New To Hookah

[jerkbuttz]

Hey! I'm fairly new to the hookah. Smoked it several times now I plan on making my first hookah purchase!

I was wondering if any one can give me a few tips on where to purchase a hookah (websites), what type of coals should i use (preferably quick lighting coals), best brand of shisha, etc.

What's better, what's best. Quality.

I've been to local smoke shops & their products didn't appeal to me much. So, if you got any tips, suggestions, please help me out here! Thanks!

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

Hey! I'm fairly new to the hookah. Smoked it several times now I plan on making my first hookah purchase!

I was wondering if any one can give me a few tips on where to purchase a hookah (websites), what type of coals should i use (preferably quick lighting coals), best brand of shisha, etc.

What's better, what's best. Quality.

I've been to local smoke shops & their products didn't appeal to me much. So, if you got any tips, suggestions, please help me out here! Thanks!

welcome to the forum..before going further on this site i suggest taking a few minutes to read the rules..so that you can get the most out of your time here and not to break the forum rules by accident, secondly in my opinion the best place to buy form is http://www.hookahjohn.com/main.sc the guys name is john and hes a great guy to deal with..always willing to help you out and answer any questions you may have, far has shisha its really a taste thing..we all have different taste buds so you really have to try a little of a few different brands and flavors and see what you like, but the majority of shisha smokers really like brands like nakhla,al fakher,starbuzz,tangiers..those seem to be the main 4..by the way dont let price fool you, just cause it cost more doesnt mean its better, like nakhla usually goes for $5-$6 fo a 250g box and starbuzz usually goes for $20 for a 250g jar..but to be honest alot of people prefer nakhla over starbuzz not just cause its cheaper but because it actually does taste better..but what i suggests is to do what i did, buy a bunch of 50g tester packs and see what you like, then you can choose which brands and flavors to buy in the bigger boxes and jars...for coals im using quick lights has well..the 3 kings 33mm sizes..and people do say they stink..but i think its blown out of proportion..they really arnt that bad..and they only give off the smell for about 20-25 seconds and its done..they last me about 40 minutes..also for hookahs brands..id like to suggest going with a km....they are built like tanks and very beautiful..kinda like finding a woman who looks hot and can cook and clean..lol..but anyways...welcome to the forum...

[Nikon1323]

yea i agree with him about the coals but for a site www.hookah-shisha.com in my opinion is a great site for beginners...and yea what you want to order will be based on your price range so for your first order shop a few sites come back here and say how much you want to spend and ideas on what you want....

[sportsfan6216]

It really depends on what you are looking for. As far as sites.

www.hookahjohn.com
www.hookahcompany.com
www.hookah-shisha.com
www.mnhookah.com

There are others but those four for sure really won't treat you wrong.

As for hookah type. What are you looking for? How many do you normally smoke with? How much room do you have for it? (like are you in a door room or what?)

If you have the room and the funds i would say any KM that you like the looks of is the way to go. They all smoke identical for the most part so its just a matter of what looks best to you. I believe all 4 of the sites I listed carry them if not under a KM heading of its own then under Egyption Hookahs. All KM's are one hosed.

If you are looking for a smaller, cheaper but still well built hookah then a MYA is going to be the way to go. They are small chineese hookahs that many say smoke just as well as KM's (i can't say that i would say so as i haven't smoked one tho it is next on my list to get). The QT or Bambino are both solid small hookahs. The great thing about the Mya's is that you can buy an adapter to make them a 2 hose if you tend to smoke with more people that just like you and a couple frineds.

Shisha- I agree with NoB in that you just need to try different brands and flavors. Flavors I've found that you can't really go wrong with though.

Al Fakher Mint (tho some will say Nakhla Mizo mint is better)
Tangiers Orange Soda (although Tangiers requires quite a bit of work to make it smoke right so i would recommend Lucid Tangiers for a while since your new)
Starbuzz Tangerine Dream.

