Mya Saray Vortex

[3rooker]

Own a Mya Saray Vortex? Post your reviews here.

[3rooker]

Looking to buy the Mya Vortex? I highly reccomend it. It's a solid built hookah that smokes as good as it looks. It's really easy to set up and a noob could make this thing smoke well. I haven't had a problem with it yet. The base looks amazing and screws into the stem, so no grommet required. Simply one of the best hookahs I've ever smoked from. 10/10

TX

[indy]

I just got my Vortex in today and finished up my first test smoke with it. I've gotta say.... WOW. Compared to the sub par egyption that I bought my wife for her birthday this thing is amazing. Excellent air tight seal thanks to the screw together assembly and autoseal valve. There was a VERY minor leak when I did the test but that's probably because its a brand spanking new hookah and I read the warnings saying that you shouldn't over tighten the pieces because they might strip the theads which would suck on my first run. So I was a little timid putting it together so that more than likely was the culprit with the sealing issue. I tested each piece individually and there weren't any problems as far as I could see so using my nifty powers of deduction I've determined that it was user error. The autoseal gave me some trouble when I first started but after unscrewing it and then putting it back in the problem was gone. Probably is alignment sensative so if its not screwed in enough the ball bearing will not sit properly and too much gives the same result. It wasn't hard to find a happy medium though.

27" seems to be the perfect height for me. Our old Egyption (which will probably never be used again) is a 33 incher and I had to constantly stand up when changing the coals which was very annoying. The Vortex was also 10 times more stable thanks to its wide base and solid construction that doesn't rely on 2 inches of rubber seals between each piece.

The Mya hose that came with the hookah performed beautifully. Compared to my other cobra hoses, the Mya hose seemed to be better constructed and airtight. The pull wasn't difficult at all and it gave me the little puff of smoke out of the end after each draw that proves that their is a pressurential difference between hose and base which = good seal. My only complaint is that I wish the hose was a bit longer. I didn't measure the length but I'd be supprised if it was longer than 4 feet which seems long but really constrains you when you are lying back enjoying a good buzz.

I'm not sure if there was much improvement between the standard Mya bowl compared to the traditional Egyption one that came with our other hookah. The Egyptian bowl was a bit shallower but the Mya was a bit wider. Also the inside of the bowl isn't glazed which tells me I'm going to see some pretty intense staining after multiple uses. All in all though it was pretty solid. The bowl didn't seem to sit PERFECTLY on the stem however. The stem of the bowl was just a tad too big and it allowed the bowl to slip all the way down to the tray if I wasn't careful. This can easily be fixed with another grommet or Etape but still, you'd think that since its a Mya bowl and a Mya stem that they'd fit like a glove.

I LOVE that all of the pieces can be dissasembled to allow for easy cleaning. The stem is really three pieces that screw together so no single piece is longer than 10 or 11 inches which fits perfectly with the cleaning kit that I already had. When they all are assembled they become of sterdy piece of machinery let me tell you.

It also came with a nifty travel case (hard) that holds all of the pieces very snugly when disassembles. It wasn't exactly like the one pictured on Hookah-Shisha where I bought it from but it all fits so I'm not complaining.

Seal - 9.75 (could be a perfect 10 but until I have another go at it I'm going to keep my .25 damnit!)

Pull - 10

Stability - 10

Convenience - 10

Assembly - 9 (as I mentioned earlier, the bowl was a tad oversized but no loss really since I'm going to pick up a funnel bowl next month)

*EDIT*

I just noticed a crack near the threading at the top of my base. I'm not sure if it was there before but I've only used this baby 3 or 4 times and there's a crack. I was planning on picking up an acrylic base already but that sucks nonetheless! Edited June 24, 2007 by indy

[SmokeMojo]

I recieved my Mya Saray Vortex yesterday. After owning a few Mya's and smoking from several already, I can honestly say this is the best smoke and most flavor I have recieved from any of the models thus far. I have not smoked from many of the new models but if they are anything like the Vortex, they will be a treat.

This Vortex has an Aqua Bohemian Base and I have added the Mya Cloisonne Aqua colored hose. I use a small Tangiers Phunnel with a scalli mod. I have smoked only Starbuzz flavors out of it so far, and will be trying Smiley's and Tangiers out of it in the upcoming week. Here it is in all of it's sexy beauty.

