what makes one hookah better than another?

[Evil_Spork]

ive been reading a bit and the Mya QT is practically a legend, but what is it that makes that little thing SO good?!from what i can see, i cant tell what would make one hookah smoke better than the next.right now i have a 2 hose egyption 'Scarab'. its pretty good but i have a feeling it could be better.now my room mates and i have been thinking out industrious little heads off trying to come up with hookah invoations, and in this quest i have decided i want to make my own home made hookah!so now to the heart of this post:what will make my home made hookah a good one?does the shape of the base matter alot or is that not that big of an issue?i have a revolutionary idea for this project which i will post full details and pictures of when it's finished.

[malakas]

Shape? That's more of an aesthetic thing, I think the issue would be more in terms of size.The QT is just a lil' champ of a hookah. It's well built (save for an issue with the purge valve, but I've read that's correctable), the base is durable, you get quality service because it's a Mya and it looks quite good.I'd still take a bohemian Mya any day.

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='malakas']Shape? That's more of an aesthetic thing, I think the issue would be more in terms of size.  The QT is just a lil' champ of a hookah. It's well built (save for an issue with the purge valve, but I've read that's correctable), the base is durable, you get quality service because it's a Mya and it looks quite good.  I'd still take a bohemian Mya any day.[/quote] is there some relation between the size of the stem tubing and the size of the base which makes one smoke better than another? or how long the stem is?i was planning to make my home brew hookah fairly tall. probably about 30-36 inches from the top of the base to the top where the bowl connects

[Bleeding_Heart1]

not really anything except for craftsmanship in my opinion

[Evil_Spork]

that shouldnt be a big issue with this project.i have a house full of technical college kids, and a friend has access to a CNC lathe to make parts

[skiracerj1]

any hookah can smoke good, just some sem to be easier than others, the size of the chamber in the glass makes a big difference up to a point, and then it just becomes so big that it doesn;t make a difference, thats where the qt makes up for its size, with the unique base shape it can have a base thats just as big in smoke capacity as about a 26" egyptian. Stem length seem to more help with harshness, but proper heat managment can correct that. I love my QT but its not any better than egyptian, its about eaqual just in a cooler package imo. I'll agree though, a mya bohemian would be better than a qt im sure

[Blue Lantern]

One of reasons the QT gets such rave reviews is the build quality. I've had two Egyptians and just taking a look at the metal used... Mya's is just more solid (thick), polished, clean, etc. Whereas on my Egyptians, the metalwork seems to be sloppier in terms of welds, cheaper materials and sloppier fit and finish. It's like comparing the fit and finish of a Ford's interior to a Lexus. The American car looks like a heap of plastic pieced together where you knock on it and it sounds hollow and floppy. The Japanese built interior's build is much more precise, solid, and the materials used are of much higher quality. Overall, based on my two Egyptians and my Mya QT I feel that the QT was built with higher manufacturing standards. Whereas the Egytians are built a tad bit sloppier and with less cleanliness and post production work put into it.

[Sonthert]

Syrian Nours are solid and affordable.

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='Tangiers']Syrian Nours are solid and affordable.[/quote] im not looking to buy a hookah, but rather build my own.also planning on using a Tangiers bowl im just investigating what makes a hookah good.how thick should the stem be?its probably going to be a custom part, so any size will work. inside diameter and height are my concerns. right now my idea/plans are 3/4" ID for the stem, and about 30 inches for the main piece, plus another few inches on both sides for connecting pieces. making a total height above the base of about 36"(not including a bowl)would aluminum work ok to use for part of the stem? im not sure if it will add a taste or be potentially harmful to ones health.

[GenuineHookahs]

Does the stem size really affect the quality of the hookah?

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='GenuineHookahs']Does the stem size really affect the quality of the hookah?[/quote] i dont know! lolthats what im here to find out. also i have to note. by quality i dont mean build quality or anything like that, i mean how well it smokes. how thick the smoke is, etc.assuming using the same bowl and same exact charcoal conditions, will hookah X have better, thicker smoke that hookah Y.. why why is X better?

[Sonthert]

I don't think stem size affects much, but I'm not sure. I wouldn't use aluminum. Brass is preferable, I believe.

