What's The Difference Between Those Funnel Bowls, Except For 4X Higher Price?

[Moki]

Hi guys,

Since I'm getting a new hookah, I'd like to get some great bowl with it. I'm thinking Vortex: http://www.shisha-palace.at/vortex-keramikkopf-schwarz-p-873.html

But there are also 13€ bowls that look exactly same: http://www.shisha-palace.at/saphire-deep-black-p-1020.html

Where's the catch? Also, will I have to get some reduction for it to fit on Mya Cosmos? - http://www.shisha-palace.at/cosmos-schwarzchrom-p-651.html

Thanks!

[littlec]

The more expensive bowls are made by sapphire a company based in GERMANY that makes great bowls that smoke very well from what certain EU forum members have told me.

The first one is a piece of crap that's made in CHINA and everyone but noobs hate using that bowl pretty much.

Spend the extra money, it will serve you very well and the quality of your hookah smoke will be better as well. The bowl is actually more important than the actual hookah in most cases in regards to having a good smoke, in car terms the hookah is the wheels and the body of the car and the bowl is the engine.

[littlec]

[quote name='TheMoki' timestamp='1318796790' post='527943']
Where's the catch? Also, will I have to get some reduction for it to fit on Mya Cosmos? - [url="http://www.shisha-palace.at/cosmos-schwarzchrom-p-651.html"]http://www.shisha-pa...hrom-p-651.html[/url]
[/quote]

Forgive the double post but I forgot to address this one as well.

1. you will need a mod/china grommet for either one of those bowls, it actually gives you the link to one they sell that will fit on the product page for the bowls
looks like this:
[img]http://www.shisha-palace.at/images/Kopfdichtung_weiss[1].gif[/img]
2. Have you considered getting something other than a MYA? I would highly recommend buying a Khalil Mamoon hookah over a MYA one.

[Moki]

Thanks! I was thinking about KM, but I'm more into "unbreakable" kind of design and I'm limited by my budget.

I'll definetly add those 10€ and get the brand bowl, though.

Thanks!

[littlec]

[quote name='Moki' timestamp='1318802212' post='527953']
Thanks! I was thinking about KM, but I'm more into "unbreakable" kind of design and I'm limited by my budget.

I'll definetly add those 10€ and get the brand bowl, though.

Thanks!
[/quote]

Good man, and not a problem I'm happy to have been able to help.

Also don't sweat buying a MYA, I really don't like them but they're not 'bad' by any means and like a said before with a good bowl (and tobacco,coals,practice) you can make almost anything smoke well, and MYA is pretty far from a low end hookah.

[Epoch]

Reeaally want to try one of those Sapphire bowls...

[Pavo21]

all my pipes i have are mya they smoke good dont have any kms or anything else atm but working on it but if something god for bid breaks they are cheap and easy to replace so just get what you can and save up for something maybe nicer in the end as long as you can smoke you should be fine

[littlec]

[quote name='Epoch' timestamp='1318814243' post='527965']
Reeaally want to try one of those Sapphire bowls...
[/quote]


Just buy a tangiers superchief, there are still a few running around, it's what the sapphire guys were copying and is at least the same quality if not better.

[S3cretz]

Is it just me or that site have some crazy cool stuff on it.

[Moki]

They don't have those Tangiers everyone talks about, I guess (It's a brand, not a product, right?). I'll get that Saphire No.5 bowl, it looks similar to vortex/funnel bowls and it's quite expensive, so it should do the trick.

[S3cretz]

[quote name='Moki' timestamp='1318844671' post='527992']
They don't have those Tangiers everyone talks about, I guess (It's a brand, not a product, right?). I'll get that Saphire No.5 bowl, it looks similar to vortex/funnel bowls and it's quite expensive, so it should do the trick.
[/quote]
Do that I have ones similar to that made for myself. Most European countrys dont allow selling tobacco on-line.

[Moki]

Okay,I'll get that one. Already finished my order, feel free to answer my questions in another thread

Luckily, Czech Republic is exception You can easily get tabacco here online.

[Kapten Kanel]

My MYA QT smokes just as good as my KM 38" Ice (which has sadly started to leak or something, sessions just keep getting worse and worse), in my opinion MYA is (in general) of better quality than KM. If you buy a MYA, you know what you get - a high quality machine-made hookah. With a KM its rather hit and miss since its handmade.

[Moki]

That's good to hear, thanks. I'm not really into handmade pipes, I enjoy modern design, so that's really not a problem. Hopefully, it will serve well! I'll be sure to include a review, with enough luck, it will come this week. I also considered Mya QT / Bambino, actually. Might get it as my personal hookah, in case I get to like my Cosmos

[magick777]

[quote name='littlec' timestamp='1318797189' post='527945']
The more expensive bowls are made by sapphire a company based in GERMANY that makes great bowls that smoke very well from what certain EU forum members have told me.

