Bloody Bongs...

[zomg]

... I love 'em and hate 'em.

Like most here I am very experienced in using a bong, have been smoking daily for 7 years but there are some things about them that continue to elude me.

Pull yourself a cone and then spit into a white sink/somewhere your saliva is easily visible. Throughout your saliva you will notice there are dark dots that to me look like bits of mix and crud. Some bongs are worse than others for this, but I'm yet to come across one where if I spit there is no small particles of shit. It seems as if it bothers me more than my friends as I don't understand how they can smoke a horrible springer with filthy bong water all day and evening without showing any signs of discomfort. I would have one cone through such a bong and that would be all I could stand.

Another trick is putting a tissue over the mouthpiece, the results are disgusting. For somebody who at many times has smoked 50+ bongs day for months on end, that much filth going into my lungs is not good.

I don't think I seemed to notice it so much when I was younger, I think since an extended period overseas only smoking joints made it more obvious when I returned. Before I went overseas and now I could effortlessly cough up a black chunk of mucus kind of stuff from my lungs, this was particularly bad in the mornings... having the shower floor covered in this filth. The common bong cough also accompanied all this.

Before going overseas I had a bit of money to spend and got a very expensive, very nice looking bong. For some reason the thing smoked horribly and was terrible for the black shit. I added another chamber and even still a tissue was needed to be placed in the neck of the bong to stop the excessive black shit.

I don't understand how the particles can move like that, down a sticky stem into dense water (maybe through another chamber) and then all the way up the neck of the bong. Can somebody please explain what causes it to be worse depending on how the cone is ripped and ways that you can prevent it?

From my understanding Australia has one of the biggest bong smoking cultures yet a fucking Springer is (well in my area) the stock standard. Equally baffling is how a friend smaller Springer that is used by a house of 12 every day and has been for 1+ years is far nicer and cleaner to smoke out of than my slighter larger Springer that has had about 2 ounces through it.

The variation between bongs that looks absolutely identical yet smoke so differently I find so bizarre. Smoking a friends glass bong with the bubble kind of thing at the base where the water is I got about an 1/8th of the shit in my mouth/horrible taste in comparison to my Springer. Used daily over a month, the difference in volume of shit taken in between the two would be massive so why is there not more emphasis on this within smoking communities and harm reduction?

Everyones circles are different but in mine and many others the bong is the most used and abused device, why do we seem to care so little about making them as healthy as possible?

Sorry for the huge rant... I get on a keyboard sometimes and it just flows. Please do give your thoughts on both bongs and the things that puzzle me about them.

 

[Christ!]

Sounds like you've been thinking about this a fair bit.

Good points.

One thing about the bong smoking culture in Australia seems to be the tendency for people to use a mix (tobacco/cannabis) and to smoke a cone in one large inhale. Got to be one of the most unhealthy ways to smoke.

Not sure why seemingly similar bongs smoke so differently. Maybe you could do an experiment using the same mix in each bong....you still get the black bits even when it's doubled filtered with a tissue over the mouth piece? That's strange...I didn't really pay much attention to it when I smoked. Maybe it's the thick smoke condensing into resin/oil residue or something?

 

[ColtDan]

sounds rough, didnt realize black shit would become apparent once filtered through water

 

[drug_mentor]

I smoked fuckloads of bongs daily for a long time, in the last few months I made a conscious decision to switch to smoking spliffs and I am really feeling the benefits of this. I used to be very shit at rolling and while I am by no means an expert now I am certainly competent, I have come to find joints are not as poor of an economical choice as I once thought when you actually have some half decent rolling skills. Another big advantage that I personally find is I can get stoned by smoking a joint and it cruises down gently and I can easily wait several hours without smoking more, when I used bongs 45-90 minutes after smoking I would start to feel burned out and need to continue smoking to avoid this shitty feeling.

People say bongs are better for your lungs because of the water filtration, and I always used to believe it was true, but after years of coughing up black gunk and recently switching to joints and going through similar quantity of cannabis in weight per day my lungs are feeling much healthier for it. I think because bongs let you take in so much smoke so quickly it offsets the small benefit of the water filtration.

I am not certain I have experienced small black dots in my spit but it sounds somewhat similar to something I used to experience often known in my circles as 'bong lip'. I have to say, that disgusting affliction was definately a big motivator in my switch to spliffs as well. I made this thread about it a while back and PD gave a good detailed response on what causes it. Perhaps there is a similar cause for the black spots in your spit.

