foil vs screen

[betsy]

my hookah is coming with a metal screen for the coals, but it seems like most people prefer to use foil. if this is true, what are the advantages to foil?

[nuschultz]

I like foil because I feel that it gives me better control of my air flow and heat control.

[yashman19]

I always used to use foil in the past, but I've turned to screens recently, mainly because of the quick setup time. I'm not saying foil takes forever to setup, but when I want to have a quick session, foil takes up a majority of my setup time. One thing I miss about using foil is how the surface is nice and flat, while my screen has an indent from the rim of the screen, which makes it so the coals roll into the middle. With foil it's not a problem.Also if you're not careful, screens can end up torching your tobacco if you use too much heat. The screen absorbs a ton of heat and helps cook the tobacco even faster. So I normally leave a bigger gap between my tobacco and screen to help avoid this. Once again, not a big deal, just something you have to be careful about.

[betsy]

good insight. thanks a lot.

[Bleeding_Heart1]

At first i used foil then switched to a screen. Recentally i have went back to foil. I personally think foil smoke better and thicker.

[EvansLight]

I originally used foil. Never got good at making correct size of holes, and never really was good at getting the foil just right. I now use screens i got with my hookah, and havent touched foil since.I got my heat managment down perfect. Bowl lasts upwards of an hour, and never gets harsh, and thick tasty smoke for the whole hour

[Calcartman]

[quote name='EvansLight']I originally used foil. Never got good at making correct size of holes, and never really was good at getting the foil just right. I now use screens i got with my hookah, and havent touched foil since.  I got my heat managment down perfect. Bowl lasts upwards of an hour, and never gets harsh, and thick tasty smoke for the whole hour [/quote] Exact same story as me.I had trouble with getting things right on foil; now its cake using a screen.

[EvansLight]

peice of cake you mean but yea using the screen makes it easy.

[GuyWithTheGun]

MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING ZINC-FREE FOIL!I can't stress that enough. The fumes that zinc give off when flame is applied can totally wreak havoc with your teeth, eventually killing them and leaving you with what's called "meth mouth". Heck, even having the zinc in contact with your saliva is enough to cause the chemical reaction. Buy foil specifically meant for hookahs.

[EvansLight]

[quote name='GuyWithTheGun']MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING ZINC-FREE FOIL!I can't stress that enough. The fumes that zinc give off when flame is applied can totally wreak havoc with your teeth, eventually killing them and leaving you with what's called "meth mouth". Heck, even having the zinc in contact with your saliva is enough to cause the chemical reaction. Buy foil specifically meant for hookahs.[/quote] LMAO, for some reason reading this makes me really think that you might have had this problem

[GuyWithTheGun]

'Member Kim's boyfriend at the time we hung out?Total meth-mouth. I just take extra steps to avoid that now that I know what causes it.