Al Fakher Large Solid

[Hannibal]

I have owned this particular hookah for about a week now and have had a few sessions with which to base my review upon. Before I get started I would like to state that I am an experienced hookah smoker and am not biased because I own this hookah--I know that it is hard to knock on your own hookah, but I will give an honest review so that any readers who may want to purchase this particular model will be able to see the good and bad.

Here is a full shot of this 36" Hookah:




Thats a full tower case and the hookah makes it seem like a small tissue box.



Stability, quality, and looks:
As you can se this is a very large hookah, but it is very stable. To test the stability I held the stem at the the top, but bellow the ash tray, and pushed it in all directions to simulate a bump it may experience during parties and such. It reacted well and actually gave almost a 4" sway way before it began to tip (I caught it, don't worry).

The stem is made from brass, so it is a little bit heavier then similar sized stems. All I can really say about the quality of the stem is that it is flawless. The welds on the outside (on the hose ports) and the inside (down stem) are excellent. Every curve, angle, and cut is near perfect and the finish is shiny and polished.

The quality of the vase is one of the low points of this pipe. Don't worry its not that it is poorly made, on the contrary, it is not oddly shaped or disfigured. The problem I found with the quality of the vase is that the glass is a bit thin. This is a very large base, measuring in at about 10 1/2", but it seems to be lighter than my 8" vase that sits at the bottom of my Egyptian 20" that I got in Dubai. Although the walls of the vase seem a bit thin, the base is very solid and thick.

As for the looks....well I think these pictures speak for themselves:








In the above 3 pictures you can see the amount of detail that Al Fakher went through in order for this hookah to look so good. I had it out on my friends apartment roof top and the street lights and christmas lights he had strung around just made this thing shine like a star. Absolutely beautiful finish.








The vase has a wonderful flower design and even the "Al Fakher" logo is starting to look attractive.







Funtionality:

I have had a few session with this hookah and for the first couple I found that it functioned as beautifully as it looked. Coupled with the Mya hose that it comes with, this pipe proved to be one of the smoothest and most effortless drawing hookahs I have owned and smoked. Although at first I had a hard time getting thick smoke that I'm used to getting with smaller hookahs, the latest session, my best session ever, I got it to smoke like a champ.

Having said this I have one problem, and for me its a sizable problem, with the downstem.

The downstem measures in at 6". As I have stated before the vase's total height is 10 1/2", so the downstem leaves about 4" of the vase's volume below it....and that four inches of space I'd say is about where 70% of the total volume is. When I fill the vase with water I like to place the level at about 1" above the downstem's opening and end, so this means that there is about 3" of air space left in the vase for the smoke to gather AND that particular space is only 1/3 of the vases total volume. If there was one thing I could change about this hookah, I'd make the downstem about 2-3" longer.



The top of the stem unscrews (the part that holds the bowl grommet and bowl) so that the top tray can be securely placed and held below the bowl. The second tray, the first of its kind, sits between the bottom of the stem (where the downstem starts) and the vase, so that it too is securely held in place. The top tray has a great, high curved lip so that no ash or placed coal could accidentally slide off, a very good thing for us clumsy people. The second, lower tray is amazing. At first I thought that I wouldn't need it, but after using it I couldn't imagine not having one. It is a great place to coil my hose if I need to get up and leave the hookah for a minute and it just doesn't look right without it--seems to give the hookah "hips" so that the stem doesn't look too skinny.




Conclusion and Summary:

I won't beat around the bush and get straight to it. This hookah is simply amazing. Period. Every time I pulled it out of my "custom made" hookah bag (standard 3' Army duffle bag + quilt stuffing + black duck tape = sexy hookah bag) all I heard was gasps of "wow" and "holy s**t that's nice". When my friends asked me how much it was their jaws dropped when they heard "hundred bucks", each stating that they believed I bought it for no less that $200. With such a low price tag, this hookah beats out any competition around that range, and I'm sure that it even beats out some of the higher priced Mya pipes (at least in my book it does).

If you're thinking about buying one of these hookahs or even the smaller one (which I've heard is just as good), then stop. Just put your credit card number in and hit "confirm purchase", I'm sure you wont regret it. And if you do you are a liar. Haha, just kidding, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and this review was mine. So although I think I have given a fair review of this product, you should always try to get your hands on someone elses and decide if you want one or not.

Pros:
One of the most beautifully constructed hookahs on the market
Solid Brass stem; will last a long time and you can defend yourself with it if a burglar tries to snatch your hookah
Cheap--for such a well made and HUGE hookah

Cons:
The downstem is a bit on the short side
The vase walls could be a bit thicker

Overall ranking:
9/10

This is the best hookah for me and although I found minuscule problems, I can say that since I'm not so bothered by small inconvenieces, I am 100% with this product.

