I'M Hesitant To Admit This...

[ih303]

SO, the prices on the Ed Hardy hookahs have finally come down to the point that the money it would cost to buy one would only buy you three KM's instead of six. That being the case, I decided to pick one up just to see if I could sell it at my lounge. Before I go any further, let me explain something.

Like many of you on the forum, when I found out that Ed Hardy had slapped their cliche artwork on a hookah, I laughed. When I saw how much they were charging for that hyped up, guido bait, I laughed. And when I found out they were rebranding starbuzz (already a ripoff in my book) and selling it for double the price, I laughed some more. But when I opened the box, cleared away the peanuts, and pulled it out, I stopped laughing.

There before me sat a blue box similar to the boxes Mya's come in but very different at the same time. The box was covered in what appeared to be a thin, faux leather material, and on both ends was embroidered Ed Hardy's famous signature. Did I say embroidered? Yes. That's what I said. And that's not all. The top of the box had a highly detailed, fairly large piece of artwork EMBROIDERED across it. The handle was not the cheap basic handle like Mya uses, but had a rubber grip inset into it. I was already impressed and hadn't even opened the box! So then I opened the box.

Just to comment a bit further on the box itself, even the inside was clearly a step up from anything I'd seen prior. The inside was lined with a slick looking argile fabric that was AGAIN embroidered with the Ed Hardy signature. The lid had the standard loops for holding your bits and pieces which, by the way, were impressive on their own. The tongs were very much like the 9", Jumbo tongs that John's got on his site now but wider and polished to a shine. Of course they were branded too, but they were the nicest tongs I've ever seen and had the same great functionality and even higher quality than the tongs we use at our lounge. The base of the box had a foam insert that was cut out exactly to fit all the parts of the hookah itself. If you've ever seen a Mya case, even for the high-end, crystal based ones, they're nothing like that. Just a couple of plastic partitions and blocks of foam to prop stuff up. Anyways, moving on to the hookah itself.

As I assembled this hookah, a couple of things stood out to me. First was the base. At first glance, it looks like there's just a decal of some artwork stuck on there. And while that may be the case, there are also quite a few sectiosn of white painted detailing that are actually cut into the base itself. Around the neck of the base were two sections of EH art made from rhinestones. One thing that really stood out to me as being a simple improvement that I haven't seen anyone do until now was the little rubber feet on the bottom of the base. Given that we have granite countertops at the lounge, I really appreciated this.

Moving up towards the shank, I must first spend a minute explaining my favorite feature on this hookah - the juncture between the base and the shank.

Simple as it may be, the inconsistencies in base, grommet, and shank sizes have always been a real pain in the butt. It's less of a problem with Mya's since they're much more consistent across the board AND for the fact that they actually have some screw-on shanks on some of their models. But this EH hookah and somethign I had never seen. The best way I can think of to describe it is like the lid on a jar of jelly. You know, the kind that you only turn about 30 degrees for it to come off. The EH had something like that. What enabled this design was a thick, metal collar that sat in the top of the base much like the screw-on couplers of the Mya's. What was interesting about it was that it was ALSO branded and NUMBERED, apparently signifying the importance of that hookah as an item of limited availability. On the shank itself was a rubber gasket ensuring the whole thing sealed tight, straight, and secure.

The shank itself was very solid. I had already been impressed by the quality of this piece as I had initially thought the whole thing was going to be a piece of junk, and I continued to be impressed. It consisted of two straight sections sitting above the port ball seperated by a transparent blue-glass globe inset with strips of yet more EH art. The ash tray was made from the same glass and was also branded. And the bowl itself, while not a phunnel, was relatively shallow and wide with a large number of decent sized holes.

The hose it came with was very similar to the Elephant hose I've spoken of before - the hose itself is extremely fat (~1.5") on the handle end and tapers to regular diameter towards the port. The hose portion was wrapped in a velvety material with stripes of silver going the length of the hose. Interestingly enough, the handle itself was made from blue, brushed aluminum which was stamped with yet another logo. While not washable, I can't imagine using any other hose on this hookah.

Overall, I was impressed with this hookah. See, I'm not a fan of Ed Hardy ANYTHING. I simply don't like that style. As I'm sure most of you already assumed, it did have a "made in china" sticker. But neither of those things could take away from the quality of that piece.

However, I will say this... We sold that particular hookah to a guy the day after I put it out, and he remained at the lounge to smoke it. At one point, he had stepped away from his hookah to go to the bathroom while I was doing something behind the counter. All of a sudden, I heard what sounded like a single ping on a chime, then watched in horror as the glass tray with the EH logo fell away fromt he hookah in slow motion, shattering on the countertop and floor. Apparently the folks at EH could take a lesson or two from Santino and his gang in selecting the proper material for a glass tray. I ended up giving him a KM tray and promising to find a replacement for him. Honestly, I think the KM tray looks better.

