ghostofdavid Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Have you ever noticed that when you're searching to make a purchase of hookahs on eBay, that several things seem to happen.1. It is very hard to find a seller on eBay who does not appear to have a least some questionable feedback. Every time I think I find a pretty good deal, I read the feedback and negative experiences change my mind.2. No one can answer me, or is too scared to answer, the question to guarantee me that the hookah is lead free. Because hookahs are made in countries with regulations much less strict than what we have in the United States, foreign produced hookahs may contain led in either metal workings of the hookah and potentially the bottom glass pieces. Does anyone have any recommendations for sellers from eBay or hookah websites to purchase things from at a reasonable deal? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 OK..since actually reading through a few pages of posts or even looking up at the tacked thread on vendors is asking a bit much.... Traditional hookahs are made with the materials at hand in small workshops in Egypt,Syria,where ever, there is no way to know what when into them. I recall, I think it was lakemonster, a while back took 2 stems apart from "traditional" hookahs and found recycled natural gas line. If you want a hookah that you know is made from new materials, try a mya or a stargate or soemthing Modern, likely made in china. I have to admit I find it kinda funny you are worried about lead in something you are going to use to smoke TOBACCO in. Ah..here's the thread... [url="http://www.hookahforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2009&KW=recycled"] http://www.hookahforum.com/forum/forum_pos...asp?TID=2009&am[/url] p;KW=recycled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 Sorry, maybe I was not clear on part of my post. I read the sticky on vendors, but I don't see anything advertised such as an exclusive sale or package deal to forum members. I understand that traditional hookahs may contain components that people groups must use in a pinch or may develop something such as a natural gas line into using for an unintended purpose to make a macguyver hookah. This is not what I am talking about. I am more referring to those who advertise one specific hookah and then give the consumer a completely different but, according to the seller, a similiar hookah without informing them until after the buyer has left negative feedback. I have had a traditional hookah in the past, and I loved it. I am not sure what it was made out of and I did not have it long enough to examine its make up to determine if it had any macguyver parts, but I sure as heck enjoyed every egyptian piece of it. As for the lead content, you should be very worried about it if you are unawares. Tobacco is something that can be enjoyed and is not nerely as dangerous as what media constantly pounds into our head. As a hookah smoker, you are well aware of this! Lead is a different story as it does not take much lead to make someone suffer the ills of brain damage! If your hookah has lead components and you are absorbing lead through the pores in your skin, in the lungs, and collecting lead deposits on your tongue, you are literally smoking yourself retarded. Thank you for the link to the thread about the two hookahs with makeshift parts. I also appreciated your flavored tobacco reviews in some of the forums and take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enima For Your Lungs Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 I would recomend against Ebay vendors in general. Every once in a while you might find a good deal, especially just on a listing but there are a lot of sheisters in that market. You have to ask yourself why someone has an Ebay store in the first place instead of a real store or at least a legitimate website. By the time you add up Ebay sellers fees (especially for Ebay stores) someone could build their own website. Further, all of the Ebay deals that offer, let's say, a hookah for $25 with $25 in freebies can't be a good deal. Even if you take into account that the freebies aren't really worth that much, they're worth something and you know that the seller must turn a profit. This means that the actual hookah is being manufactured for a couple of dollars, literally. This usually means poor quality and poor materials. There are a lot of good vendors online out there. Some of these companies will occassionally put hookahs online as promotions, but you'll get just as good of deals if you go their websites. As far as lead, you're absolutely right. But as Mushrat said, if you get a hookah from a reputable company you shouldn't have to worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Ah..well several sites offer discounts to forum members. try "discount" in the search engine for details. Ali at SS i think it was has mentioned that so many people who arent really members are using our discount code, you should put your forum name in the comments as well. besides, I'm not sure if the lead in say a pipe or weld will attach itself to the smoke as it goes by....it's not like we are drinking the water in the vase. The part that is heating up, the bowl, and perhaps the tip of the stem, may contain lead i guess, and heating them may release the lead..i guess... I'm not talkign a thrown together hookah, I mean this is how its DONE in these countries. Do you really think the little hookah manufacturing workshop in Ciaro or Damascus is making sure they order nothing but unused rolls of certified piping from a manufacturer in the US or soemthing? Get real. They are using whatever is at hand or whatever they can get cheap. Not in a "pinch" but as the S.O.P. That Egyptian you love and smoke is likely to have all the things you are trying to avoid. Just because you haven't wanted to look inside it, doesn't mean its safe. If you are that concerned, I'd get rid of it and buy something of chinese manufacture. My $.03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 [quote name='mushrat']besides, I'm not sure if the lead in say a pipe or weld will attach itself to the smoke as it goes by....it's not like we are drinking the water in the vase. The part that is heating up, the bowl, and perhaps the tip of the stem, may contain lead i guess, and heating them may release the lead..i guess...