How to Choose a Bong: The Complete Buying Guide

Glass, silicone, acrylic or ceramic — everything you need to find the right bong for you

Bongs come in so many shapes, sizes and materials that picking one can feel genuinely overwhelming — especially if you’re standing in a shop trying to make sense of it all. The good news is that once you understand a few key factors, the right choice becomes pretty obvious.

This guide covers everything: materials, shape, size, percolators, ice catchers, and what to expect at each price point. By the end you’ll know exactly what you’re looking for. And if you want to browse straight away, the full bong range at Bleiz has glass, silicone, acrylic and ceramic options available online and in-store in Tallinn.

Material: The Most Important Choice

The material your bong is made from affects everything — taste, durability, price, and how easy it is to clean.

Glass

Glass is the gold standard for bongs. It’s completely inert, meaning it adds absolutely nothing to the taste — what you get is a clean, pure experience. High-quality borosilicate glass (the same type used in laboratory glassware) is also surprisingly tough, though obviously still breakable if dropped on a hard floor.

Glass bongs are the easiest to clean properly, as they’re fully compatible with isopropyl alcohol. You can also see through the chamber, which makes it easy to know when to clear it. The downside is price — a decent glass bong costs more than acrylic or silicone equivalents.

Best for: anyone who cares about taste quality and is prepared to handle it with a bit of care.

Silicone

Silicone bongs have become genuinely popular over the last few years for good reason. They’re practically indestructible — you can drop them, fold them, pack them in a bag without worrying. Food-grade silicone is also tasteless and safe, though some users feel the flavour isn’t quite as clean as glass.

They’re also very easy to clean — most silicone bongs can be taken apart completely, and the pieces are dishwasher safe. Price-wise they sit in the mid-range.

Best for: anyone who travels, moves around a lot, or simply wants something they can’t accidentally destroy.

Acrylic

Acrylic bongs are the most affordable option and a common first bong for many people. They’re lightweight, shatterproof, and come in all kinds of colours and designs. The trade-off is taste — acrylic can affect flavour, especially as it ages or if it isn’t cleaned regularly. They’re also harder to clean thoroughly, as isopropyl alcohol damages acrylic.

Best for: beginners on a tight budget or anyone who just wants a cheap, functional backup.

Ceramic

Ceramic bongs are the most old-school option and still have a dedicated following. Ceramic is completely inert like glass, so taste is excellent. They’re also beautifully crafted — many ceramic bongs are works of art. The downsides are weight (they’re heavy) and the fact that you can’t see the water level or smoke inside.

Best for: people who appreciate aesthetics and craftsmanship and don’t mind the extra weight.

Shape & Style: What’s the Difference?

Straight Tube

The classic bong shape — a straight vertical tube with a base, downstem and bowl. Simple, easy to clean, and delivers a direct, powerful hit. The straight tube is the no-nonsense option and works perfectly well for most people.

Beaker Base

A beaker-shaped base gives the bong more stability and holds more water, which means more smoke filtration per hit. The wider base also makes it harder to knock over — a practical advantage. Beaker bongs are one of the most popular designs for home use.

Round Base

Similar to a beaker but with a spherical base. Holds a good volume of water and looks sleek. Slightly less stable than a beaker on an uneven surface but aesthetically popular.

Multi-Chamber

Multi-chamber bongs filter smoke through water more than once, producing a noticeably smoother and cooler hit. The smoke travels through one water chamber, then another before reaching you. More complex to clean but a significant upgrade in smoothness for daily users.

Recycler

Recycler bongs continuously cycle water and smoke in a loop before delivery, providing extremely smooth, cool hits with minimal harshness. Popular with concentrate users. They’re more of a specialist option but worth knowing about.

Percolators: Do You Need One?

A percolator (or ‘perc’) is an additional filtration device inside the bong that breaks the smoke into smaller bubbles, increasing its surface contact with water. The result is a noticeably smoother, cooler, more filtered hit.

Common percolator types:

• Tree perc — multiple arms extending downward like tree branches, each with slits for bubbles
• Showerhead perc — a disc with holes that fans smoke out in a wide pattern
• Honeycomb perc — a flat disc with dozens of tiny holes for maximum diffusion
• Turbine perc — creates a spinning vortex effect as well as filtering

More percolation means smoother hits but also more resistance when drawing and more surfaces to clean. For beginners, a simple downstem diffuser is plenty. For daily users who prioritise smoothness, a percolated bong is worth the extra investment.

