Quick Lites Vs Regular Coals

[newjacksm]

Can anyone give me Pros and Cons of each one. I use quick lites right now and personally I like them but once my quick lites go out usually thats the end of my hookah I dont usually put on another coal and then when I take the foil off I see that only the top is burned and the bottom is still good to go

( really want a funnel bowl by the way )

How ever I dont have a blow torch or a electric heater, and even if i got a burner i have read only on one brand the coconoras that it still could take up to 10 min just to heat up one charcoal which personally I wouldnt like.

I dont like how fast quick lites run out, but I do like how natural coals have that extra umph and last a little longer.

[mattathayde]

qls are that quick lights but they burn out fast. the naturals burn much longer and if you get a coil burner and toss them on that as you start to set stuff up by the time the bowl is packed and hookah assembled they are good to go. i tried using a torch at first but i grabbed a 10 buck coil burner and it uber easier

the big names right now are exoticas and cocnaras because they are square and consistent size, i got both and the naras take longer to light but have much less ash

it does take more time but the amount of time i would put into getting a QL going its about equal for the amount of smoking (i would get the bottom of teh QL going really really well, just not let it spark over

another plus is space, you get much more smoke time for the space taken up in you supplies, also you get better heat management because you usually use more than 1 piece and the heat gets distributed

i would suggest you give them a try, if you dont like them there are plenty of people that will buy them off you
-matt

[Oneeyedziggy]

i'm still pretty new at this, but i've smoked both quicklights and some of the stove burner lit japanese silver coals, and i would suggest never using quicklights, ever. quicklights not only give off a lighter fluid smell/taste, but from what i've heard tend to burn the shisha more, and with the round/domed bottoms, they just seem like a less efficient/even way to heat your shisha compared to any of the flat bottom/square coals. as as far as pros, i'd say the only pros are price and ease of use(which i think are unimportant compared to quality and flavor of smoke).

I just ordered some coco naras, so i'll let you know how that goes.


edit: ive heard exoticas are good, but the consistancy isn't reliable, this is all hearsay, but there's a post here by a guy who ordered 3-4 boxes before getting a usable one... not from h-s though. he did say that coconara re-imbursed him for the one bad shipment he got of those, even though they were from another vendor... may be an isolated story, but i just hear so many good things about coconara that i went with them. Edited August 10, 2008 by Oneeyedziggy

[mattathayde]

i'm still pretty new at this, but i've smoked both quicklights and some of the stove burner lit japanese silver coals, and i would suggest never using quicklights, ever. quicklights not only give off a lighter fluid smell/taste, but from what i've heard tend to burn the shisha more, and with the round/domed bottoms, they just seem like a less efficient/even way to heat your shisha compared to any of the flat bottom/square coals. as as far as pros, i'd say the only pros are price and ease of use(which i think are unimportant compared to quality and flavor of smoke).

I just ordered some coco naras, so i'll let you know how that goes.


edit: ive heard exoticas are good, but the consistancy isn't reliable, this is all hearsay, but there's a post here by a guy who ordered 3-4 boxes before getting a usable one... not from h-s though. he did say that coconara re-imbursed him for the one bad shipment he got of those, even though they were from another vendor... may be an isolated story, but i just hear so many good things about coconara that i went with them.

AFAIK it was just a bad run of exoticas and now all are fine. the box i opened seems fine to me but it is my first box of them but they are basically what i expected.

the dome in the bottom is to keep the coal lit and keep the heat there so you dont have to flip like naturals, since the bottom usually turns a little black on the nats from cooling off/getting put out

-matt

[SimplexCoda]

OK Pros and cons of each:

Quick Lights: Pros: They light in a few seconds Cons: They taste like crap, they last about as long as it takes to might them

Naturals: Pros: Burn clean, leave little to no taste, as much less than quick lights Cons: They take a little bit longer to light.

Ok so people say they might take 10 minutes to light, is that really that long? You do have to set up the hookah before you can smoke anyway. I always just put my coals on when just when i start to put the hookah together and when the hookah is ready, the coals are ready. Think about the people who used to set up hookahs back in the day. They prolly had to go out side, go through the wood pile, find a dececent piece, start a fire to light it, then set up the rest of the hookah.

