Charecteristics Of A Quality Hookah

[sburke15]

Hey

[sburke15]

Sorry about that first post guys, it just submitted before I started typing i guess i hit tab enter and it wouldn't let me edit...

but this post was to ask about the chareceristics of a hookah that makes it "good". I've been reading various hookah reviews and I can't seem to find uniform charecteristics that people think make a hookah good, so I was hoping that you guys could put some input on what you guys think. Some ideas are stem i.d. stem length, water depth, vase shape and size, hose id, materials, etc.
I am considering making a hookah using my research and your input so anything would be great,
Thanks, and sorry about the first post,
-Sean Edited September 8, 2009 by sburke15

[fineout]

personally i dont think vase shape has too much to do with it, mostly it comes down to a fairly large downstem inner diameter, and a non common bell meaning the hose port and purge port both have seperate tubes which you want both fairly large but probably at most 1/2-5/8 the diameter of the downstem.

[Zinite]

Reposting this from an older thread.

Here's what makes a good hookah, with some examples:
Quality materials. You usually want a brass inside and aluminum parts. This is to prevent rusting.

If a hookah is made out of anodized aluminum, there's a 99% chance it's going to blow balls. These are also sometimes called 'Modern Hookahs'. They look like these (notice the colored metal):


Now on the other hand, here's a 'Modern, Chinese Hookah' that is quality:

This is a Mya Saray. It has a brass core and wide, aluminum downstem. The inner diameter of the downstem usually determines how well the hookah smokes (not true for all hookahs).

Most of the freebies that come with new hookahs are trash anyways (metal screens suck, mouth tips are useless most of the time). Try www.hookahjohn.com. Take a look at what he has, see what you like, then come back and post links to them. We'll tell you if you're headed in the right direction.

To add to this, more specific to what you're talking about, the important dimension is the inner diameter of the various joints. ID of downstem, hose port, hose make the biggest difference. That's why a small Mya hookah can smoke almost as good as a huge Egyptian. Downstem should be .5" - 1" below water level. Vase does not make a difference either way (unless it's WAAAY too small or something).

[joytron]

Clean welds. No plastic peices

[sburke15]

All this input has been great, becuase I have only smoked out of Mya qts which i really enjoy and they seem to compare reasonably well to other hookahs in terms of smoke but they remain small in size.
SO it seems the most important factors are quality of materials (which makes sense) and the i.d. of the tubes/ports, (which once again makes sense). With larger ports on a smaller hookah, a smaller hookah can compare to a larger one, from my understanding of the posts. Does the volume of water really matter, to reasonable extents? Also the amount of dead space where smoke can collect matter? ie can it be too large or too small (once again within reason of course, if there was no space that would be an issue). Thanks for the input

[Zinite]

All this input has been great, becuase I have only smoked out of Mya qts which i really enjoy and they seem to compare reasonably well to other hookahs in terms of smoke but they remain small in size.
SO it seems the most important factors are quality of materials (which makes sense) and the i.d. of the tubes/ports, (which once again makes sense). With larger ports on a smaller hookah, a smaller hookah can compare to a larger one, from my understanding of the posts. Does the volume of water really matter, to reasonable extents? Also the amount of dead space where smoke can collect matter? ie can it be too large or too small (once again within reason of course, if there was no space that would be an issue). Thanks for the input

The size of the vase, the amount of air in the vase, and the amount of water in the vase do not matter, as long as the downstem is half an inch to one inch below the water level.

[AKammenzind]

The size of the vase, the amount of air in the vase, and the amount of water in the vase do not matter, as long as the downstem is half an inch to one inch below the water level.

I will say though that I much prefer bases that hold a lot of water, all that weight at the bottom anchors it that little bit more if the hose gets tugged a bit too much.

[Zinite]

The size of the vase, the amount of air in the vase, and the amount of water in the vase do not matter, as long as the downstem is half an inch to one inch below the water level.

I will say though that I much prefer bases that hold a lot of water, all that weight at the bottom anchors it that little bit more if the hose gets tugged a bit too much.

True. Also you want enough water to properly cool the smoke down. But after a certain point (1/2 a cup of water maybe?) it doesn't seem to matter.

[Elektrobot]

Shop for something heavy-


Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it.

[sburke15]

It seems as though weight is an issue in not only quality of construciton materials but as well as for balance.
In review, size of the hookah and vase does not really matter in any aspect, but the size of the internal pieces i.e. (id) of hoses, hose ports and downstem. And the purge and hoses should have a " non common bell ".

Thanks

[Sonthert]

I was trying to avoid posting on this topic.

Brass is superior to galvanized steel. Rock slime is superior to aluminum.

I don't like Chinese pipes. Aluminum anything on a hookah sucks.

A bell with tubes in (which Chinese pipes have never done). Tubed bells make for better operation, easier maintenance and easier cleaning.

I don't think I like threaded pieces. Hookahs that can be disassembled There is no need to disassemble a hookah except for compacting the space they fit into. I think that they final product comes out better and is more reliable long term when its not disassembled.

Some people like smaller bore downstems, but the market trend seems to be going more towards larger bore downstems right now.

I think hookahs with steeper pitched hose ports are better. Also, hookahs with one cast-piece hose ports are superior to handmade hose ports. More consistent, too.

I kinda agree with AKammenzind, I like larger jars, which kind of impels me towards 30* jars/shanks, 32* when I can find them, but I have a lot of 26* shanks and jars I like. Smaller than that, I don't really go for. No 22*s or 18*s.

I don't think I like certain types of trays and connections. I don;t like trays that are held on by gaskets or whatnot. Lules are OK, but I prefer a tray plate (Egyptian) or a floating tray (Syrian).

