Hookah Choice - Opinions

[liquidglass]

Hey guys, I think it's about that time to buy a new hookah and while the one sale a year pretty much is going on I wanted to pick up something to replace my current go to hookah.

I'm looking over at hookah johns (aka all hookahs are applicable) and I'm sitting here wondering which one to pick. My last few hookahs have all been KM and I love KM's I know they smoke well, (current baby is an old school Majestic). The brass down stem seems to be imparting a bit of a taste no matter how well I clean it (unless someone has suggestions) so it's part of the motivation plus Who doesn't want a new hookah?


Here are the two AF hookahs I'm looking at and then basically all the KM's are up for game (32" and up)

40" AF light

36" AF heavy


HookahJohns KMs

HJ KM page

Opinions on how the AF hookahs smoke and if there is a significant difference between the light and heavy (although I do love my heavy OG KM)

Part of my conundrum is that the 40" is 1) light and 2) tall. BUT the price is wonderful. I like the 36" inch all around except price.

So just give opinions

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

if i was gona buy a hookah id go with a af this time around because like you said you've owned km's and 90% of the forum has a km.. now myself i dont care for af's because of there stem designs but the 36'' is a very sexy looking hookah and would be very hard to pass it up..

[liquidglass]

if i was gona buy a hookah id go with a af this time around because like you said you've owned km's and 90% of the forum has a km.. now myself i dont care for af's because of there stem designs but the 36'' is a very sexy looking hookah and would be very hard to pass it up..

Exactly lol I love the way the 36" looks, 2nd tray, and a good height (for management sitting down)


Can anyone fill me in on their experience with AFs? There are a couple reviews but nothing concrete, plus I like the most recent feelings on a hookah before buying.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

i know INCUBUSRATM and tyler had af's hopefully they can help you out with there personal experiences..im not sure about tyler, but i know INCUBUSRATM is visiting his in-laws for thanksgiving and im not sure if he will have internet access...hey, where the hell are you two guys? we have a serious hookah question here..lmao..j/k

[cotsi95]

The new af's are good, MUCH better then the old ones. The old ones sucked. I personally dont like nours (af's) but they do smoke well and if they look good to you then what are you waiting for?

Personally id get this if i was in the market. http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...mp;categoryId=8

and if price is no issue then http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?productId=352&

but if you want something different that still smokes well id pick up a Temsah, they have good quality and are nice.
(personal choice of the them - http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...;categoryId=21)

[inino]

the quality of km has gone down a lot. The tall solid af pipe is both pretty and functional. I would get the af hands down

[RingsMaster]

i have both a KM and an AF and they smoke the same to me, i usually get bigger clouds from my AF though, idk why but its a beast and damn sexy

[Chreees]

Haha, NOB, I do indeed have internet access. At my grandparents house now filming a video with my gf for our media project.

Liquid- Yes, the AF will treat you good. I loved mine. I had the 24" Small Solid and it put out as much smoke as the KM OG Trimetal I had. For the price and everything, I think I'd go for the AF 36", not only to be different from everyone else owning a KM but because it's a hella good hookah. AF's quality is top-notch, I believe, and even though I had the 24" the 36" can only be even better. KM's are kinda a hit or miss nowadays- you may get one with bad weld jobs or a good one. If you do order a KM, get it from John. You know you'll get a good one from him. Personally, I'd get the AF 36".

[Universal Magnetic]

i have the 30" AF solid and i have zero complaints with it. it smokes great, purges pretty good...no problems at all.

[sportsfan6216]

i have the 30" AF solid and i have zero complaints with it. it smokes great, purges pretty good...no problems at all.

QFT

I also have the 30" solid and its great..... it doesn't see as much action as my KM, but only because my friend dropped the base, so i had to buy a new base for it, and i have to use a tad more water than i'd like in the new base, making the space for smoke smaller than that of my km.... but in the OG base, it worked great, and when i decide to get another, smaller base for it, it will probably be my go to.