[GenuineHookahs]

From personal experience, size is more aesthetic. A lot of customers will ask me, why is a smaller hookah priced higher then a larger one. Size is pretty much more aesthetic.

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='Tangiers']I don't think stem size affects much, but I'm not sure.  I wouldn't use aluminum. Brass is preferable, I believe.[/quote] i would think brass would tarnish quickely and taste terrible...ill have to so some testing with that.why would you say to *not* use aluminum?

[Lakemonster]

Brass is great..... but theres just one problem...... you need to find some sort of suuitable casting to finish out with a lathe.2 3/4" brass round stock goes for $240 or so a linear foot (ouch).

[SanguineSolitude]

brass is the traditional material for stems. it does tarnish but as long as you are cleaning your hookah regularly (which you should be doing) then it should be fine. best of luck making the hookah man. but i think you will find yourself spending more making a hookah than buying a really nice one. but hey if you build it yourself you have a connection with it.

[ghostofdavid]

Where can Nour hookahs be purchased from?

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='sanguinesolitud']brass is the traditional material for stems. it does tarnish but as long as you are cleaning your hookah regularly (which you should be doing) then it should be fine. best of luck making the hookah man. but i think you will find yourself spending more making a hookah than buying a really nice one. but hey if you build it yourself you have a connection with it.[/quote] yeah.. also this is going to be a ***very*** unique hookah....i have a trick up my sleeve that will make this one of a kind [quote name='Lakemonster']Brass is great..... but theres just one problem...... you need to find some sort of suuitable casting to finish out with a lathe.  2 3/4" brass round stock goes for $240 or so a linear foot (ouch).[/quote] blah. that makes brass sound like a bad idea.... but, i wont need anything nearly that thick.Tangiers: why not aluminum? for just the cost alone it seems to be a better idea than brass.

[SanguineSolitude]

you could probably buy brass tubing

[DownZero]

The owner.

[Sonthert]

Aluminum has existed for many years, in the middle east, but until recently, when Chinese stuff started coming in, aluminum hookahs were unheard of...they all had brass cores. There must be some reason for this. There are many metals they can use, but they have always used brass. They make pipes out of brass/copper, but not aluminum...why wouldn't that make water pipes out of aluminum? Brass must be better on several fronts.

[DownZero]

Brass doesn't rust which is probably the reason why they use it more frequently. Which is why there are brass instruments - cornet, trumpet, trombone, tuba etc - a lot of spit goes through the horns, and would not be good if the tubing rusted. Of course, just like a hookah, it must be cleaned out with a brush to get all the green gunk out and what not.

[Evil_Spork]

[quote name='DownZero']The owner. [/quote] huh? [quote name='Tangiers']Aluminum has existed for many years, in the middle east, but until recently, when Chinese stuff started coming in, aluminum hookahs were unheard of...they all had brass cores. There must be some reason for this. There are many metals they can use, but they have always used brass. They make pipes out of brass/copper, but not aluminum...why wouldn't that make water pipes out of aluminum? Brass must be better on several fronts.[/quote]very good point. my only issue is using brass presents a problem of cost(maybe). unless i can find copper tubing of the right size and tap it to join with an aluminum piece. i believe they used brass because its a very easy material to make and is easy to work with, where as aluminum is incredibally hard to make and would have been virtually impossible to make/use more than 100 years ago.im going to be using a 7 piece stem, with all the pieces connecting using threaded metal to metal connections. actually there will be 3 metal to metal threaded connections, the rest will be semi-permanently connected.

[Skimo]

i think you should make a step by step while you build it and include pics, maybe video? lol cause if it works out nice i wanna attempt to make one just for the simple fact when i smoke i can say i built it ahaha

[EvansLight]

What downzero is talking about is the person who owns the hookah. Even the best hookah in the world will suck in the hands of someone who knows little or nothing of what there doing. And the crappiest hookah in the world can be made to smoke good by someone who is an expert.But beyond that, what makes a good hookah good, is good craftmanship, an easy pull, easy to clean, design that others like, and of course a good design that workds well.Beyond that its really down to whoevers packing the bowl and setting up the hookah.