29inch Km Trimetal 3 Hose

[Showtime07]

I just got my KM 3 hose trimetal in the mail today! It was 159, free shipping.

I tried posting at the review section of the forum but it said I was not allowed to. SO Here we go.

The KM came with grommets, hose plugs and 1 KM hose. The vase sits wobbly and the stem grommet did not fit the vase, thehookah.com put electrical tape around the grommet so it would fit snug, weird.

The tongs were tiny, and frankly, a joke. I got 3 free flavors, cherry/strawberry/mango. For the free coals i got, I received a new natural coal product, and its pretty good.

For the first session I had by myself, it was terrible. Ghosting left and right. I did as much as I could to seal all ports and leaks, but it still seemed to ghost. Terrible session, I thought i had made a mistake! Later i had another session with my friend, MUCH better. More testing to be done in the future.

The overall appearance is very nice, I just wish i had bought a bigger one. The bowl it came with had cracks between all the air holes in the bowl itself, I am contemplating sending the bowl back (un-used) and getting a new one without cracks.

Pictures coming soon!

[Scoop]

ghosting left and right? are you using the right terminology?

ghosting is when youve smoked a flavor and the hose ends up tasting like that flavor.

[Vladimir]

Hey it's you . I messaged you because I know the colors in your avatar .

[delSol_si]

I'd be a bit pissed about the electrical tape thing. With the stem not fitting in the vase....is it too big or too small? If it is too big, try wetting the gasket before putting it in. I had the same issue with my KM and I just put water on the gasket and it goes in. I still have to use quite a bit of force sometimes, which you probably will too, but hey, that means it is sealing good. If you can explain in better detail what is going wrong with your session (maybe use the correct terminology) then I am sure the nice folks on this forum would be able to help you solve your problem.

[RingsMaster]

I'd be a bit pissed about the electrical tape thing. With the stem not fitting in the vase....is it too big or too small? If it is too big, try wetting the gasket before putting it in. I had the same issue with my KM and I just put water on the gasket and it goes in. I still have to use quite a bit of force sometimes, which you probably will too, but hey, that means it is sealing good. If you can explain in better detail what is going wrong with your session (maybe use the correct terminology) then I am sure the nice folks on this forum would be able to help you solve your problem.

my km didnt fit at all on the base when i got it, so i decided to cut the grommet up a little bit and made it seal PERFECT. trial and error, whatever works works

[Showtime07]

Oh, where Im from (seattle at least) everyone i know who says "ghosting" means that you take a pull, but you get ZERO smoke, even if you have 3 coals on.

Basically, i was getting zero smoke, even when i thought i a had sealed all possible holes.

The grommet it come with is too small, so they wrapped electrical tape around the grommet to make it thicker to fit better. I have recently noticed that the hookah sits slightly crooked in the vase, meaning i can see the stem not being perpendicular to the ground, but it did not effect my hookah session.

I am currently resizing the pics so i can upload them. Coming soon!

[Showtime07]

Pictures!

The overall package
[attachment=3665:KM_Trimetal_1.jpg]

The cracked bowl. The crack from the bottom hole to the middle hole is a full on crack. The crack from the top hole to the middle hole is just a hair line crack. (Note: The picture does not show my frustration clearly. The cracks are much worse in person than in the photo)
[attachment=3666:KM_Trimetal_2.jpg]

Slight imperfection in the worst spot, the hose port. Makes sealing it when im smoking by myself a bitch!
[attachment=3667:KM_Trimetal_3.jpg] Edited June 5, 2009 by Showtime07

[Zinite]

If the hookah is not getting any smoke, it's not the hookahs fault (unless there is an air leak). Just give it some time and you'll get used to setting it up perfect .

[delSol_si]

Damn, my hookah is a bit crooked, but not nearly that bad. I'd be really pissed, especially after $160. My bowl came with cracks as well. Still works fine though. I don't use it anymore anyway though because of my small phunnel. I wouldn't worry about the bowl. If you do use the clay bowl and somehow it does f-up your session or break or whatever, I think HC has chipped ones for like 2 bucks.

Seriously though, if I was sent that hookah in that condition I would have sent that right back to the company. That is just ridiculous. Understand that KMs are supposedly handmade, making a slight tilt normal, but your's is way off. And the electrical tape gasket is bullshit. Good luck man. It is a nice looking hookah despite the flaws. I would really like to see a pic of the gasket you are talking about if you get a chance.

