Imagine it. Cooler smoke, bigger rips, more filtration, and smoother hits. Is it a dream? Or is it just the perfect addition to the world of bongs - an ice catcher?

Customized bongs are already the glass of choice among those who like to take smooth, massive hits. But somewhere along the way came a new invention that changed the game for good.

Thanks to an unknown genius, ice bongs are a welcomed invention that will upgrade your smoking experience for years to come.

Ice catchers are the latest bong craze. If you want to fill your lungs to the brim, exhale a huge cloud, and not die of a sore throat in the process - an ice bong will be your new best friend.

What Is an Ice Catcher?

Custom bongs have a special advantage over other smoking methods like chillum pipes or bowls. The reason: bongs cool down the smoke because of the water filter (and in fancier bongs, percolators).

At some point, someone who was either very inventive or very high - probably both - decided to try putting ice in their bong to cool the smoke down further. But the flaw was that the ice cubes kept falling into the water chamber.

Enter: ice catchers.

Ice catchers are pinched glass inside the bong that levitate the ice above the chamber of water. They can be found above the percolators in the bong and are the final step of filtration before the smoke reaches the mouthpiece.

Customized water pipes with ice catchers - colloquially known as ice bongs - are the solution for smokers who like an extra smooth and cool hit. Newer bongs often have this feature as it's becoming the new standard.

Due to this, you've probably already seen ice catchers at head shops or on your friends' bongs - or even your own bong - without knowing what they were. We're here to change that!

How Do Ice Catchers Work?

Ice catchers work very simply and are pretty much foolproof (read: high-out-of-your-mind proof).

The ice catcher is generally made of three pieces of glass that pinch inside the custom water pipe. It suspends the ice without cutting off airflow.

But innovators of the trade are always coming up with new and improved ways to smoke. Instead of pinched glass, some ice bongs have a trapezoid -like ice catcher that acts like a shelf to hold up your ice.

Remember to remove your ice after your session so it doesn't melt into your water chamber and overflow it! You should also be mindful during your session, but unless you're smoking for a really long time, the chance of all the ice melting and overflowing your chamber is very slim.

What's the Point of Putting Ice in a Bong?

If you're an avid bong lover, chances are that putting ice in your custom bong will change the game forever for you. Everything is stacked in favor of this method, and it would be a shame if you didn't give it a shot at least once.

When you put ice in your bong, your filtration system gets a major upgrade. The smoke flows through the bong, and then through the ice, lowering the temperature of the smoke so much that your bong rips will be more comfortable, bigger, and smoother.

Benefits of Ice Catchers

Let's go over the three major benefits of ice catchers.

Bigger Rips

One of the main reasons people choose bongs over other types of heady glass is because they allow for huge rips. But if you really want to push the limit, add some ice! Cooling down the smoke even more can let you inhale to your heart's desire - helping you get higher, faster.

Doubles as a Splash Guard

We've all been there: taking a nice fat rip on your bong, only to slurp up some bong water along the way. Bong water splashback even makes some people say no to bongs completely. Ice catchers conveniently double as splash guards because they hang over the water chamber. So suck away!

Extra Layer of Filtration

Filtration is the name of the game when it comes to customized water pipes, spurring on dozens - if not hundreds - of percolator variations. Add some ice to the mix for some extra smoke filtration for a clean hit that won't kill your lungs.

A Warning

If you grab ice straight out of the freezer and throw it in your bong, you run the risk of getting some freezer -burnt ice shards straight to the mouth (or worse, lungs). This is a little -known fact to ice bong beginners, but they almost always get a rude awakening, and some completely give up on the art because of it.

But the solutions are simple!

• Let your ice melt a little bit before putting it in your bong, so take it out 15 minutes before your session.
• Run your ice under some water to smooth it out, effectively getting rid of the shards.

Final Thoughts

Are you sold yet? Take an icy smooth hit and see for yourself!

Along with being aesthetically pleasing, the invention of ice catchers has seriously reformed the filtration process and changed what's possible while smoking out of a bong.

Get higher faster - and enjoy the process even more - with an ice bong. You'll be shocked at how much more smoke you can inhale with this tiny adjustment to your rig.

If you're a devout fan of bongs, you're bound to love the benefits that ice catchers bring. Ice catchers have basically created the bong 2.0!