Now I hope this review doesn't cause me to lose any "forum cred" if I had any to begin with, but I think this is something that needs to be made known. Am I ever going to own one? Probably not. I already have a super nice hookah courtesy of Santino at Crown. Plus, I really can't stand that artwork. But I feel very strongly that everything hookah related deserves an objective and unbiased review. Well, here's my contribution.

Bring on the stoning...

[IainUM]

this is interesting. did you get a chance to smoke out of it?

[Arcane]

hmmmm...maybe they released a new version of EH hookahs...

the ones i saw at HC look fancy but cheap...and it's still an inhale hookah. so, i'd give it less than 6 months before it starts to rust. i don't stare at my mya case when i smoke nor do i rub the attached logo...so, those extras don't mean squat to me. however, viewing it from your standpoint as a retailer...i think those are wonderful features to push for a sale. but, i wouldn't want my name backing a pipe that will most likely turn to shit in a few months....

[ih303]

I guess only time will tell when it comes to the actual vs. percieved quality of these things. But what was interesting to me is that Ed Hardy didn't just take an existing hookah exactly how it was and slap a logo on it. They actually made improvements to it that I wish I would see more of from other, more reputable companies.

And yes, I did smoke out of it. It smoked fine.

[king_lunchb0x]

sounds like they put detail into everything. The biggest thing is quality from the pics on vendor sites it doesnt look all that spectacular.Its good to hear that it is better then we all thought.. but for the price ill still get me 3 km's

[JOE]

i would own the tongs..

[Chreees]

Still looks like shit.

[ezxen]

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' timestamp='1284504588' post='482189']
Still looks like shit.
[/quote]
This ^

[no longer welcome]

ok who are you and what have you done with ih303!
well, to each their own. i don't see much changing on the opinions here just because of the name brand but their has been better work coming from china in terms of hookahs, they just cost alot more for a quality one. i'd like to hear the opinions of the MYA guys here.

[dizzbizz]

[quote name='HookahJohn' timestamp='1284509849' post='482198']
ok who are you and what have you done with ih303!
well, to each their own. i don't see much changing on the opinions here just because of the name brand but their has been better work coming from china in terms of hookahs, they just cost alot more for a quality one. i'd like to hear the opinions of the MYA guys here.
[/quote]

I love MYA and after buying my Paragon and Petite, I'd consider myself a MYA guy. Chinese hookahs are fine, if they're quality. I've never held or smoked an EH hookah but they [i]look[/i] cheap.

Hows the materials? Is the stem heavy? ID of the stem? Does it come apart?

[ih303]

[quote name='HookahJohn' timestamp='1284509849' post='482198']
ok who are you and what have you done with ih303!
well, to each their own. i don't see much changing on the opinions here just because of the name brand but their has been better work coming from china in terms of hookahs, they just cost alot more for a quality one. i'd like to hear the opinions of the MYA guys here.
[/quote]

Lol... I know, I know. Trust me, I was just as surprised and confused when I found myself appreciating certain aspects of this hookah. The thing is, I'm really not a fan of Ed Hardy nor do I care for some of the more gaudy bits that some people seem to eat up. I'm much more of a minimalist who appreciates clean lines and uncluttered interfaces, and this hookah is anything but uncluttered.

See, when I look at products from hookahs to cars to toasters, I see a lot more than just its presentation or front. And when I look at the EH hookah (the guy who bought it brought it in again last night to smoke), I look past the cheesy branding and chiche artistic stylings to the attention to detail, the innovation, and the actual level of cognition that went into the piece. Is it perfect? Hell no. Far from it. But I appreciate the fact that there are those out there who are at least trying to think of things a little differently and are pushing that envelope. It just sucks that it had to be the folks at Ed Hardy.

[quote name='dizzbizz' timestamp='1284545638' post='482222']
I love MYA and after buying my Paragon and Petite, I'd consider myself a MYA guy. Chinese hookahs are fine, if they're quality. I've never held or smoked an EH hookah but they [i]look[/i] cheap.

Hows the materials? Is the stem heavy? ID of the stem? Does it come apart?
[/quote]

Like Arcane said, the word on the street is that these things are being made by Inhale who is known for their Mya knockoffs and generally poor quality pipes. What I'd like to know is just how much input/influence the folks at EH had when it came to materials and other design specs. On one hand I wouldn't be surprised if it's better made based on the the attention to detail exemplified by the rest of the piece. But on the other hand, I also wouldn't be surprised if they cut corners quality-wise, distracting consumers with a glossy, gaudy facade as illustrated by the shotty glass tray I saw fall to pieces the first time the sucker smoked. I suppose time will tell.

But in answer to your questions, dizz, the materials seem decent, the stem IS heavy, the ID is about the same as a Mya or old KM, and it does come apart.

Going back to the material aspect real quick, I'm not exactly sure about the quality because I'm not an expert on the properties of glass or metal. Normally, my perception of quality is based on frame of reference. But there really isn't anything that I've seen like this so it makes it a bit difficult. I suppose a Mya would be the closest thing. That being the case, the metal doesn't seem as thick as some of the higher-end Mya's nor is the ID of the tube as large (some of the larger mya's are using some MASSIVE tubes). But the metal on the shank does seem to be more substantial.

