New To Hookah, Looking To Buy. But Theres Soo Many Options!

[Kobalt13]

Greetings to everyone. Ive been reading this forum for a few weeks now, and I have learned so much about hookahs, and setting them up. I just recently discovered the joys of hookah, and am now looking into getting my own. I am looking at the Mya QT, the Scarab from Hookah-Shisha, and the Orion from social smoke. Ive read both good and bad about all these hookahs, and I just cant come to adecision. I need something that I can transport fairly easily, but the QT seems a bit too small perhaps. Can anyone comment on the quality among these three?

Also, social smoke has the Orion labeled as an MZ, but MZ does not list this model on their website. Is there a reason for that?


Thanks in advance, and thanks already for all the info Ive gotten from reading the posts in this forum.

[Stuie]

QT is amazing I have been smoking out of it for a week now solid! It's the smoothest smoke for a small hookah. The Bambino can hit but the QT is just pure silk.

Scarab is pretty nice, I have a Pharaoh, and the scarab is a miniature version of it. I have smoke out of it. It's pretty solid. But it comes with a bag so you still have to be careful when transporting.

The Orion is an MZ which are great Pipes.

Personally I would get the QT, I love mine, but I think any of the 3 would be good choices.

[Kobalt13]

Yeah, the QT has such a loyal following I figured it has to be good. But I keep hearing about broken bases and that smaller hookahs produce warmer smoke.

Does anyone know the difference between the MZs on social smoke and the MZs listed on the MZ site and on the gothookah site?

[steeeeeeve]

i have to say i recently changed to a QT after several years on unbranded egyptians and wow the QT is amazing, ive never had a problem with warm smoke and while the base is thin it is REAL solid, the thing is very difficult to knock over and has a fair weight to it

the cage it comes with instead of a bag is a plus for sure it is very good for transporting

steve

[chinamon]

i own a Mya QT and a Social Smoke Gemini 1-hose (known as Magdy Zidan Safari MZ S) but i definitely prefer smoking from the MZ.
the difference between the MZ's on SocialSmoke and on the MZ website is the name. you just have to compare the pictures to find the one that matches. Social Smoke renames their MZ hookahs.

[Kobalt13]

Alright, its good to know its just in the name, I was worried they were fake MZs or something. Why do you prefer smoking with your gemini more than your QT?

[chinamon]

Alright, its good to know its just in the name, I was worried they were fake MZs or something. Why do you prefer smoking with your gemini more than your QT?

i dunno... just something about the traditional look i guess...
they both smoke the same in terms of moving air/smoke through the stem...
one downside about the qt is the ash tray not mounted securely to the stem so it does shift...

edit: another down side with the qt is it doesnt make the bubbly sounds as well as the MZ. my qt is nearly quiet during a smoking session. Edited September 8, 2008 by chinamon

[Kobalt13]

Hmmmm, ok. Im a big fan of the nice bubbly noise as well. And if its between the scarab and the gemini, I was thinking the scarab might be better because hookah-shisha includes a free carrying bag (9$ at SS) and has free shipping and the forum discount (although I dont know if you can use both).

[mattarios2]

Hmmmm, ok. Im a big fan of the nice bubbly noise as well. And if its between the scarab and the gemini, I was thinking the scarab might be better because hookah-shisha includes a free carrying bag (9$ at SS) and has free shipping and the forum discount (although I dont know if you can use both).

nah you can't use both, you are talking about the coupon they offer right now for free shipping? if you are then yeah you have to pick 1 or the other.

[AntiGravity]

Alright, its good to know its just in the name, I was worried they were fake MZs or something. Why do you prefer smoking with your gemini more than your QT?

i dunno... just something about the traditional look i guess...
they both smoke the same in terms of moving air/smoke through the stem...
one downside about the qt is the ash tray not mounted securely to the stem so it does shift...

edit: another down side with the qt is it doesnt make the bubbly sounds as well as the MZ. my qt is nearly quiet during a smoking session.

My friend bought a Mya QT 2 weeks ago. Man that thing is really awesome
Yea, the whole tray thing is true, it moves around quite a bit. Also the rubber grommet is exposed slightly, so any hot ash on it could potentially melt it a bit. Not worried about that too much though.

