Silicone Bongs vs. Glass Bongs

When it comes to bongs, glass is pretty much the undisputed king. In fact, for smoking devices in general, glass certainly take the lead. So much so that we often refer to smoking devices as “glassware” without a second thought at all.

However, if you peruse the bong section of any shop, you’re likely to find at least a few bongs which are made from a different material than glass. You might see bongs made from metal, acrylic, or even bamboo. But what about silicone?

Silicone is an extremely durable, flexible material which can easily be formed into just about any shape. This makes it perfect for use as a bong.

Bongs made from medical-grade silicone don’t impart any nasty flavors to your smoke. Their easy to clean and extremely durable.

So how do they stack up to good old glass?

Why Is Glass So Popular For Bongs?

Glass is popular for several reasons. First of all, its relatively inexpensive and plentiful. But more importantly, it doesn’t impart any flavor or undesirable chemicals to your smoke. Glass is clean. And when it comes time to actually physically clean it, glass proves itself very easy to keep sparkling clean.

The main drawback to all of these benefits is the inherent fragility of glass. But glass bongs aren’t made from “regular” glass. It’s not the sort of cheap thin glass you’d expect from a disposable beverage bottle.

Instead, most glass bongs are made from Borosilicate Glass. Borosilicate glass was originally developed for use in the laboratory, where the demands of chemistry experiments necessitated an extremely durable, shatter-resistant glass that could handle the sometimes violent chemical reactions.

Later, this type of glass was branded as Pyrex and marketed as the “unbreakable cookware.”

While still definitely breakable, this stuff is a cut above. But it’s not quite as tough as silicone…

Impossibly Cheap and Virtually Indestructible

We’re not challenging you to break one (you probably could if you tried,) but through normal use, a silicone bong is seriously unlikely to be broken. Whereas your fancy glass bong is probably one nasty fall off the table from being a useless mess, a silicone bong is ready to take all manner of abuse and keep on smoking.

This makes them ideal for use at parties, or anywhere the smoking area might get a little rowdy. Or perhaps you and your friends just happen to be a clumsy bunch, in which case investing in a silicone bong can be just the ticket for keeping you smoking no matter how carelessly you treat your equipment.

Of course, it’s not much of an investment. One big benefit of going silicone is the savings. You can find decent silicone bongs for a small fraction of the price of a glass bong.

But What About Accessories?

One area where no other material can compete with glass is in terms of accessories. Being the mainstay material of the smoking world, accessories for glass bongs are incredibly plentiful.

You can select all sorts of ice traps, ash catchers, percolators, and dab devices like nails and bangers -- all of them designed to fit into glass bongs and often made of glass themselves.

Generally, silicone bongs don’t have this expansive set of accessories to choose from. So if customizing your bong and decking it out with all sorts of accessories is important to you, glass becomes the clear winner.

The Final Verdict

Ultimately, if you want the most versatile and capable bong, you’ll probably end up going with glass. Almost everyone else has!

However, if you’re looking for something inexpensive, simple, and monstrously durable, silicone has the clear advantage.

Why not both? Any good bong collection should have a few material selections to choose from! A bong for every situation.