Mya vs. H&S vs. Taqseem

[Mustang67]

 First was
Mya Saray Large Chrome Narghileh with Silver Acrylic Base
[url="http://www.myasaray.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=866&DEP"]http://www.myasaray.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=866&DEP[/url] AR TMENT_ID=46

Don't know why that came out that way, but o well.

[yashman19]

I can only offer advice on the Stargate, as thats the only one out of the three you're interested in that I own and have smoked from.
I'm not sure about the price of the Stargate because their ebay store no longer has them advertised, so not sure where to get them. I personally love my Stargate, but need to let you know that this is sort of a high maintenence hookah. I always clean my hookahs after every use (which is not mandatory but I'm a clean freak), and to do this you need to break this hookah down into all of its sections. Not a big deal but time consuming.
But being able to break this hookah down is also a plus. You can easily transport it. Their is a screw you undo to take the tray off, then there is another screw location in the middle of the stem, then one at the bottom of the stem, and finally you can unscrew the top of the chamber. This is gunna be the only part of the hookah which might cause you trouble. The chamber is made of some sort of acrylic material, so when you screw on the threads from the chamber to the medal section, my threads wore out and now it doesnt hold well.
Its sort of hard to explain, but now whenever I put water in the base and try to screw it on, I am forced to get a wet paper towel and tear it into a narrow strip and wrap the acrylic threads around before I can screw the base in. But once you do, it seems to screw on just fine.
Other than that, it hits very well, very smooth and is a very unique, sturdy hookah. I'll post a picture later of it complelty broken down in its seperate pieces and also take a picture of the worn down threads and show you what I mean later.

[Mustang67]

Hey thanks yashman, yeah that seems like it could be a small
problem.  Anybody else experience this?  Right now im kinda
of in between the Mya Saray and the Hookah and sisha Syrian Glymph.

[Mathazar]

That sounds like a BIG pain in the A$$.  You spend good money on a
hookah,  and the threads wear-out?  F*** THAT!!! 

The acrylic hookahs from MYA SARAY are supposed to be AWESOME. 
They designed the hookahs themselves and have those hookahs made
exclusively for them.  I've never heard of the threads
wearing-down on a MYA acrylic before.  I suppose it's always
possible,  but MYA sells a top notch product. 

I had the Syrian Glyph,  and it was a GREAT hookah,  except
for the fact that the syrup drips down the side of the stem and will
tarnish the copper stem and stain anything you place your hookah
on,  such as the carpet.  I'm speaking from personal
experience,  as I have a HUGE stain on my carpet. 
Unfortunately,  the tray doesn't catch the syrup and block it from
dripping down the side of your hookah.  But aside from that, 
it was an AWESOME & BEAUTIFUL hookah.  The "Auto-Seal System"
worked just as advertised.

Personally,  I'd rather have a rotating/spinning hookah,  but
the Glyph is a pretty decent alternative if you like to entertain 

[Mustang67]

Mathazar just the person i was waiting to answer my post.  Ive
seen your posts on the past and you seem to really like the
glymph.  Its a shame that not only does it tarnish because of the
syrup but it will mess up the place where it is set up.  It being
messy like that fun.  

Right now im split between the mya acrylic (1 hose), and Glymph 2 hose
(if the auto seal really works, then its a nice hookah for solo and
multi person use, correct). 

You said the Glymph "was" a good hookah, what did u replace it with.

Can anybody recommend one better than the Mya Acrylic, or the H&S Syrian Glymph?  Or between those two.

Thank you posters and members of Hookahforum.com

-Mustang 67

[Mathazar]

First-off,  it's called a Glyph because of it's BEAUTIFUL glyph
etchings in the stem.  It is not called a Glymph 

The Syrian Glyph 3 hose WAS an excellent hookah

1. Because of it's sheer beauty......I had the Gold stem on Green vase,  and it was TRULY a site to see.

2. The "Auto-Seal System" completely ROCKED!!!    It was AWESOME!!!

The reason I sold it was because I was attempting to quit smoking the
hookah. I was having LOTS of congestion and coughing.  As it
turned-out,  it was the brand of tobacco I was smoking that was
causing me all the problems,  plus I was using to much coal and my
tobacco was burning.  I was newbie,  what can I say 

It was the weekend,  and if I had ordered a new hookah
online,  I wouldn't have gotten it for at least a few days, 
and at that point I was going absolutely NUTS for a smoke.  I was
climbing the walls.  So I went to a local Middle Eastern shop and
bought a 30" Rotating Hookah.  It was TRULY a life saver,  as
it was a GEM of a hookah.  Why?

1.  The tray was physically-attached to the stem,  so there was no dripping of the syrup.

2.  It was easy to break-down and clean,  because all I had
to do was to unscrew the stem from the bowl.  Screwing the stem
onto the bowl meant that it was airtight,  and there was no
wearing-out of the vase threads because the vase was made of thick
glass.

