Are Glass Bongs Better Than Plastic?

What smoking flavor suits you best? Strong, intense, and warm or cool, smooth, and creamy? If you like to get smooth and cool hits, then you should use a bong. A bong is a smoking device that uses water for diffusing smoke that comes from burning weed. 

The bong water acts as a filter and a cooling agent, which is why a bong gives a smooth smoking experience. In the market, you’ll be able to find a variety of water pipes. Amongst them, the most common types are glass and plastic.

Both glass and plastic bongs come with their own perks and disadvantages. Which of these two types will help you to make the most out of your smoking experience? Let’s find out by studying more about their properties.

Benefits Of Using A Glass Bong

• Pure Hits

Glass bongs don’t affect the flavor of smoke coming from burning marijuana. Thus, they provide the tastiest puffs which have a smooth, creamy, and cool texture. The glass material doesn’t affect the original fragrance that comes from dried hemp. 

• Access To Various Accessories

You can add various accessories to your glass bong to improve your smoking experience. These include percolators, ice catchers, ash catchers, downstems, and bowls. The choice is yours on whether you want to enhance your glass bong’s performance or aesthetics.

• Easy To Wash

Glass bongs can be easily cleaned with a brush and bong cleaner. You just have to remove any detachable accessories to thoroughly wash them. With regular cleaning, your glass bong will preserve its fresh look.

• Wide Range Of Styles

Glass bongs come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and features. Some come with multiple accessories such as ice catchers and additional percolators. According to your requirements, you can select a glass bong that hosts the desired features.

Drawbacks Of Using A Glass Bong

• Can Be Fragile

Most glass bongs are made up of durable and heat-resistant material borosilicate glass.  Thus, they don’t break easily due to changes in temperature. However, they can still break if they fall on a hard surface as glass is a fragile material.

Broken glass bongs are usually unrepairable so you would have to buy a new glass bong.

• Expensive

A glass bong has a higher cost range because of its style and look. The costs depend on the number of accessories a glass bong has. The greater the number of accessories, the higher will be the cost of the glass bong.

Benefits Of Using A Plastic Bong

• Damage Resistant

Unlike glass bongs, plastic bongs are made of durable material. These don’t break if they fall down on a hard surface. If your plastic bong breaks, you can get them fixed. Hence, you don’t need to get disposed of them.

• Cheap To Buy

Plastic bongs are very economical. Even the high-quality plastic bongs cost much lesser than glass bongs. 

• Portable

Bongs made of plastic are lightweight, making them easy to carry. These can be easily packed in travel bags and suitcases. You don’t have to worry that a plastic bong can break because of its sturdy material. 

Drawbacks Of Using A Plastic Bong

• Hits Are Less Tastier 

Over time, plastic bongs can get clogged up with tar and resin if they’re not cleaned regularly. This can affect the quality of hits through plastic bongs. 

In a plastic bong, you wouldn’t get hits that are as smooth and cool as through glass bongs. 

• Emit Strange Odors

On heating, plastic bongs can produce displeasing odors that can interfere with the original fragrance of the dried hemp. This may limit the quality of a smoking experience.

• Limited Range Of Accessories

Plastic bongs don’t consist of a range of add-ons. They have limited options for customization, such as decorating the body of the plastic bong or changing its bowl. 

Some plastic bongs do come with percolators. However, the percolators don’t meet the standards of those in glass bongs.

• Harder To Clean

Cleaning plastic bongs can become a difficult chore. Sometimes, the smell of the smoke continues to persist even after thorough washing. 

Another setback is that tar and ashes filtered by bong water can stick to the inner walls of the plastic chamber. This makes the plastic bong unhygienic and affects the flavor of hemp vapors.

Factors To Consider When Buying A Bong

When buying a bong, you need to consider other factors that can help you to gain a pleasant smoking experience. These include:

• Size Of Bong

Larger-sized bongs diffuse and filter smoke thoroughly, giving the tastiest hits. Mini bongs are lightweight and portable, making them useful for traveling purposes. They even provide intense hits, but they don’t taste cool and smooth.

Regular bongs borrow the benefits of both large and mini bongs. However, just like large bongs, they aren’t compact and can’t fit into travel bags.

• Usage Frequency

To select an appropriate water pipe, it’s important to determine how often and when you’ll use a bong. If you like to smoke frequently and use it at home only, then you can buy a glass bong. A glass bong is known to provide flavorful hits, doesn’t break easily, and can be cleaned easily.

However, if you need a bong that can be used while traveling, then a plastic bong is a good option. They’re highly durable, easy to use, and portable.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do Glass Bongs Break Easily?

Most glass bongs are made from a strong material called borosilicate glass. This is much tougher than usual glass and doesn’t break due to sharp changes in temperature. However, a glass bong can still break if it’s knocked over from a table corner.

• How To Clean A Plastic Bong?

To clean a plastic bong, you need hot water, a pipe cleaner, or a straw brush. Fill your plastic bong with hot water and then wash the dirt out into the sink. Rinse and repeat until you see clear water flowing out of the bong.

• Can Boiling Water Break A Glass Bong?

Boiling water can break a glass bong due to thermal shock. If your glass bong is cold, warm it first by rinsing it with warm to hot water. 

• Can You Replace Bong Water With Fruit Juice?

Replacing bong water with fruit juice can enhance the flavor of the vapors that come from burning marijuana.

Takeaway – Glass Bongs Vs Plastic Bongs

Bongs made of glass and plastic are more popular in stores than other varieties. Plastic bongs are very cheap, portable, and don’t become damaged easily. Although glass bongs are fragile, they provide an excellent smoking experience and are easier to clean.