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Foil Or Steel Grate?


  

39 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you prefer foil or a steel grate on your hookah?



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I started out using a steel grate actually and it seems to burn the shisha a bit more thoroughly and deeply, but I need either more coals or hotter coals to keep it going. I've been using foil for the last few times and after putting on a third coal when the first two burned out, I got this rancid, nasty taste. That has only happened with foil so far, too. Btw I use coco-nara coals. So which do you prefer?
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I'm a little embarrassed to say that I'm not sure what type of hookah or bowl I have XD. I bought it at a local smoke shop, I think it's around 28" tall with a clay bowl? lol I'm really new to hookah but I love it. =D The hookah was $120 if that's any indication of quality. Oh, the paper that came with it says "Premium Hookahs."
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Price is often a poor indicator! And every product ever made claims to be the premium...

The bowl is probably a regular Egyptian clay bowl. That seems to be what most come with.
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Yeah, price is never a good indicator. The crappiest Chinese hookah could be $150... You can get a great quality KM for $100, or a great quality Mya for $50.

And also as Epoch said, they all claim to be premium... You gotta know which ones actually are. ;)

I'm going to say there's a 99.9% chance that you have a Chinese hookah that you overpaid for, with a regular mod bowl. Those screens typically fit those mods and the clay Egyptian bowls as well, but chances are you got a mod. Idk, post up a pic of your rig and we can ID it for you...
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[quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1289096593' post='487488']
Foil for sure, but those elusive glass screens are supposed to work very well
[/quote]
They do work alright. I still prefer foil by far, but the glass screens do a great job at evenly heating the bowl. However, they put coconut cubes out like no other. You have to flip MUCH more often than with foil. Even less air hitting that bottom side.

But on topic, foil. The screens are terrible, and the holes are way too big to control heat well.
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[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' timestamp='1289106136' post='487507']
Yeah, price is never a good indicator. The crappiest Chinese hookah could be $150... You can get a great quality KM for $100, or a great quality Mya for $50.

And also as Epoch said, they all claim to be premium... You gotta know which ones actually are. ;)

I'm going to say there's a 99.9% chance that you have a Chinese hookah that you overpaid for, with a regular mod bowl. Those screens typically fit those mods and the clay Egyptian bowls as well, but chances are you got a mod. Idk, post up a pic of your rig and we can ID it for you...
[/quote]

lol i got my KM for 60ish
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[quote name='IainUM' timestamp='1289110666' post='487517']
[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' timestamp='1289106136' post='487507']
Yeah, price is never a good indicator. The crappiest Chinese hookah could be $150... You can get a great quality KM for $100, or a great quality Mya for $50.

And also as Epoch said, they all claim to be premium... You gotta know which ones actually are. ;)

I'm going to say there's a 99.9% chance that you have a Chinese hookah that you overpaid for, with a regular mod bowl. Those screens typically fit those mods and the clay Egyptian bowls as well, but chances are you got a mod. Idk, post up a pic of your rig and we can ID it for you...
[/quote]
I got my km ice for 99 two years ago.
As for the metal screen I used it once when i bought a modbowl with that attachment cover and screen combo and took of the screen and used foil.Foil all the way .

lol i got my KM for 60ish
[/quote]
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Thanks for all the info everyone. =D I must say, you're probably right about my over paying for a chinese knock-off. As soon as I can I'll post a pic of my hookah. So I noticed "KM" was mentioned quite a bit. Is this an acronym for a brand? Also, what are some good brands other than and including that one? Oh yeah and what's a phunnel bowl? Lol
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[quote name='Kurashinno' timestamp='1289178633' post='487579']
Thanks for all the info everyone. =D I must say, you're probably right about my over paying for a chinese knock-off. As soon as I can I'll post a pic of my hookah. So I noticed "KM" was mentioned quite a bit. Is this an acronym for a brand? Also, what are some good brands other than and including that one? Oh yeah and what's a phunnel bowl? Lol
[/quote]

KM is an acronym for Khalil Maamoun. an egyptian hookah brand that is highly regarded here. MYA is another good brand that you will hear a lot of here. al-nawras and nour are other good brands for syrian pipes. Temsaah is another pretty good bet for egyptian pipes.

there are plenty of other good pipes out there, but generally, when you buy one of the above mentioned brands, you can say with a high degree of certainty that you're getting a high-quality pipe.

a phunnel bowl is a type of head that utilize a different system for 'cooking' your tobacco. they use one, large, central hole which is unobstructed resulting in much better airflow than in most other types of bowls 'mod' and standard egyptian.
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[quote name='noodle' timestamp='1289088632' post='487479']
I wonder if anyone makes a grate for use with phunnel bowls.
[/quote]

If they don't I will make one...and hang it up on my wall ..

No I have a few grates but I saw in an earlier post about heat management and yup to much heat, I get this burnt on crust under the grate and a fresh unburnt shisha at the bottom I don't get to enjoy...But when I use foil I seem to get a nice heat and no problem with burning ...that is if the foil is on right.
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So I finally uploaded a pic of my hookah. Let me know if I got ripped off! =D



[img]http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac95/pathscience/IMG_0342.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac95/pathscience/IMG_0341.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac95/pathscience/IMG_0340.jpg[/img]
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It looks to me like a general Chinese hookah. The base is beautiful though!
What kind of coals are you using? (I'm sorry if that has been asked before)
And what types of sheisha?
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I started using al fakher shisha because it was really cheap at the local smoke shop. I have recently switched to fumari and so far it's amazing for the most part. I also recently switched coals. I've discovered coco-nara and they are fantastic. So, on a side note, why would a khalil mamoon smoke any better or different than a chinese one? I'm probably displaying my ignorance immensely with the following questions: isn't it just shisha, foil, coal; filtering in water; then out the hoses? Are the nicer ones more durable or have different filtering/cleaning mechanisms? Are the interiors coated with some substance to make the smoke smoother etc etc.?
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some cheaper hookahs are very poorly manufactured and will rust and fall apart. some are put together well though. However, with Khalil Mamoon, and MYA, and a few others, they have a consistant track record for lasting longer, and being put together better. Many chinese hookahs have a history of not lasting more than a year if you're lucky.
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[quote name='agunn1231' timestamp='1289688883' post='488224']
some cheaper hookahs are very poorly manufactured and will rust and fall apart. some are put together well though. However, with Khalil Mamoon, and MYA, and a few others, they have a consistant track record for lasting longer, and being put together better. Many chinese hookahs have a history of not lasting more than a year if you're lucky.
[/quote]

This is accurate, but also the materials its made out of will not ghost as much and can last longer. Bronze can be scrubbed clean a lot longer than plastic. Also the inner stem diameter is larger on KM than most Chinese hookahs, which will greatly improve the smoothness of your pull. When I look at a hookah I usually look at the inner stem diameter, hose and purge port diameters, weight, and welding quality. I'll base my decision on those whether or not its a Chinese or otherwise.
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