A Complete Guide to Popular Cannabis Smoking Pipes and Devices

While there are many ways to consume cannabis, from edibles and capsules to rolling papers and nasal sprays, smoking remains a popular way to enjoy weed. And thanks to cannabis smoking pipes, you no longer need to learn how to roll a joint.

The weed pipe is a small handheld device available in cannabis dispensaries. Users of cannabis pipes advocate for this consumption method because of its simplicity and discreetness.

Today’s weed consumers can find a weed pipe that fits their lifestyle and individual preferences. Are you new to the world of smoking cannabis? Here’s a list of popular weed pipes and devices that you can use to enhance your smoking experience.

Hand Pipes

Hand pipes are also called spoons. They are a classic, age-old device used for smoking marijuana. As the name implies, they are handheld and feature a bowl and a stem. The bowl-shaped area is where you place your cannabis flowers. The stem is from where you draw in the smoke. 

There’s a hole on the underside of the bowl. It allows smoke to pass through the stem and the carb. The carb is a larger hole located on the side of the bowl. It’s extremely important to the hand pipe’s experience as it controls airflow inside the pipe. 

The carb hole controls airflow in the hand pipe in two ways. First, when lighting the dry herbs on the bowl, you should cover the carb opening using your thumb finger. This helps to produce the smoke and stop it from escaping. And then, when inhaling the smoke, remove your thumb from the carb. The airflow will guide the smoke into your lungs.

Hand pipes are popularly made from high-quality glass, though wood and metal varieties are also available. Below are some of the typical considerations when shopping for a hand pipe. 

• Size: With size, the matter of portability and discreetness comes to the fore. Does the pipe fit well in your pocket or hand? Is the pipe small enough to provide a level of discreetness that you desire when smoking?
• Color and Style: It all boils down to your personal preferences
• Bowl size: The bowl holds the flower. The bowl depth and size will determine the amount of cannabis you can pack and burn.

Water Pipes

Water pipes are also known as bongs. They feature the following parts:

• A neck or tube
• Bowl to accommodate dried weed 
• A base to be filled with water

Water pipes are made from high-quality, durable glass. What makes them unique is the way they sieve and cool the smoke when burning cannabis flowers. 

They come with a small bowl for packing dried weed. First, you light up and burn the flower. When inhaling, the water in the base of your bong percolates or bubbles. The water gets rid of the dry heat felt when smoking a joint. 

The outcome is a cooler and smoother hit that is less harsh to your lungs. You may even add ice in the water pipe to further ease the harshness of the weed smoke. To smoke from the device, you put your lips on the mouthpiece placed at the top of the neck. The smoke passes through the water and along with the chamber before you can inhale it via your mouth.

Vaporizers

A research study was conducted among 364 adults on their preferred methods to consume medical marijuana. Of the participants, 53 % cited vaporizers as their ideal cannabis smoking pipe. Further, 80% backed vaporizers as a healthier substitute for other cannabis smoking methods like hand pipes or bongs.

Vaporizers consist of batteries and small heating coils. They heat the dry herb, CBD oil, or wax concentrate to activate the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that gets you high. That is why they are called vaporizers, vapes, or vape pens. 

Vapes often deliver a purer and stronger hit compared to combusted marijuana. Plus, the vaporized THC may have fewer toxins. Because they are discreet, vaporizers can be used in social places where cannabis or cigarette smoke is not allowed.

Vapes come in two forms of heating systems: conduction and convection heating.

Conduction Heating

For conduction heating vaporizers, the cannabis flower is in direct contact with the heating mechanism. This results in a faster heat time. Because the weed is heated at the right temperature without burning, it emits a less earthy smell.

Don’t allow the weed to stay too close to the heating mechanism for too long. Otherwise, it will burn thus, ruining the purpose of vaping. Ideally, shift the product around inside the chamber. 

Convection Heating

With convection vaporizers, the cannabis flower is not in direct contact with the heating mechanism. Alternatively, heated air from the heating mechanism wafts around the vape, indirectly vaporizing the dry herb. For this one, you can be sure your flower won’t burn. Plus, the vapor is flavorful and consistent. However, the flower may take some time to fire up, so you’ll need to be patient.

Vaporizers are also classified in terms of how they vaporize the product. They include:

• Herb vaporizers: These vapes come with a chamber where the dried flower is packed. The weed is heated to activate the active compounds in the flower and inhaled as concentrated vapor. 

• Oil pens: Rather than packing dry herbs in the chamber, cannabis oil concentrate is filled inside the oil pen. Vaporized oil is more potent compared to vaporized dried flowers. Depending on your preference, you can opt for either a single-use pen or a reusable vaporizer. 

• Wax pens: Wax vaporizers feature three main parts: the battery, mouthpiece, and atomizer. The cannabis wax is heated into vapor inside the atomizer. Wax has a higher potency than oil or herb. 

Glass Blunts

Another popular pipe of choice for cannabis enthusiasts is a glass blunt. Glass blunts are small and discreet pipes made from glass. Their portable size, ease of use, and reusability make them a popular choice among consumers constantly on the go. Glass blunts provide a similar cannabis smoking experience to hand-rolled blunts but in a more convenient package.

