Personal Hookah Experience. Read This.

[gq331]

Okay, I've seached the entire forum. Read pretty much all posts. I'm going to give the low down on smoking hookah. But mostly I'm going to focus on what your hookah should be.

DO NOT BUY A CHEAP HOOKAH. Cheap hookahs are made from crap metal and soldered together. They may look cool, swivel, nice painted bottle....bottom line....they rust and corrode and you'll be breathing in all those metals. (lead, nickel, etc) Majority of the metals comes from the hose. I was reading about some guy on here having near death experiences from all the metals. How the heck is there nickel in a plant leaf? Anyway, buy a mya brass one. You'll drop over a $100 for it, but it's all worth it. I have a bohimia maya. The entire thing is brass, except for the down pipe extending from the tray on top to the middle clearing valve. Also, everything screws together and there are only 2 tack welds on the entire thing. No soldering. For some reason, I can't find this hookah I have anywhere anymore. When I found this one, I bought 4 of them. Probably the best one they had ever made.

The next thing is get rid of your crappy hose. Those hoses have a wire that rusts. I don't care if your shit is stainless steal or what not. GET A COMPLETELY PLASTIC ONE. Hell, make your own. Cut off the hose part and keep the wooden end pieces. Go to home depot, menards, or whatever home improvement place you have. Go to the plumbing section, ask them where your vacuum hoses are. Take a look at my blue one. It's a little stiff in the beginning, but it's all worth it. Even if you clean your shit out, let it dry and all that, the moisture will mess it up anyway. GET A PLASTIC ONE. I cannot stress this enough. If you don't believe me, cut your hose open and take a look inside. You can buy a $12 plastic hose on those retailer sites but you can make your own for $3. you'll need 3 feet, usually a $1 a foot.

This isn't the best write up, but i'm just kinda disgusted with what i've been reading on here. I'm just trying to set everyone on the right path. If you have any questions, just PM me. I'm going out right now to go buy some tobacco and I'll post some pics of what I'm buying. Yeah, this is my first post, I don't care, flame my ass. I just don't want to see stupid posts or see anyone dying from smoking hookah.

I have attached a picture of mine.

[3rooker]

Nice. I saw plastic hoses for like $6, not $12. $12 seems EXTREMELY high for an all plastic hose, but you'rs does look REALLY nice!

TX

[poopooshaboo]

I would like to make my own hoses, but the plastic tubing from home depot etc is way too stiff to use as a hose (i use my hookah at parties a lot, stiff hose + drunk people = hookah getting knocked over time and time again). Does anyone know of a more flexible plastic/tubing material that isn't really expensive?

[The King]

I would like to make my own hoses, but the plastic tubing from home depot etc is way too stiff to use as a hose (i use my hookah at parties a lot, stiff hose + drunk people = hookah getting knocked over time and time again). Does anyone know of a more flexible plastic/tubing material that isn't really expensive?

I made a hose out of this clear vinyl tubing from lowes.... got 6 feet for $1.20

Now gq331, calm the fuck down... a lot of people have discussed rust issues on here... WE KNOW! many have either made their own hoses or switched to mya washables...

I mean welcome to the forum, thanks for the tips, but come with a better attitude

[cemab4y]

I am delighted to read posts like this. We can all learn from your experience. I have done some modifications myself, and I use only 100% plastic hoses. "Good hookahs aren't cheap, Cheap Hookahs aren't good".

[Johnny_D]

I'm loving that hose.

Tell me (with as many details as possible) what, how and it's normal intended use. I've not seen anything like that in the uk... but i may have been looking in the wrong places.

JD

[mgcsinc]

bottom line....they rust and corrode and you'll be breathing in all those metals. (lead, nickel, etc) Majority of the metals comes from the hose. I was reading about some guy on here having near death experiences from all the metals. How the heck is there nickel in a plant leaf?

How the heck is there nickel in a plant leaf? I'm not sure how it got there, but it's there - it's in cigarettes too, and you don't smoke cigarettes through a rusting hunk of metal.

I firmly agree on the advice you give about buying a quality hookah, but I have to say I'm a little opposed to the idea that one hookah is safer than another, with the exception of the large vs. small CO issue. There's just not a lot of evidence to support what you're claiming, especially in re. the hose.

And what is with this new trend about people posting references to contemporary posts (the guy with the 'near-death' experience) as if they are stories they heard somewhere else? We all read the same stuff...

[3rooker]

bottom line....they rust and corrode and you'll be breathing in all those metals. (lead, nickel, etc) Majority of the metals comes from the hose. I was reading about some guy on here having near death experiences from all the metals. How the heck is there nickel in a plant leaf?

How the heck is there nickel in a plant leaf? I'm not sure how it got there, but it's there - it's in cigarettes too, and you don't smoke cigarettes through a rusting hunk of metal.

I'd guess it's in the ground. Maybe from fertilizers or something. Just a thought.

TX

[hookah hippie]

Welcome to the forum you should consider a more calm approach to your posts though

[3rooker]

Welcome to the forum you should consider a more calm approach to your posts though

You should probably state who you are talking about, so they can be more calm

TX

[poopooshaboo]

how stiff is the vinyl tubing from lowes?