Ice Catchers: Worth It?

An ice catcher is a set of pinched notches inside the neck of the bong that hold ice cubes above the water. Smoke passes over the ice before reaching you, cooling it dramatically. If you find bong hits too harsh on your throat, an ice catcher makes a significant difference.

Most mid-range and above glass bongs include an ice catcher as standard. It’s a simple feature but genuinely useful — worth prioritising if throat comfort matters to you.

Size: How Big Should You Go?

Bong height affects the amount of smoke you can build up per hit and how much the smoke cools before reaching you. General guidance:

• Under 20cm — mini/travel bongs, compact and discreet, less filtration
• 20–35cm — the most popular range for home use, good balance of size and smoothness
• 35–50cm — larger hits, more filtration, better for experienced users
• 50cm+ — statement pieces, significant smoke volume, serious filtration

A taller bong gives smoke more time to cool before it reaches your lungs. For beginners, something in the 20–30cm range is a comfortable starting point.

Downstems and Bowls

The downstem is the tube that connects the bowl (where you load your material) to the water in the base. Most bongs come with a downstem and bowl included, but these are also replaceable and upgradeable separately.

Things to check:

• Joint size — the most common sizes are 14mm and 18mm. Make sure replacement parts match your bong’s joint size.
• Diffused downstem — a downstem with slits or holes at the bottom that breaks smoke into bubbles before it hits the water. A simple and effective upgrade from a plain tube downstem.
• Bowl depth — deeper bowls hold more material per session, which matters if you’re using the bong socially.

Keeping Your Bong Clean

A clean bong tastes better, hits smoother, and lasts longer. Resin builds up quickly — ideally you’d rinse with warm water after every session and do a proper clean every few days for regular users.

Deep cleaning method:

• Empty the water and remove the bowl and downstem.
• For glass: fill with isopropyl alcohol (90%+) and coarse salt. Cover the openings and shake well. The salt acts as an abrasive while the ISO dissolves resin.
• Rinse thoroughly with warm water until there’s no smell of alcohol left.
• For silicone: disassemble and wash with warm soapy water or put in the dishwasher.
• For acrylic: use warm water and a bong brush — avoid ISO as it will cloud and crack the material.

Bleiz stocks cleaning equipment including brushes and cleaning solutions specifically designed for bongs and pipes.

Price Guide

Under €15 — Entry Level

Acrylic bongs and basic glass pieces. Functional and fine for occasional use or a first bong. Don’t expect advanced filtration or premium taste.

€15–40 — Mid Range

This is where most people land and where the value is best. You’ll find solid borosilicate glass bongs with diffused downstems, ice catchers, and basic percolators. Silicone bongs also sit comfortably here. Most people don’t need to spend more than this.

€40–€80+ — Upper Range

Thicker glass, more complex percolation systems, multi-chamber designs, and better craftsmanship. If you’re a daily user who wants the smoothest possible experience, this range delivers a noticeable upgrade. Ceramic bongs with artistic designs also sit here.

What to Pair With Your Bong

A bong works best as part of a complete setup:

• A good grinder is essential — evenly ground material burns more consistently through a bong bowl than roughly broken pieces.
• Proper storage keeps your material fresh between sessions.
• A reliable lighter — Clipper lighters are popular for bong use as they have a removable poker for clearing the bowl.
• Screens or cleaning brushes to keep the downstem and bowl clear.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Buying based on looks alone. A beautiful bong that’s awkward to use or impossible to clean will frustrate you quickly.
• Not checking joint size before buying replacement parts. 14mm and 18mm are not interchangeable.
• Filling with too much water. The water level should sit just above the bottom of the downstem — enough to bubble, not so much that it splashes into the neck.
• Neglecting cleaning. Old bong water smells terrible and makes every hit taste stale. Change the water after every session.
• Going too big as a first bong. A 45cm heavily percolated bong requires a lot of lung capacity to clear. Start in the 20–30cm range.

Summary: What to Buy

You can browse all options in the Bleiz bong category online, or come into the shop in Tallinn to see them in person. Orders over €35 ship free across Estonia and the EU via Omniva and SmartPost.

Further Reading

If you found this guide useful, check out these other Bleiz buying guides:

• How to Choose a Grinder: The Complete Buying Guide
• Pipes at Bleiz — browse the full range