That's interesting that your QT doesn't make the bubbly sounds that well. My friends has deep, loud bubbly/gurgling noises. It's really pleasant

So in short, my vote goes down for the QT. I know I'll probably be getting that as my next hookah purchase

[chinamon]

My friend bought a Mya QT 2 weeks ago. Man that thing is really awesome
Yea, the whole tray thing is true, it moves around quite a bit. Also the rubber grommet is exposed slightly, so any hot ash on it could potentially melt it a bit. Not worried about that too much though.

That's interesting that your QT doesn't make the bubbly sounds that well. My friends has deep, loud bubbly/gurgling noises. It's really pleasant

So in short, my vote goes down for the QT. I know I'll probably be getting that as my next hookah purchase

the bubbly sound from my qt is definitely low but not loud. it sounds so much better from my MZ.
the thing i hate about the mya grommets is if you are smoking really wet shisha with a regular bowl (non-phunnel) then all the juices gets all over the grommet and the bowl starts tipping over cuz its not gripping the stem properly.

[steeeeeeve]

yep i changed my bowl grommet from the off:)

[mattarios2]

My friend bought a Mya QT 2 weeks ago. Man that thing is really awesome
Yea, the whole tray thing is true, it moves around quite a bit. Also the rubber grommet is exposed slightly, so any hot ash on it could potentially melt it a bit. Not worried about that too much though.

That's interesting that your QT doesn't make the bubbly sounds that well. My friends has deep, loud bubbly/gurgling noises. It's really pleasant

So in short, my vote goes down for the QT. I know I'll probably be getting that as my next hookah purchase

the bubbly sound from my qt is definitely low but not loud. it sounds so much better from my MZ.
the thing i hate about the mya grommets is if you are smoking really wet shisha with a regular bowl (non-phunnel) then all the juices gets all over the grommet and the bowl starts tipping over cuz its not gripping the stem properly.

yeah I know what you are saying, that happened to me back when I had myas. Try flipping the grommet inside out, I realized one day that I had mine backwards and the inside had little marks in it so it wouldn't do that. If both sides are smooth then try cutting it up a bit or wrap it in something to help it stop from sliding maybe?

[Kobalt13]

Well thats sad to hear they wont take both coupons, but the prices are still really good. This is a really hard decision. Everyone Ive talked to likes the looks of the egyptians more, and Im thinking that sharing the mya between 3-4 people might not work to well due to its size. And in case it has any effect on the decision, I dont plan on doing too much solo smoking, mostly with a few friends.

[AntiGravity]

Well thats sad to hear they wont take both coupons, but the prices are still really good. This is a really hard decision. Everyone Ive talked to likes the looks of the egyptians more, and Im thinking that sharing the mya between 3-4 people might not work to well due to its size. And in case it has any effect on the decision, I dont plan on doing too much solo smoking, mostly with a few friends.

I'm not going to lie, the Egyptians look so much more beautiful in my opinion.

I've heard around here that multi hosed hookahs aren't the greatest thing in the world.
My friends and I only smoke together, yet 3 of us own our own single hosed hookahs. But we all share with each other because it's a social event for us.
My friend's single hosed Mya still works great for 3 to 4 of us smoking. It's a nice sized bowl, so it lasts quite a while.

As far as functionality, portability, and overall smokability, the Mya is definitely one of the better smaller sized hookahs.
You have to start somewhere, might as well learn on something pretty decent than to get a larger more "advanced" smoking hookah and not know how to use it.

[Kobalt13]

Well, Ive set up my friends hookahs before, and they are fairly large and i can get them going pretty welll. So I think I will be able to use a smaller egyptian. Does anyone actually own the scarab?

EDIT: Actually, I realized the Gemini from SS is 2 inches shorter which might be a better size for me and is 7 dollars cheaper, is it basically the same pipe as the Orion? Edited September 9, 2008 by Kobalt13

[Kobalt13]

Alright, well because of its looks and good reviews and the fact that its a MZ, I think Im going with the Gemini, unless theres a big reason why the scarab or QT would fulfill my needs better. And does SS still have the forum discount, or is there another site to get the gemini that gives the forum discount?

[Stuie]

Nice Choice. You wont' be disappointed.

hookahforum – 15% Off (Any Order)

[Kobalt13]

Wow, am I indecisive

Someone said the Gemini and Safari are the same MZ hookahs, and gH? has the safari for 32$, is there any reason I shouldnt go for that since its cheaper but of the same quality?

[Kobalt13]

Alright, well the deed is done and Ive ordered the gemini from SS with a carrying bag. Ill be sure to give it a thorough review when it comes. This is really exciting, I cant wait to be smoking out of it