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Are Foil Hole Pokers Worth It?


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my mya petite should be here in a day or so, and it comes with a metal screen but i have read various posts that say that foil is better, for some reason. i was planning on just using toothpicks for the holes but im considering the poker tool. is it worth it?
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QUOTE (Sin on Sunday @ Nov 20 2009, 09:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
cool thanks for responding so fast guys smile.gif

another question. for a small hookah like the petite which i would be using once a week more or less is it worth it to invest in a phunnel?


always worth the investment no matter what the hookah.
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QUOTE (NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD @ Nov 20 2009, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Stuie @ Nov 20 2009, 11:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
This one is:

http://www.fumari.com/hookah-accessories/poker



I have been using it for over a year, it's all i use.

you have a tool for everything..lol gotta call you mr gadget from now own..lol


hahaha... yeah kinda. Now that I have my Craftsman Handi-Cut, I can't stop cutting my cocos. Changed everything about how I smoke. The Poker is always out. I wipe it down after every use, I think it I will practically last forever. There's not even wear on the handle.
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QUOTE (Arcane @ Nov 21 2009, 07:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
if you are having troubles with a toothpick, i dunno if the fumari poker will help you any...


Hahahahahahah---shameless waste of money! Toothpicks are free (or really cheap) and take how long! If a toothpick is too difficult for you, maybe you should rethink smoking shisha as a hobby!
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I like to use a screen combined with foil on some of my smaller ceramic bowls, depends on what I'm smoking though. Pointless with Nakhla since it doesn't mind the heat. But with AF, if a screen fits the bowl I'm using, I put it on there upside down (usually have to snip the tabs off, they just get in my way) then cover it with foil and use a toothpick to poke holes, using the screen as my guide for where to poke them.

I primarily use a Phunnel bowl, it beats the snot out of all my other bowls. None of my metal screens fit it so I've never used a screen on my Phunel.

Lately my preferred hole punching method (on my Phunnels) is to ignore the outer edge of the foil, that's where I set my Diamante coals, a ring of toothpick punched holes where I estimate the deepest part of the Phunnel to be, poking all the way through to the bottom and twisting the toothpick around a few times to make sure I've formed a nice channel for heat and air through the shisha, then rings of holes poked through the foil using a thumbtack right up to but not over the hole in the Phunnel. I test to make sure I've got enough air flow by putting the bottom of the Phunnel to my mouth and inhaling gently (lest I suck up a bit of shisha in my mouth, NASTY!) and if necessary, I'll punch a few more holes with the thumbtack, a few over the Phunnel hole if necessary. This has never hurt a session of mine so I don't hesitate to do it if I need more air. This has been working really really well for me and I've been getting 90 minute sessions. No matter what I'm smoking, I always pack it well over the rim, light and fluffy, fluff it with a toothpick to be sure there's plenty of air in it, then cover it tightly with foil. Have had no problem with this method and have used it for months.

All that being said, I think climate (not to mention the coals/bowls/shisha/hookah you are using) has a great deal to do with how shisha "bakes." So you have to just keep trying different methods until you find what works for you. How I prep my bowls has evolved greatly and it's just gotten better and better. Don't get frustrated as you start out. You'll find what works for you, takes a little time to refine your technique but that's part of the fun of it.

What works without fail for a lot of people may be utterly catastrophic for you. Just go for it, experiment, take mental or literal notes, you'll get there.

Oh, apologies if I'm talking down to you. I'm assuming you're relatively new to hookah and I may be assuming wrong. Regardless, I hope you enjoy your new hookah!
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I got a makeshift hole poker I made with a little piece of wood dowel, and a large sewing needle.. just drill a hole in the end of the dowel, put glue on the end of the needle, and slip it in the hole.. voila. Hole poker.

I use my fork a lot more than the poker now, though.
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QUOTE (sportsfan6216 @ Nov 21 2009, 07:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I have 2 sets of tongs that have built in pokers, i just use that...... works perfect.


If you are talking about the non pointed utensil on the tongs, that is for stirring tobacco. If you have tongs with an actual poker on them I want to know where you got them.
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