gtm2007

Yeah, for regular smokers I would go for better quality, and if you MUST have lights, there's a few online sites that sell little glow-bubbles and base lights and whatnot.

I love Lucid, it's molasses based so my bowls have good staying power, but it's washed so you're not buzzing hard. My favorite flavors are Mimon, Chocolate Cherry and Horchata. I'm a pretty big noob too though, I just thought I'd throw in my two cents

Hey guys, I'm having some trouble with John's CH naturals. Don't get me wrong: WAY better than anything I've smoked up until now, except one little problem...they don't seem to be burning hot enough. I light them using flame if I can, hot plate otherwise, and I always go for full glow before I put them on. What I'm noticing is when I heat them on a side and then flip them, they don't hold their glow. And I've had trouble keeping them hot enough during smoking - I've even had them go out on colder nights. Unless there's at least four people smoking I end up with a bunch of ash and a half-used bowl. Smoke's hard to keep up if there's less than four smoking as well. I'm smoking out of a vortex bowl and I use 2 coals and rotate them through as the shesha burns. The bowl is big enough sometimes I can get away with 2-3 sets of coals before it's done. Thoughts on what I'm doing wrong? Should I switch to Cocos?

I've made about four orders from John thus far, two on my own and two with a friend. Shipping has always been same-day (AMAZING), and there's always nice little goodies in the box, haha. Went to him on recommendation from said friend I ordered with, and I will NOT be shopping anywhere else, save for local shops if I need a quick fix of anything. His coals smoke great, too! John's the man!

I'm really not satisfied with my stem unless I look down the stem and it's totally shiny. I'm the same way with my shotgun. Dirty metal = no bueno

I've got an AF small solid that I bought about a month ago. I'm lovin it just as much. Way to go on a great hookah selection, everyone I know is buzzing about the QT's. Can't wait to see the pics!

Point taken. I just rinsed my hookah tonight after I smoked a bowl.

I've ordered from H-S twice now. Both times, USPS had no tracking information at all, other than billing recieved. Got both shipments roughly 4-5 days after I purchased them. Just thought I'd throw that in.

I'm so happy with my setup, I thought I'd share some pics with everyone The stem is an AF 24" small solid from the prodigal Mr. John and the base is a modern cut glass round pyramid from socialsmoke.com (the stock AF base was WAY too tight and ruined the grommet it came with). 2 Vortex bowls (soon to be replaced with small Tang phunnels), and one of John's blue narbishes. About 1.5 kg of shesha, mostly Tang Lucid (Mimon, Choc. Cherry, Horchata, Strawberry, etc.) but there's some Fantasia Cherry, SB Tangerine Dream, Blue Mist, and White Peach, and some Nak Mizo Grape too. Bought a little butane pocket rocket to heat the coals on, and am burning CH naturals. Like I said, next investment is gonna be to sell off/store the Vortex bowls and get 1-2 small phunnels. Maybe some hose tips for the narbish too. Swine flu and strep have been running around lately...

Sweet action

The main reason I ask is because I've heard reports on here of narbish breakdowns, etc. I mean, it's nothing a new hot glue job can't fix, but I worry about wearing out the hose too fast. But I'm glad to hear that I can clean the hell out of the other stuff. I really like looking down the stem and seeing nice shiny metal all the way around.

I'm OCD and a major neat freak. I've been using a diluted lemon juice/baking soda/warm water solution to clean my hookah, and I've been cleaning it religiously after every session. Hose, stem, base, everything. Is there a point at which I'm cleaning too much and might ruin my equipment? Let me know! Thanks

Hot water doesn't work too well for removing the taste and/or smell. I've observed that stuff that's adhered to the inside of my stem such as tar, etc. gets eaten by a lemon juice/baking soda/warm water mixture. I would remove purge valve cap, ball bearing, hose, and all grommets and pour a little of said mixture in with one end plugged, and swish it around a few times. The solution will make bubbles as it eats the stuff. When there's no more bubbles, wash the stem with warm water and let dry. Brushes help too. A few things I've noticed on the purge valve - try a plastic airsoft BB in there. I replaced the ball bearing in my AF small solid with an airsoft BB and the thing purges like a charm now. Also, everything metal on the hookah should only be hand tight. Overtightening is a great way to ruin threads.

http://www.independentcollegian.com/2.1003...rmful-1.1324466 ^ This is a prime example of unsubstantiated and biased information on how bad hookah is. Amongst other laughable claims, HIV is listed as one of the STD's able to be contracted by smoking hookah. However, below is another article which seems a little more credible. http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/2968...mful/Page1.html Keep in mind these studies are published by the WHO and ALA. Both of which would recommend living unreasonably overprotective lifestyles in order to "stay healthy". In general, I'm extremely fond of hookah because of the following reasons: 1. Tastes great 2. Clouds are cool 3. Hookahs are pretty 4. Great socializing tool Negative side effects *might* include: 1. Nicotine addiction 2. Bad chemicals from shisha, coals, burning tinfoil I work out daily, and one thing I have noticed is that I'm breathing heavier lately while working out, but that could be from numerous other reasons like I'm not working out properly and gradually getting out of shape again.

I've always used ice cubes. Don't have to worry about extra-special cleaning, and it does help the smoke cloud up nicely. Now that I've heard all this, not sure I want to try milk. Especially since my base is a beast to clean.