Pros And Cons Of Different Stem Lengths?

[jaxxx123]

does it make a difference on how a hookah smokes? i have a large one right now but thinking about getting a smaller hookah like a mya QT.

[symptom CY]

#1 point for me: A study has shown that smaller hookah smoke contains more carbon monoxide than smoke from larger hookahs. Sorry, I can't find the link, but search the forums if you want more info on that.

[KLD]

Pros of larger stems
The pull is cooler- 2 pros to this: tastes better and its better for your health ( remember reading the cooler the smoke the healthier? )
The pull is harder- more smoke = fun
Looks better to me all in all


Pros of smaller stems:
Usually more durable
.. thats all

[mgcsinc]

#1 point for me: A study has shown that smaller hookah smoke contains more carbon monoxide than smoke from larger hookahs. Sorry, I can't find the link, but search the forums if you want more info on that.

The reference is:

Sajid KM, Akhter M, Malik GQ. Carbon monoxide fractions in cigarette and hookah (hubble-bubble) smoke. J Pak Med Assoc 1993;43:179–82.

It's hard to find, so if anyone wants a copy (for educational use) they should PM me.

[The King]

Pros of larger stems
The pull is cooler- 2 pros to this: tastes better and its better for your health ( remember reading the cooler the smoke the healthier? )
The pull is harder- more smoke = fun
Looks better to me all in all


Pros of smaller stems:
Usually more durable
.. thats all

Taller does not mean better. A tall hookah will not always taste better than a small hookah, more depends on how the hookah is made, the shisha, and the coals.

Also, making the pull harder is easy to do with a short one by just adding more water...you can't add to much, but you can make the pull easier or harder depending on the water level. Plus a harder pull does not make more smoke necessarily.

[lazria]

at one point in time, I would have said yes - longer stems do affect the overall smoke factor. BUT... I now own a 17" hookah as well as several 27-33" ones. the small one has it's pros & cons, just like the tall ones - but as to smoke quaility (not just amount of smoke - as in whole session) it's more on how you set-up the hookah and the quaility of the hookah/shisha in general. My small 17" hits as hard as my 33".

So many different factors come into play when smoking a hookah - even people who have done it for ages, may every great once in a while get a "bad" session: weather (humidity), shisha (age, quaility, brand - sometimes just an off batch), coals (including how said coals are lit), water/liquid in base, cleaniness of hookah... there are so many different things that can/can not affect the session.

The overall height of the stem is more a personal issue/concern than major factor in the equation. What I may consider a CON you may consider a PRO, and visa versa...

Small:
Pros - slightly cheaper, easy to transport/store, quicker to clean
Cons - normally don't go above 2 hose models, may not be the most decorative, smoke can sometimes get strong fast

Large:
Pros - can be highly decorative, multiple hoses (1, 2, 3, 4, 6), does cool smoke some, normally have larger bases which offer more stability (not always) and liquid volume
Cons - can be pricey, slightly longer to clean, harder to store & transport Edited May 29, 2007 by lazria

[3rooker]

at one point in time, I would have said yes - longer stems do affect the overall smoke factor. BUT... I now own a 17" hookah as well as several 27-33" ones. the small one has it's pros & cons, just like the tall ones - but as to smoke quaility (not just amount of smoke - as in whole session) it's more on how you set-up the hookah and the quaility of the hookah/shisha in general. My small 17" hits as hard as my 33".

So many different factors come into play when smoking a hookah - even people who have done it for ages, may every great once in a while get a "bad" session: weather (humidity), shisha (age, quaility, brand - sometimes just an off batch), coals (including how said coals are lit), water/liquid in base, cleaniness of hookah... there are so many different things that can/can not affect the session.

The overall height of the stem is more a personal issue/concern than major factor in the equation. What I may consider a CON you may consider a PRO, and visa versa...

Small:
Pros - slightly cheaper, easy to transport/store, quicker to clean
Cons - normally don't go above 2 hose models, may not be the most decorative, smoke can sometimes get strong fast

Large:
Pros - can be highly decorative, multiple hoses (1, 2, 3, 4, 6), does cool smoke some, normally have larger bases which offer more stability (not always) and liquid volume
Cons - can be pricey, slightly longer to clean, harder to store & transport

I totally agree. A lot of it has to do with your heat management and the quality of you're shisha. But you can't really compare a 10" Pumpkin and a 32" Khalil. Not comparible, but like Lazria said, sometimes you really can't tell the difference between a 17" and a 27".

TX