I don't smoke anymore but I preferred smoking out of glass bowls.
I had a metal bowl but I used it for years before glass was widely available, cheap, and the only types of pipes you could use were metal, wood, or stone.
I've broken glass one hitters and that sucks and chipped a few glass bowls but it wasn't major but if you're careful with a glass piece it can last a long time. Also IME glass bowls are easier to clean than metal ones, just use ISO alcoho and salt, shake it around in a bag, and flush away the residue with warm tap water.