[/quote] If your life is left up to just a guess, be careful. Every hose I have seen has a metal mouth piece. If you aren't using a plastic mouth tip, and assuming there is lead in the metal piece it will be ingested. Lead is a very soft material as far as metal goes. It only takes 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood to make one sick or poisoned. 10 μg/dL or higher is all it takes. If this is in the glass bowl and if it can be transitioned in other ways, I am not smart enough to figure that out. Maybe Tangiers is. [quote name='mushrat']I'm not talkign a thrown together hookah, I mean this is how its DONE in these countries. Do you really think the little hookah manufacturing workshop in Ciaro or Damascus is making sure they order nothing but unused rolls of certified piping from a manufacturer in the US or soemthing? Get real. They are using whatever is at hand or whatever they can get cheap. Not in a "pinch" but as the S.O.P. That Egyptian you love and smoke is likely to have all the things you are trying to avoid. Just because you haven't wanted to look inside it, doesn't mean its safe. If you are that concerned, I'd get rid of it and buy something of chinese manufacture.[/quote] Respectively and comparatively speaking compared to the way an assembly line capable country could produce hookahs versus the Egyptian small shops, the ones in the small shops are "thrown together" and they work with what they have. This is not insulting, this is not degrading, it is making best with what they have. However, if a United States company wanted to make a hookah out of surgical steel in a sterile environment, the two can't really be compared. No one needs to "get real." Why are you being so defensive and unnecessarily confrontational? As far as the Egyptian one I loved, it is gone which is why I am in the market for a replacement. It was stolen from me while I moved last summer. It very well may have had some of the things inside of it that I did not desire, but if I am looking to upgrade from that, how is that negative? Sheesh man, you're an American. Go light off some fireworks to blow off some of that negative energy and stream! Who knows, maybe I will get a Chinese one! If the price is right and the quality is what I am looking for, then I will get one. Plus, the hookah snobs who look down on Chinese hookahs will pass on my offers of puffs and there will be more for me and my "uneducated" friends! Happy 4th! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
web250 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 My friend buys his hookahs from ebay from a guy called Caranavassi Imports (i probably spelled that wrong).His hookah is really nice, hits well, looks "antique"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakemonster Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 I have to agree with the "acceptance" part about the possibility of getting used materials or something unhealthy being used as material in hookahs. I dont think Mushrat was jumping on you about it... just indicating that either you come to accept that traditional hookah makers may not be making these things to the highest standard in as far as health concerns. Hence the reccomendation for the modern hookahs. The other thing is: not all hookah workshops are the same. Two workshops in Egypt will have seperate supply sources, different quality control levels, workmanship quality will be differenty....... and... considerations of the end customer. I have seen this first hand with various Egyptian made hookahs. Some were made as if they were never intended to do anything other than put on a shelf. Some were made to perfection in every way. You concern for lead is valid. Heres what you need to know. Most egyptian and syrian hookahs undergo soldering. Typical solder is made of lead and tin. there are lead-free solders out there.. but they are much trickier to use... and probably more costly. I'd put my bet on lead solder all the way. So.... heads up on that part. BTW. I'd love to see that hookah makers out there took note of this..... I hope HOOKAH VENDORS take note of this.... they are the ones that can answer our questions, and even work toward having lead free or hookahs to sell. With that said, I really need to go out and re-load up a couple hundred rounds of .38 Special semi-wadcutters at some point today. Ebay. This place has gotten worse this last year in terms of hookah merchants. I type in "Egyptian Hookah" and I get results that are mostly chinese versions trying to mimick the real thing. Shop eBay hookah at your own peril... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 I will only add that i don't look down on the chineese ones..who do you think makes MYA....hmmm? (Could be wrong but I don't think so. ) And my QT is one of the best smokign hookahs I've ever tried. Just saying If its "traditional" its a risk. Many hoses DON'T have metal tips, your experiences may be rather limited, and all the ones I use are Mya, even at my local cafe. Most of those are non-metal tipped. The ones that are..I don't BELIEVE are lead. As for the rest, I'd say Lake covered it far better than I did. Not defensive, just amusies me when people look for safety when they smoke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymptom Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 [quote=ghostofdavid] [QUOTE=mushrat]No one needs to "get real." Why are you being so defensive and unnecessarily confrontational?