 10, 2008 by giant ninja robot

[NJE03]

A small MZ it what I recommend for you. I purchase one for my sister and she love it, smokes and purges very well. Unless you want to spend a bit more then you could get a large KM which can't be beat in my opinion.

[joelhookah]

these questions get asked every week. if you are starting out heres what i would suggest getting :KM, MZ, MYa, or syrian nour hookah with a tangeirs phunnel bowl, coconara coals and al fakher shisha

[atticus]

Welcome to the club and welcome to the forum!

If you are looking for something a little bigger, but are not totally sure if you want to invest into a larger KM yet, check out a Magdy Zidan. Mine smokes great, and looks good too. Social Smoke is a online vendor to check out for MZ's. Great selection and good service, all my dealings with them have been good.

[Stuie]

1) Should I buy a smaller one like 14-19" or go for around the same size 23-28" Do they smoke differently?
Not really. Great hookahs I recommend Mya QT, Mya Bambino, Mini Mya, MZ Safari. All Great hookahs and easy on the budget.

2) Where should I buy from, a website or ebay?
Hookah-Shisha.com, MNHookah.com, SocialSmoke.com, TexasHookahs.com, HookahCompany.com

3) I heard about some brands like Mya, are they better than the no-names on ebay, etc.? I'm willing to spend up to around $75 for a good one.
A lot of the stuff on eBay is cheap junk. They look good but rarely don't last. Most usually are dropshipped from Hong Kong. Stick with a reputable online dealer till you can tell the good from the junk on eBay.

4) What coals should I buy, my roommate uses 3 kings charcoal rolls, but I'd be willing to try other brands. I also heard of natural coals without chemicals.
Naturals Coconut Coals are the way to go. There are a lot more out there now, but I still believe Coconara's are the best. If I didn't have coconut coals, I would bust out my Exoticas

5) Shisha brands, flavors, tell me what you think.
I say this in all respect, until you are a little more seasoned hold off on Tangiers. It's a bit tricky.
My favorite flavors right now are:
Romman Good Times
Romman Ivory Coast
Romman Summer Crisp
Al Fakher Golden Eskandrani Apple
Al Fakher Mint
Nakhla Chocomint
Nakhla Mint
Nakhla Orange
Fantasia Pumpkin Spice
Fantasia Raspberry Lemonade
Potion Turkish Delight
Potion Kiwi Strawberry
Hennawy Grape
Al Sultan Cola

[Mahir]

I think as a first hookah, you should get one that is not too too pricey but solid. (MYA QT)

As for where to get it....I am sure you can get them from any of the sites mentioned above. Just stay away from ebay, its crap for hookah stuff.

Tobacco brands that I personally prefer are Al Fakher and Starbuzz if i feel the need to splurge.
Some flavors/mixes that are great that you might like are :
Al Fakher : Grape with Mint, Orange with Mint, Grape, Cardamom, Bubble Gum, Cola
Starbuzz : Blue Mist, Citrus Mint ( I only list 2 becuase I have only had 2 SB flavors)

As for coals, you have a lottt of options, I would definitely start with quicklight coals, just like your friend has, 3 Kings.