Percolator Buying Guide
Any one who has bought themselves a bong from a retailer has had an opportunity to take a gander at the wonderful world of percolators, these little guys that usually sit within your bong’s chamber and disperse the smoke through the water in such a way to get the hit as smooth as possible. When choosing your bong, think about the percolator: How much drag do I want in my piece? (Trees won’t have much impact, but a fritted or honeycomb will definitely add some drag, especially in tiered pieces) How much percolation do I want happening? Do I want my percolator to have cool effects, or be efficient? Both? This guide should help you get started with your understanding of various percolators, so take a look!
Straight/Slitted Downstem
The standard form of percolation on every bong, can have slits on the bottom or will split off into other forms of percolation, but commonly just a glass tube with an opening at the end
Undispersed:
Dispersed:
Tree:
Smoke gets filtered through anywhere from 3 to 64 arms. More arms=more percolation
Honeycomb
A disc percolator that looks similar to a fritted, however with smaller holes and is generally honeycomb-shaped. The smaller the holes the more percolation, however it also adds drag.
Showerhead
Showerheads utilize a vertical tube that opens up at the bottom with slits and openings for dispersive percolation
Cyclone/Turbine
A single disc percolator with angled cuts meant to guide the smoke and water into a tornado formation, giving an aesthetically pleasing view while toking
Fritted
A disc percolator that contains dozens of small holes for the smoke to be filtered through.
Dome
Named after it’s shape, the dome allows smoke to travel fill the perc to escape small slits and perforations in the bottom of the dome
Swiss
Swiss percolators look much like the cheese, featuring a wheel-like design with specially designed paths for the smoke to travel through