As for you lighting them and not having an electric coil or a torch. If you dont have an electric coil that means you prolly have a gas stove, unless you live in a dorm. But right now i will assume you have a gas stove. You can light them on a gas stove. It is an open flame after all. I say naturals are the way to go. The pros highly outweigh the cons in my eyes. But thats all my personal opinions. Maybe that will help you out some.

[mattathayde]

^^ you forgot the flat tops, that end up being a pita to use to like... if you dont crack it

-matt

[Anxiety]

ya i don't get why people say naturals are annoying b/c they take long to heat up. the first thin g i do is throw my coals on the burner then start to set up my hookah, by the time the bowl is packed and everything is set up the coals are done and it's happy smoking

[newjacksm]

Can some one direct me to a good burner? I really want to try natural coals.


Oh and I know this is off topic I want a funnel bowl not the MNH Glass one too expensive. I cant seem to find one in stock anywhere online, if anyone is selling one here or knows of a place (reliable place) online that has them in stock a (small) pm me please! Edited August 10, 2008 by newjacksm

[mattathayde]

Can some one direct me to a good burner? I really want to try natural coals.


Oh and I know this is off topic I want a funnel bowl not the MNH Glass one too expensive. I cant seem to find one in stock anywhere online, if anyone is selling one here or knows of a place (reliable place) online that has them in stock a (small) pm me please!

hookah shisha has the funnels in all sizes (at least they did a week ago), they are doing much better now at getting stuff out supposedly after the move

for the burner look at walgreens, 10.49 usd after tax here in VA

-matt

[Codename067]

Only Natural for me. Quicklites are used ONLY when starting natural coals is not convenient.

[newjacksm]

EDIT:: when you say torch you mean blow torch and not the 3 flame torch? Edited August 10, 2008 by newjacksm

[mattathayde]

EDIT:: when you say torch you mean blow torch and not the 3 flame torch?

torch is a blow torch that runs off of propane( dark green short bottle or light blue bottle) or mapp gass (mapp burns hotter, yellow bottle)

benzomatic makes a really really good torch at least for use in soldering and sweating pipe. only issue i had with using a torch is it seemed to heat the coals up almost to fast because they seemed to develop cracks and it seemed to burn off the out side and not get the inside going as quick.

i had planned to just stick with the torch but it is more of a pain that a coil burner, only advantage is that you dont need a plug and its a little faster. but if you leave the coals in like a carrier or something of the like the metal will rust very easily just from the heat, i washed mine after i used it the first time and forgot to dry it well right away and it was rusted in an hour (washed out pretty well but still)

-matt

[roadie]

EDIT:: when you say torch you mean blow torch and not the 3 flame torch?

torch is a blow torch that runs off of propane( dark green short bottle or light blue bottle) or mapp gass (mapp burns hotter, yellow bottle)

benzomatic makes a really really good torch at least for use in soldering and sweating pipe. only issue i had with using a torch is it seemed to heat the coals up almost to fast because they seemed to develop cracks and it seemed to burn off the out side and not get the inside going as quick.

i had planned to just stick with the torch but it is more of a pain that a coil burner, only advantage is that you dont need a plug and its a little faster. but if you leave the coals in like a carrier or something of the like the metal will rust very easily just from the heat, i washed mine after i used it the first time and forgot to dry it well right away and it was rusted in an hour (washed out pretty well but still)

-matt

Here's a great portable one for coals. I got one free with a cigar order, but they are a bit pricey.

http://www.famous-smoke.com/cigars/search/....cfm/inum/24423

[mattathayde]

uber pricey

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp...p;id=prod350527 is the one i got, it has a rebate to make it 6 bucks but im kind of confused and to lazy as to how to get the rebate, takes a min to get hot but once it does its HOT

-matt

[Doubon]

QL's impart a foul taste on your shisha. You should use them only when you smoke away from home.

[Bulldog_916]

QLs like Goldens or 3 Kings are not that bad, but naturals are far better. I would go with exoticas because you can customize the size to whatever you want. They are a great coal and all the hearsay is ancient news. I have to cut the coconaras anyway because when smoking tangiers they put off a lot of heat. From now on it's gonna be exoticas or the coconut ones from hookah company for me. Whatever I decide to get I know I'm good to go.

