Codyb88 Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I couldn't create a post for this so here goes. Starbuzz challenger hookah xs (less bulky version) I rate this stem a solid 8.5/10. The good: The stem is heavy, even though I purchased the least bulky challenger it's much heavier than my KM Kafe. From what I've experienced it does not ghost if you rinse the stem and hose port out. The purge is amazing and even purging as hard as I can I wouldn't ruin a bowl by getting water in it. The hose port is large and allows the use of any hose on the market (certain hoses with large diameter hose port attachments don't fit on some requiring smaller diameters). The tray is massive and heavier than by tray on the market and doesn't rattle when I inhale however I'm not sure what it's made of but I assume it's the same as the hookah. The diameter of the stem is smaller than a KM but smokes as good if not better than one due to the hose port diameter. The small diameter I think also reduces noise from pulls. The bad: the first thing I noticed was the tray rest rotates. I absolutely hate this about the stem I received. Water gets stuck when washing and is a pain to dry. Keep in mind this is a non issue as only the first batch had rotating tray rests, the new ones do not move. Another issue is the purge being where it is causes an oily deposit on the stem next to it probably from smoking tangiers (not a big deal but I did notice it. The last issue is the paint, it isn't as impervious to scratching as marketing claims. This scratching came from normal wear and tear from daily use. I think my gf may have scraped it on a doorway after rinsing it. I do want to note two things, one the tray rests no longer rotate on current models, two the hookah has a more open draw than a KM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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