SnowLeopard Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Hello there! I was wondering why you never see hookahs that are just a little more thought through, by this I mean there's a lot of things that would improve the average hookah. For example a "showerhead diffuser" would already be a nice improvement, instead of one hole in the downstem it would look like this: [img]http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4103/49hgi7lp.png[/img] It would mean less drag when smoking and better diffusion of the smoke. Also I always see metal and rubber parts, why never a full glass hookah with glass on glass joints? And a hose that's 100% free of taste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clickhea Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 how would you clean something like that if you couldnt get the brush in there? and heres your glass hookahs http://www.crownhookahs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 [quote name='clickhea' timestamp='1295190911' post='494528'] how would you clean something like that if you couldnt get the brush in there? and heres your glass hookahs http://www.crownhookahs.com/ [/quote] Took the words right out of my mouth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magick777 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 There's no one answer to that, but, I don't think it is automatic that modern innovations necessarily improve a design that's been used for centuries. We live in an interesting time, where Middle Eastern craftsmanship meets with American & German innovation. Some of it's good, some of it ain't. Popular opinion is still that some of the best pipes are made in the Middle East. I haven't tried a diffuser, but, they meet with a lukewarm reception around here; I was recommended against. A diffuser can only [b]increase[/b] drag when smoking, never reduce it (covering a big hole with lots of small ones does not make the big hole any bigger). They are not "necessary" in terms of taste or smoothness on the pipes I smoke, so the only potential benefit is noise reduction - if that is a benefit. If you particularly want a super-modern hookah with laboratory grade materials, take a look at the Austrian [url="http://www.theunit3.com/en/"]Unit 3.0 pipe[/url] (this is not a recommendation). Clever stuff, but for the same kind of money you can get a high-end Khalil Mamoon, and I know which I'd prefer. As for "a hose that's 100% free of taste"... I'm really not sold on the washable hose argument; they don't seem to ghost any less than my leather hoses. I guess for a personal pipe you could use a straight glass or metal tube, which would be very cleanable, but I'm sticking to flexible materials for my hoses :-) There are few flexible materials that are truly proofed against retaining odours, so, live with it and replace your hoses periodically. I'm not saying that all innovation is bad; I'm about to buy some fancy German-made flavour-retaining bowls that I fully expect to be better than standard Egyptian ones. But, the particular ideas you propose are not new, and they are not things I would pay extra for on a pipe. They're available as bolt-on extras, if that's your thing. I guess "improve" is subjective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hassouni Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 [quote name='SnowLeopard' timestamp='1295190427' post='494527'] Hello there! I was wondering why you never see hookahs that are just a little more thought through, by this I mean there's a lot of things that would improve the average hookah. For example a "showerhead diffuser" would already be a nice improvement, instead of one hole in the downstem it would look like this: [img]http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4103/49hgi7lp.png[/img] It would mean less drag when smoking and better diffusion of the smoke. Also I always see metal and rubber parts, why never a full glass hookah with glass on glass joints? And a hose that's 100% free of taste? [/quote] Hahaha I know what that's from [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowLeopard Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='clickhea' timestamp='1295190911' post='494528'] how would you clean something like that if you couldnt get the brush in there? and heres your glass hookahs [url="http://www.crownhookahs.com/"]http://www.crownhookahs.com/[/url] [/quote] You can let it sit in Simple Green or Grunge Off.. No need to stick your brush in fragile glass to clean it.. And thanks for the website I've never seen those before ! Gonna have to split this one up: [quote name='magick777' timestamp='1295192336' post='494532'] I haven't tried a diffuser, but, they meet with a lukewarm reception around here; I was recommended against. [b]A diffuser can only increase drag when smoking, never reduce it [/b] [/quote] They most certainly do reduce the drag and absolutely don't increase it! Yeah maybe if you make a diffuser out of a shampoo bottle it will increase but if you have a proper blown showerhead, waffle or circulator for example you will definitely notice how much smoother you can take puffs . [quote name='magick777' timestamp='1295192336' post='494532'] As for "a hose that's 100% free of taste"... I'm really not sold on the washable hose argument; they don't seem to ghost any less than my leather hoses. I guess for a personal pipe you could use a straight glass or metal tube, which would be very cleanable, but I'm sticking to flexible materials for my hoses :-) There are few flexible materials that are truly proofed against retaining odours, so, live with it and replace your hoses periodically.