[attachment=398:088b0ee3248e.jpg]

The flavors are consistant with each smoke and the pull can be either hard or light depending on how much water you fill the base to. I found just tonight that filling the base about 3/4" to 1" up the stem gives a very thick and pleasurable smoke. I will post some smoke pictures from the first hour of the session in a day or two. All of my sessions thus far have lasted close to 2 hours and the smoke doesn't thin out at all until the last half hour of the sessions.

Ratings:

Air Tight: 10/10 as with all the Mya's I have owned, being air tight has never been an issue.

Pull: 10/10 the pull is very adjustable based on your water levels, so you can make it as hard or as easy as you'd like.

Smoke:9.5/10 This will probably go up as a get this bad boy down to a science, the smoke is still probably the best I've had from one of my own hookahs. The only other one I've smoked that produced better with the same shisha was at the local hookah lounge. It just happened to be a Mya with the etched glass bohemian base. Same stem though.

Stability: 10/10 The stem is very sturdy, heavy and well machined. The base is wide, but not too tall so it has a very good center of gravity. No weeble wobble stems with funky fitting grommets, all screws baby! Everything WANTS to stay in one spot.

Sturdiness: 9/10 Only because the base is a little more fragile than your common bell vases. The base is gorgeous but it is a bit thinner than your average egyptian base. I do not attribute this to poor craftsmanship, rather I feel Mya is making them more elegant and fragile to give a feeling of worth. It makes you feel as though it is something special that should be cared for with the utmost gentleness. Hookahs are not meant to be slammed down or bumped into hard corners. Though we ALL have THAT hookah that comes out when it may get a little rough and tumble

Looks: 9/10 Of course it doesn't carry the uniqueness of some of your Egyptians or Syrians, BUT it has a very elegant feel and look to it. Dare I say its smooth lines and curvatures, and swirly accents, produce a foggy image of an exotic woman or jewel? Perhaps. It may not be unique on its own, but when you add your modifications (as I did with the Cloisonne and colored phunnel) it takes on a whole new appearance.

Convenience: 10/10 It is not overly or under sized. Good height, not a lot of movement needed for coal maintenance, etc. Very easy to clean!

Build/Assembly: 9.5/10 Very easy to assemble, take apart and clean. The screw on stem works rather nicely and adds good support. The only thing I can't figure out is how to put the 2nd hose port on. The purge valve comes off but the protruding male thread will obviously not fit into a male threaded hose adaptor. Perhaps I just got the wrong one?

Overall I'd say this is my new favorite, and best smoking machine I own. Great pull, sturdy even on the floor, easy on the eyes, and always consistant.. What else could I want? (Besides the $800.00 crystal Mya )

I'll try to smoke some more and get some better pictures so I can throw them up and give a little more feedback.. Although I don't think this will be a problem

[rahl071]

As these guys have said, excellent with fine build quality. Mine looks almost exactly like theirs, 10/10 still after several years.

[Stuie]

[color="#FF0000"][size="3"][b]Mya Saray Vortex[/b][/size]
[/color]
[b]Total Pipe Height:[/b] 20”
[b]Stem Length:[/b] 17-3/4”
[b]Base Height: [/b]9-1/2”
[b]Tray Diameter:[/b] 6”

[b]Stem Construction:[/b] Chrome Plated Brass
[b]Heart: [/b]Open Chamber
[b]Grommets: [/b]Silicone and Rubber, seal perfectly

[b]Pull: [/b]Amazing quality, what you expect from Mya Saray
[b]Purge:[/b] Doesn’t purge as great, about 70% of the smoke
[b]Appearance:[/b] Gorgeous
[b]Cleanability:[/b] Easy to clean
[b]Price:[/b] $129.95

[b]Purchased From: [/b]Hookah-Shisha.com

[b]Overall: [/b]10/10 I see why this use to be a standard among Mya’s for so long on so many forums. I love it. Looks, smoke, all around a great pipe. I was worried about the screw in base, but it’s wonderful seals perfectly and smokes as good as my other Mya’s and KM’s.

[img]http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm126/tunes4x/Hookahs/Vortex1.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm126/tunes4x/Hookahs/Vortex2.jpg[/img]