We're expecting to get a few more in so I'll take pictures.

[redjako]

[quote name='ih303' timestamp='1284559025' post='482234']
[quote name='HookahJohn' timestamp='1284509849' post='482198']
ok who are you and what have you done with ih303!
well, to each their own. i don't see much changing on the opinions here just because of the name brand but their has been better work coming from china in terms of hookahs, they just cost alot more for a quality one. i'd like to hear the opinions of the MYA guys here.
[/quote]

Lol... I know, I know. Trust me, I was just as surprised and confused when I found myself appreciating certain aspects of this hookah. The thing is, I'm really not a fan of Ed Hardy nor do I care for some of the more gaudy bits that some people seem to eat up. I'm much more of a minimalist who appreciates clean lines and uncluttered interfaces, and this hookah is anything but uncluttered.

See, when I look at products from hookahs to cars to toasters, I see a lot more than just its presentation or front. And when I look at the EH hookah (the guy who bought it brought it in again last night to smoke), I look past the cheesy branding and chiche artistic stylings to the attention to detail, the innovation, and the actual level of cognition that went into the piece. Is it perfect? Hell no. Far from it. But I appreciate the fact that there are those out there who are at least trying to think of things a little differently and are pushing that envelope. It just sucks that it had to be the folks at Ed Hardy.

[quote name='dizzbizz' timestamp='1284545638' post='482222']
I love MYA and after buying my Paragon and Petite, I'd consider myself a MYA guy. Chinese hookahs are fine, if they're quality. I've never held or smoked an EH hookah but they [i]look[/i] cheap.

Hows the materials? Is the stem heavy? ID of the stem? Does it come apart?
[/quote]

Like Arcane said, the word on the street is that these things are being made by Inhale who is known for their Mya knockoffs and generally poor quality pipes. What I'd like to know is just how much input/influence the folks at EH had when it came to materials and other design specs. On one hand I wouldn't be surprised if it's better made based on the the attention to detail exemplified by the rest of the piece. But on the other hand, I also wouldn't be surprised if they cut corners quality-wise, distracting consumers with a glossy, gaudy facade as illustrated by the shotty glass tray I saw fall to pieces the first time the sucker smoked. I suppose time will tell.

But in answer to your questions, dizz, the materials seem decent, the stem IS heavy, the ID is about the same as a Mya or old KM, and it does come apart.

Going back to the material aspect real quick, I'm not exactly sure about the quality because I'm not an expert on the properties of glass or metal. Normally, my perception of quality is based on frame of reference. But there really isn't anything that I've seen like this so it makes it a bit difficult. I suppose a Mya would be the closest thing. That being the case, the metal doesn't seem as thick as some of the higher-end Mya's nor is the ID of the tube as large (some of the larger mya's are using some MASSIVE tubes). But the metal on the shank does seem to be more substantial.

We're expecting to get a few more in so I'll take pictures.
[/quote]



EH just licenses "his" crap out..if its coming from a chinese-knock-off mya maker..why would you dive into this?

I am bumping because I am curious, and sharing the puke I laid into my keyboard at the thought of a monster EH hookah.

[ih303]

[quote name='redjako' timestamp='1285641801' post='483363']
EH just licenses "his" crap out..if its coming from a chinese-knock-off mya maker..why would you dive into this?

I am bumping because I am curious, and sharing the puke I laid into my keyboard at the thought of a monster EH hookah.
[/quote]

Lol... I knew I was going to have to do a lot of explaining on this one.

When I first saw that EH hookah, I thought it was silly. In fact, I thought everyone would think it was silly. The first one I bought was kind of a joke, see. My partners and I had been hired to DJ at the MicroBrew bar at the Buffalo Chip the week of the Sturgis Bike Rally. We wanted to take a hookah but wanted something that would really stand out, and the eyesore that is EH hookah fit the bill. It never happened because the price was too high but once it came down, I took a shot and sold it less than a day after I put it on the shelf. I figured I'd be a fool not to sell a couple more.

See, in my lounge I have fought to keep the quality of my products high in spite of all the crap I get asked for on a daily basis. In some ways this has hurt me. If I don't have fantasia or light-up pumpkin-hookahs and that's what someone wants, I lose the sale if I can't turn them on to something else. Even worse, they may go down the street to the other place because they DO sell that crap.

This hookah has been the exception. I mean I'm impressed with a few of the features, but it doesn't change the fact that overall it's crap. Especially since I'm currently waiting on replacement parts for all of them because the arrived broken. I'm not planning on getting more 1) because of the hassle, and 2) because I feel guilty for selling something I can't stand behind for use as more than a display piece (if you like EH).

I've been told by many a business folk that you can't run a business without selling out at least a little bit. I'm fighting it but it's certainly not easy.