The Importance Of A Good Hose. Does It Matter?

[Cloud9]

The last couple months I've been upgrading my hookah. I've got from a small $20 hookah to a nice 24" Mya Econo. Then I switched out bowls and went to a Tangiers phunnel bowl. Shisha was next...as I went ahead and bought some Tangiers and also threw on a diffuser (not sure if that makes any difference). Then I bought some nice Exotica square finger coals that seem to burn real well. It's been smoking alot better...but it's still not as good as others I've smoked. The only thing left that I can think of that would improve it is getting a better hose. Tell me the importance of a good hose, and does it REALLY make that much of a difference? The one I'm using is the one that came with the hookah when I bought it.

Any suggestions/ideas?

[magick777]

In my subjective experience, a "good" hose is one that improves the draw of the pipe; I'm not sold on washable hoses.

Will it make a difference? Take the hose, plus all the connectors, and breathe in and out through it, get an idea of the resistance. Now put your lips to the hose port of your pipe (without a bowl on) and suck; that's the easiest your pipe is ever going to draw and the maximum extent to which a perfect hose could improve it. On a typical Egyptian pipe with wooden connectors, the difference will be convincing. If it isn't, a new hose won't help.

What difference will it make? It will likely increase the overall "throughput" of the pipe, which is a double-edged sword. On my pipe, the difference is truly epic clouds of smoke, offset by shorter smoke duration, greater risk of scorching, and the need for more active heat management. However, if you do have issues anywhere else in your setup (packing, coals, heat management) then you can expect this to exacerbate them, not fix them.

Overall verdict: if a new hose substantially eases the draw of the pipe, it's worthwhile, as long as all the other factors are right.

[Chreees]

In my opinion, a good hose can make a lot of difference. A wider gauge allows you a smoother and easier pull. Typically the washable hoses have the wide gauge, but a lot or other non-washable hoses have it as well (Khalil Mamoon and Temsah hoses come to mind). Washables are good because if the hose ever ghosts to a certain flavor, you can simply wash it out with no worries of rusting.Some good hoses I can suggest are:

Washables:

-Nammor
-Razan
-Narbish

Non-washables:

-Khalil Mamoon
-Temsah

There's others, just not coming to mind right now. Check the hose reviews for extra info on what's good and what's crap.

[Genie]

Gotta throw in my NuHose love here. I have a couple of Nammors and a Razan but use my NuHoses almost exclusively. [b]A good hose makes a huge difference and is totally worth the investment.[/b] I totally agree with Incubus' reccomendations on washable hoses, I just think NuHose should have been added to the washable hose list.

I like my non-washable KM hose well enough, I just don't like that I can't wash it so I don't use it often.

I connect two NuHoses, by the way, they're a little too short. But I love that I can soak the entire hose in the sink if I want to, that I don't have to use a funnel to clean it, that I never have to worry about melting or harming the glue inside the handle (both my Nammors leak when I put water in them, the brand new one worse than the old one!), and that I don't have to worry about protecting the outside of the hose.

I could go on and on, actually, but I'm going to force myself to stop because my NuHose love is more than a little off-topic. My answer to your question is in bold in my first sentence and that's all you asked.

[joytron]

I would take a good hose over any other piece of equipment (shisha and coals withstanding).

[Epoch]

Getting a nice hose is an incredible upgrade.

My first session with a Nammor hose was amazing.

[Cloud9]

Just bought a large Nammor hose. Can't wait to see how it works.

Thanks everyone

[no longer welcome]

i used to think not always, like smoking a mya qt, the regular mya hose suffices, but that's not the case. you can see it by the expression on my face when trying a mid size nawras hookah in one of my yt vids. i started with a mya hose, then changed to a narb, the difference was apparent.

[Arcane]

if these are still available and you're willing to spend the money, i'd get these

[url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/40674-for-sale-km-ultimate-hoses-rare/"]http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/40674-for-sale-km-ultimate-hoses-rare/[/url]

[Arcane]

[quote name='joytron' timestamp='1296160556' post='495904']
I would take a good hose over any other piece of equipment (shisha and coals withstanding).
[/quote]


i'll trade you your hookah for a NuHose!

[ezxen]

For me a good hose can make a difference with the right hookah,well with anything other than a pumpkin , as for washables i like the caravan grand and my new nammor, but a good tip can improve that. I have a Glass tip from [Vendor not to be nammed] and tossing it on a grand and my nammor has improved the pull by at least 40-50%

[Genie]

[quote name='Cloud9' timestamp='1296163276' post='495910']
Just bought a large Nammor hose. Can't wait to see how it works.

Thanks everyone
[/quote]

Woot! Can't imagine that you won't love it.

[Cp44]

A good hose does make a difference if you properly set up everything else correctly...packing the bowl right, correct amount of water in the base, heat management of coals etc. I have the cheap Mya hoses and my KM AS Pro Hose, the difference is very noticeable.

[nathanmweiss]

I want to echo the packing the bowl right sentiment. If your bowl is packed too tightly into the holes (if you're using an Egyptian style bowl), you won't be able to get a good pull.

If you're underpacking a phunnel you can get the foil stuck over the middle ring and not get enough airflow through your tobacco to get good clouds (happened to me tonight).

Those problems were obviously completely independent of which hose I was using, but initially I thought it was a hose problem.

[Cloud9]

Good stuff, guys.

Still waiting for my damn Nammor hose to arrive. Bought it from hookah-shisha and they are shipping from Texas. I'm impatient right now, can't wait until Wednesday ...at least that's when UPS said it would arrive.

[TexasHookah]

Good choice on the Nammor hose. The Nammor or Razan washable hoses are great hoses. I love my Razan hose. A good hose makes all the difference. Especially the larger diameter ones which give you great airflow.