3.  I placed the hookah on the floor right next to my computer
desk,  and because it was 30" tall I could simple & easily
place the coals onto the foil and shift them around as needed, 
without having to bend-over to do it.  I HIGHLY-RECCOMMEND you get
at LEAST a 30" hookah.  It provides the perfect amount of
smoke,  and it's easy to work with.  The rotator made it
possible for me to move the hose around without EVER worrying about
tipping over the hookah.  It simply rotates on metal ball bearings
and spins very easily.

4.  A rotator makes a great party hookah for the same reasons I
mentioned above.  But,  you'll have a hard time finding a
rotator with "Auto-Seal".  It's in the development stages by many
manufacturers,  but very few companies have release one,  and
the one's that have are all sold-out.

So,  if what you're looking for is a GREAT party hookah, 
then I strongly-reccommend the Hookah-Shisha 3 hose Syrian Glyph with
"Auto-Seal".  Just place a towel under the hookah,  and you
won't have any problems with the syrup dripping down.  Or you can
tie a rag of some sort tightly around the stem and that should be
enough to catch the syrup as it drips down the stem.  I mentioned
that the syrup will tarnish the copper stem.  Well,  it will
but it won't tarnish it that bad.  Infact,  you'll hardly
even notice it.

If,  on the other hand,  all you're looking for is a good 1
hose hookah for personal use,  then I would reccommend the Rotator
Hookah.  Many sites sell them,  but here's a few you might
not know about:

www.SaharaSmoke.com

www.SocialSmoke.com

www.TheHookah.com

www.HookahCompany.com

www.SouthSmoke.com

www.Fumari.com

www.TobaccoImportUSA.com - (This site has the Stargate Hookah I think you guys were talking about)

www.HookahBros.com

Hope this info helps you out.

Goodluck!!! 

[Mustang67]

The Glyph, duh... haha, ok well i think im going to get the Glyph, but
the two hose one instead of the three.  Three costs a little bit more
and i think i can get the job done with two hoses.  How do you feel
about the Chiller? is it worth the extra bucks and the extra pieces. 
Do most hookahs have this 'syrup' problem or is it only in these glyphs.



Im pretty sure im going to get the Two hose Syrian Glyph, and ill get
it Gold and Green ( but i dont know, the gold and blue in the picture
looks realll beautiful) wish they had a green and gold to display.



Thank you so much,

-Mustang67

[Mustang67]

o yeah by the way, just to make sure there are no rust problems right? its stainless steel?

[Mathazar]

Nope..........it's copper!  That's why it tarnishes when the syrup
drips down.  If it was stainless steel,  the syrup would just
wipe right off without tarnishing.  But copper is no big
deal,  just keep it dry.  And to the BEST of my
knowledge,  Copper doesn't rust,  it only tarnishes, 
and you can always go to the hardware store and pick up some copper
tarnish remover.  It's not a bad thing to do every once in awhile
just to keep the hookah looking shiny and brand new.  Believe me,
you're going to be VERY happy with the Glyph!  It looks absolutely
beautiful!!! 

I have a friend who bought a chiller,  but I haven't heard
anything about it.  Several members of the forum have bought the
Chiller,  also,  and reported good comments. But,  I'm
not neccessarily sure that it's worth the extra money,  because
you can always do what I do and put ice in the vase,  I do it for
every bowl and it works perfectly.  I suppose it would stop the
syrup,  because the Chiller bowl is holding ice which will
eventually melt,  and I doubt that it leaks water all over the
place.  I would imagine that the syrup drips down into the Chiller
bowl.

Trust me on the Gold and Green,  it's GORGEOUS!!!  But, 
Blue looks good also.  I just think that Gold and Green go well
together

[mushrat]

If you have a syrian bowl style, the syrup runs back down the inside of the main body of the hookah. But thats neither here nor there in his case.

[Mustang67]

Mushrat - Elaborate on the syrian bowl style and how the syrup runs back down the "inside of the main body" of the hookah.

Well later today (... after i do some more last minute thinking) Im
going to purchase the 2 Hose Gold and Green Glyph. I want a
nice two hosed hookah with autoseal and i guess that one got the
highest recommendations.  I really like the Mya Saray but it only
comes in one hose etc.  This syrup leaking and copper business is
kinda discouraging, because i dont want too messy of a hookah.  I
love how it looks but besides that i want a quality hookah that
produces a nice smoke and is meant to last.

