You probably made the decision to go from a standard water pipe to a percolator (also known as a “perc”) because you crave that silky smooth percolator smoke!
However, percolator bongs are also harder to clean, can provide airflow drag, and cost more. Here we explore all the percolator bong's pros and cons.
Percolator Bong Pros
Pro #1: Smoother Smoke
There is nothing good about harsh smoke, and percolators help to get the smoke smoother by providing filtration and reducing the temperature of the smoke.
Smoother Smoke with Low Percolator Temperatures
Percolators reduce the irritable high smoking temperatures by providing more water contact to help disperse the hot temperatures. The lower temperature is more smooth on your lungs. Some even try adding ice catchers for that extra-cooled smoke!
Smoother Smoke with Percolator Filtration
The smoothness of the smoke is also improved by the percolators filtration. The percolator bubbles help to trap tiny particles and hence filters them. Your lungs will be less irritated. You, can also visually see the effects of your water filtration with all the gunk that will accumulate overtime.
Percolator bongs can have incredible water visuals, and some of the bongs are incredibly good looking by the design alone.
Percolator bongs may have multiple chambers and use very complex slit, hole, or tube structures that can be quite elaborate depending on the quality of the bong. The visual appearance of a percolator alone can make any bong look interesting.
Percolator Bong Cons
The Cost - Percolator bongs are more costly to manufacture. Fine glass welds must be made for durability, and cheaper made percolator bongs will break easier. There is more craftsmanship require to make a percolator bong, and you might find it more worth while to simply buy a larger or taller bong.
Increased Drag :
The holes and slits of the percolators increase the drag (the amount of force you need to pull smoke into your lungs). Some smokers prefer more drag so it's best to experiment with the different types of percolators.
If possible, to find the drag/filtration combination that works out best for you. Percolators can have bigger slits or holes to help improve the flow rate or smaller slits to increase the drag.
Percolators can be a drag (pun intended) but its the price to pay to have great visuals and smoother, less harsher smoke.
Harder to Clean - Percolator bongs can get really dirty without cleaning. Certain percolators, such as our tree percolators have many open holes that can accumulate with grime.
The Conclusion
Percolators are great in improving smoking quality, but there are limitations to how effective a perc can be. Too many percolators can make drag increase rapidly and percolator bongs are also harder to clean.
On the other hand, some users actually prefer more drag, and is a small price to pay for the better filtration, and great visual effects percolator bongs can give. So are percolators better? We will let you decide! Buy a percolator bong and try them out.