It is random how some bongs are so much better than other seemingly identical or similar ones, springers in particular do vary widely in quality ime. I am not a fan of springers really and thinktheir popularity is mainly fuelled by cheapness and availability as well as being quite difficult to break.

 

[Jabberwocky]

the problem with smoking joints regularly is there is more tar content in them than bongs. i won't knock back a spliff if all i got is little bit of weed and my macguyver skills out the window. spliffs are easy and usually the sociable thing in my opinion.

if you're a regular (daily, going through a few grams or whatver) smoker then switch to decent vapouriser or even glass bong. they'll help preserve your lungs and pay for themselves after a few ounces.

or switch to baking if you've got a decent reserve

I am not a fan of springers really and thinktheir popularity is mainly fuelled by cheapness and availability as well as being quite difficult to break.

what stoner doesn't have and orchy or breaka bottle in their car?:D

 

[spacejunk]

i have always had a half-cocked theory that smoking pot through water means that you get dirty water vapour in your lungs.
i stopped smoking bongs about 5 years ago because of a horrendous,recurring cough i developed.
so i stick to pipes and reefers these days and my health is much better for it.
i think there is a flaw in the theory of water filtered smoke being less harsh or less problematic - in fact, to me it seems that pulling the smoke through water causes numerous problems.

 

[xtc123]

guys, get with the times, fuck bongs, use a vaporizer.. it's the greatest experience ever compared to smoking a dirty bong. It's more effective, it's longer lasting, it's healthy, it's a more body AND head high that is MUCH cleaner feeling, not cloudy, it's not really a 1 toke thing but more you sit and vape your 2 cone session and spend like 10min-15min doing this, hell i spend nearly 30min on a full 1 meter long bag, by the end of that im a sunken mess. It's smoother and smarter, it's the future.

sorry to seem like a dick to all you bong heads as I've had many friends who flat bong smokers and just laugh @ me using a expensive device to smoke pot, in the end of the day they smoke up 2 oz a week compared to my half, and this is frequent vaping, per 2-3hrs.

cheap vapes = bullshit, turn u off even thinking of using them to begin with.. you fork out a few hund and get a decent real effect machine, not a volcano (less you richy rich) mainly go for 1 with 'bag' action as they're the most effective imo. You hold lovely hits in your lungs for about 10sec or so and exhale small ammount, inhale air, hold, exhale. you will be higher than ever been in your fucking life. Fuck bongs, dirty, bong lips, splash back, taste like ass, smoke unhealthy, they stink..

vapor disappears within seconds of exhaling and smells for only a few seconds also, they look weird, not even sure if a cop would really know wtf it is if you had no weed inside it on sight. The taste of vapor pretty much is pleasant and tastes like what the weed smells like.. heaven.

Extreme Q Vaporizer - Look it up 8(

 

[drug_mentor]

^ Its funny, reading through my old thread that I posted in my previous post I swear how I could never switch to using joints, yet here I am puffing on a fat one... However in almost a decade of cannabis consumption I have never eaten or vaped cannabis, I really just like smoking it, I wouldturn down a vapour filled bag or an already prepared hash cookie but using up my own supply or going out my way to prepare it/acquire the neccessary apparatus at cost is not something I am particularly willing to do.

I know this is a harm reduction board and I am not down on healthy forms of using cannabis but the ritual and process of smoking it is a big part of what I enjoy and I really don't see my stance on that changing.

 

[whiteduck]

In drug diversion they had a video which demonstrated why joints actually let you inhale less tar than bongs? it was a few months ago though and I can't really remember details/ whether they incorporated actual studies into the video.

 

[xtc123]

^ Its funny, reading through my old thread that I posted in my previous post I swear how I could never switch to using joints, yet here I am puffing on a fat one... However in almost a decade of cannabis consumption I have never eaten or vaped cannabis, I really just like smoking it, I wouldturn down a vapour filled bag or an already prepared hash cookie but using up my own supply or going out my way to prepare it/acquire the neccessary apparatus at cost is not something I am particularly willing to do.

I know this is a harm reduction board and I am not down on healthy forms of using cannabis but the ritual and process of smoking it is a big part of what I enjoy and I really don't see my stance on that changing.

