What is the Best Percolator Bong?
What are Percolator Bongs?
Although it might sound complicated, a percolator bong is simply a bong with an added chamber on its main shaft, or tube, which is filled with water. What benefits does this chamber deliver?
As the smoke passes through the water, it cools down. It provides a second layer of filtration that can result in smoother hits, less coughing, and reduced toxins reaching your lungs, for a healthier, more enjoyable overall experience. In fact, although this water filtration can slightly decrease the smoke's potency, users can often make up for the difference by inhaling more significant amounts more comfortably.
The heat from this smoke also turns some of the chamber’s water into vapor, which adds moisture to the equation that can further reduce throat harshness.
Finally, the bubbles generated inside a percolator bong’s chamber refine the smoke, which can deliver enhanced flavor.
With all of these potential benefits in mind, there are several different percolator bong designs available, and no single option will work ideally for everyone. After all, each of us has a unique combination of needs and preferences.
To help give you a better idea which options might be ideal for you, we have outlined some cool percolator bong versions with which customers often report good experiences.
Double Percolator Bong
As the name implies, a double percolator bong features two chambers, which are typically stacked atop one another along the main shaft. As with single-chamber options, you can fill both with water, which allows you to double the filtration, moisture, and flavor enhancement you receive from each inhalation.
Honeycomb Percolator Bong
Instead of empty space, a honeycomb percolator bong features a round, flat disc inside its chamber, which is punched with multiple small holes. In most instances, these structures are stacked in pairs, and some models allow you to add or remove discs, depending on your preferences.
The primary benefit of honeycomb bongs—and a top reason why they're one of the most popular models among enthusiasts—is that each disc creates a separate chamber, giving the smoke additional time to cool before reaching your throat. The holes also diffuse and filter the smoke, without noticeably increasing drag.
Inline Percolator Bong
When it comes to inline percolator bongs, their chambers are horizontal and feature internal tubes with multiple slashes along their wall, which filter the smoke as it passes through and makes them look like oil lamps. Consequently, the more holes an inline percolator bong has, the more filtration that occurs, and the smoother each inhalation will be.
In many instances, you will find the inline chambers in these bong versions are complemented with additional percolator types, such as showerheads (more next), for even more filtration when using a bong.
Showerhead Percolator Bong
After drawing from a bowl filled with the material of your choice, a showerhead percolator bong pulls the smoke into a smaller tube and through a disc-shaped apparatus filled with holes, which looks similar to a traditional showerhead. Then, smoke enters the bong's main chamber, where it can be inhaled as desired.
Together, showerhead bong percolators allow for maximum diffusion and filtration for a more enjoyable, less harsh experience.
Bongs with Ice Catchers and Percolators
Regardless of the type of bong you are using, percolator, or otherwise, when you add ice to the equation, you increase filtration, further drop the temperature of the smoke, and provide yourself the opportunity to draw larger inhalations, thereby potentially improving the overall experience.
To help you take advantage of these benefits, percolator bongs with ice catchers feature three pieces of pinched glass that jut out from the inside of their main shaft, just above the percolator structures. These formations allow the ice to remain suspended and separate from the water in the main chamber, which you can then discard as soon as you are finished enjoying.
A secondary benefit of percolator bongs with ice catchers is that the presence of the ice also helps prevent water in the main chamber from splashing up when inhaling, which is always an unpleasant experience when it occurs.
Percolator Ash Catcher Bong
While percolators undoubtedly deliver a wide range of benefits, their complex shapes can also make your bong more challenging to clean, which is where an ash catcher can help.
Ash catchers are double-jointed attachments that fit between your bong’s bowl tube and the bowl itself. As you draw, these structures filter out ash and other unwanted material and prevent it from entering your water chamber if it makes its way past your bowl.
Together, ash catchers can reduce resin buildup on your percolator bong, increase the intervals between cleanings, and make the cleaning process faster and less involved when the time eventually arrives.
Furthermore, percolator bong ash catcher attachments can help prevent sticky resin and other material from damaging your investment, while delivering an extra layer of filtration for cleaner, smoother smoke, and helping maintain optimal flavor.