Oh and you get these goodies from AlFakherOnline.com with your purchase (minus the easy-lite charcoal, but that was $2.50 for the WHOLE box ):

That's a standard Mya hose (I contacted AFonline and they are not sure if its a Mya wide, but it is not washable. I think the Mya wides are washable so this should be a standard), Premium Mya bowl, Sample of Diamante finger coals, lots of mouth tips, cool dragon-like tongs, and 2 free 50g packs of your choice of the freshest AF shisha.

I would also like to state that AFonline is getting their own Hoses and bowls made so those should replace the Mya products soon.

--Hannibal--

Very nice, I knew you would like it. I love my 26". I also agree about the downstem, but not that big of a deal for me with the diffuser and all.

Yea I really really really like the vase on your 26", the shape is just exatly what I want for any of my hookahs. And I think I'll need to get a diffuser just to add the extra length.

You say you had problems getting the smoke to be nice and thick, can you elaborate on that and how you got it to smoke nicely?

Well basically the first few times I just wasn't doing too well with the heat management; it was my first time using Jap style coals and first I burned the shisha, then I didn't have enough heat, but then I finally got it down and it smoked smoothly. Now as for the thickness of the smoke I should really have given that credit to the AF Orange shisha and the Jap style coals, the hookah doesn't really help create the thick smoke, it just transfers it like butter down the stem (the ease of draw is just....well....sex).

Although I will re-iterate what I said about the downstem problem: Although you may be able to make the shisha smoke well, the short downstem robs the hookah of its full potential. It just doesnt allow enough smoke in the vase at one certain time, therefore you are limited to a smaller amount of smoke per draw. So I was getting good, thick smoke, and the hookah transfered it from the bowl into my lungs like a champ (especially for having a 28" stem), BUT it was not as much (volume wise) as it should be.

Can you provide us with more pictures please? I would like to see pics of the stem (part that goes into the vase) and is that part detachable from the entire stem? And pics of the bowl please. Doesnt seem to be glazed.....

I will post some pictures later on tomorrow evening for the downstem. It is not, however, detachable. The stem is one piece (actually it's multiple pieces screwed together tightly, but you can't take it apart...I asked AF about that) and the downstem is welded to the bottom of the main stem's base.

Regarding the bowl:
It is in fact glazed, the only part that isn't is on the top of the lip (the ring around the highest part of the bowl) and that makes no difference for the performance of the bowl, although it is prone to becoming stained from shisha or scorched by coals. The outside and the inside part with the holes are glazed.

Here are some pics of the downstem/bowl/vase (sorry for the quality, my camera is being an idiot):




When the stem is inserted into the vase, the downstem actually ends at about the middle of the AF logo (right where the arabic is), and for some that might be fine, but I would like it to be down where the "Al Fakher" ribbon is.

"Having said this I have one problem, and for me its a sizable problem, with the downstem.

The downstem measures in at 6". As I have stated before the vase's total height is 10 1/2", so the downstem leaves about 4" of the vase's volume below it....and that four inches of space I'd say is about where 70% of the total volume is. When I fill the vase with water I like to place the level at about 1" above the downstem's opening and end, so this means that there is about 3" of air space left in the vase for the smoke to gather AND that particular space is only 1/3 of the vases total volume. If there was one thing I could change about this hookah, I'd make the downstem about 2-3" longer."

As some1 else said:
Thats an easy fix...just get some vinyl hosing that fits around the end of the downstem and cut to the length that you want...problem solved. Edited August 22, 2007 by Hannibal

[SafeSearchOff]

This is the review of Al Fakher's new line of hookah, the 35"er.  Its a special order, large stem, the small hookah base, which is just actually 1 inch less than the other.  I ordered the small hookah base because i think it looks nicer
pics will come eventually when i find my camera charger

anywho:

Looks/Quality: This Hookah is absolutley stunning.  As others have said, the attention to details is incredible, and the pictures don't do it half the justice.  Its extremely heavy, in comparison to my 36" Egyptian WITH the base attatched, the stem itselfo f the Al Fakher hookah 
is heavier.
Very stable, I actually pulled my hose a bit to far as i walked over to fill my water and tipped to about 60 degrees before it really began to go, and i was able to catch it in time.
The glass base is equally as stunning as they could make it, with the painting of golden leaves next to the Al Fakher logo.  To be honest, I wasnt too happy to know it would have the logo on it since i though it would take away from the hookah, but now it seems as if it fits perfectly when seen in real life.  The only real qualm i have with the base is due to its attractive oblong shape it makes ith arder to brush, but meh, who cares.  Its a pretty good thickness base, and is twice as thick on the bottom which is nice.