Thank you all for your comments and help

-Mustang67

[mushrat]

Try this link. Easier than going through it again, plus it has diagrams even.
[url="http://www.hookahforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=932&KW=syrian+bowl"] [url="http://www.hookahforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=932&"]http://www.hookahforum.com/forum/forum_pos...asp?TID=932&[/url][/url] ;KW=syrian+bowl

[Mathazar]

Let's put it this way,  all the Syrians are made of copper, 
and ONLY the Syrians have "Auto-Seal".  The dripping problem is
not a big deal if you use a towel under the hookah.  And the
tarnishing is SO minimal that you probably won't even notice it unless
you're looking for it.

mushrat is right,  there is a special kind of bowl you can get
that won't drip down the outside of the stem.  It drips down the
inside of the stem.  But that means you're going to have to scrub
the inside of your stem more often because the flavored syrup will
effect the flavor of all your smokes.  So that means you're going
to have to scrub the inside of the stem after every flavor change.

I forgot to mention,  there IS another company that sells "Auto-Seal" stems.  It's at:

www.HookahHookah.com

1.  At the top of the screen,  just above "View Our Products"
it says "CUSTOMIZE".  Click on CUSTOMIZE to configure a hookah.

2.  The 1rst page is "Stem Selection".  Click View
Selection,  and scroll thru the list until you see "Persian
Stems".  They range in height from 17.5" up to 26.5". 
HookahHookah doesn't call their system "Auto-Seal",  they call it
an "Automatic Plug Mechanism".  In any case,  I'm not sure
what these stems are made of,  they look like either polished
stainless steel or chrome plating.

3.  One person in the forum bought one of these Persian Stem
Hookahs,  and he complained that the holes where the ball bearing
fits into was too small for the ball. You may want to wait until
Monday,  when HookahHookah is open,  and ask them to check
the Persian Stem before sending the hookah to you to make sure that
everything fits correctly,  if you decide to buy from HookahHookah.

On the other hand,  you've got Hookah-Shisha and their Syrian
Glyph Hookah.  To put it QUITE frankly,  the Syrian Glyph is
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.  Infact,  you'll be AMAZED when you pull
it out of the box and attach it to the Green Vase....No lie!!! 

But,  if what you want is stainless steel or chrome,  then
have a little patience and on Monday call "JONOTHAN" at
HookahHookah,  he's the guy I always deal with because he's the
most Knowledgeable Customer Service Rep,  and he will go the extra
mile for you and make sure you get EXACTLY what you want 

[Mathazar]

And to answer your question,  YES,  I think the Syrian Glyph
will last you many years,  with the only things needing changing
would be the rubber grommets,  because over time they wear-out.

The other thing about the Syrian Glyph that I forgot to mention is that
after several uses,  you may have trouble putting the stem into
the vase because the rubber grommet starts to wear-out.  My
solution to this dilemma was to simply pull the rubber grommet from the
stem and place it into the vase,  and then the stem slides into
the grommet very easily.

I know the Syrian Glyph is starting to sound like more trouble than
it's worth,  but trust me,  it's a GEM of a hookah.  You
just can't beat the "Auto-Seal System" 

[Mustang67]

Wow thank you all, thanks a lot Mathazar you really did help out.

Im getting it, ill be placing my order right after i do this post....
and yes im getting the Gold on Green haha.  I wonder what brand of
Shisha tobacco they give you.  haha o well.


Thank you very much, ill post pictures and give my own 2cents on the hookah when it arrives.

-Mustang67

[Mustang67]

I just wanted to say thank you so much Mathazar Mushrat and others, I
just Purchased the 2 Hose Syrian Glyph Gold and Green with Romman
Strawberry and Romman Sweet Melon as my two 'free' 50g (according to
this site these seem to be popular romman flavors).. and i purchased a
250g Al Fakher Apple (i know mathazar you dont really like this
flavor... haha).

Thank you so much, im going to look into that syrian bowl, and maybe
some other accesories.  It comes with 2 flavors, 2 rolls of coals
(im guessing Golden Charcoals), Bowl Screen, glass base protector,
mouthtips, filters, wind cover and carrying case.  Which i guess
is the standard little start up kit... plus the rest of the necesities
(hose, grommets, bowl, tongs brushes).

Thank you so much for giving me the information needed to make such a purchase.

[Mathazar]

I HIGHLY reccommend that you change your order from Sweet Melon to some other flavor!!!

The last several times I ordered Sweet Melon,  it both smelled & tasted like VINEGAR

Peach and Lemon are good.  I know you don't like Licorice, 
but Romman Double Apple is VERY good.  I didn't like Licorice at
first either,  nor did I like the Double Apple,  but after
smoking it for awhile,  I learned to LOVE it 

[Mustang67]

Mathazar, i dont know if its your 1070 posts, you smoking so much or
your forum picture.. but i changed the sweet melon to Double
Apple.  Its something i have to try to see if i like the licorice
int he romman double apple or not and why not in a 50g free
sample. 

