Cold493 Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Hey I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy my first Hookah. I had an amazing time smoking one the other day and it was a pretty cheap one. Not that mine won't be cheap but thats besides the point. Let me give you some criteria and questions I have and I'd be interested in hearing what you guys/gals think would be the ideal Hookah for me. -Alright first off I am a college student so price is the almighty god for me right now, ideally around $50CAD with shipping but I realize that is unrealistically low, I would be willing to go as high as $100CAD if it is the right hookah for me. -Next is size and durability, i am going to be doing tree planting with this Hookah so I think I would be best off with a smaller, acrylic hookah. I would also prefer a two hose Hookah because I really enjoy the social aspect of it, however I may not be able to get this I know. Lastly i don't really have anywhere near me to get Hookah supplies so I would prefer if it was some sort of package deal. Also please note I am in Canada so $30 shipping seems like a lot to me. Here is what I have found so far: Mya Saray Hookahs seem to be nice and people here like them but they don't come with accessories. On eBay this company called Caravansarai has very cheap glass Hookahs but I have read that they are very very crapy Hookahs. What do you guys think? There is also a eBay company called Hookah4U which has cheap ones from somewhere in the orient. Also as far as cheap shipping the best I have found is $8 at I think smoking-hookah. Smoking-Shisha seems to have the best deals but expensive shipping. Also I will have access to both Montreal and Toronto on my way home from school so if anyone knows a store there that will save me shipping costs that would be great as well. Thanks for taking the time and effort to read/reply. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Go to: www.SaharaSmoke.com and www.Hookah-Shisha.com SaharaSmoke has some inexpensive, but nice hookahs, in the price range you're talking about. And Hookah-Shisha, I believe, has those acrylic hookahs with great package deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold493 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 I really like the hookah-shisha packages but I have read alot of negative comments on their product and customer service on here. What are your opinions? Also are the acrylic ones sold on their site really the Mya Sarey ones or are they cheap knock offs? Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cypress Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I have bought from hookah-shisha and it was my first hookah. It was kind of misleading when it said it was a stainless hookah in the beginning of the description and it was silver colored. I read it so fast that I thought it was stainless steel. It was chrome over brass and it came to me slighly shipped in some places. Other than that it has been a great hookah. I don't buy from them anymore because I have to pay for tax and shipping. As I know they are Mya's. If you are concerned about that you can also buy directyly from them. [url="http://www.myasaray.com/store/index.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=46"]http://www.myasaray.com/store/index.asp?DE...EPARTMENT_ID=46[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuarriP Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Smoking-hookah.com, and Hookahhub.com now have the best rates for Canadian shipping, although Hookah-shisha.com isn't bad either... You can easily find middle-eastern shops in Montreal that sell shisha and hookah's...but if you're not middle-eastern then don't count on being able to buy products yourself, I've run into this prejudice before. In toronto, look up shisha bars on lawerence ave. and College st., there's a cool one called Paaeez on College St. They may be able to point you in the right direction. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold493 Posted March 18, 2005 Author Share Posted March 18, 2005 Well I lucked out huge today. I happened to mention that I was looking for a Hookah in one of my philosophy classes and one of my Lebanese friends knew a place in town where I could get them. I had just assumed that the head shop didnt carry them. They also have tobacco and coals and what not and there prices sound very good. So thanks for all the advice but with shipping, and taxes it just aint worth shipping it to Canada if I can buy it here. They also had acrylic models which was amazing since I really need one of those since this Hookah will probably take some abuse. Peace and thanks for the help, these forums are a goldmine of info. One small thing I am still interested in is if anyone has any information regarding the health effects of nicotine. I read on hookahcompany.com that the tobacco contains no tar and 0.5% nicotine. I just wanted to confirm that this was true. Anyways thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Regarding the 0.5% nicotine, one bowl is supposed to equal one and a half cigarettes. So if you don't want to get a nicotine addiction like I have, considering I smoke around 5 to 10 bowls a day, then don't smoke more than 2 bowls a day and you should be fine. As far as I know, the only hazard to ingesting nicotine is that it's addictive. I don't think it causes cancer or heart disease. The other reason why NOT to smoke too much is because it will cause you alot of agonizing chest congestion and coughing. I've actually coughed SO hard that it's caused me to puke. But then I just wipe my mouth off and go back to smoking my hookah, even though I'm coughing my brains out. Hookah smoking is HIGHLY addictive if you do it too much. So just smoke a little at a time, and you're likely to enjoy it more. You smoke too much and you WILL grow tired of your flavors, even the BEST ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cypress Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 For me its adicting because of the flavors I taste while smoking. With the hookah I can smoke for hours and not feel that crud in my throat. If I smoke a pack of Marlboro lights in one night I will be paying for it the next day. You should not have any problem if you do it in moderation. This last weekend starting on friday I smoked for 3-5 hours strait each day and did not have any problem with the crud. I would say go ahead and get it and get a bunch of 50 gram packs to try out different flavors untill you find the ones your are going to like. If you get 250's and you dont smoke that often then it will go bad (loose its flavor). