Words Of Wisdom

[Bashi-Mex]

The first time I ever smoked hookah was at a welcome back party for my one of my friends. At first I thought it was just a bong sitting in the center of a table but the sweet smell of the smoke said otherwise. I took a long deep hit and couldn't help but crack a smile. The taste was exellent, smooth, and the smoke that came billowing out of my nostrils was thick and fragrant. Then a light buzz followed. I was hooked! For the rest of the night I was connected to the hose and thus began my love affair with the Narghile.

Story over. The reason I'm posting this thread is that I've finally decided to buy my own Hookah and I wanted some advice on what to look for in terms of quality. I'm open to all suggestions but please don't suggest 'my first hookah' type products. Im' not a first timer looking for a small, inexpensive pipe to smoke alone. I'm looking for something that I can proudly call my own, something that is functional and aesthetically pleasing. Please share your knowledge.

[Victim026]

You'll get varying opinions across the forum as to the best hookahs and I'll give an overview of some great ones.

1)Khalil Mamoun from Hookah Company(Or various other places through the forum)-- Highly regarded as some of the nicest handmade Egyptian pipes that don't break the bank. Personally I've got 2 that are in my top 5 hookahs. They look great, smoke great, aren't expensive.

2)Al Fakher Hookahs directly from AF-- They only sell 2 hookahs but there extremely well made and are definetly the most aesthetically pleasing out of the pipes I'll list. Only downfall to these is that they tend to have a downpipe that's a bit short for most people and alot of members have resorted to fashioning an extra length of pipe to help the downstem problem.

3) Mya Hookahs(Available almost everywhere)-- Chinese mass produced hookahs that are modern and nontraditional in styling. If you go this route make sure to spend a little extra money to ensure you get one of the higher end pipes. These smoke great, but not as well as a good ol' Egyptian handmade piece.

4) Social Smoke Hookahs (Socialsmoke.com)-- These are some of my personal favorites and between these and the KM's I couldn't ask for anything more from a hookah. Only downside to SS is that they've had stock shortages for the past few months and I'm not quite sure when stuff will start returning to be in stock.

[gaia.plateau]

Don't settle. There are dozens of hookahs comparable in quality with various advantages and disadvantages... find the one that's just right for you.

Edit: And welcome to the forums! Edited December 18, 2007 by gaia.plateau

[thecoalition]

check out the reviews section as well. i personally have 4 hookahs all from different vendors and im only truly disappointed with 1 because it had some shitty welds but i fixed it with epoxy.

if cost is no problem then i think alot of people would agree that medusepipes.com is the way to roll like a baller.

if youre more on a budget like most of us, mya pipes are affordable and one of the best.
alot also look for stargate hookahs because of the more "hip" modern look. (taqseem.com)

[Cybersist]

My first hookah was a mini pumpkin. It was cheap, simple, and for the most part durable, but I was soon to overpower it. I now have a Stargate and I think that it is not a hookah for the first-timers. I do not own a KM or Mya, but have smoked from them and was very pleased.

[Bashi-Mex]

Thank you all for the advice, you've made me feel very welcome. Any opinions on custom made Hookahs? How about Sahara Smoke Co. Hookahs? I'm a little torn between settling for a ready to smoke mya or customizing my own Egyptian piece.

[thecoalition]

ive heard good things about sahara smoke, but the only custom i have made was for my gf and it was from hookah hookah. i will say I would NEVER do that again. The first stem that came was wrong and the second one came broken. The stem feels like its made from cheap aluminum. At least with myas and the like you know you are getting a quality product.
I would say to invest in something that is known for quality then experiment with custom hookahs

[leadpipecinch21]

hey man, welcome to the forum.

most of the posts have basically said what i was going to say, so i don't have much to add on that front, just a couple words of advice. look around...look in the vendor reviews section to find a good list of vendors, and look all around their sites, look at all the hookahs, find ones that you think look particularly nice and are in your price range, then come on back here and post up some links. If people own the pipe or something similar they'll be able to tell you about quality, construction, etc, and you'll be sure you're getting a good pipe.

and just a cautionary word. READ VENDOR REVIEWS. i've seen too many threads from people talking about how they've gotten hosed(lol) from some vendors. For instance, genuinehookahs tends to have the best prices, but god damn are they shady folks(some people waiting up to a month without their product and no contact!)

best of luck in the hookah world, my friend. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay.

[likespaceships]

ive been looking at these for my next pipe.


http://hookahcompany.com/tri_metal_khalil_...n_2248_prd1.htm

most likely going for the trimetal

That trimetal is nice.

[ZenSilk]

A Mya. That's the perfect starter hookah. Why? Here we go.

1) Perfect construction, everything fits together so well.
2) Durable and thick stem, won't rust.
3) Looks great, impress your friends with your hookah that is better than the one at the party.
4) Smokes great.
5) Easy to customize. Most Mya stems come with extra threaded hose ports so you can add on hose port adapters as you need them, or take them off if you don't.
6) Auto-Seal.

[Bashi-Mex]

The Egyptian pieces from Hookah-Shisha really caught my eye, however the vase selection wasn't all that great. I will probably end up ordering the aforementioned Mya, due in large part to the auto seal and extra goods that come with it(the hard case is a plus, since my hookah will spend most of it's time in traveling). Again, your advice has been instrumental to my decision.

Now if I could ask one more thing....Coal preference.

I've stalked the Shisha reviews and already have my favorites. But there is next to nothing on coal preference.

[ZenSilk]

Haa no dude don't get oen of those.

[Victim026]

Ok, the hot thing with coals right now are Exotica's and I'll stand by them as easily being the best coal I've ever used. Followed closely behind by the silver coated japanese or chinese easy lites. I avoid quicklites like the plague unless in a serious bind as they impart way to much coal flavor into the session.

[Bashi-Mex]

Haa no dude don't get oen of those.

Don't worry, I went for the Mya.

[Bashi-Mex]

Ok, the hot thing with coals right now are Exotica's and I'll stand by them as easily being the best coal I've ever used. Followed closely behind by the silver coated japanese or chinese easy lites. I avoid quicklites like the plague unless in a serious bind as they impart way to much coal flavor into the session.

Had a bad session once with the silver Japs. It was the harsh coal aftertaste that ruined the sheesha. Coupled with the drinks I had the next morning was awful. Hungover with a coal aftertaste in my mouth. The smell makes me sick to this day. But I'll give the exoticas a try. Thanks.

[Victim026]

You won't be dissappointed with the Exoticas, as for the Jap Easy Lites there kinda hit or miss... There's like 20 different versions of them and I've only had good luck with 2 of the 10 or so of those brands I've tried. Maybe you got one of the bad ones

[ZenSilk]

Exoticas or Golden QL's. NO Jap coals, they just aren't that good.

[lonasindi]

You won't be dissappointed with the Exoticas, as for the Jap Easy Lites there kinda hit or miss... There's like 20 different versions of them and I've only had good luck with 2 of the 10 or so of those brands I've tried. Maybe you got one of the bad ones

I've got the japanese coals that HS sells and I'm pretty pleased with them. There's kind of an odd smell (not BAD, just odd) when lighting them, but they don't impart any noticeable flavor to the smoke and last reasonably long.