Bong Bowls
A bong is one of the most essential tools for avid smokers to have in their collection. Easy to use and made to improve the quality of your smoking session, these glass pieces are a favorite among all smokers.
That being said, the bong is also highly customizable, which means that you can replace some of your favorite pieces with items that are personal to you. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the bong bowl and what to pay attention to when you’re shopping for a new one.
What Is a Bong Bowl?
A bong bowl is a bowl that sits in your bong and holds your dry herbs as you smoke them. Much like a bowl in a pipe, a bong bowl performs the same function. These typically act as the carb cab as well, allowing you to clear your bong once you pull the bowl out.
The fact that these items can be pulled out means that they are interchangeable, allowing you to customize your bong and have multiple bowls on hand so that you can get a few hits out of one while you’re cleaning the other.
Materials
There are a few materials that you can choose from when you’re shopping for a new bong bowl. These materials include:
Glass
Glass bong bowls are very colorful and unique in their design, which will enhance the look of your glass piece with ease. Additionally, glass serves to further preserve the flavor and quality of your smoke.
It travels out of your bowl, through the downstem, into the bong, and up to the mouthpiece. If you’re a stickler for the type of materials you use in your pipes, you’re going to want to go with a glass bong bowl.
Silicone
Are you someone who has broken more than a few bong bowls or bongs in the past? If so, you can always go with silicone. Silicone bong bowls are equally colorful and come with the added benefit that they’re almost impossible to ruin. They’re also quite easy to clean as they can be boiled, frozen, or soaked. Just make sure to avoid alcohol as this can compromise the quality of your silicone bong bowl.
Sizes:
There are different sizes of bong bowls, which is important to know as you don’t want to buy the wrong size and end up with a bong bowl you can’t use. Some of the bong sizes include:
10mm
10 mm bong bowls are very common among small glass pipes and will be perfect on your portable bong.
14mm
14 mm is a common bong bowl size for most bongs.
18mm
18 mm is on the highest end and is also very common for most bongs.
If you have a bong, your bong bowl is one of the most important features on your bong. These replaceable and interchangeable items will add to the style and quality of your glass piece. If you’re looking for a new bong bowl, the guide above will provide you with all the details you need to pick up the perfect bowl.
Bong Bowl FAQ
What size bowl do I need for my bong (14mm vs 18mm)?
Look at the joint on your bong or downstem — the piece where the bowl inserts. 14mm is by far the most common size (about 5/8"). 18mm is bigger (about 3/4") and used on some larger bongs. If unsure, measure the outer diameter of the joint with calipers or take the bowl to a smoke shop.
Male vs female joint — how do I tell?
Male joints are the piece that inserts INTO another piece. Female joints receive the male end. If your bong's downstem is a hollow tube (open on top), it's a female joint and you need a male bowl. If the downstem has a solid tapered end, it's male and you need a female bowl. Most bowls sold are male fittings.
Glass vs silicone bowls — which is better?
Glass preserves flavor better and looks nicer, but breaks. Silicone is nearly indestructible, easy to clean, and cheap — but slightly dampens flavor and can't handle direct torch flame. For heavy travel or first-time buyers, silicone. For daily home use with a nice piece, glass.
How often should I replace a bong bowl?
Only when broken, chipped near the joint (safety issue), or when residue is so baked in that cleaning won't remove it. A well-maintained glass bowl lasts years. Silicone bowls last essentially forever unless burned or torn.
Why did my glass bowl crack?
Most common causes: (1) thermal shock — going from cold to very hot too fast, especially with a torch; (2) mechanical stress at the joint from over-tightening; (3) low-quality glass. Prevent by warming gradually, not overtightening, and buying borosilicate glass rated for temperature changes.