[liquidglass]

appreciate everyone's input and I think I'm going to go with the 36" solid but if anyone has any more opinions throw em out there sometime tonight lol

[foibled again]

It depends on what you want. Personally I'd rather have a good KM over any of the AFs (I have both FWIW). The draw of the most restrictive KM I've come across is less restrictive than any of the AFs, unless you're like me and rebuild them. KMs IMO are just functionally designed & built better than the AFs. AFs have two piece hose ports seamed together and the internals are crimped instead of properly rolled/bent. Despite how large the tube opening may appear, they are internally constricted because of this and it also presents a likely location for a leak to develop. KMs have single piece hose ports that are formed with one longitudinal seam so the transition in diameter is smooth (think conical). KMs have wider down stems and they're longer too, which may or may not matter depending on what vase you will be using. I've also personally seen seamed two piece stem tubes in AFs which is something I have not yet come across on any KM. Vases on the 2nd gen AFs suck, much like the current generation KM vases IMO. AF hose ports are smaller than the typical KM hose port. If you use KM hoses or any other hose with acrylic tips, this may matter to you because the size of those tips are not consistent. If you get a large one you may have issues with them fitting securely in an AF or any other Syrian. I also disagree with cotsi about the 1st gens. If you can get a 1st gen AF, I'd recommend any of those two over the current 2nd gen solids or lights.

I have yet to come across anything that indicates to me that AF hookahs are Nours. It is more likely IMO that AF gets them directly from Al Nawras instead of having Karabetian Imports bring them over for them since they import & distribute their own goods here themselves through Sierra Network. Nour did have a stem called the Camilla IIRC that was the unplated brass version of the 1st gen AF small. That stem was made by Al Nawras.

People can complain about KM build quality going down but from the hundreds of KMs I've examined, I think they are still more consistent than other brands/makes. Material quality is still good with the exception of the occasional gimped purge tube that tends to pop up more in trimetal stems (the gimped ones are about the size of Syrian purge tubes), and build quality hasn't really gone down as much as it has become more inconsistent. There are still plenty of well built KMs out there, probably more than there were before but since there are so many KMs now, there are more poorly assembled ones too.

If you like any of the KMs that are floating around now, I'd recommend buying them while you can get a good deal on them. KM prices are only going to continue going up as raw material prices have just gone up again and KM themselves are raising prices because of all the new models they are putting out now vs the few that they were used to making for a long time. Several of the containers with the new KMs have already arrived so those should start making their way to vendors soon.

[foibled again]

Actually, just get this hookah.


It's built like a tank. *rimshot*

[Helix746]

im in the same boat liquid, i really like the af 36 solid but hj is outta stock. at the same time the 40 is so cheap put i dont like that its light and i dont like that it has 2 ball things on the stem instead of one. the difference between light and solid is the stem, on a light there is space between the stem and the decorative metal that covers it, the solid is well, solid.

[foibled again]

im in the same boat liquid, i really like the af 36 solid but hj is outta stock. at the same time the 40 is so cheap put i dont like that its light and i dont like that it has 2 ball things on the stem instead of one. the difference between light and solid is the stem, on a light there is space between the stem and the decorative metal that covers it, the solid is well, solid.

They're not truly solid; they're cast pieces with hollow centers and some pieces aren't as thick as you would think they would be. Temsaahs are a better example of a solid hookah. The solid description is more of a marketing thing and it's been working out well for them.

The lights are simply formed brass, much like the hearts on any of the AFs. From what I can tell, they're assembled much in the same way the hollow stainless steel KMs are. I doubt they will smoke any differently than the solids but I can't say for sure because I haven't used them. Gauge-wise they are similar enough that performance would be the same IMO.

[liquidglass]

foilbed, well man I def respect your opinion and I'm glad someone had something negative to say to make me think about it first (even though I'm set on getting a new hookah somehow lol) Anything positive about the AF's or just negative?

