How To Identify Quality Of A Pipe?

[Marlow]

So, where I live, most, if not all Hookah suppliers in my area usually sell a variety of different sizes. Now, the small/cheapest ones they have are usually shitty chinese ones.

I ended up throwing my old one out because I saw the corrosion inside the pipe. It was pretty gross, and never realized it. I never had a brush for the tube though,

I only ran water through it... Explains it I guess.

 

Anyways, is there a way to identify a good quality pipe? I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on one,

but I would like to spend per say $50 most for one. I don't want to get ripped off for one that is shitty. They all range from $20 - $150, small to big.

I don't need a big one, hence the reason why I'm not looking to spend a lot. A new shop opened up, and wow! Best supplier I've seen, they have

tons of flavors and other products. Whoever sells any type of smoke products around here will usually sell crappy Hookahs. I can't buy one online either,

because my parents will find out the transaction on my card.

 

I'm asking for some guidance here.

[agunn1231]

Well, generally speaking, most times local stores will only carry chinese pipes, a quality brand to look for, would be MYA. Also, look for egyptian pipes, a common one is Khalil Mamoon. 

[Hassouni]

$50 in the US is tough. 

 

I guess a MYA QT or one of their other small pipes run about that much, and those are reliable (probably the only Chinese made ones that are).

 

I don't know if any of your hookah shops are places catering to a mainly Arab clientele, but those that do will be cheaper, and you MIGHT be able to find an all-brass KM for ~$50 - the "Café" style (no, everyone, it is not "Kafae..." it's "Café"), which is durable as hell and will last forever.

 

Failing either of those, look for a pipe that doesn't feel overly light for its size, has a traditional chamber with unrestricted ports (they don't need to be super wide gauge or anything but they should not be pinched or anything like that), has a hose port large enough to accept a wide variety of hoses, and has a purge valve that works decently.

 

Again, a place catering to Arabs may well have no-name Egyptians or even Syrians that meet these requirements in that price range.  If all you have are places catering to the "new hookah fad," for lack of a better term, you might have a more difficult time.

[Hassouni]

PS the KM café pipes are usually nickel-coated brass, so they don't look like regular yellow brass, but as soon as you pick one up you'll now - they're hefty.

 

(yeah this one looks like brass but most do not. This is the model I'm talking about, though)‹

[Chreees]

I never run a brush through my shanks. I have only used water for about the past year or two. I try to run baking soda and lemon juice through them every once in a while but I've been busy/lazy.

 

For $50 budget, look at Mya Saray. They have several small hookahs that are awesome and smoke just like the big quality ones. You'll know it's a legit Mya if you see MYA etched into the shank's heart and also on the tray. Also, the hose will have MYA printed all over it. Don't ever let a shop's owner or employee tell you a hookah is a certain brand- chances are they're lying just trying to make a sale.

 

It would be hard to tell you how to tell a quality pipe from a shitty one, as most of it is just obtaining "an eye" for it over time. Materials used, solidness, etc. are what determines a pipe's quality. Look at brands such as Khalil Mamoon, Magdy Zaidan, Mya Saray, Elmas. These are generally regarded as high quality hookahs. Then look at brands such as Inhale, Pumpkin, and ones labeled as "Dragon," "Junior," etc. These are all horrible hookahs. After comparing these against each other, you'll begin to obtain the "eye" for it. ;)

 

Hope this helps man!

 

EDIT: The Khalil Mamoon pipe Hassouni recommended is excellent and probably one of the best buys out there in terms of bang for your buck. I've often seen them for great prices in shops and on eBay, if you can find a way to purchase one (maybe a friend who would let you use their card or something?).

[Hassouni]

Chris, I recommend you run a brush through every now and then, you'll be shocked at the gunk that comes out (I did it for all mine before moving in September, for the first time in YEARS, and was quite horrified)

[Chreees]

Oh I'm sure I would be. I will do it soon. Now, to find my stem brush...

[agunn1231]

I have a variation of the Cafe pipe in that picture, I ahve the nickel plated extra tall one.

As for cleaning, I run a brush through between different flavors, or once a week, which ever comes first, and rinse the stem out every couple bowls.

[Bawhee]

Chris, I recommend you run a brush through every now and then, you'll be shocked at the gunk that comes out (I did it for all mine before moving in September, for the first time in YEARS, and was quite horrified)

Once a month, gah, its filthy as fuck by then.

[Bawhee]

Chris, I recommend you run a brush through every now and then, you'll be shocked at the gunk that comes out (I did it for all mine before moving in September, for the first time in YEARS, and was quite horrified)

Once a month, gah, its filthy as fuck by then.

[Chreees]

Mine have been smoking just fine. Flavors come through well. But I bet when I do get around to thoroughly cleaning them out I'll notice a difference! I gotta be sure to wash out my hoses, too.

[Cloud-Hookah]

 I can't buy one online either,

because my parents will find out the transaction on my card.

 

I'm asking for some guidance here.

 

I don't see how this should matter if your really 20, I was moved out of the house at 18 with a new tattoo ;)

[Chreees]

I moved out when I was 17, but my parents didn't know about my hookah hobby until I was 20 or so. Shit, my grandparents still don't know I think. Just never talk to them about it, not like I'm trying to keep it from them. I was fortunate to be able to rent my own apartment while I was in college, but I understand that a lot of college kids live in dorms and then go home to mom and dad's when school is not in session. So it's not very feasible for them to receive a package that they do not want their school or parents to see. I understand about the card too, because in my case, my dad was on my account and able to see my activity on my debit card because I was 15 when my account was created. It wasn't until I was 19 or 20 that I had my dad removed from being able to see my account activity. Took so long because it wasn't like I was trying to hide things from him, so didn't seem like top priority.

