Bongs and chalices don't just have a specific look—they are science at work helping you get stoned. The bubbling water and lengthened bong neck give the smoke a little time to cool down before hitting your throat and lungs while also providing more surface area to snatch up tars and resins.
Here at Chill, we take it a few steps further. Our signature Chill Bong can do (almost) anything and go (almost) anywhere. From cooled smoke to reduced tar to big clouds to ergonomic design and beyond, all are on display–and it's all made possible thanks to the design and materials that bring this fantastic piece of tech to life.
But there's a time and place for many bongs and materials. To give each material its moment, here's an overview of the different bong materials, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to get the best experience out of each.
Glass Bongs
Truly, the most iconic bong material is glass. With prices ranging from just a few bucks to thousands and even tens of thousands, glass bongs provide a range of options to choose from, satisfying casual smokers and collector connoisseurs alike. Thanks to their bright colors, intricate designs, and unique appearances, glass bongs are likely going to stay closely linked to pot smoking culture for a long time.
Glass bongs tend to be made of borosilicate, which comes from the lab to your living room via some savvy stoners and glass blowers. With glass pieces, artistry comes to the forefront, and you can find so much more than the standard beaker-like design—people make everything from animal shapes to abstract-style smokers.
Glass pipes' transparency also makes them ideal for smoking. Any residue build-up is visible and, therefore, easier to address before it becomes a problem. Resin can significantly compromise flavor, so visually identifying your piece's dirty status makes cleaning it more manageable and reliable smoke quality more attainable.
Price can be an issue here. Like most things, quality and artistry don't come cheap. If funds are no issue, you can pick your piece based on any factors you prefer, like design, function, or both. Sourcing an affordable glass bong is usually straightforward, but having it meet all of your needs is another.
However, the most glaring potential drawback is glass's high breakability potential. Some bongs are made from durable glass, but most are susceptible to breaking when dropped from even short distances.
Silicone Bongs
Glass, however beautiful, loves to break, often so spectacularly and loudly that you can hear Stone Cold Steve Austin's theme music just from reading this sentence. Plenty of bong lovers don't want to see their gear go up in smoke, especially when smoking on the go.
Silicone bongs fill that gap with a flexible quality that doesn't shatter when dropped. Due to their durability and portability, social consumption has helped these pieces gain popularity.
While they differ significantly, silicone pieces share the glass bong's fondness for fun colors and designs. However, while bongs can come in more toned-down designs, silicone bongs have a rather specific aesthetic, often featuring bright, swirling colors and designs that are usually anything but minimal.
All bong lore shares one thing: the spark of innovation. This means someone took a hard, analytical look at an existing item and figured out how to run smoke through it--engineering at its finest. As silicone began to come into home use with cookware and other accessories, first mainly in the kitchen, someone realized that its heat dissipating properties could make it an excellent smoking vehicle.
While silicone is "unbreakable" in the short term, its durability declines as the material gets wear and tear under its belt. This often comes from cleaning, smoking, storing, or even just dust and dirt from storing it on the shelf. Silicone is easy to clean but dries out and becomes brittle and crumbly over time, especially from strong solvent cleaners like 90% isopropyl alcohol, the standard go-to for removing weed resin.
The portability and shard-less breakdown are huge positives. On the downside, silicone also gives tokes a gently 'muted' taste that some smokers aren't usually crazy about.
Acrylic Bongs
Glass and silicone are easy to find but intimidating for reasons we listed, like design or fragility. This is why many beginners in the bong world start with acrylic pieces. Acrylics are polymers or plastics that have been either cast in a mold, 3D printed, or sculpted/cut from bigger sheets. They are also commonly used in household storage and utility items.
Due to their low cost, acrylics are some of the first things people buy as bongs. Since the bowl and downstem still have to be made from fireproof materials like metal and glass, the flame and heat don't hit the plastic with full force, so nothing melts. These are the most widely available bongs outside of glass. In most cases, they're not only cheaper than glass but lighter and more durable.
While affordable and easy to find, the disadvantages of an acrylic bong are pretty clear. Plastic has little give to it, and acrylic is very brittle, so they still crack, break, or scratch with regular use.
Acrylic also holds onto the negative flavors a bit than other materials, as resins and tar sink into its slightly porous makeup and never come clean. This effect can impact the flavor in a big way. Also, abrasive cleaning and wear and tear could introduce microplastics into your system—all not great!
Ceramic Bongs
Ceramic was an original bong material and still has a place in smoking circles today. They are not only an ancient way of consuming but are still a relatively popular option today.
The aesthetics of a ceramic bong can range from hand-sculpted and surreal designs to sharp geometric finishes with bold colors. When properly fired, a ceramic piece can be quite durable. Earthenware goods are great for smoking, heat tolerance and aesthetics, helping maintain their place in pot all these years later.
Folks are continuing the legacy today, designing beautiful ceramic smokeware that is every bit as artistic as an expertly blown glass piece.
People love ceramic for the smoking experience. The piece doesn't absorb the resin and tar. Instead, it sits on the surface for quick cleaning, provided the piece's openings allow easy access.
Chill created its pipes with ceramic interiors for just that reason. Have an enjoyable smoke and then clean it with relative ease.
Ceramic is no doubt great, but has its drawbacks. However beautiful and smooth a ceramic piece is, it is not the greatest for portability. Ceramic has a bit more durability compared to glass of similar thickness. But, any pieces you don't want to chip, crack, or shatter are best used at home–that is, if it isn't covered by a stainless steel exterior.
Steel Bongs
There's a lot to love about steel, even if it hasn't been the most synonymous material with bongs up until recently.
For starters, steel is durable. You probably can't break a stainless steel bong, and even a few powerful dents won't harm its functionality. You can't say that for other materials.
They're also rather stunning. There's also something to be said for the smooth lines that come from using metal as a bong material, it's sleek, modern, and definitely display-worthy.
But most all, when paired with vacuum insulation technology, they're quite capable of keeping the interior cold, helping produce the smoother, more flavorful hits consumers deserve.
With these features and others, steel helped innovate bong tech while keeping the piece light enough to take on the go. In doing so, consumers can now enjoy their bong wherever they'd like for hours at a time without having to refill or refresh the water.
Combining the Best of Both Worlds: The Unique Configuration of Chill Bong
The combination of stainless steel and ceramic helps Chill bong standout as the most durable, easy-to-clean bong on the market today. Combined with vacuum insulation technology, Chill provides the coolest hits for up to 12 hours, all with an easy cleanup afterwards.
Discover how modern materials and evolutionary design come together to deliver ice cold hits all day. Grab a Chill today.
