What The Heck is Percolator Bong? Allow Us To Explain (While Giving You The Best Ones)

percolator bongs

In a bid to improve the smoking experience, cannabis users have come up with different types of instruments and devices. Examples include pipes, bongs, and vaporizers. They help to take the smoking experience beyond just lighting a blunt and make the smoking feeling better. For their many uses, it is very important that the peculiarities of these devices are known and this is used to identify them. Today, we will be looking at what a percolator bong is. We will also be looking at some of the best ones available.

What is a percolator bong?

A percolator bong or a water pipe as it is commonly called is a type of glass bong that helps to diffuse cannabis smoke making it easier to inhale the smoke. This basic definition of what a percolator bong is doesn’t fully capture the scope of what a percolator bong is. There are different types of percolator bong but they all contain “percs” which helps to make them distinct. A perc is a small glass contraption that water passes through thereby creating a filter. A perc is usually at the base of the bong or in the tube.

Many who aren’t too fond of percolator bongs have asked if it is truly helpful. Some have also questioned the usefulness of percolator bongs as they claim it is the same as plain bongs. However, the cannabis smoke inhaled from a percolator bong is very different from that of any other bong. The special process that works within a percolator bong is that the bubbles in the bong increase the surface area traveled by the smoke. With a bigger surface area to travel, the smoke easily cools down and filters out unwanted impurities. This reduces the incidence of coughing while smoking with a percolator bong and gives more bong rips.

For those that are newcomers to bongs, it might be harsh to the throat at first. This is why it is advisable to work your way up with the bong slowly. However, for those that are used to plain boing normally, a percolator bong won’t be a problem. Instead, it brings an added advantage of being very cost-effective. Its ability to produce much cannabis smoke means with just a small amount of weed, you can experience a better high than usual.

One particular downside with percolator bongs is that they need multiple cleaning. A bong with multiple percs will require more cleaning compared with the one with one perc. A simple mixture of salt and alcohol or a glass cleaning solution will help to do the trick.

Types of percolators

There are different types of percolator bongs available and they are separated by very simple differences. They come in varying shapes and sizes while some have more than one perc. The presence of multiple percs as you would have guessed is to make the smoking experience better and smoother. Some also have a detached ash catcher which are some of the simple differences that give the percolators advantages over each other.

Here are some of the top percolator bongs available as well as additives to making unique percolator bongs.

Tree

A tree percolator bong is very easy to recognize because of its unique structure. It gets its unique name because of the presence of multiple rods in its structure that mount up like tree limbs. A central tube takes air up before it comes down through the multiple rods of the bong. The multiple rods have slits at their bottom which play the part of diffusing the bubble into the bong. The presence of multiple rods is to improve filtration. Hence, the more the rods, the more the filtration, the better the smoking experience. A tree percolator bong is very delicate therefore, to prevent easy damage, it is advisable to use glass bongs made of thick borosilicate.

Inline

This is a simple type of percolator bong that consists of a horizontal tube with multiple slits. The presence of the multiple slits ensures more percolation through the bong. The percs of an inline percolator bong are located at the base of the bong just like other common perc bongs like a showerhead. The inline bong is one of the basic types of percolator bong out there.

Showerhead

This popular percolator gets its unique name because its structure is shaped like a showerhead. It consists of multiple slits at the bottom of the vertical tube. These holes pull the smoke into a separate diffusion chamber which is above the base holding water. A showerhead perc is normally located in the neck of the bong.

Honeycomb

For those that know their bongs very well, you know that honeycomb percolators are well sought after among percs. These percs contain multiple flat discs which are fitted with multiple holes giving a shape similar to a honeycomb. These “honeycombs” can then be stacked above each other in straight tube bongs giving the smoke more chambers to pass through.

Diffused downstem

This is a special modification that can be added to your straight tubes to spice up your bong experience. A diffused downstem is quite different from a straight glass downstem. A diffused downstem has more slits below that help to improve the flow of air. There are different sizes of downstems that are peculiar to different sizes of bongs.

Fritted disc

This is an improvement from the honeycomb bong. Fritted disc percs have numerous tiny holes made from coarse tiny particles binding together. The disc can be formed into different shapes such as a disc or ball. The presence of such multiple tiny holes means the disc requires frequent cleaning but the experience from fritted discs is second to none.

Bottom line

Percs are a unique and special instrument that we cannot completely exhaust in this article. This just lays the foundation for all that there is to know about this unique instrument loved by many cannabis users.