[/quote]You know... I've been wondering the same thing. It seems like every time someone voices any kind of NON-TOBACCO related concern for their health, they get a snappy "WTF? Who cares -- your smoking! Abandon all concern for your health!" It's like saying "Well I have McDonalds for breakfast everyday... might as well have Dunkin Donuts for lunch!... well, I have 2 donuts for lunch everyday, might as well tack on a cinnamon bun and mercury milkshake, too!" What's so wrong about wanting to eliminate whatever risks we can? Not many smokers are looking for a 100% SAFE way to smoke, but a lot of people who come on this forum are looking for SAFER ways to smoke, and you can't deny that some ways MUST be safer than others. I'm actually not so much referring to Mushrat's responses in this thread, but I've seen people react strangely to these kinds of topics in the past. I think Mush was actually rather helpful and I think the "get real" was directed at expecting Egyptian manufacturers to use high quality certified safe components in their hookahs. Like he said, if you want a hookah that you know is safe, buy from a manufacturer that has an email address! I'm not too worried about what's in my Mya... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Cymptom: I think it's partly a knee jerk reaction to someone reminding us we are already doing soemthing that's not good for us. Seriously, we know smokign is bad, so why remind us by adding in lead poisoning, aluminium poisoning, burning sugar in the lungs syndrome, etc...The fact you are smoking at all seems to point to a certain high level of disreguard for your own health...know what I mean? It's like someone ordering a double big mac, jumbo fries, a super sized coke and wondering if the apple pie is deep fried in 100% vegitable oil... And yes, at no point were my comments meant as an attack on Ghost. If it was a personal attck, I'd have been more...personal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 Lakemonster: I need my own reloading kit. I have a Ruger SP101 in my pocket and finding wadcuters in a store is like trying to find a needle in a haystack! Always nice to see another responsible enthusiast on the board! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 [quote name='web250']My friend buys his hookahs from ebay from a guy called Caranavassi Imports (i probably spelled that wrong).His hookah is really nice, hits well, looks "antique"...[/quote]I actually found their store when I was looking into getting a hookah from eBay. They have a pretty solid reputation and seem to sell pretty consistently good merchandise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonthert Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Yeah, my bet would be lead solder since the Middle Eastern and Chinese manufacturers make low-fire crummy clay bowls with lead glazes to save money, I would guess they use the far faster and cheaper lead solder. A way to tell is take an awl or a flat edge screwdriver. Put it up to one of the solder joints on your hookah (underside, where the shank tube goes back in to the shank, perhaps) and "scratch it" lead is quite soft, even when mixed with tin in solder, it will etch or give a little. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder#Lead-free_solder"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder#Lead-free_solder[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 Thank you for the input, Tangiers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 mushrat: Thank you for the other recommendations! Socialsmoke seems to have a very professional website. At a quick lunch-break glace of the mya site, they don't have the QTs listed, do? Weird! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 How odd....thier glass hooka section is just one page..usually there are several pages worth including the QT's..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubi-WAC Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Just type "MYA QT" in google search and MYA's webpage with the QTs should be the first thing that comes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrofeed Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 woa now ima little scared, i bought my hookah in Israel, it looked like a fine shop, not a little workshop item warehouse, but it had many copies of "modern" looking hookahs, as if off an assembly line, i asssumed it was fine, and my pipe IS metal tipped, do i have anything to worry about? it looked like a proffesional place, although the companies name was "shisha" (at least that was a big name on it, and nothing looked suitbale so assumed that was the name.) and i can find no record of it existing, although it did have a pic of a stargate on the side. Can someone tell me the chances im smoking lead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I have a Social Smoke Hookah, I think I should be safe...Right?