[Showtime07]

The grommet was too small for the hookah, it did not seal air tight and made the stem sit unstable. So thehookah.com wrapped electrical tape around the grommet to make it thicker and fit better to the vase.

Regular picture showing the grommet by it self.
[attachment=3671:KM_Trimetal_4.jpg]

Picture of the grommet with the electrical tape (The tape slid off when I removed the stem from the vase)
[attachment=3672:KM_Trimetal_5.jpg]

[delSol_si]

Ah gotcha, ya, I would have sent that back. From what Eric has told me, I am guessing the grommet is a size 30 and the vase is a size 32. 30 is large, 32 is jumbo. When I got my hookah, the vase was really large, I thought nothing about it though. One day I was taking the stem out and the vase just broke in half and the top half came with the stem, the bottom half staying on the ground. I was in search of a new vase and couldn't find one that would fit unless I wanted to buy a bohemian for $60. Eric said this was because it was a jumbo with are somewhat uncommon. He said he had never even seen a 32 gasket before. likespaceships had one sitting around and I bought it off him.

I would suggest measuring the opening on your vase. If it is 2", it is more than likely a jumbo. If this is the case, I would either suggest talking to John on hookahjohn.com (where I got my hookah) and ask him if you can get a size 32 gasket. Then, if your vase ever breaks, just buy new vase that fits either the 30 or the 32 gasket, whichever you like more. Don't quote me on any of this though, these are just my guesses from personal experience. I don't want you to go out and start buying stuff and then be pissed if I am wrong. You may try sending Sonthert (eric) a PM and get his opinion as well.

Either that or just it as is and be happy, your choice

[Showtime07]

Just got off the phone with thehookah.com people. After a long convo, they basically said "NO", they won't replace my hookah, but if I send them pictures of the bowl they might decide to replace it.

I'm starting to get really angry, they wont like it when im angry lol

[delSol_si]

Just got off the phone with thehookah.com people. After a long convo, they basically said "NO", they won't replace my hookah, but if I send them pictures of the bowl they might decide to replace it.

I'm starting to get really angry, they wont like it when im angry lol

Wow, I am sorry to hear that. Looks like I will never be ordering from them. That is shitty customer service. Here is the review page for thehookah.com I cannot post a review for you as I am not the one they are f-ing on this, but I would suggest you post a review of your experience with them. Just MAKE SURE TO READ THE RULES FOR THE REVIEW SECTION BEFORE POSTING ONE. I don't want you to get a ban because of me. Good luck with getting this resolved, really hope it starts working out better for you. Keep us updated.

[twoapplesplease]

to bad about the bad stuff hope you can salvage and do some fix ups.U know back in the day before rubber gaskets we used wet strips of linein(cloth, my spelling is terrable).for the main base gromet.And strips of papper towl or cloth for the other seals.
you have to do some trial and error to get the right fit, but worked pretty good,just make sure there wet to make a air tight seal.
once you got the size you need make a couple so you can rotate them and wash them.

[SmokinMoose]

Is the electrical tape on the grommet or on the stem where the grommet goes?

Also check if there is a ball bearing in the purge valve.

And if the opening of the base is circular I have a base that the base had an oval shaped opening.

[Showtime07]

The electrical tape was on the grommet. In the photo you can see it dangling on the stem, that is because to take the picture i had to remove the stem from the vase, which caused the tape to peel off the grommet

[RingsMaster]

order a new grommet or go to your local hookah shop and get one, thats the only thing i cant think of, and to my knowledge if someone sells you a broken product, or a product with manufacturer defect they are required to take it back, and the only way to know with a hookah is 2 use it. just a though

[delSol_si]

to bad about the bad stuff hope you can salvage and do some fix ups.U know back in the day before rubber gaskets we used wet strips of linein(cloth, my spelling is terrable).for the main base gromet.And strips of papper towl or cloth for the other seals.
you have to do some trial and error to get the right fit, but worked pretty good,just make sure there wet to make a air tight seal.
once you got the size you need make a couple so you can rotate them and wash them.

+1 When I lost my hose gasket, I used a wet paper towel until the new one came in and it worked just fine. BUT, considering the price he paid for it, he shouldn't have to resort to that.

