Foil or screen and coal question

[DizzyGuy]

Ok... for all you experienced hookah users out there... I have to know... Do you prefer a charcoal screen or foil?  I've been happy with the screen that I've had, but was just wondering what others think.And... how many coals do you use?  I've experimented a little and it seems that on a smaller hookah, two MUCH better than just 1... but on a larger hookah, 1 coal seemed to do the trick fine.  Anyways, feel free to put your thoughts and suggestions here.  Sorry for any grammar/spelling problems, it's been a long day =P

[inimicus]

I have recently started using screens. Quick and easy. As far as smoking goes there is little difference, I feel. I like the fact that I can easly lift the screen to stir the tobacco halfway through to bring out more flavor.Other have said that foil makes it easier to maintain the heat and I would agree. As long as you are familiar with the tobacco you're using along with your setup, though, controlling the heat should be second nature.I will use either without complaint and with the same quality smoke.

[DrunkenWizard]

I like to use screens because they are convienent.  I use one and a half coals of either 3 kings or japanese wannabees.

[PK]

I've never used screens since foils seem to work flawlessly for me now, but only after some practice.  I'm relatively a newbie myself to all this but I have been smoking a lot these past few months and since I started smoking I've purchased 2 hookahs already!  I'm finally at the point where I can start giving some advise back to the community, thanks to the helpful members that got me through my original heat management issues.If using foil, don't hold back on the amount of holes you poke.  I find a thumbtack/pushpin works best as it's a bit thicker than a threading needle.  Most of my heat issues were due to poking too few and smaller holes in my foil.  What a frustrating mess it was until the guys here stepped up.  Make sure your foil is covered in holes evenly spaced out.As for the charcoals, if using quicklites try lighting 2 from the start, this way if things get too harsh, you can pull one off.  Or, light 1 and add another if necessary.  I use Golden charcoals and they require 2 for each of my hookahs.  What I like to do is light them both and let them burn through, then bring them inside and lay them in the TRAY one on top of the other.  This way, they heat eachother up quicker as you'll want to burn them enough so they burn through and the original charcoal color turns grey.  After a minute or so, flip the charcoals so that the bottom of each are touching eachother. When they're both ready to go, throw them on the bowl next to eachother.  Remember to rotate the charcoals around the top of the bowl during your session ashing when needed. 

[Sonthert]

The thing I always worry about, since I employ 30+ hookahs for 14 different classes of flavors, is transient flavors. Using foil is nice, because you throw it away and don't worry about insoluble flavor buildup on them.