I can't believe what some of you will pay for drug paraphernilia. Most I have ever paid for a bong is 30 bucks and they all did the job perfectly. Here in Australia you can get a "springer" style bong for like 14 bucks and there isn't anything wrong with them.
In regards to metal pipes heating up, man up for real it isn't that bad. Glass pipes are okay, I used to smoke 24/7 and I would rather save money on a piece and smoke more dope, thats just me.
I rarely even smoke dope anymore but come on, talking about taste and shit the point is getting high, if I want a nice taste in my mouth I will go to a gourmet restaraunt.
I have smoked some dank buds in my 7+ years of smoking and I never felt I was wasting them by putting them in a cheaper pipe or bong that still worked perfect and smoking the shit out of it.
I ain't dicksizing but I used to be able to take some pretty damn huge hits through cheaper stuff, you must not be smoking enough if you need super expensive shit to help you along.