Thanks to glass blunts, smokers can now enjoy smoking a blunt without knowing how to roll a wrap. The glass design allows for a smooth hit while not limiting the amount of flowers you can pack. Typically, you can load about one gram of dried flower in your glass pipe.

Most glass blunts allow you to load your product through an extended mouthpiece. And as the product burns, you can push the mouthpiece forward to cast out the ash. Some glass blunts feature the twist-action capability, which allows you to load the blunt fuller. 

Yes, all glass products are delicate. However, glass blunts are constructed from superior borosilicate glass. This is a more durable form of glass compared to standard glass. As a result, it can endure all sorts of minor bumps, drops, or scratches.

One-hitters

The contemporary one-hitter cannabis device is also known as the chillum. It is a small slim pipe intended for “one hit” of weed. It can hold about 25 milligrams of product for each hit. Here are reasons why the one-hitter device is popular among smokers.

They Are Discreet and Portable

Owing to its slim design, this device allows for discreet smoking. Perhaps you have to travel a longer distance to work. In this case, a blunt or bong does not make for a good smoking method. A one-hitter delivers the perfect hit for that specific morning wake and bake. Equally, you can use it to unwind after a long day at work.

For discreet smokers, using a dab rig or a bong is not practical. However, a single hitter affords you this convenience as you move on with your schedule. 

You Save on Your Weed Supplies

Times may be hard economically. So it means you need to use marijuana efficiently and avoid wastage to save money. An efficient way to smoke cannabis is through a one-hitter device. It saves on your flower through microdosing. 

For this reason, you will never overindulge because you only smoke the right amount to get high. Ultimately, you can save hundreds of dollars from using a one-hitter smoking device. 

You Are Able to Observe Your Tolerance Limit

You’re never exceeding your tolerance limit with this smoking device. One-hitter lets you smoke a fraction of what a blunt smoker smokes yet still achieves the same high. All this is attributed to marijuana tolerance control.

It follows that the lower you maintain your weed tolerance limit, the less harsh it is for your lung health and quality of life. You will be able to control your smoking habit with a one-hitter device.

Dab Rigs

You can now smoke cannabis in the form of concentrates. Wax concentrates have a higher THC content and need a specific smoking device. They are suited for experienced weed smokers who are looking to go beyond their typical tolerance limit.

Made from glass or silicone, a dab rig is a type of weed pipe designed solely for smoking concentrates like:

• Propane hash oil
• Rosin
• Shatter
• Butane hash oil
• C02 oils
• Resin
• Diamonds
• Distillate

Dab rigs can easily be confused for bongs. However, the main difference is that they feature a dab nail in the place of a bowl piece. You need a dab tool to load the concentrates on the heated nail. A butane torch or a hot air heating gun is used to heat the nail. Once the nail is heated and allowed to cool for a couple of seconds, you then apply the concentrate onto the nail. 

Thereafter, a carb cap is fitted above the nail. This allows for consistent product distribution and maximum vapor production. Ultimately, the vapor passes from the nail across the rig and into the lungs. 

Unlike water pipes, standard rigs don’t feature the classic percolators. Instead, they come in designs like tornado percs, fab eggs, or recyclers. 

Nectar Collector

You might confuse a nectar collector with a vaporizer. It isn’t. Look at it as a pocket-sized concentrate bubbler. It’s designed for inhaling concentrates. 

These dab straws come in a variety of shapes and sizes. While others are small and compact for use when you’re on the go, others are large and intended for indoor use. They are also designed from various materials, including quartz, silicone, and glass. 

Nectar collectors are more portable than dab rigs because they have fewer moving sections. They can also fit well in the pocket owing to their small size. While glass or quartz designs produce the best vapor quality and flavor, silicone dab straws are more portable. In fact, you can fold them up for use anywhere. Plus, they are extremely durable.

They feature these four main parts:

• A removable mouthpiece
• Body (straight tube/ chamber)
• Tip 
• Percolators

You can effectively control the amount of vaporized concentrate you inhale. Initially, you had no option but to finish off a fast vaporizing dab you had packed onto a heated nail. But now, you can cool your concentrate as and when you feel like it. To do this, simply insert the hot tip of your device into the concentrate plate as you pull it. 

To use the nectar collector, just open the middle chamber and fill the water inside. Heat the nail to the right dab temperature using a torch. Ideally, low temperatures allow for optimal terpene preservation. After heating the tip, allow it to cool, and then put your mouth on the mouthpiece as you hold the tip inside the wax glass container. The wax concentrate will soon vaporize, so you should breathe it in immediately.

The Bottom Line

The continued legalization of marijuana has translated into a growing interest in smoking pipes as a way of consuming weed.

Those mentioned above are the popular types of weed pipes you may encounter in the ganja world. Some of these cannabis smoking pipes feature a carb to promote airflow and are safe for your respiratory health. You can try out each one of them to find one that meets your stoner needs.