The enemy of all bong smokers: cleaning their bong. No one wants to do it. So you smoke out of a gross bong until it becomes unbearably gross, at which point a deep clean is due and it’s much harder than it would have been if you had just kept up in the first place.

What if we told you there’s a way to greatly minimize how much cleaning you have to do? All the while protecting your lungs at the same time. Meet the ash catcher.

Ash catchers are a handy addition to your bong setup that will improve your smoking and cleaning sessions greatly- and dare we say your quality of life!

What is an ash catcher exactly?

An ash catcher is a device that attaches to your bong and helps avoid ash and resin falling into your custom bong’s water. The smoke travels through the ash catcher as it grabs onto debris- saving your lungs and pipe!

Many, if not most, ash catchers have percolators to increase diffusion. This makes it easier to smoke, and the flavors of the terpenes will come through more. It’s essentially an extra filter.

Ash catchers attach to your bong the same way that your bowl goes in and out. Instead of going straight into the bong, your bowl goes into the ash catcher. This way, when you inhale, the burned ash gets stuck in the ash catcher rather than getting into the main chamber.

If you add too much water to your ash catcher the dirty water will get into your bong, so be careful!

Why should you use one?

No one likes a dirty customized water pipe. You don’t like looking at one, smoking out of one, or cleaning one. Ash catchers help your bong stay cleaner for longer by capturing all the bad stuff that dirties your bong in the first place. If you hate cleaning your bong, ash catchers are definitely for you.

A caveat is that smaller bongs that are easy to clean may not need an ash catcher. But big ones with lots of percolators definitely need this epic accessory.

How do you pick one out?

You must know the joint size of your custom water pipe before attempting to buy an ash catcher- otherwise, you might end up with the wrong size!

The majority of ash catchers are known as "male joints" and are designed to be used with "female jointed" bongs. If your bong is male jointed, you’ll have to get a glass adapter. Prices vary greatly depending on how complex the ash catcher is, as well as its size.

Now think about the angle of the joint on your prospective ash catcher. Most come in a 45 or 90-degree angle- meaning that's the angle that it will attach to your bong. Think about the angle of your bong's stem when choosing the angle of your water pipe.

In addition, think about comfort. You want your bowl to be at the right angle- not too steep as to burn you, and not too low as to make your weed fall out.

You also have to consider whether your ash catcher will hit any parts of your bong. Just visualize attaching the ash catcher to your bong and imagine how it will fit.

As if you don’t already have enough to worry about, you need to be confident that your bong is solid enough to handle holding the ash catcher you have your eyes on. If your bong isn’t sturdy or heavy enough, the ash catcher may tip it.

Finally, decide what type of percolator you want. Some common kinds include honeycomb, showerhead, incline, and tree. If your bong already has a lot of percolators, then you should just get a normal ash catcher that will simply catch ash without adding any more drag.

But if your bong doesn’t have percs, look for an ash catcher with more percolators or chambers. Most only have one chamber but some have two, which would each contain their own percolators for extra intense diffusion.

Using a customized water pipe

Using a custom bong will truly give you the most freedom when picking out your ash catcher. You can get the angle of the mouthpiece just right, decide the perfect number of percs, and create a color scheme that will make all your friends jealous.

Custom water pipes let your imagination run wild and are a huge asset when you’re looking into ash catchers. If you’re taking the time to get an ash catcher, why not upgrade your whole setup?

Final Thoughts

Ash catchers are the best way to keep your bong and lungs clean. And they’re simple enough- there’s no reason not to have one.

To summarize, they catch the ash from reaching your bong water or being inhaled. This will cut down on how much cleaning you have to do and will save your lungs from some nasty stuff.

You want to consider whether you have a male or female joint when picking one out. You also have to think about angles. Too steep will let ash back into your bong, while too obtuse will drop ash onto you.

Lastly, make sure your bong is up to snuff and can handle the weight of an ash catcher!

With a custom bong, you can really go crazy picking out colors and angles. They’re your best bet if you want a totally coherent setup!