Understanding all you need to know about Bongs is like jumping into an unknown world of a plethora of enjoyable goodies. Pipe Dreams staff provides you everything you need to know about bongs in this comprehensive glossary.
- Adapter. An accessory that allows use of a dab rig to directly smoke herb or use a standard bong to enjoy concentrates.
- Ashcatcher. A device, often constructed of glass, that catches debris from burning whatever you place in the bowl in order to receive a cleaner hit. This piece is also known as a precooler.
- Base. This is the wide bottom portion of the bong that stores the liquid and offers stability.
- Bong. This is a water pipe available in head shops. Most are composed of glass or acrylic and can be just a few inches to roughly a foot tall. You place your herb within the a bowl, which features a steam reaching down into several ounces of water. Above this water reservoir is a tube that ends in a mouthpiece. The user ignites the weed within the bowl and draws out a hit from the mouthpiece.
- Bowl. This serves the same role as the one from a tobacco pipe; it holds the herb in place while you smoke it. The bowl of a bong usually stretches outward and upward from the base.
- Bubbler. This is a portable bong; most normal bongs are too big to carry on the go. Mechanically, the difference is that a bubbler's bowl is fixed in place while a normal bong's bowl can be removed. Bubblers often feature carbs.
- Carb. This is a small air-hole in a pipe or bubbler that helps the user manage airflow.
- Carbon Filter. This is a filtration system placed between the bowl and down stem that helps to filter out tar and carcinogens.
- China glass. Inferior-quality glass fabricated in China.
- Dab Rig. This is a bong intended for using concentrates instead of a raw herb. The concentrate is placed upon a "nail," a piece of metal that has been preheated with a butane torch, causing the concentrate to vaporize. The end result is vaporized instead of smoked.
- DeWar’s Joint. This is a glass bridge that reaches from the joint of the bong to its main body. Its purpose is to provide stability by anchoring it to the remainder of the bong.
- Doing Dabs. The act of partaking from a dab rig.
- Down stem. This is a removable tube that runs between the bottom of the bowl to the reservoir. Smoke channels through the down stem into the water, which is then cooled and cleaned prior to inhalation.
- Fixed stem. This does the same job as a down stem but is bound to the bong instead of being removable.
- Glycerin Coil. This is kept cool within a refrigerator and inserted between the mouthpiece and neck. The end result is a cooling of the smoke when a user draws a hit.
- Grommet. This is a band, usually made of rubber, that rests along the joint and makes a seal between joint and bowl. It also helps to reduce impacts from removing and placing the bong.
- Heady Dab Rig. This is a handheld glass bong that can accommodate bangers, nails, e-nails and adapters for smoking or vaping. Commonly shows up in typo form as heady dab rings.
- Heady Glass. This indicates a high-quality material bong and differs from "scientific glass" because the glassblower was allowed to be creative. These bongs tend to have wild colors and shapes. Tends to carry a high price tag and often American-made.
- Ice Catcher. One or more protrusions stick out into the neck along the same point. Ice is dropped down the neck, resting along the protrusions to cool the smoke in a manner similar to a glycerin coil.
- Keck Clips. These are nothing more than circular plastic clips used to hold a modular bong's components, like the down stem and mouthpiece, in place.
- Neck. This is the wide glass tubing that flows from the reservoir to the bong's mouthpiece.
- Number-Degree Joint. 45° joints are the angle that the down stem extends from the bong. 90° joints are only relevant to stemless joints where the steam is affixed to a piece instead of being removable.
- Percolator. This breaks up big bubbles into smaller bubbles, allowing the smoke to cool more efficiently. Also known as a "perc" for short.
- Recycler. This is a bong with several curly pipes placed within it for the smoke to travel through before reaching the user's mouth. The intention is that the extra tubing gives the smoke more time to cool off before reaching the mouthpiece and lungs.
- Scientific Glass. This resembles a lab beaker except for the bowl that sticks out from its side. Is the aesthetic contrast to heady glass.
- Shatter. This is a solidified form of weed residue that breaks like glass, hence the slang name.
- Sidecar. The design of a standard bongs means that there is a chance the water can travel up the bong's neck and even reach into the user's mouth. A sidecar is a feature that is designed to prevent inhaling water by placing the mouthpiece to the bong's side.
- Slyme. A type of bong glass that resembles a pink or green slime.
- Splash guard. Placed over the mouthpiece, this prevents water from splashing into the user's mouth.
- Terp. This is the slang name for the concentrate wax that forms within a bong from smoking herbs.
- Terp Pen. Also known as a wax vape or dab pen, this is a pen-sized device that is used to smoke concentrates.