Röka Hose Review

[MechAnt]

The Röka hose that I received was a sick Pink color and had a nice fruity smell to it!

I'll let the pics do the talking before anything else.

Top left is Röka, next to it is an MZ hose, underneath that is a KM hose, under that is a Nammor, under that is a Razan


Röka, Nammor, Razan (top to bottom)


Same as top


Hose ends (the end that goes into the pipe) Nammor, Röka, Razan (left to right)


Hose to tip connection


Lookin' good


A shitty smoke pic



So,

Construction:
Excellent contruction! Quality piece of work. The handles look cheap, even in person, but the plastic used is excellent quality. It can easy be beat on and it would hardly be scathed. The hose itself is nice, wide, vinyl tubing colored nicely. The connections are really good and high quality.

Looks:
Handle is a little plain for my own personal tastes but what it lacks in looks, it definitely makes up for in performance. I would like the handle to be longer but it's fine as is.

Flexibility:
Vinyl tubing always has the problem of not being as flexible as other hoses. Tubing tends to retain the spool from which it's derived. Here are some pics to illustrate what I'm taking about.

Furthest left is Nammor (modded), KM hose, Razan, Röka

Nammors and Razans tend to be stiff as well as can be illustrated by the Razan. However, I have found that removing the "leather" gives much more flexibility as shown by the modded Nammor. The Röka hose keeps up well until.....

Same order

The Röka is turned against the grain of it's natural curve and it has miserable flexibility.

This means that during smoking it tends to tangle or be stiff when passing.

Other cons:
The hose end is very wide which is nice but even my KM has trouble fitting it, my poor Nour can't even use it. It falls out A LOT with rubber grommets and stays in OK with a wet paper towel.

Pros:
Amazing pull! Looks great. My roommates liked the hose a lot too. All you haters of pink, this color is great!


Overall:
Flex is not the best. Pull is great. Is not a universal fit and tends to slip out a lot. Looks great.
As of right now, I'd give it a 8/10

Great job Wade, Brad, and all the others working on the Röka hoses.

I have more to come upon request.

[sportsfan6216]

I've been strongly considering a couple of these once they are all ready to go..... I appriciate the review and i'm glad to see that they are pretty good hoses..... my nammor fell apart less than 3 months after having it so i'd love to have a washable hose other than my home depot hoses that aren't going to fall apart on me.

[K1024]

the original review thread...

http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=31566

im waiting to do my full review until ive had it for at least a month...

[indian_villager]

If its just vinyl tubing and tips I could build something similar form Home Depot. The entire reason I have been dodging a DIY hose is due to the pathetic flexibility of vinyl tubing especially when cold. So from my current stand point I'll pass.

[MechAnt]

If its just vinyl tubing and tips I could build something similar form Home Depot. The entire reason I have been dodging a DIY hose is due to the pathetic flexibility of vinyl tubing especially when cold. So from my current stand point I'll pass.

To be honest, the Röka hose has better flex than a typical vinyl tube. It just still has a similar stiffness albeit at a lesser level.

[delSol_si]

If its just vinyl tubing and tips I could build something similar form Home Depot. The entire reason I have been dodging a DIY hose is due to the pathetic flexibility of vinyl tubing especially when cold. So from my current stand point I'll pass.

To be honest, the Röka hose has better flex than a typical vinyl tube. It just still has a similar stiffness albeit at a lesser level.

Agreed. I do not have one in my possession anymore, but I remember it being a lot more flexible than most vinyl tubing. I think the main fault it has is that normal hoses can twist a little, whereas this one cannot. Like I said in my review, it is not that big of a deal, I just noticed that it was a little harder to pass around than a normal hose.


I would like to add, I think we should put all of these reviews in the same thread. I don't care if we use the original thread I started or if someone wants to make a new one and I can copying my review into it, either way though, I think they should all be put into one thread for simplicity reasons. It is going to be a pain in the ass to have to look through 10-15 different review threads for one hose.

Edit: nice review btw, I'm glad you compared it to the nammor and razan as we didn't have either of those. As far as it not fitting, it fit just fine in my KM ice, thought it did have a little trouble in the obelisk if I remember correctly. Edited July 8, 2009 by delSol_si

[MechAnt]

I find the hose end not fitting as a fairly big deal. My roommate was smoking and moving his arm a little too quickly and the hose popped out and tipped over my freshly opened Sam Adams Pale Ale. I saved 90% of it but I was quite disappointed.

[cotsi95]

We can make the ends smaller if you need them. I believe mike modeled the ends from another hose he already made.

[Jeff_T]

I find the hose end not fitting as a fairly big deal. My roommate was smoking and moving his arm a little too quickly and the hose popped out and tipped over my freshly opened Sam Adams Pale Ale. I saved 90% of it but I was quite disappointed.

I def. agree with this that the hose end size plays a part in the purchase. Although its a little different situation, I've got a hookah with a fairly small hose port and its incredibly annoying only being able to use 1 hose I own for it. As for the beer, if any hose I had ever tried a stunt like that, I'd be out...

[joytron]

very nice thorough review

[delSol_si]

I find the hose end not fitting as a fairly big deal. My roommate was smoking and moving his arm a little too quickly and the hose popped out and tipped over my freshly opened Sam Adams Pale Ale. I saved 90% of it but I was quite disappointed.

I'm not saying it isn't a big deal...I'm just saying I didn't have that trouble with my KM ice. Actually, this roka hose fit in my hose port BETTER than the KM hose that came with it does. And I would be super pissed if my beer got knocked over. Gah, I wish it was August and I was back in college so I could put in an order for one.

[K1024]

i need to replace my grommits, theyve shrunk it seems...but other than that i think the roka hose fits in fine...not as well as the mya, but theres also a bit more weight there..

[NarghileNights]

remember, these hoses are/can be completely custom.

you want a long handle? can be done.

need a slightly smaller hose port area? can be done.

thank you guys for bringing these problems to our attention! at least they are solvable


oh.. and this tubing took us a while to find. it was the best mix between multiple factors that we could find. luckily it's totally plastic and will never unravel on you!

[MechAnt]

remember, these hoses are/can be completely custom.

you want a long handle? can be done.

need a slightly smaller hose port area? can be done.

thank you guys for bringing these problems to our attention! at least they are solvable


oh.. and this tubing took us a while to find. it was the best mix between multiple factors that we could find. luckily it's totally plastic and will never unravel on you!

[Stuie]

not doing a full review yet... can't put the hose down long enough to.

So far I love it. But it's not the holy grail... i am sorry. I smoked Tangiers Kashmir F-Line and still ghosted after cleaning. Went away during the next bowl. But still pics and full review very soon. Got to review Scalli's first between the two of these I haven't touch my Nammor or KM hoses in a while!