Decision between Hookahs

[mushrat]

I'd go with one of the first tw, though there is nothing wrong with the 3rd really. I've ordered from both companies without problems. Which ever one you go with, order a Mya washable hose while you are at it, the original hoses will have to be replaced relitivly soon and the Mya is the last hose you'll even have to buy.
$.02

[kilgore trout]

I actually just got the SS Aurora a week ago and it smokes like a
champ.  Social Smoke has some solid customer service too. 
Although, like Mush said, I'm sure the other two would be fine choices
as well.  Best of luck.

[DownZero]

Well I am pretty sure I am going to purchase the SS Aurora since it's a bit cheaper & is only 3 inches smaller than the SS Minerva. But I might change my mind to the Minerva, who knows... they both caught my eye. But so far, how does this sound: SS Aurora, buy an extra bowl (apparently the stock bowl isn't too great), Mya hose.. any other suggestions? I just want to get everything straight to order in one shipment... although I will have to purchase the Mya hose seperately through another site.

[SanguineSolitude]

if youre smoking with friends get the large ceramic bowl they sell or else (or in addition) get the small ceramic bowl. lets see what else would be good for you. Oh dont forget to pick up some decent shisha and coals. Other than that, i think you would be set. oh. dont be in too much of a hurry with the mya hose. the hose that comes with it is quite good, just not as good. mya has the advantage that you can wash it. but you should use the one you have until it doesnt work well. Use the MYA money to upgrade the hookah or get shisha. I mean i guess you could order a MYA right off the bat, but the hose you get smokes 95% as well as the MYA and is perfectly serviceable so why waste it? I mean sure you could save it as a backup hose but I would say with a first hookah you wont need a MYA for a while. plus if i had to choose whether to spend 15-20 bucks on a mya or upgrade my hookah by 20 bucks guess which I would pick? hookah of course.good luck my friend and keep up posted. all social smokes hookahs are awesome and their service is top notch.

[DownZero]

Yeah, thats true.. I was planning on just buying the Mya hose so I
could already have it for when I need to replace the stock hose... But
I can just purchase it later, no real rush. But overall, I plan on
purchasing a SS hookah for sure & a bigger bowl for when I smoke w/
the gang & extra shisha to experiment with. Is the stock bowl just
terrible or is it good for smoking solo? One other question about the
SS hookahs... The inserts that are on the stems of Aurora &
Minerva, are they like a piece of different colored material attached
in between 2 steel shafts creating the stem? or is it a piece of
material just coating that mid-section of the steel shaft?... or is the
steel just colored? 

[DizzyGuy]

I just got the Minerva yesterday and it's awesome Social Smoke rocks my face

[ataneja]

what would i do, is just get a mya striaght off the bat.  you get 15% off with the forum discount, and it comes with the mya hose.  so although these hookahs are 80 or so, you add another $15 (i made that up, i dont know the price), for the hose.  you could get this [url="http://www.myasaray.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=23&DEPARTMENT_ID=49"]mya hookah[/url] for almost the exact same price.  just a suggestion!

[kilgore trout]

zero: the best way that I can describe the colored insert in the shaft
is the material that a bowling ball is made of.  It isn't painted
metal, I think its just some sort of hard plastic material that
surrounds the metal.  I'm pretty sure that it is not 2 seperate
metal stem pieces connected through that piece of plastic, though I
haven't tried yanking them apart to check.

[SanguineSolitude]

stick with the social smoke. you get a 15% discount at social smoke if you say youre a forum member and a larger hookah. the stock bowl is ok for smoking on your own. that said i immediately replaced it because while its acceptable the one i got was pretty crap.i think the inserts are like ceramic or a polymer thing thats attached to the stem so that its a solid steel stem just not a completely steel outer covering. I just personally prefer the solid look of steel. Social smoke takes pride in their products and wouldnt produce an inferior one. if youre still considering the minerva, i would just toss in an extra 3 bucks and get the vega. but thats because i like the look and it might be a tad more durable. Its not going to make it smoke any better or worse though so its not really that important. MYA hookahs are very good too, but theyre also expensive because they have nicer glasswork. since youre looking at big hookahs, the MYA of comparable size is out of your price range. Social smoke is a better deal if youre looking for a large hookah, but theres no doubting the quality of a MYA.

[DownZero]

Those Mya hookahs are beautiful but currently I am looking for a large hookah around the $80 price range. I like the large hookahs but hey, I'm young & can come around to build a collection. hah. I'm pretty sure I will be purchasing the Aurora since it is cheaper at about $71. with the little extra cash I save, I'm going to purchase some shisha I know I already like for when I don't feel like being adventurous.  Speaking of which, does anyone have experience with [url="http://shisha-hookah.com"]Shisha-hookah.com? Not to be confused with hookah-shisha.com[/url] which I've already read good reviews about. Also, is there anywhere else we could get discounts for other than SS & Mya? Well thanks to everyone for helping me out with my decision & I will keep you all posted as to how I like it - or if I change my mind again & decide to ask another question. lol