But just try things that sound good. just buy 50's of them that way if they turn out being different than you thought you aren't out a bunch of money on a crap flavor.

As far as quicklights go I don't really use them so i would just be going off of what other people say. Read the reviews section of the forum. It should help a bunch.

Hope that helps a bit and welcome to the forum.... There is a lot to learn here so I hope you stick around.

[jerkbuttz]

Wow! Thanks for all the information! It'll definitely help.

As for hookah type, it doesn't really matter. I'm don't want to go too cheap. Just trying to find the best quality. I'd like to spend less than $100. I'm also looking for something around 30" or so. I've visit some of the sites and found some interesting KM hookahs.

One hose will do for me. I intend to smoke with a small amount of people.

Type of room I'll be smoking in will mostly take place in my downstairs den which is quite large. Or during the summer time on my deck. I don't know if that matters much?

I'll definitely go with different shisha brands at 50g.

My friend had first introduced me to the hookah & I fell in love with it immediately! I learned how to blow "O"s and I don't even smoke anything else! I do believe he used THREE KINGS. & they worked just fine. Then again, I don't know what's good & what's not. Though I've read a couple postings that others recommended CoCo Naras. Have any of you tried them? If so, what do you think of them compared to THREE KINGS?

Also, for the little things that may make a difference..

Should I buy a seperate hose that comes with the hookah? I've read that some come with leather hoses & that you CANT wash it because it's leather?

Do you prefer foil or metal screens? Why?

Thanks alot!

[joytron]

yeah 3 kings work fine, i prefer cocos or the hookah johns chron insta light coals.

I would also suggest foil, screens really jsut wind up being a hassle.


Pick the KM, I have an ice that i really enjoy but find myself smoking the mya bambino more often. But if you want a 30" go with the km



good luck there are some really learned people on this sight that will get you smokin right in no time.

[Victim026]

Wow! Thanks for all the information! It'll definitely help.

As for hookah type, it doesn't really matter. I'm don't want to go too cheap. Just trying to find the best quality. I'd like to spend less than $100. I'm also looking for something around 30" or so. I've visit some of the sites and found some interesting KM hookahs.

One hose will do for me. I intend to smoke with a small amount of people.

Type of room I'll be smoking in will mostly take place in my downstairs den which is quite large. Or during the summer time on my deck. I don't know if that matters much?

I'll definitely go with different shisha brands at 50g.

My friend had first introduced me to the hookah & I fell in love with it immediately! I learned how to blow "O"s and I don't even smoke anything else! I do believe he used THREE KINGS. & they worked just fine. Then again, I don't know what's good & what's not. Though I've read a couple postings that others recommended CoCo Naras. Have any of you tried them? If so, what do you think of them compared to THREE KINGS?

Also, for the little things that may make a difference..

Should I buy a seperate hose that comes with the hookah? I've read that some come with leather hoses & that you CANT wash it because it's leather?

Do you prefer foil or metal screens? Why?

Thanks alot!

Seems like your headed in the right direction so far. As for the coconaras they will blow those 3 Kings out of the water taste wise, but if your dead set on quicklights the HookahJohn Coconut Quick Lights are outstanding and alot of people think they are the best quicklights on the market. Also never wash any hose unless it's a Nammor/Razan/Grand Washable, those are the ONLY hoses on the market that are washable no matter what a hose says. Most KM hoses will be more then sufficent for you while you get started, just blow it out at the end of the session and you should be good to go. One good investment would be a phunnel bowl though, that will greatly enhance your smoking experience.

[Cerritus]

For a hookah in your price range I'd suggest a MYA Bambino or QT. They're a bit small though so you may want to go with a bigger MYA. A MYA acrylic is a good bet for a beginner since it's nearly impossible to break and smokes like a champ. Also, a KM or an MZ would do well, but they're around $80 for a basic one.

