What is a Glass Pipe?

Smoking out of glass pipes is nothing new. Glass is one of the most used materials to build pipes beside the early wooden designs. The first glass pipes for smoking weed are the classic spoons and chillums that we still use today. 

Chillums are tube-shaped pipes that have an indentation on one end for loading weed, and you smoke through the mouthpiece on the other end. Spoon pipes have a sizeable spoon-shaped bowl on one side that can hold a good amount of weed. Glass hand pipes usually have a carb hole on one side of the bowl to clear the pipe quickly when inhaling. All glass pipes feature a bowl or a place to load the ground weed, a central hollow body for the smoke to pass through, and a mouthpiece to inhale the smoke.

One of the most important aspects of owning a glass pipe is knowing how to clean a glass pipe. We recommend wiping out the bowl after each use with a 420 Wipe. When the pipe tastes bad from resins, we suggest soaking in a cleaner or isopropyl alcohol so that you can easily wash away the sticky build-up.

Types of Glass Pipes

While glass is the most used material to make weed pipes, there are many designs that a glass pipe can take. Each type of pipe has its benefits and uses. We make sure to carry a large selection of every kind of glass pipe.

Chillum

Chillums are one-hitter pipes that are cylindrical and are meant for solo sessions. One side of the pipe is packed with ground bud, and the other is used as a mouthpiece. Chillums are easy to store and carry in your pocket. The best thing about one-hitters is how affordable they are.

Sherlock

A Sherlock pipe is named after Sherlock Holmes and is designed to resemble the sizeable wooden pipe that he is often seen smoking. Sherlocks have a curved mouthpiece and a large bowl. Sherlocks can look like a classic wooden pipe but hit harder than they look.

Silicone

Silicone pipes are more durable than glass pipes but require glass bowls and sometimes downstems to function to their full potential.

Spoon

A spoon pipe is the reigning champion of the glass pipe family. Spoons don’t take up much space, have large bowls that can be packed tight with weed, and are available in thousands of different colors and designs. People often have multiple spoon pipes and collect them.

Steamroller

The glass steamroller pipe is an intense way to smoke. A steamroller sends hot, unfiltered smoke quickly into your lungs when you release the carb hole. They are made to take big hits very quickly but can be harsh.

Bongs

A bong stores up a big, water-filtered hit of weed for you to inhale all at once. Bongs have a slide bowl that is removed after smoke is built up in the pipe. Bongs are for filtering smoke through water to cool it.

Dab Rigs

Glass dab rigs are made for vaporizing cannabis concentrates, often referred to as dabs. Dab rigs are smaller glass pipes that often have complex water percolation and a low water line.

Gravity Bongs

Often thought of as the most fun or intense way to smoke weed, gravity bongs use water pressure to fill a large glass chamber with smoke and then use the same pressure to send that smoke into your lungs. It does most of the work for you and is highly potent.

Advantages of Smoking Glass Pipes

Glass is the perfect material to smoke out of for a few reasons. Glass is an inert substance so that it won’t off-gas or leach any other elements into your smoke session. Glass pipes are widely available and come in so many shapes and sizes that you can collect them your whole life and have every piece be different. Glass pipes don’t add any flavor to your hit if they are kept clean, and that is easy to keep up with because glass pipes are easy to clean with just alcohol and warm water.

Frequently Asked Questions About Glass Pipes

There are some commonly asked questions about glass weed pipes. We’re always here to help and provide our extensive knowledge and information about any cannabis-related subjects. Here’s what you need to know about glass pipes.

How Does a Glass Pipe Work?

Glass pipes work off a basic three-part build. Every pipe has a place where you load the weed, a chamber for the smoke to move through or build up in, and a mouthpiece for you to inhale the smoke.

How Much are Glass Pipes?

Glass pipes range from cheap to expensive based on their design and their rarity. Most of our pipes are around 20-50 dollars. Pipes that are mass-produced by big glass companies like GRAV or Higher Standards are both high-quality and affordable. Some pipes that are available in fewer quantities and made by a famous artist can cost more money.

How Do You Clean Glass Pipes?

Cleaning glass pipes is easy, especially if you do it regularly, which you should. Once your pipe starts to taste harsh, no matter what kind of weed you load it with, you know it’s time to clean it. The best way to clean a glass pipe is to use an all-natural soaking cleaner or warm isopropyl alcohol.

How Do Color Changing Glass Pipes Work?

Color-changing pipes were made popular by legendary artists Bob Snodgrass back in the ’80s. Since he passed down his techniques, other glassblowers have altered and innovated more ways to provide fuming to glass that will alter the pipe's hue. Glass fuming requires silver or gold to be introduced to the glass during the heating process. 

As the glass is superheated, the metals are vaporized, and the particles adhere to the glass to create a wonderful stream of iridescent color.  Silver gives the glass a yellow hue, while gold gives off a blue or pink tint. If a pipe changes colors, the glass will have a hazy-like appearance to the color. The more you smoke from your pipe, the more the color change will appear.  Deep blues, pinks, purples, and yellows are all hues found in color-changing glass.

Where Do You Buy Glass Pipes?

Well, we’re pretty sure the best place to buy glass pipes is 420 Science’s online headshop. 420 Science has a huge selection of only high-quality glass pipes, bong, and dab rigs. If you’re not sure what pipe is best for you, reach out to us, and we are always happy to help.

Why Buy Glass Pipes From 420 Science?

Buying a new pipe from 420 Science is easy, affordable, and can be done from the comfort of your couch right after a smoke sesh. We offer free shipping and easy returns. We’re constantly expanding our selection of glass pipes to make sure that we carry only the best pipes for smoking weed.