[The King]

how stiff is the vinyl tubing from lowes?

ITs actually weally flexible...way more than my cobra hoses

just make sure you wash it well first

[poopooshaboo]

and to put the end pieces(mouthpiece and the part the plugs into the hookah) it should just fit right? Or is there a specific width i need to get

[hookahlife]

Im glad someone finally brought up plastic hoses. We have been carrying them for a while but everyone keeps buying the Mya's. The plastic hoses may not look as cool, because the ends look like fake wood, but they are definately safer to smoke from. Plus they are cheap so you can change them out every 6 months more easily than the Mya hoses. (By the way, for those of you that dont already know, Mya hoses should be changed every 6 months with intermediate use. They are not made to last for a year or more.)

Thanks for the topic.

[The King]

Those plastic hoses don't look to bad, plus they're only 6 dollars so like hookahlife said, real affordable to switch out every 6 months or whatever,

[mgcsinc]

they are definately safer to smoke from.

Really? Why do you think that?

[The King]

they are definately safer to smoke from.

Really? Why do you think that?

No rust

[mgcsinc]

No rust

No one has convinced me that a rusted hose actually exposes me to danger. I mean, it seems bad, but that probably comes from the impression we have from rust in the wild, which is associated with tetanus. Tetanus doesn't actually come from rust. I think rust gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve.

There's no reason to think that the rusted metal is going to release more heavy metals into smoke than unrusted metal, so far as I know.

[The King]

No rust

No one has convinced me that a rusted hose actually exposes me to danger. I mean, it seems bad, but that probably comes from the impression we have from rust in the wild, which is associated with tetanus. Tetanus doesn't actually come from rust. I think rust gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve.

There's no reason to think that the rusted metal is going to release more heavy metals into smoke than unrusted metal, so far as I know.

Well rust particles can shed off, and do you think inhaling that is healthy?

[xpimpitox]

hey our hookahs have the same base!!!

[hookahlife]

they are definately safer to smoke from.

Really? Why do you think that?

Hey mgcsinc,

Dont quote me on this, but to the best of my knowledge there is no metal coil in them. Also, the wood ends on regular hose wear down over time, so those can become a hazard as well. One more thing, they are cheaper so if you can afford to replace them more often you run a lower risk being exposed to any hazards that can build up in the hose.

Hope this helps.

[aldonb1]

yeah i need to get new hoses... all mine are pretty gone. Might just have to hit that these hoses up on my next purchase.

[gq331]

First off, i want to apologize for coming off kinda rude. That wasn't my point. I want everyone to enjoy a safe hookah smoking experience. I've been smoking hookah for over 7 years. I wish I had my first hookah so you guys could see all the rusted out spots in the down tube and my hose. It was disgusting. I fixed it with electrical tape. But I learned my lesson.

Let me address the rust in the hose. You guys all know what rust is. It's the oxidation of metal. Water and metal. I'm not going to get into the chemical structures of this. If you are a high school grad, you should already understand. When rust happens, particles of metal become airborn. It's not just a surface thing, like wow, it's rusting. See the rust? If you are sucking through a rusted hose, don't you think that the air flowing will pick up particles?

Now, as far as the cheap hookahs, seriously, they rust like hell, corrode like crazy. Just like the paragraph above, the metal becomes airborn. I don't care what you have to say.

Brass. that's the only way to go. Think about it. brass makes up all the musical instuments you can think of. Why do you think they use brass? (low corrosion). You don't see stainless steel instuments. (tuba, trumpet, trombone).

Well, I guess that's enough for now. Think about that.

[mgcsinc]

There's a non sequitur in what you've said. In terms of rust, you're talking about hoses, but then you continue on to talk about buying brass hookah stems. At least, I think that's what you mean, because I've never seen a brass-interior hose on the market. I personally see no problem (aside from aesthetics) with my stem corroding somewhat, because I have never seen chunks of oxidized metal leave my stainless steel pipe at all, let alone get through the water and all the way up my circuitous hose. Edited June 4, 2007 by mgcsinc

[Hannibal]

There's a non sequitur in what you've said. In terms of rust, you're talking about hoses, but then you continue on to talk about buying brass hookah stems. At least, I think that's what you mean, because I've never seen a brass-interior hose on the market. I personally see no problem (aside from aesthetics) with my stem corroding somewhat, because I have never seen chunks of oxidized metal leave my stainless steel pipe at all, let alone get through the water and all the way up my circuitous hose.

I dont really see rust in the stem as much as a health problem, its more of a "quality of your hookah" problem. But what most people here are saying is that rust in the hose is a problem.....and you dont have to see the rust particles for them to actually be there (although I know that you were just pointing out that the rust from your stem wouldnt really fall though the stem, into the water, then through your 6" foot hose and into your lungs). It damages your lungs by cutting them up and such, which im sure everbody knows already.

What people are suggesting is that these plastic hoses are alot safer and cheaper.....so its like a win-win situation.