I know it was a minor change but the Hookah and Sisha Customer service was friendly and quick.

Cant Wait to try this out, review it and see the beauty you talk so much about Mathazar.

Gracias.

[Mathazar]

Good move buddy.......You Da Man!

I think you may LOVE that Double Apple.

Oh,  and uhhh,  I thought the free samples that came with the
order of a new hookah were 250grams?  Huh......I'm gonna have to
check my facts more thoroughly in the future 

[Mustang67]

Nope they are 50g, i wished you were right on that one though. 
For shipping i got ground (cant be blowing too much money away haha)...
so now the hardest part is waiting for it to come home.

Wonder how these Golden Coals are, i know you mathazar yourself dont like 3kings coals.

Thanks again

[Mathazar]

Golden Coals Sparkle A LOT.  Sometimes they spray-out
sparks,  and sometimes though very rarely they blow-up.  So
when lighting the Golden Coals,  make sure you keep it away from
your face,  or anything else that can melt or catch fire.

I live in an apartment that has a WIDE-OPEN space,  so I don't
have to worry about coals BLASTING into a million pieces. 
Actually,  I'm exaggerating,  they usually only blast into a
few small pieces.  But one time,  while lighting the
coal,  it blew in half.  One side went flying in the
air,  and the side I was lighting hit the floor and burned a hole
SO FAST that I thought it was going to burn the rubber mat under the
carpet and start a huge fire.  Fortunately,  that was not the
case,  but I have a HUGE hole in my carpet as a reminder of that
experience.

Lighting coals with a lighter can be a problem depending on the kind of
lighter you have.  First of all,  your thumb may get VERY hot
if the lighter button is near the flame,  and with a regular
cigarette lighter,  that's very likely to happen. 
Also,  I ruined 2 very expensive lighters because as the coal
sparkles,  it's constantly shooting off a barrage of microscopic
pinhead-size bits of coal.  If that stuff gets into the chamber of
your lighter,  it could ruin the lighter,  as it did to both
of mine. I had to send my lighters in for service to be rebuilt. 
They were a MESS because of the coals.

Also,  make sure that wherever you're lighting the coals, 
you have a some sort of mat or extra carpeting to cover the main
carpet,  because those sparks as they burn-out will leave a black
mark on the surface of wherever you're lighting them. Such as in my
case,  my carpet looks black from all the coal-lighting I've been
doing.  So,  if you don't want to ruin your carpet,  may
I suggest that you light your coals somewhere where they won't stain or
burn any surfaces.

Other than that,  Golden Coals absolutely........ROCK!!! 

[Mathazar]

Oh,  I forgot,  check-out this website for THE coolest charcoal lighter on the PLANET:

www.ChefDepot.net/minitorch.htm?

I swear to GOD ALMIGHTY that the MESSERCHEFTORCH will ENLIGHTEN
you.  It will solve ALL your coal lighting problems.  It will
make your coals REDHOT literally within 20 to 40 seconds,  though
I usually go 40 seconds to get em' REALLY hot. 

Remember.....your coals should be REDHOT before putting them on the
bowl.  That doesn't neccessarily mean that the entire coal needs
to be REDHOT,  but the bottom of the coal should be lit-up pretty
good.

You can get HUGE Butane Can Refills for VERY cheap at this site. 
I suggest buying 5 cans of butane to start you off.  More if you
can afford it.  I bought 20 cans 6 months ago,  and I've got
12 cans left.  It lasts a LONG time,  because the Torch
minimizes the amount of butane neccessary to light the coal. 

The MESSERCHEFTORCH has a sliding level switch on the side which makes
it possible to set it from a small flame to a full 9" flame.

If you buy just ONE more thing for your Hookah,  please make it a MESSERCHEFTORCH.  It's the 1rst picture on the page.

YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS THING..........GUARANTEED!!! 

[wyteboy]

congrats mustang!!
I myself am one of the few on here that don't think there is really a difference at all between 3kings and goldens, only 3kings don't have any worry of exploding on you...actually smoking the 3kings I have tended to get more flavorful, thicker smoke than with the Goldens, but like I said, I am in the minority on this issue, I know!

[King Mo]

I own a mya acrylic base shisha.

Fantastic piece of kit, and with a very convenient carry case.

Best shisha I have ever used, and a piece of piss to clean (english for 'very easy')

Was interested in getting one of those stargate ones, but after reading about it, the mya sounds better made.

It's a great size too.

[vr4henry]

Hey Guys,Looking to pick up a new hookah for parties and I've been checking out the hookahhookah custom 4 port persians...The only part that concerns me is that I'm not sure I understand what the automatic port seal thing is...Does it make it so no one has to plug the hoses while another person smokes? As in, 1 person could smoke with all 4 hoses attached and unplugged? If so, it sounds pretty cool.Thanks,Henry