Functionality: Downright amazing.  To tell it easily, my new favorite hookah.  I've smoked multiple Egyptians, two of which I own, some Lebanese hookahs, a few Israelis, and a Mya QT, which I also own.  The Mya has now been trumped by this Al Fakher hookah, its my new favorite smoke.  I had three straight sessions, each about an hour and a half apeice (bad idea, massive headache, but worth it at the time).  The smoke was incredibly thick, the thickest I've ever achieved in my hookah days, it was wonderful (Setup: Med/Small Phunnels, glass mod, Layalina shisha, broken Nour Finger coals).
To adress Hannibal's qualms with the short downstem, I actually also tried to circumvent this by ordering the different vase.  Using the large stem with the small vase, the water fill line comes to a little above the al fakher logo, and allows a little more room for smoke to collect in retrospect to the large base.
The second tray is incredibly useful.  At first it is good for just looks, but with it i can rest multiple charcoal tongs, my hose, coals i'm gonna light up when the others die, etc.  Its a great innovation, and I'm already in love with it.


Overall, this hookah is stunning.  Its got great looks, and a great smoke to complement it.  Only two things i can think of that could be improved:
1 is that with the hose grommet in, my KM hose has trouble fitting and falls out now and then.  But without the grommet, the hose plugs in fine and airtight, so its not a large problem.
2 is that the gasket is a little small and flimsy, and does not actually make a 
good seal for me, a little pressure on the stem and it pops out. I remedied this by sliding hte gasket all the way to the top, and putting a few layers of electrical tape below it to make a nice nice seal, none of my Egyptian gaskets fitted, but I'm sure i'll find one eventually.
 Like Hannibal said, the price for such a good quality is unbeatable.  If you were contemplating buying it, just punch in those numbers and hit that f***ing confirm button, its well worth it.

yes, hannibal, i totally copied your review form >.<

[olooko]

I just bought this hookah two days ago, my first session was great. Super big clouds of smoke, that filled my place up. If anyone ask me if they should buy this hookah, I would she "H*ll Yea". I just wished that i bought this hookah in the first place, so I wouldn't have to spend so much cash to find my kind of Hookah.

This hookah is different from all mine. It is one solid pipe running from the bowl to the base. The wields are perfect, no holes anywhere. One noticeable difference is, the stem is heavy, like bat. (If i droped the thing on my foot i probably need to go see a doctor)

[buttpintoo]

Another happy owner here. Being it was my first hookah purchase, I think I came out on top.

The original stem that came with my 36" wasn't quite airtight, but the replacement was perfect. Also the gromment on the replacement was tightly fitted on the vase, and required no further adjustments. And about the vase, oh, what a beauty. The stem is amazingly good looking. Even the trays were easy on the eyes.

The drawbacks on this hookah has already been mentioned: the down stem. The bowl, while not bad, isn't good either. An overtly average bowl on an otherwise stunning combination. A Smiley bowl I got from HC quickly fixed that. Both the original stem and the replacement stem I received has a gray plastic diffuser added to the bottom of the stem. This diffuse does it's job of breaking up the smoke well enough but added nothing to the overall length. There is also a slight, very slight air leak at the blow out valve (not the bearing but outside the valve itself.) Not enough to affect anything, but I thought I should mention.

It was really down to the wire when I first considered between the AF and the Stargate. But when I consider the aesthetics, I think the AF is the most beautiful hookah on the market. It looks like a supermodel, and smokes like one too. I've taken a point off for the stem lenght and the average bowl.

9/10

Edited August 22, 2007 by buttpintoo

[FiveSpeedF150]

I've just purchased a Al Fakher Solid Large and I'm reasonably impressed so far. I purchased it to replace my other hookah that I purchased while stationed in Bahrain (thought customs had nabbed it, showed up the day after I ordered the new one, naturally )

So far I'm very impressed with the workmanship and appearance of the hookah itself. I'm less than impressed with the hose, but I have another. My only gripe is that it is an almighty pain in the ass to push the stem into the base, the fit is VERY tight.

Otherwise, very easy smoke, I'll burn some Al Fakher watermelon (current favorite) tomorrow and really see how I like it. Smoked my cappucino sample flavor tonight... didn't like it too much.

BTW, Nice to meet everyone

[FiveSpeedF150]

Edited September 3, 2009 by FiveSpeedF150