[foibled again]

Ah, I didn't mean to paint a picture where AFs are horrible hookahs because they're not. I own two personally FWIW. They're better than a lot of setups out there, especially considering what you get for the price, and looks do have merit when it comes to hookahs. I was just explaining why I would rather have a KM if I had to choose only one.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

I have 2 KMs and a 36" AF Solid in my collection. The AF is a wonderful pipe; it's beautiful, smokes as well as a KM albeit with a slightly more restrictive draw, the bottom tray is really practical, and it's constructed in a very solid manner. The only thing that really bothers me is that I'm used to wiggling the bowls on tight and because the stem has a little screw on part at the top that holds the tray down, I have to screw the bowl on clockwise or it loosens...lol, stupid small issue but it bugs me. Also, my huge hoses wont fit into the smaller port with a gasket.

I can say all those positive things about my KMs.

Favorite to least of the three, KM Zahirah, AF Solid, KM Amoura

Hope that helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask away.

[Hookah_510]

My main pipe I go to is the 24" AF solid. I like it better than my Super Nova and Mya Odyssey (which I replaced it with) as far as smoke and appeal goes. *FYI I use a heba filter + nammor hose so your results may vary* I been smoking out of it for months now and not a single issue. I have never smoked or owned a KM so I can't give you a legit comparison. For the price, I am 9.5/10 satisfied with it. Would be 10 if the seal were not some rubber grommet and more like a threaded seal (like the Mya). I made a thread somewhere here with plenty pics

[liquidglass]

Thanks for the other side to your opinion Foilbed

I wouldn't still be asking questions if John wasn't out of stock on the solid lol. But now I have more decisions.

I have 2 KMs and a 36" AF Solid in my collection. The AF is a wonderful pipe; it's beautiful, smokes as well as a KM albeit with a slightly more restrictive draw, the bottom tray is really practical, and it's constructed in a very solid manner. The only thing that really bothers me is that I'm used to wiggling the bowls on tight and because the stem has a little screw on part at the top that holds the tray down, I have to screw the bowl on clockwise or it loosens...lol, stupid small issue but it bugs me. Also, my huge hoses wont fit into the smaller port with a gasket.

I can say all those positive things about my KMs.

Favorite to least of the three, KM Zahirah, AF Solid, KM Amoura

Hope that helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask away.

Thanks GNR, so smoking wise which do you go to the most? Also does it feel just like breathing (as it does with my KM) sounds stupid but just wondering about how it feels smoking.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

No like I said the draw is a little tighter so it's not as loose as breathing you have to put a tiny tiny tiny bit more effort behind it but I personally like that. I use the KM Zahirah more partly because I've learned to love the rumble also I've just gotten used to it.

Other things to note, the rumble is a bit quieter with the AF but the coals seem to jump around a tad more which I think also has to do with the height of the pipe as I have the same issue with my Amoura.

The Zahirah is imo the perfect hieght.

If it were me and I had to choose one for ever it'd be the KM. But the AF is reaaalllly beautiful and a pleasure to have.

[liquidglass]

Appreciate it GNR, well I was stuck on the 36" solid but with it out of stock I am looking elsewhere.


Anyone have any recommendations over 32" ? and not one plain color. (AF, KM, Thamessh) brands pref.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

im not sure what your budget is but this is what i would do, either one of these 2 stems

$85
http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...p;categoryId=26


OR
$85
http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...p;categoryId=26


and this vase
$60
http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...p;categoryId=19

[liquidglass]

im not sure what your budget is but this is what i would do, either one of these 2 stems

$85
http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...p;categoryId=26


OR
$85
http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...p;categoryId=26


and this vase
$60
http://www.hookahjohn.com/product.sc?produ...p;categoryId=19

Awesome recommendations, I really might do the 2nd stem + base. Because I already have the first stem lol.

I'd really like the $219 KM 2010 #3 that John has but can't justify the price right now lol and the size just throws me off.

[Chreees]

Ok, I vote NOB's recommendation. Second stem with that base equals SEX!