Hobohookah

[hookahlife]

I bought the Hobo for $29.99 (They were running a special for a few barebones pieces). I took it to a barbeque party on Labor Day and put it on a SoCo bottle. Since it literally came with nothing, I added a red wood hose by Mya to it (as this is the only one I have that screws on) and a traditional Egyptian clay bowl. I packed it with Havana Raspberry and threw on (2) 33mm Three King Charcoals. I also used a Mya charcoal tray as the hobo doesn't come with one either. It started smoking right away and lasted for a solid 2 hours.

I enjoyed the convenience of the hookah and the calm feeling it gave me (having a hookah at a large gathering makes me nervous sometimes; things tend to happen to the base, if you know what I mean).

The Few downsides:
1. only screw on hoses work (I guess this could also be a plus for a solid airtight seal),
2. downstem is too long making it difficult to put it on some bottles (They said they will come out with one that is 2" shorter, and replaceable),
3. There's no release valve (big turnoff for me).

Overall I'm satisfied with this hookah for its versatility, size, and easy cleaning. However for $59.99 there's just not enough stuff to warrant that price. If they throw in a nice "Mya" style carry case, mouthtips, shisha jars, and designed a charcoal tray and windscreen, I would be more willing to drop $60.

Score: 7.5/10 (no release valve, little hose option, too long of downstem)



-Eugene

[staygone]

I got the barebones hookah deal and brought it to my friends housewarming party. It was the perfect party scene, lots of poeple and lots of activity. I loaded on my egyptian bowl with Fumari blueberry and oddly enough, I found a gold mya ( I think, I'll post a video later on if anybody can idenify) hose port that would fit the hobohookah. Make sure it is the bigger one, I suggest going to the nearest hookah shop in town and try it out. The person working behind the counter actually found one that fit. I plugged in my Mya wasable hose and got to it with a 3 kings coal.

The "vase" that I used was a 1.75L Svedka bottle. The hobohookah's stem is very long, no worries about water splashing up and in the hose. The smoke was very thick and tasty, but I wouldn't expect less from Fumari though.

Every weekend I go to my friend's house. It's downtown near the UofM and the city is always hopping at night. There are alot of people who swing in and out, they also invite alot people too. The hobohookah is the perfect party hookah because:
1. It is portable
2. Set up is a sinch
3. It smokes great, as good or better than my SS. TONS more than the Witch.
4. If your vase breaks, grab one off the self and pop it on. (there collection is rediculous)

Now, what criticisms are there? Well, it may not look pretty to some people, I think it looks slick personally. The lack of a purge valve could be sucky, but I don't purge the hookah anyway. Also, it would just add to the "thickness" of the hobohookah stem. You don't get an ashtray, well I don't need one anyways. Build a crown to prevent unwanted spills. Anything else? I don't think so.

If you got a hose that screws off at the bottom or access to a gold mya hose port, I would highly suggest getting the barebones Hobohookah. If you need a hookah that you won't worry about breaking or need a totally transportable hookah, get one of these. If you party alot and need the perfect party hookah, get this. You won't regret ever breaking a hookah again.

For the guys who need a rating, it is a 10/10. Greta job hobodudes on making a sweet hookah. I love it.
-QM Edited September 13, 2007 by QuiltedMaple

[Teleute]

I got my barebones HoboHookah last week but waited to use until I could modify the hose I was going to use with it. Now, after a session last night, I am quite impressed.

Review setup
Hookah - Barebones HoboHookah on a Frangelico liqueur bottle
Bowl - Small Glass Funnel Bowl
Hose - Mya hose with Tygon tubing
Shisha - Starbuzz Caramel Macchiato
Coals - 2 and a quarter Japanese coals

Construction:
This thing seems very well made. Solid, sturdy parts and quite clean looking. A little simple but I think this is a good thing. Its like an IKEA hookah. I tested the seal after putting the stem on the bottle and it was perfect, no leakage. However, I have two issues with the construction. First, the space between the rubber sealer and the top part is not connected. This allows the top part to lean slightly under the weight of the hose. This is not to much of an issue but it kind of bugs me. I fixed it with electrical tape. The second issue is even more minor and that is the HoboHookah logo embossed on the rubber sealer. Also bugs me but it is easily forgivable as HoboHookah needs to get its name out.
One more issue that has been brought up is that the hose needs to be a screw-in one. This, I think, makes the hookah airtight. Secondly, a full hose end might make some bottles fall over from the weight of the end piece. I could be wrong but I do think the lack of an end-piece keeps the weight down and is necessary.