[/quote] There are definitely good materials available to make a nice washable free-of-taste hose. I don't know about the average washable hose on a hookah but on other smoking devices (with ceramic heaters and such) there's hoses of amazing quality! [quote name='magick777' timestamp='1295192336' post='494532'] I'm not saying that all innovation is bad; I'm about to buy some fancy German-made flavour-retaining bowls that I fully expect to be better than standard Egyptian ones. But, the particular ideas you propose are not new, and they are not things I would pay extra for on a pipe. They're available as bolt-on extras, if that's your thing. I guess "improve" is subjective. [/quote] What I mentioned is indeed not new but you seldom see it in hookahs whilst with another type of water pipes it's very common that they are made out of glass only, have a diffuser and sometimes a percolator or other extras. And it does really improve the taste to only use glass, it's also much easier to completely clean it so 'bolt-on extra's' isn't really the right description. I guess it's not improvement but satisfaction that is subjective . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magick777 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='SnowLeopard' timestamp='1295290990' post='494675'] [quote name='magick777' timestamp='1295192336' post='494532'] I haven't tried a diffuser, but, they meet with a lukewarm reception around here; I was recommended against. [b]A diffuser can only increase drag when smoking, never reduce it [/b] [/quote] They most certainly do reduce the drag and absolutely don't increase it! Yeah maybe if you make a diffuser out of a shampoo bottle it will increase but if you have a proper blown showerhead, waffle or circulator for example you will definitely notice how much smoother you can take puffs . [/quote] I defy you to explain within the laws of physics how this is possible. For a stem of a given diameter, and no other limitations provided by stem or hose port or whatever, adding a diffuser cannot increase the size of the downstem. At best, you might find a diffuser that does not increase resistance; it physically cannot reduce it. Of course, a wide stem with a diffuser will provide an easier pull than a narrow stem without one, but, I'd love to know what you're basing the claim on that they reduce drag. Unless coupled with increasing the size of the stem, what you're claiming just isn't possible. [quote name='SnowLeopard' timestamp='1295290990' post='494675'] What I mentioned is indeed not new but you seldom see it in hookahs whilst with another type of water pipes it's very common that they are made out of glass only, have a diffuser and sometimes a percolator or other extras. And it does really improve the taste to only use glass, it's also much easier to completely clean it so 'bolt-on extra's' isn't really the right description. I guess it's not improvement but satisfaction that is subjective . [/quote] Yes, I'm familiar with the waterpipes in question; I might even have owned one or two once upon a time; the accepted euphemism for them on this forum is "NHT devices" - and, with respect, I don't think their design features are particularly relevant to hookah pipes, which is the reason that they have not been more widely adopted. There are several key differences to bear in mind. 1) The majority of NHT devices are intended to [b]burn[/b] whatever substance they are used with; this produces more tar in the smoke, and a considerably higher temperature of smoke, than you get from a hookah pipe. The tar creates more of a need for cleaning and a truly foul aftertaste, which doesn't happen with hookah. 2) The smoke produced by NHT is fundamentally more irritant than the smoke/vapour mixture produced by a hookah, therefore, the potential for qualitative improvement, through increased dispersion and "washing" of the smoke, is greater. There is a theoretical benefit for hookah, but, it's theoretical enough that most pipes don't have diffusers. Surprisingly enough, this is not the product of ignorance :-) 3) Hookah pipes tend, as a rule, to be larger and more ornamental than NHT devices; therefore, the solution to optimal cooling has been to increase the size of the pipe, until the point of diminishing returns is established. For NHT devices, there is far more of a commercial incentive for packing as many cooling gimmicks as possible into the smallest possible space; that is what the market seems to want. 4) With my cynical hat on, hookah manufacturers rely more on repeat custom and recommendation than the makers of NHT devices; the latter are usually one-off impulse purchases, in a changeable market where a gimmick is what sells your NHT device over anybody else's. Again, this is less true for hookah. Obviously you're not the only person to think the way you do, and where there is demand, someone will fill the gap. I must admit, some of the new-fangled pipes do look very cool, and if I had lots of money and wanted something more portable, well, I'd be tempted. Rest assured, though, that if Khalil Mamoon, Nisha, Nour or any of the other huge Middle Eastern manufacturers saw this as an improvement to their art, they would be doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahl071 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Change of terminology. When he says drag, what he means is "vibration" or "turbulence." It may be slightly harder to pull, though if the holes are big enough it shouldn't be noticeable, but there is no arguing that many small holes pull a lot less violently that one gaping one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magick777 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 With apologies for dragging up a stale thread, I just spotted another all-glass hookah that may be of interest to the OP, manufactured by al-Fakher in the UAE and sold by a German retailer. This should be taken as information, not necessarily recommendation... [url="http://www.smoking-shisha.de/de/Wasserpfeifen/Al-Fakher/"]http://www.smoking-shisha.de/de/Wasserpfeifen/Al-Fakher/[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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