[Stuie]

I am throw Coco's on the burner, then start setup.

This is the burner I use:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp...p;id=prod350527

Cost 10 bucks and i think they still have a $5 mail in rebate, This 1000 Watt burner heats my cocos faster than my actually stove burner. After buying this I set up the hookah, throw on the coals and setup the bowl.

Flip Coco's about half way through. Even on a weak burner it should take about 8 minutes.

[newjacksm]

with the coals do you just stick it right on the burner or do you have a pan or foil of some sort on there? sorry for all the questions im just very interested.

When I get my MYA Paragon/Blizzard I want to use natural coals. Right now I have a Junior Hookah.

[SomeSmokerInCO]

My burner broke and had to resort to make coal somehow. Found an old toaster oven in the kitchen and tested it out. Works perfectly

http://www.blackanddeckerappliances.com/dy...176/TRO5800.jpg

something like that one

[ComradeTwitch]

If you setup a hookah perfectly and use QL's, then it shouldn't ruin the flavor of it. What can ruin the flavor while using QL's are overpacking the bowl, lighting a coal while it's on top of the bowl, and/or putting a coal on a bowl right after it's done sparkling or lighting up.

I've used regular coals as well and they are good, but what gets me is the waiting time to light up the coal like what others said. If I do need to use more coals with QL's I can easily cut one coal in half and use an already lit coal to start that coal, which you can't do with naturals.

What coals you use are up to you. They both serve their purpose, BUT MAKE SURE you get a reliable brand. Not all brands of coals are the same. Since I use QL's, try using 3 Kings, Starlights, or Golden if you are gonna get QL's.

[ryno]

with the coals do you just stick it right on the burner or do you have a pan or foil of some sort on there? sorry for all the questions im just very interested.

When I get my MYA Paragon/Blizzard I want to use natural coals. Right now I have a Junior Hookah.

I stick the coals right on the burner and never have problems with it.

[Gift3d]

Mostly people say that QL's don't last long and leave a taste... these people are either using crappy QL's, or just plain doing it wrong.

The only way i'd get a taste from QL's if it i put it on the foil as soon as it's done sparking. I always blow on it or hold it in front of a fan until it's 100% red all around, so it's sure to not leave a taste in the smoke. Also while using Three Kings 40mm QL's i get about an hour and 15 minute smoke from my egyptian bowl. It's smelly while they spark though.

If i wanted it to last more than 75 minutes i'd do just as you'd do with natural coals... put another one on. Maybe a half. Elitism is like the plague on this forum, but the one and only difference i find with naturals and QL's are price. I've used both, and i've found QL's to be quicker, easier, and cheaper if you do it right.

[mattathayde]

Mostly people say that QL's don't last long and leave a taste... these people are either using crappy QL's, or just plain doing it wrong.

The only way i'd get a taste from QL's if it i put it on the foil as soon as it's done sparking. I always blow on it or hold it in front of a fan until it's 100% red all around, so it's sure to not leave a taste in the smoke. Also while using Three Kings 40mm QL's i get about an hour and 15 minute smoke from my egyptian bowl. It's smelly while they spark though.

If i wanted it to last more than 75 minutes i'd do just as you'd do with natural coals... put another one on. Maybe a half. Elitism is like the plague on this forum, but the one and only difference i find with naturals and QL's are price. I've used both, and i've found QL's to be quicker, easier, and cheaper if you do it right.

while i dont notice a huge difference in taste form the 2 all the QLs ive used dont seem to last as long, maybe not the 25 vs 45 but i do see a marked difference

-matt

[newjacksm]

if I have a toaster oven can I use this. I think my mom has an old toaster oven in the garage that goes up to 450F. I was thinking put the rack as low as possible and put some tin foil on it and should work?

[mattathayde]

if I have a toaster oven can I use this. I think my mom has an old toaster oven in the garage that goes up to 450F. I was thinking put the rack as low as possible and put some tin foil on it and should work?

i probably will work but it will probably take a long time.

honestly i tried to figure out all sorts of ways with stuff i had to do it but in the long run the cheap burner is really what you need,

-matt