[agunn1231]

I moved out when I was 17, but my parents didn't know about my hookah hobby until I was 20 or so. Shit, my grandparents still don't know I think. Just never talk to them about it, not like I'm trying to keep it from them. I was fortunate to be able to rent my own apartment while I was in college, but I understand that a lot of college kids live in dorms and then go home to mom and dad's when school is not in session. So it's not very feasible for them to receive a package that they do not want their school or parents to see. I understand about the card too, because in my case, my dad was on my account and able to see my activity on my debit card because I was 15 when my account was created. It wasn't until I was 19 or 20 that I had my dad removed from being able to see my account activity. Took so long because it wasn't like I was trying to hide things from him, so didn't seem like top priority.

I haven't really told either of my folks, other than in passing, but as far as i know they are unaware I own any hookahs. My mom can view the info on the bank account I opened when I was 15, but she has never questioned items from hookah vendors, I think it has to do with her being oblivious.

[mattarios2]

I put a brush through my pipes after every session. It only takes like 30 seconds.

[kaoz187]

I moved out when I was 17, but my parents didn't know about my hookah hobby until I was 20 or so. Shit, my grandparents still don't know I think. Just never talk to them about it, not like I'm trying to keep it from them. I was fortunate to be able to rent my own apartment while I was in college, but I understand that a lot of college kids live in dorms and then go home to mom and dad's when school is not in session. So it's not very feasible for them to receive a package that they do not want their school or parents to see. I understand about the card too, because in my case, my dad was on my account and able to see my activity on my debit card because I was 15 when my account was created. It wasn't until I was 19 or 20 that I had my dad removed from being able to see my account activity. Took so long because it wasn't like I was trying to hide things from him, so didn't seem like top priority.

Dad bought me my first pipe when I turned 18 ;) love being able to smoke even when there's company. Usually everyone compliments the wonderful smell in the house.

[Chreees]

Yeah now that my wife and I have moved back to our hometown, we smoke hookah in the house, not really caring if any family or friends stop by. Something we enjoy so we don't care if others know. We almost always break out the hookahs on the weekends when we have friends over on the weekends to drink and play board games. Quelf is quite popular among our friends. :)

 

John, I really need to get into the habit of cleaning them with a brush after every session. Now that I'm in a house, it's much easier to clean my hookahs. So much counter space! Haha. Only problem is I'm now remembering that my stem brush will not fit my Syrians... I own two Syrians and one Turk. :( So I need to find a new stem brush it looks like for the two Syrians.

[mattarios2]

I know this may not help because you wouldn't buy just a brush from Turkey but the Elmas brushes are freaking super high quality and are the perfect size for turk/syrian pipes.

[Hassouni]

Damn, they never sent me a brush....

[agunn1231]

I like brushing mine out after a the gunk builds up because I like to see the difference!

[Chreees]

I'm pretty sure the brush I have will fit my Turk, but I'll have to check to make sure. I may just fab something up out of pipe cleaners and a wire hanger straightened out to do my Syrians.

[mattarios2]

Damn, they never sent me a brush....

 

In the future if they don't you should complain, it would be worth it.

[Marlow]

Hm, well I'm not a hardcore Hookah fanatic. So if I were to look at one, I couldn't tell what brand it would possibly be. I don't follow up on how certain top branded Hookahs look like. A shop owner should be able to honestly tell me what brand it is. After all, they are selling the product.

 

This is NOT my picture, but this is probably the closest to what it would look like at the new shop that opened in my area. It ranges from the small to large ones. I used to own a small one just like the one in the image. But like I said, it turned really nasty on the inside. Looked cheaply made. That's why I needed some advice on identifying pipes.

 

‹

[Chreees]

Honestly all of those hookahs in that picture look like cheap Chinese-made pieces of dog doodoo. I'm looking on Tapatalk on my phone so maybe I'm missing some decent ones, but I don't see even any KMs or Myas. Again, I want to reiterate that you should NOT trust any hookah shop owner. Every single one I've encountered has been quick to lie to me when asked a simple question. And there have been tons of newbies come on here and say "oh well the shop owner told me such and such." We confirmed for the newb that they had been lied to. Whether or not it's an intentional lie, it's a lie regardless. These shop owners should just say they don't know if they don't. I had ONE guy tell me at a shop that he didn't know; the other employee was the hookah guy. Next time I was there I spoke to "the hookah guy." Guess what? He didn't know jack shit about hookah. Told me that a crappy Chinese P.O.S. was a real Mya Saray QT and that Al Fakher's Double Apple is the best flavor ever. Okay, that second part is subjective. Everyone has a right to say which flavor is the best. But we all know Nakhla beats the socks off of Al Fakher when it comes to Double Apple! :lol: Anyway man, please trust me when I say be careful when it comes to the word of these shop owners. They will literally tell you anything just to make a sale. Stop in more here and learn so that you don't make as many rookie mistakes like many of us here, myself included, made. I still say your best bet is trying to find a friend with a card they'll let you use to order one online. That way you make damn sure you're getting something legit that won't rust out on you. I bet you could even find a member on here who owns a small Mya and would be willing to let you pay by money order. I know you said you can't receive it via mail, but I know you gotta have SOMEWHERE you could have the package delivered to without your parental units finding out? Or just do what I used to do- have the package sent to your house and try to intercept it before they check the mail. :P I had to quit that when I got married... :O But seriously, when there's a will, there's a way.

[Marlow]

Thank you Chreees and everyone else who replied to my post for honest feedback. Much appreciated. Everytime I see that chrome looking stem, it ends up being some dinky plastic or thin metal. Go figure. You think shops would actually sell quality pipes besides authentic shisha. Maybe I can check some classifieds to see if anyone is selling one that isn't used.