For shisha I'd suggest trying Nakhla flavors mostly. They give great smoke and are nearly impossible to screw up packing or to burn.

3 Kings coals are perfectly fine, I used them for years when I started smoking hookah. Just be sure they're fully lit before you put them on so you don't get a taste.

Finally, stick to foil. It seals much better than a screen and is a lot cheaper. Just be sure to use 2 layers if you get cheap thin foil so it doesn't burn.

Welcome to the forum! There's tons of help to be found here and someone will almost always be able to answer any questions you have.

[ElijahSing]

Okay, well.. I use Coco Nara's and Hookah Johns Chronic Natural coals (Which are really similar to coco's) I think they are much better than Quick Lights because for one, they don't have that aweful smell and they dont interfere with the shisha's taste. they seem to last longer and burn better. The only difference is that you will need to use a coil burner or a mini torch to light them, But it is definitely worth it.

I have tried the metal screens but I think that foil works much better. you have to test and develop your own packing and hole pattern before you will get it right, but the shisha gets better heat with foil in my opinion. I assume you would have to use more coals if you use a metal screen, and also if you use a windcover that would make a difference as well..

Basically we all have a different preference, you kinda just try stuff out until you find what you like, and from there on out, you are good to go.

Welcome to the community, always feel free to ask quesitons, its how we all learned

=]

-Elijah

[JDHarding]

There's one other washable hose out there. It's that cheap black plastic one on hookah-shisha.com that says it's "washable". It has cheap hose ends too. Thin plastic, most likely easily breakable. If you go that route, just go to a hardware store and buy some flexible plastic tubing..

[ebarnes02]

There's one other washable hose out there. It's that cheap black plastic one on hookah-shisha.com that says it's "washable". It has cheap hose ends too. Thin plastic, most likely easily breakable. If you go that route, just go to a hardware store and buy some flexible plastic tubing..

I've had a couple, they really are not worth it in my opinion. I mean they are cheap, but thats the thing. They are cheap. I haven't had one long enough to really even wash it, because they constantly get holes in them and become useless.

[AKammenzind]

There's one other washable hose out there. It's that cheap black plastic one on hookah-shisha.com that says it's "washable". It has cheap hose ends too. Thin plastic, most likely easily breakable. If you go that route, just go to a hardware store and buy some flexible plastic tubing..

I've had a couple, they really are not worth it in my opinion. I mean they are cheap, but thats the thing. They are cheap. I haven't had one long enough to really even wash it, because they constantly get holes in them and become useless.

Some of my friends have bought identical hoses from a smoke shop on their campus... they're nice little hoses really. And as for the holes... tape really isn't expensive or terribly difficult to apply

[ebarnes02]

There's one other washable hose out there. It's that cheap black plastic one on hookah-shisha.com that says it's "washable". It has cheap hose ends too. Thin plastic, most likely easily breakable. If you go that route, just go to a hardware store and buy some flexible plastic tubing..

I've had a couple, they really are not worth it in my opinion. I mean they are cheap, but thats the thing. They are cheap. I haven't had one long enough to really even wash it, because they constantly get holes in them and become useless.

Some of my friends have bought identical hoses from a smoke shop on their campus... they're nice little hoses really. And as for the holes... tape really isn't expensive or terribly difficult to apply

what is this tape you speak of ?

[delSol_si]

I have noticed that there is a thread almost identical to this one nearly every few days. It is kinda nice knowing more people are getting into hookah. It makes me sad when I see people selling theirs off and quitting.

[mitchard]

There are a couple good shops on Everett Mall Way. For tobacco at least.

Smoke Plus (Corner of Ev. Mall Way and 7th by La Hacienda) has a good selection of Al Fakher, and they also sell Cocoraras.

There is a little shop in the strip mall behind there called "Riad's World Treasures" or something like that. They sell lots of Nakhla.

Neither really had a great selection of quality hookahs though. Your best bet it to go online for one.