I smoked bongs for prob about 1.5 years flat, knew there had to be a better way. Go over ppls places and they'd have black water, smell like dirty shit, "here dude hit comes cones" was over having sesh with dirty bongs and thats all any of them are after a cones thru them. You get far less resin on vape than bong and can actually remove the cannabis OIL is leaves on the tubes.

I was a lil hard to change but since I was just over it i did. I felt alot better after about 2 days of not having a cone and have felt better ever since. Not clouded mind and dirty feelings. To me, joints are a waste, sorry to say but I think it's a bit of a waste, sure you get high, but you're losing some the whole time it's lite. It's a good quick way to hit up no doubt, just harsh and still tastes crap.

 

[pisspotnrock]

this is a pretty touchy subject and bein a daily smoker (bongs) for 5 years +, I can see where you're comin from... not too mention that tissue thing is just plain disgusting

lets just say my opinion lies is what spacejunk posted (although I still smoke bongs on a daily basis.. must be an age thing, ehh )

 

[Macee]

Bongs are actually more unhealthy for you than joints.

While they do filter out for tar, the water filters out a larger percentage of THC and other cannabinoids compared to tar and other carcinogens. Which means then you inhale the same level of THC from bongs and joints, there is more carcinogens present in the bong vapor.

Source: http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v06n3/06359mj1.html

 

[pisspotnrock]

Bongs are actually more unhealthy for you than joints.

While they do filter out for tar, the water filters out a larger percentage of THC and other cannabinoids compared to tar and other carcinogens. Which means then you inhale the same level of THC from bongs and joints, there is more carcinogens present in the bong vapor.

References, references, references......

 

[spacejunk]

guys, get with the times, fuck bongs, use a vaporizer..

yeah, good call. friends of mine have really good ones...i think it is time to make the investment (especially as the backwards state i live in banned "smoking implements"). a much healthier, more efficient option.

 

[Pegasus]

I prefer joints to any method of smoking (even vaping) because of the control over the hit that is possible. When you have a pipe or anything that heats up the weed for one hit, it is hard to judge exactly how you are inhaling. With a joint, you have a pretty continuous flow of smoke and can control the draw easily. I believe drawing the smoke through the weed in the joint also acts as a filter for larger particles.

Vapes that I have used do not give me the same kind of high... unfortunately.

 

[xtc123]

^ get a better vape

what did u use, stupid globe thing? handheld?

bag action is where it's at, feels smooth and like nothing is happening then after few secs u feel it, sweats and low blood pressure. my first 1 was a stupid Globe glass thing, overpriced crap.. didn't even work

 

[jrodism]

Vaporisers are very hit and miss: i bought myself a cheap vaporiser and found myself smoking as often as I vaped, for the quality of high was so inconsistent.

I then however, invested in a Volcano and it is certainly worth the money. The high is stronger and nicer than anything I've ever smoked, I saved huge amounts of weed and my asthma came under control. I've now stopped smoking, but try to introduce the volcano to all my smoking friends. Most love it and comment that its different to any other vape they've ever used.

With vapes, you get what you pay for.

 

[Macee]

References, references, references......

"Contrary to popular impression, waterpipes don't necessarily protect smokers from harmful tars in marijuana smoke, according to a new study sponsored by MAPS and California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). The reason is that waterpipes filter out more psychoactive THC than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect. The study does not rule out the possibility that waterpipes could have other benefits, such as filtering out gases, but it suggests that other methods, such as the use of high potency marijuana, vaporizers, or oral ingestion are needed to avoid harmful toxins in marijuana smoke."

http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v06n3/06359mj1.html

 

[xtc123]

Vaporisers are very hit and miss: i bought myself a cheap vaporiser and found myself smoking as often as I vaped, for the quality of high was so inconsistent.

I then however, invested in a Volcano and it is certainly worth the money. The high is stronger and nicer than anything I've ever smoked, I saved huge amounts of weed and my asthma came under control. I've now stopped smoking, but try to introduce the volcano to all my smoking friends. Most love it and comment that its different to any other vape they've ever used.

With vapes, you get what you pay for.

+1

volcano was way to expensive for myself though having been a noob. and been ripped on the first vape being useless.

Extreme Q is half price does same thing, there are actually alot of good bag vapes around now, all do same thing but I'd def say your Volcano would be ultimate quality. Mines Canadian.

 

[Sustanon]

Do it the Aussie way just bong it. I dont even get high from fat joints, actually bearly feel much. 2-3 cones and im seein colors lol As to whats healthier? Bongs I believe are alot more healthier than joints.