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold493 Posted March 18, 2005 Author Share Posted March 18, 2005 Well I got some Bad news....the shop had Hookahs all right but the only decent one was $91 bucks and it still really wasnt that nice it would have been like one of the $50 dollar ones online. They claimed to have acrylic Hookahs but all it was was these little crappy ones for personal use only. Dont get me wrong personal use is alright but I will probably rarely if ever smoke by myself. Anyways it was a frustrating trip. They had these littl 14' ones that I think would fall apart as soon as I left the store and the hose was so damn short I would have had to hold th thing up to my mouth. Anyways rant over. I'm basically calling around montreal and toronto now I think taht will be my best bet but finding a Mya Sarey or similar style acrylic hookah will be almost impossible I bet. I'm considering buying online again. Any Canadians reading this know the low down on the border. I know it will at least cost me the %15 sales tax plus a handling fee for customs of $5-$10 bucks but if the package gets opened and I get taxed I have a feeling buying offline will cost me more than it is worth. Any input into this area would be great. Also in case it matters it would most likely be crossing the border in Quebec probably Montreal. Thanks again you guys have been amazing with all the help. Peace. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuarriP Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Cold, Check out my post in 'Premium tobacco reviews part 2' re: customs and shipping for the full prices of tobacco importing (make sure you're sitting down when you read it.) In my experience both smoking-hookah.com and hookah-shisha.com will label your order as a 'gift' to try and skirt the customs inspections. In three orders I have yet to pay any duties. But be warned, if you make a big order and it gets opened, be prepared to pay the customs fees. If this happens maybe you can make a deal with the supplier to send the order back and try again for a fee. I haven't had any problems yet, knock on wood. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmitri926 Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 I got my egyptian 26" sphynx from hookah-shisha.com and i like it ALOT. However, if i had another chance to buy one, i would buy the bohemian from socialsmoke.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookahCulture Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Hello alll, There's a brand new retailer that I want to share with you. They have THE MOST GORGEOUS hookahs, and PLUS they have the best coals EVER which are available online FOR THE FIRST TIME. I'm talking about the Diamante finger coals. They're the only Chinese hookah product I will tolerate. They burn CLEAN and LONG because they're DENSE AND PURE. I urge you all to give those coals a try, and Cold493, make your first hookah a nice TALL one! Oh yeah and opt for the WASHABLE hoses. I tell you people, my next hookah is gonna be from them, OH SO GORGEOUS! Can someone fall in love with a hookah? Perhaps. Here's the site: [url="http://www.royalhookahs.com"]http://www.royalhookahs.com[/url] --Reiner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 That rotating Twisted Illusion looks pretty nice. If I wasn't in the market for a multi-hose rotator with Auto-Seal, I'd probably pick that one up Flavored Charcoal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Oh, and those washable hoses, you can get the EXACT same ones over at Hookah-Hookah for $5 less. They're over 6ft long, and they're very durable, they'll last you a long time if you take care of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookahCulture Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Math you're such the brainwashed HH whore, I can't believe it. Oh wait yes I can. Anyway, I like the Jordanian washables better, they're not so plain as those other ones. I get them at a discount at a store in PHX since I plug their store on the site. For the rest of you, the washables I mean are the ones with the horse on the wood. They've got the wood, brass nozzle, and a band of knitted fluff at the base of the wood handle. GREAT hose, nice and long. Overall, I recommend washable hoses PERIOD. Cobra hoses look great, but for a bit more money you can get the hoses that have the REALLY long handles and the pieces that come out. I'm too tired to post a pic, maybe some of you others can post a link. Those hoses are f-ing SUAVE. The mouthpieces are about 6 inches long and detach. I've seen some GLASS mouthpieces for those at a local place in the PHX valley..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookahCulture Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Oh yeah here's something cool. This isn't totally proper for this place but it's GREAT. Bloody genius. Be sure you keep the top half in the frame, and hold down the right click and take, in the words of the Amboy Dukes, a JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE MIND. [url="http://www.eviltree.de/zoomquilt/zoom.htm"]http://www.eviltree.de/zoomquilt/zoom.htm[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookahCulture Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 sorry forgot the URL tags, just copy n paste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 [url="http://bnnimportexport.com/index.cfm"]http://bnnimportexport.com/index.cfm[/url] Some nice stuff here looks like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piperdown Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 [quote name='HookahCulture']Oh yeah here's something cool. This isn't totally proper for this place but it's GREAT. Bloody genius. Be sure you keep the top half in the frame, and hold down the right click and take, in the words of the Amboy Dukes, a JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE MIND. [url="http://www.eviltree.de/zoomquilt/zoom.htm"]http://www.eviltree.de/zoomquilt/zoom.htm[/url][/quote] Bloody amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Oh yah...stay clear of southsmoke.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 Quick bump for guy looking for hookah advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold493 Posted April 6, 2005 Author Share Posted April 6, 2005 Its ok, I dont really need any advice anymore. I know what I need and want, its out of my budget right now. When I have the money I'm going to get a Mya Saray Acrylic Hookah, probably the 22 inch model. I'll pay a bit extra for quality but at the end of the school year money is tight. I'l probably pick one up in the fall. Thanks though Mushrat, you guys and gals have been really helpful in narrowing my choices down. I also need to go by some places in Montreal and Toronto before I buy anything off the interenet and need to pay duty and shipping. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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