Trail:
After a quick set-up, I had this smoking thick and tasty. The bottle would shake if I pulled too hard but it was not much of an issue. A diffuser might help but not all bottles are going be wide enough to let it in. Still, smoke was going strong for about a half-hour and then started getting a little harsh. This was most likely due to my lazy heat management.
As the smoke was getting harsh, I attempted to vent the stale smoke out of the bottle after moving the coals. Unfortunately, I forgot that there is no purge valve on this hookah and got a bowl full of wet shisha and doused coals. After cleaning up, I started over and, with better heat management, I had a very good session.

Verdict:
I really like the HoboHookah but the lack if a purge valve is a real problem for me. I want to be lazy with my heat management. The two other issues are very insignificant. Still, if you have a screw-in-hose, a bowl and need a travel hookah, HoboHookah is definitely your Hookah.




[attachment=560:0913070001.jpg][attachment=561:0913070020.jpg] Edited September 14, 2007 by Teleute

[jerrysalem]

I ordered the full version of the hobo hookah last week right before Christmas. I am living in Europe and was wondering if it would make it here OK.

I got it one week later, and was glad to see it had a nice leather hose, and a stainless steel shaft. I've had a Syrian hookah I ordered from smokinghookah.com which was advertised as having a stainless steel shaft, and inside it was not stainless steel but was brass which retained bad odors and which was pretty impossible to get out the bad taste and I tried every way I could to get it out. I am replacing this with a Mya Gyro 2 hose based on the good reviews I've seen on our forum. Price no object as I intend to have this for a long time and on top of it being a top notch smoker it's also a top notch looker. Also I am never buying from Smoking Hookah again since they did not even bother to respond to my comments on what I consider incomplete advertising-being nice to them.

So...the experience...

For a small setup, it smoked like a dream. I put it onto a plastic liter sized bottle, with some ice and nahkla apple for tobacco.

It smoked sweet with barrels of smoke, much better than any smoke i had from the so called deluxe Syrian 30 inch model.

Though it cost 60 dollars it was worth every penny and more. I now have a very portable quality unit that I am proud to smoke inside my house and take anywhere i want.

On top of this, they sent it federal express to Europe, a great touch, arrived quickly and in perfect condition.

They even threw in a nice plastic bottle to take with me on outings.

For my money, worth every penny!

I give it a 9/10 only because a waste valve might have been nice, but, imho, not really needed.

Thanks Hobo Hookah! Edited January 15, 2008 by jerrysalem

[jerrysalem]

I didn't get the barebones, I got the whole skeleton. I personally like having it all come as a kit with it all fitting together right and the extra 30 dollars for me is not a bank breaker.

I agree with all the points about it, and it is one little gem of a buy, highly recommended. It smokes better than my 30 inch Syrian, lots of smoke, take it anywhere, great conversation piece. Professional people on the selling end with excellent customer service. I don't have any ties to the company, I am just in Europe and when I order something from the states that is as advertised and gets here quickly and is GOOD I think that makes it a 'dobry nakup' (good buy) as they say in Czech.

[thehelios]

So I got my hobonargile in today and eagerly set it up quite quick!

[img]http://hobohookah.com/blog/Fridayat6pmSavetheDate_E151/nargile_absoras.jpg[/img]

Setup:
Hobonargile stem
Small mod bowl (15g) using Nakhla Double Apple
Smirnoff 1.75 handle

Build:
Built really well. Doesn't feel as heavy duty as my Mya Mini stem but still feels sturdy. The addition of the purge valve is great and it fits the standard Mya adapter.
8/10

Smoking:
Smoke isn't as thick as a full size MZ but smokes just as well as my Mya Mini. Pulls decently but that is using the hose that came with it. I'll try to connect my Razan some time.
7/10

Overall: 7/10
It's a bit pricey for just a stem but is easily skipped over the fact that I can use nearly any bottle as a base. It isn't going to be my primary hookah but is for sure my new travel one. Not so much a must have but a great addition to my collection. Edited December 24, 2009 by thehelios