I think thinner tapers for the bowl are better. Thicker tapers, like on Egyptian hookahs are a little clumsy, in my opinion.

Thats all I can think of off the top of my head.

Hope this helped somebody somewhere.

[AKammenzind]

Brass is superior to galvanized steel.

Woah what? What brand of pipe uses galvy? Don't think I've ever seen any, although I wouldn't doubt they use galvy wire for hoses n'at.

[sburke15]

Very Interesting... Why do you think The angle of the hose port effects the smoke? Also could you explain your reasoning for no aluminum in hookahs? While researching materials it seems as though a quality aluminum downstem would be a prime economical material to use. Whereas brass is comprised of copper zinc and lead, with zinc and lead having relativly low melting/vapor points and inahling lead and zinc fumes is extremly toxic. Does the size of the bell affect smoke? Also what is a good downstem size? wouldn't the larger downstem size relate to a much harder pull?
Thanks for all the help.
-Sean Edited September 9, 2009 by sburke15

[Sonthert]

What most manufacturers are calling "stainless steel" is actually galvanized steel. Its coated carbon steel. Stainless steel is actually a homogeneous mixture. Thats why you might find some rust (or retailers are anyways) at the end of the downstem. The heat from soldering drove off the coating...which used to be more stable but seems to be zinc, now.

The angle of the hose port matters most in how the hose fits in. Flatter angles have the hose slightly cocked.

Aluminum? Its a very reactive metal and seems to react with stuff commonly found in water or in stuff found in shisha. Aluminum has been around for hundreds of years (although not cheaply until the early 1900s). Why did manufacturers use exclusively brass until the price of copper went up?

[twoapplesplease]

Everything sonthert has said

plus; copper downstem,Brass body
size shape of vase how far downstem reaches where water level is in comparison to shape size of vase very inportant.

[sburke15]

I was planning to use 304 seamless stainless steel tubing as a downstem. Brass still does not seem to be the healthiest option to me due to the zinc and lead content although historically it has been used. The hookah design will be far from conventional, which is why I had so many questions. I've been working on drawings and I will post picures soon.
Thanks for all the help

[Subl1minal]

I was planning to use 304 seamless stainless steel tubing as a downstem. Brass still does not seem to be the healthiest option to me due to the zinc and lead content although historically it has been used. The hookah design will be far from conventional, which is why I had so many questions. I've been working on drawings and I will post picures soon.
Thanks for all the help

That's cool that you're making your own. A buddy and I were going to try and mill a prototype out of billet aluminum, and then when we get it right do one out of stainless. I'm new on the forum here, seems to be a great place for info. I agree with the "Anodized parts suck" portion- I bought a really cool lookin purple anodized hookah a couple years ago, and it corroded so quick! Pile of shit... The one i've stuck with most is a Syrian I believe... it's a galvanized tray with a stainless center stack and downstem. it's got the separate tubes for hose end and carb/purge side. Broke a vase the other day (total fluke btw) and had a smaller one I now use. Cut the stem down about 3 inches and it works great.

I had a question-

Does anyone else use a diffuser on the bottom of the stem? I don't think it makes the smoke any better but it sure quiets the smoking sesh down and keeps the coals from vibrating around on the tobacco. Uh oh I'm thread jacking.... Lol my bad.

[Zinite]

I was planning to use 304 seamless stainless steel tubing as a downstem. Brass still does not seem to be the healthiest option to me due to the zinc and lead content although historically it has been used. The hookah design will be far from conventional, which is why I had so many questions. I've been working on drawings and I will post picures soon.
Thanks for all the help

That's cool that you're making your own. A buddy and I were going to try and mill a prototype out of billet aluminum, and then when we get it right do one out of stainless. I'm new on the forum here, seems to be a great place for info. I agree with the "Anodized parts suck" portion- I bought a really cool lookin purple anodized hookah a couple years ago, and it corroded so quick! Pile of shit... The one i've stuck with most is a Syrian I believe... it's a galvanized tray with a stainless center stack and downstem. it's got the separate tubes for hose end and carb/purge side. Broke a vase the other day (total fluke btw) and had a smaller one I now use. Cut the stem down about 3 inches and it works great.

I had a question-

Does anyone else use a diffuser on the bottom of the stem? I don't think it makes the smoke any better but it sure quiets the smoking sesh down and keeps the coals from vibrating around on the tobacco. Uh oh I'm thread jacking.... Lol my bad.

Welcome to the forum! You should read the rules first (you didn't break any, it's just for the betterment of mankind):
http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?act=SR&f=2

Not many people here use diffusers, but like you said, it makes it quieter. Some people think they make it smoker better, but I think that's a load of crap.

[sburke15]

Alright I think I've finalized my design. It will be like a small table, with the vase underneath of it. On top of the Table is a 10 inch clear acrylic dome. with the stem going through the direct center of the dome, down through the table into the vase. Then there will be four hose ports equally spaced around the circumfrence of the dome 3.5 inches. I've attached a quick MS paint sketch. Autocad, drawings with specs and such up soon. Thanks for all your help, If you see any issues feel free to comment.

[Zinite]

Looks interesting - keep us updated

[sburke15]

I forgot to mention the coolest part, So the downstem goes through the clear acrylic dome, into the vase, but the vase then feeds the smoke from the water into the clear dome. So the dome is filled with swirling, dancing smoke (hopefully). Here are a little more advanced pictures. I'll upload some dimensioned ones in the near future and explain them in a little more detail later but i'm in a bit of a hurry so this will do for now. The hatched areas are the table part the rest is crucial to the hookah working. Any questoins feel free to ask. The second one with red shows the smoke's travel if you are confused.

Thanks again.