[delSol_si]

order a new grommet or go to your local hookah shop and get one, thats the only thing i cant think of, and to my knowledge if someone sells you a broken product, or a product with manufacturer defect they are required to take it back, and the only way to know with a hookah is 2 use it. just a though

Them being required to take it back doesn't mean shit. People don't do things they are required to all the time. Hell, I cut my hand at work and had to get 16 stitches. The bill came out to be $2400, which is ridiculous. I wasn't worried about it because legally, the company had to pay for it. GUESS WHAT? The bill still hasn't been paid for and if I don't do something about it soon, they are sending it to collections. I just filled out a complaint form against the company with the division of labor, but hell if I know if it will work. People do crooked, illegal things all the time, thats just how life works unfortunately.

If you are really pissed about it, you may try to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Not sure if it is worth it or if it would do any good, but it may be worth a shot.

RingsMaster: I am not trying to flame on you or anything so please don't take it that way. I am just simply stating facts

[Showtime07]

I forgot to mention that yes, there is a ball bearing in the check valve.

[Showtime07]

New update.

So i decided to just live with the hookah. I have gotten over a dozen compliments from newbies and experts of hookah alike about the look of the hookah. As of now? It hits like a champ, huge clouds.

The problems:

The hookah is hugely unstable, the vase is wobbly and the stem sits in the vase crooked, resulting in the hookah's weight leaning towards one side.

Whats a good website that sells rubber bases for uneven vases (rhymes lol) that will help balance my hookah? Thanks!

[newjacksm]

if its too tight, i suggest sanding it down a bit, if not get a smaller grommet and put electrical tape on the innerpart where you would put the grommet so it would puff the grommet out a little more.

You can get grommets nearly any hookah website.

[Sonthert]

I disagree.

I use electrical tape all the time, most of the time its hard to get a gasket/bell to fit a jar perfectly.

Here's what I'd do. Get a roll of electrical tape black is the cheapest.

I recommend only using electrical tape under the gasket (directly on the metal bell, under the gasket)...not on the gasket. Its easier to do on the gasket, but the electrical tape seems to come off more when its on the gasket. If its under the gasket, the gasket seems to protect it more.

Take the gasket off. Wrap two revolutions of electrical tape around the bell. I usually start and end each revolution at the check valve for reference. Put the gasket back on. Check the fit. It may still be loose. Remove the gasket again, put two more revolutions of tape on. Put the gasket on and check the fit. At some point, you'll get a good fit or it will be too tight. If you end up with too much on, take off ONE revolution of tape and try the fit again. If its still too tight, remove it back down to the last two-revolution piece. The maximum you want to use is usually 10 or 11 revolutions of tape. After that, there's too much tape and you switch to a fatter gasket.

Alternate procedure: Take off gasket. Put ten revolutions of tape on the bell. Replace gasket. If its too loose, switch to a fatter gasket. If its OK, use it. Otherwise, take one revolution of tape off at a time, then put the gasket back on and check the fit. If its too tight, take off the gasket and then one revolution of electrical tape. Put the gasket back on and check the fit. Do this until you have a good fit.

The first procedure is for hookahs that are a little loose. The second one is for ones that are fairly loose.

You could stop here, but I find its more durable to use one long piece of tape rather than several smaller pieces. Take the smaller pieces of tape back of, but count the number of revolutions of tape on there. Then take the roll and wrap the exact same number of revolutions all in one piece. Put the gasket on and it should fit like a dream.

This may be why you're not getting a good hit off of it. It might be that deformed hose port. Take a round metal file and touch up that little hanger. Not too much, or too deep, just smooth it off.

Hopefully that will get you happy again with that gorgeous hookah.

Welcome to the Forum!

Oh yeah, I propose we use the more accurate term "transient flavors" to describe flavors stuck in a pipe from previous sessions. The term ghosting is a little vague. It could mean at least three things, its meaning isn't that intuitive. This isn't an idiom commune...also, they are gaskets...not grommets. A grommet is something entirely different.

[Showtime07]

Oh no guys haha

I have fixed all smoking problems, it hits GREAT!

I am trying to find a way to BALANCE the vase to make it more stable. I got the vase and stem together solid with the electrical tape method already. But when sitting on the ground or table, the whole hookah is wobbly. Is there anyway, without buying a new vase, that I can do to make the hookah sit flush with the table?

Thanks

Oh and I plan on buying tangiers watermelon soon

[Sonthert]

Dude, see if they'll replace the jar at least. New jar might make everything OK, right?