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 um...relax guys...if you are really concerned, do the test Tangiers suggests on your welds. While you're at it, get your water checked at home, work, and anyplace else you drink non-bottled water. Oh, don't breathe the air... [url="http://www.epa.gov/iaq/lead.html"]http://www.epa.gov/iaq/lead.html [url="http://members.aol.com/baltlead/HAZARDa.html"]http://members.aol.com/baltlead/HAZARDa.html[/url][/url] "when in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofdavid Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 I hope your places of employee provide you with water that has been bottled and or filtered! Most offices and factories have water coolers filled with water that has been mucho filtered and distributed.Just remember, if you ignore a problem, it does not go away! I do not mean to cause a ruckus over lead, but it is something to think about and maybe pose a challenge to hookah manufactuers and suppliers a lot. Regards and happy smoking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Hey man, anything that livens this place up now and then is a GOOD thing. And you came up with new one as far as I can figure. I just love getting involved in discussions like this..keep up the good work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jucesar Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Ebay seems not to be a good deal. I have had 2 horrible sellers to give me answers when i tried to buy products from them... Take a look at the horrible customer service provided: Seller: salsmarketplace Question 1: Hi, I have been looking for some unique models of MYA hookahs. I even got a catalog from MYA but most models that i want are not in stock. Can you send more photos of all MYA models you have avaliable? Also, what is the weight for this model with 4 cloisonnes? I can only use usps ems service to brazil because it offers tracking and i had problems before with lost packages. Please send the photos to my email: [url="http://mailto:marcoju24@gmail.com"]marcoju24@gmail.com[/url] , hopefully i can buy a hookah from you soon. Thanks! Reply: "The 40” weighs around 20 pounds and all the photos I have that mya doesn’t have in stock are the ones on my ebay.." Question 2: I have been doing some research and there is more than 1 complain about your products. Missing parts, wrong color sent, horrible packing, delays.... Is this drop ship? Answer: Unfortunately sometimes this some items are drop ship. But not the MYA’s those I have here. And I pack them. But I have always taken care of my customers and made good on my auctions. Any missing parts I have resent slow shipping is due to usps which I use packaging is from a drop shipped. But this and all hookah items I have in stock. Question 3: Can you send better photos? Answer: "these are the best i have.. i dont have the best lighting or camera. " 4th question: How can you say you have them in stock then!?Just tell the truth, the items are not avaliable for you to take a pic. simple. Answer: What???? i do have them in stock . please dont assume. . I took those pictures myself from our warehouse cant you tell. What other pictures dp you want i took whole, BALL, different angles.. what else do you want .tell me what other specifics you wantr i will go tomarrow to the warehouse and take them .. why would i sell something i dont have .. i am not running a scam here. Look at his best photo: According to his auction you have to pay $59.99 + $139.99 shipping. Clearly trying to avoid ebay fees on the item. You also cannot chose the color and you do not know what color you are getting and neither if you get a 3 or 4 cloisonnes stem. Basically it is a shot in the dark. If he had all items in his warehouse stock he could tell me what colors are avaliable and would treat me with some decent service. This seller claims that he makes $4500 every 2 weeks in sales and was crying on some message board about ebay canceling his account... No wonder, he screws buyers with outrageous shipping and there is a complain about him here about missing parts sent. Everytime i get a horrible service i rant about it, this is the reason why i brought this to this board. [img]http://i15.ebayimg.com/03/i/07/99/bf/07_1_b.JPG[/img] My last reply: Well let me give you some tips since i have 3 online business running. 1 - Photos: If you do not have a good camera get one. This is the least you can do. Provide accurate information and photos from your products. Specially since you are selling hookahs and there are at least 6 different color combinations of them in a terrible small photo. The only way for a customer to fell confident about your product is a photo. 2 - Be cordial on your emails. Try to accomodate to your customer needs. If i asked for more photos the least you could do is tell me the the models and color avaliable. Do you really think a customer dropping $250 wants to get anything you throw in a package?? 3 - The overcharging for shipping is illegal according to ebay rules. From what i know you have been suspended before for this so i suggest you charge the correct price for the product and do not place outrageous prices for shipping. 4 - You can easily find complains about your business on google, if you have not done the research i suggest you do so you can improve in the future. I hope you can better accomodate your customer needs in the future. Regards Well... hopefully he will improve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrofeed Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 would lead only be in the solder joints, or could it be elsewhere, because i just did the test, but i had no solder joints, so i noticeed that my stem (not the one in the bowl, i know the decorative part) is a different material form the part at the very bottom that has the valves. it is still shiny, but an off stainless steel shine, kind of flatter. So i did the test on it, and i did make a mark, but im not sure how hard i was supposed to press, how could i tell a other way if it is lead or not, and would it harm me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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