The first one is a piece of crap that's made in CHINA and everyone but noobs hate using that bowl pretty much.

Spend the extra money, it will serve you very well and the quality of your hookah smoke will be better as well. The bowl is actually more important than the actual hookah in most cases in regards to having a good smoke, in car terms the hookah is the wheels and the body of the car and the bowl is the engine.
[/quote]

Spot on with every word written; Saphire make some of the best bowls I've ever used - the only thing that competes with them on performance are the US-made Crown glass bowls, which are more expensive. Highly recommend their Power Bowl for everyday use and their Phunnel for Tangiers. The Hot Shot is great for economy, short smokes, rare tobaccos, but it's not a bowl I actually use often, while the Power Bowl XXL is too big to be useful (though I do intend to take it to a party this week and will report back).

And yes, the Vortex is a pile of crap. What's the difference? [list]
[*]cheap lightweight ceramic vs. dense clay in Saphire bowls
[*]air flow; the Vortex has 4 small holes; Saphire use 8 in their Power Bowl, you can breathe freely through it.
[*]surface area - more of it yields better heat management and the Saphires are 9cm across
[*]depth - the Vortex goes too far leaving burnt shisha on the top and wet flavour on the bottom; the Power Bowl will cook most shisha into a solid cake.
[*]convenience - the Saphires have a nice wide rim onto which it is easy to seal the foil with a finger, and upon which you can sit your charcoal to heat the bowl directly as opposed to through the shisha.
[/list]
It sounds like you've already been given all the right advice; I can only add that having spent something like 200 euros on shisha bowls, Saphire make the BEST bowls I've found in Europe. Also note that while I normally do, it's far from obligatory to fill a Saphire bowl in order for it to smoke well; with heat and patience you can smoke 10g of shisha in any of their bowls if you wish.

You will need a thick rubber grommet (often referred to as a Mod style grommet) for Saphire bowls; they have a large hole in the base and will not sit nicely on the average Mya-sized stem without one.

[Moki]

Thanks for long answer. I ordered Saphire No. 5 (the "funnel" bowl) and mod grommet as others suggested. So it should sit well enough.

I ofter do short 1/2-1 hour sessions when I'm smoking alone, so hopefully I'll manage to heat it up for small amount of tobacco as you mentioned.

[littlec]

[quote name='magick777' timestamp='1318873181' post='528032']
[quote name='littlec' timestamp='1318797189' post='527945']
The more expensive bowls are made by sapphire a company based in GERMANY that makes great bowls that smoke very well from what certain EU forum members have told me.

The first one is a piece of crap that's made in CHINA and everyone but noobs hate using that bowl pretty much.

Spend the extra money, it will serve you very well and the quality of your hookah smoke will be better as well. The bowl is actually more important than the actual hookah in most cases in regards to having a good smoke, in car terms the hookah is the wheels and the body of the car and the bowl is the engine.
[/quote]

Spot on with every word written; Saphire make some of the best bowls I've ever used - the only thing that competes with them on performance are the US-made Crown glass bowls, which are more expensive. Highly recommend their Power Bowl for everyday use and their Phunnel for Tangiers. The Hot Shot is great for economy, short smokes, rare tobaccos, but it's not a bowl I actually use often, while the Power Bowl XXL is too big to be useful (though I do intend to take it to a party this week and will report back).

And yes, the Vortex is a pile of crap. What's the difference?[list]
[*]cheap lightweight ceramic vs. dense clay in Saphire bowls
[*]air flow; the Vortex has 4 small holes; Saphire use 8 in their Power Bowl, you can breathe freely through it.
[*]surface area - more of it yields better heat management and the Saphires are 9cm across
[*]depth - the Vortex goes too far leaving burnt shisha on the top and wet flavour on the bottom; the Power Bowl will cook most shisha into a solid cake.
[*]convenience - the Saphires have a nice wide rim onto which it is easy to seal the foil with a finger, and upon which you can sit your charcoal to heat the bowl directly as opposed to through the shisha.
[/list]
It sounds like you've already been given all the right advice; I can only add that having spent something like 200 euros on shisha bowls, Saphire make the BEST bowls I've found in Europe. Also note that while I normally do, it's far from obligatory to fill a Saphire bowl in order for it to smoke well; with heat and patience you can smoke 10g of shisha in any of their bowls if you wish.


You will need a thick rubber grommet (often referred to as a Mod style grommet) for Saphire bowls; they have a large hole in the base and will not sit nicely on the average Mya-sized stem without one.
[/quote]

Thanks, I would throw Tangiers phunnels up there in the mix too, just like the sapphires they are made from a very dense, high quality clay. If you can stomach the international shipping I would buy a tangiers small (although it's more on the large size). Sounds like you're set with the sapphire bowls though

[alex.padmore]

[quote name='littlec' timestamp='1318918703' post='528117']
[quote name='magick777' timestamp='1318873181' post='528032']
[quote name='littlec' timestamp='1318797189' post='527945']
The more expensive bowls are made by sapphire a company based in GERMANY that makes great bowls that smoke very well from what certain EU forum members have told me.

The first one is a piece of crap that's made in CHINA and everyone but noobs hate using that bowl pretty much.

Spend the extra money, it will serve you very well and the quality of your hookah smoke will be better as well. The bowl is actually more important than the actual hookah in most cases in regards to having a good smoke, in car terms the hookah is the wheels and the body of the car and the bowl is the engine.
[/quote]

Spot on with every word written; Saphire make some of the best bowls I've ever used - the only thing that competes with them on performance are the US-made Crown glass bowls, which are more expensive. Highly recommend their Power Bowl for everyday use and their Phunnel for Tangiers. The Hot Shot is great for economy, short smokes, rare tobaccos, but it's not a bowl I actually use often, while the Power Bowl XXL is too big to be useful (though I do intend to take it to a party this week and will report back).

And yes, the Vortex is a pile of crap. What's the difference?[list]
[*]cheap lightweight ceramic vs. dense clay in Saphire bowls
[*]air flow; the Vortex has 4 small holes; Saphire use 8 in their Power Bowl, you can breathe freely through it.
[*]surface area - more of it yields better heat management and the Saphires are 9cm across
[*]depth - the Vortex goes too far leaving burnt shisha on the top and wet flavour on the bottom; the Power Bowl will cook most shisha into a solid cake.
[*]convenience - the Saphires have a nice wide rim onto which it is easy to seal the foil with a finger, and upon which you can sit your charcoal to heat the bowl directly as opposed to through the shisha.
[/list]
It sounds like you've already been given all the right advice; I can only add that having spent something like 200 euros on shisha bowls, Saphire make the BEST bowls I've found in Europe. Also note that while I normally do, it's far from obligatory to fill a Saphire bowl in order for it to smoke well; with heat and patience you can smoke 10g of shisha in any of their bowls if you wish.



You will need a thick rubber grommet (often referred to as a Mod style grommet) for Saphire bowls; they have a large hole in the base and will not sit nicely on the average Mya-sized stem without one.
[/quote]

Thanks, I would throw [b]Tangiers phunnel[/b]s up there in the mix too, just like the sapphires they are made from a very dense, high quality clay. If you can stomach the international shipping I would buy a tangiers small (although it's more on the large size). Sounds like you're set with the sapphire bowls though
[/quote]

I just saw that there is one UK online shop that has got some small tang phunnels in stock (dont want to get in trouble for saying the site), have a look around and see if you cant find it...

[magick777]

[quote name='alex.padmore' timestamp='1318978995' post='528232']

I just saw that there is one UK online shop that has got some small tang phunnels in stock (dont want to get in trouble for saying the site), have a look around and see if you cant find it...
[/quote]

Alex, provided that a vendor is not on the "banned vendors" list (no UK/EU vendors that I know of) and provided we're not talking blatant spam, nobody has a problem with a direct link. On a hunch, the guys who import most of the American stuff that gets here would be www.shishabuzz.com - and sure enough, they've a couple of Tangiers phunnels. I'm half tempted to buy one just for comparison.

(In case anyone thinks the name of the company is potentially dodgy, they are a legit UK shisha business with lots of US imports that we can't otherwise get here, and no NHT stuff. So if Chronic Hookah is now cool, we're in the clear on this point, too.)

[alex.padmore]

[quote name='magick777' timestamp='1318985473' post='528238']
[quote name='alex.padmore' timestamp='1318978995' post='528232']

I just saw that there is one UK online shop that has got some small tang phunnels in stock (dont want to get in trouble for saying the site), have a look around and see if you cant find it...
[/quote]

Alex, provided that a vendor is not on the "banned vendors" list (no UK/EU vendors that I know of) and provided we're not talking blatant spam, nobody has a problem with a direct link. On a hunch, the guys who import most of the American stuff that gets here would be www.shishabuzz.com - and sure enough, they've a couple of Tangiers phunnels. I'm half tempted to buy one just for comparison.

(In case anyone thinks the name of the company is potentially dodgy, they are a legit UK shisha business with lots of US imports that we can't otherwise get here, and no NHT stuff. So if Chronic Hookah is now cool, we're in the clear on this point, too.)
[/quote]

Good hunch! Spot on - shishabuzz it is - and thanks for the tip