If you’re a dedicated smoker, glass hand pipes offer the sort of beauty and functionality not often found in pipes made from other materials. Definitely a step up from a hand-rolled smoke, custom glass pipes are often considered works of art and get passed from one generation to the next.

THE BEGINNING OF GLASS HAND PIPES

Historical evidence shows that smoking tobacco started thousands of years ago, while the use of pipes is a more recent development, courtesy of some African tribes as early as eleven hundred years in the past. Cultures developed smoking for religious or spiritual rituals, social customs, or perceived health benefits.

If you use custom glass to smoke product, the design is most likely attributable to ancient North American native cultures. Today’s hand pipes were based on these early forerunners but have evolved repeatedly over the passage of time. Native American pipes were often built from wood, corn cob, clay, or antlers from elk or deer.

Eventually, smoking evolved into a recreational activity in some European communities, and the build materials differed in some cases, but most pipes were still made of wood

. Pipe makers evolved with the times, learning to use different materials to craft their little smoking devices. Because corn was so cheap in the 1800s, pipes made from corn rose in popularity, as the crop was grown in abundance and the cobs were normally thrown away. Today, corn cob hand pipes are less popular, giving way to cousins made from modern materials like glass or metal, which have a higher heat resistance.

Metal pipes have their problems, though – although they can withstand the heat without damage, they’re often too hot to touch. This reduces their usefulness, especially if you smoke anything more exotic than regular tobacco.

Glass hand pipes were the next big evolution, though it’s harder to determine date of origin. In all likelihood, glass pipes appeared as part of the normal evolutionary process involved in glassmaking technology and the skill of glass blowing. Early glass pipes were considered works of art.

Like other kinds of devices with artistic value, custom glass pipes caught on with smokers who quickly realized their number one benefit: using a glass pipe delivered flavor that was unsurpassed by other materials. In reality, that flavor was more simple, pure, and clean – unlike other build materials which sometimes added a discernible flavor to the smoke. This makes sense, especially when you consider how the flavor of many beverages and food items is influenced by what storage materials are made from – wine, beer, and cheese come to mind.

Today’s most sought-after glass pipes are blown by hand by craftsmen who take their art seriously. Complex, abstract, and colorful, they say something different about each smoker.

TYPES OF CUSTOM GLASS HAND PIPES

• Chillums. This kind of pipe is shaped like a plain tube. If you smoke with a chillum, you may get strange looks as this is a classic but primitive method that many old, indigenous cultures first smoked using hollow reeds.
• A Spoon pipe is what you’d choose once you’re ready to move up from a basic chillum style pipe. It’s comparable in build and shape, but for owning a “bowl” at the end, where you pack whatever herb you’re smoking.
• Sherlock hand pipes get their name from the iconic fictional detective, who smoked from a pipe made with a bowl and long stem. In polite company, a sherlock hand pipe is considered more refined or cultured – cerebral in some respects.
• Bubblers get their particular name from bubbles, of course. This kind of custom glass is a mix of the bong and the glass pipe. Tiny like a pipe, it utilizes water like a bong and is a glass water pipe.
• Steamroller is the most difficult and complex pipe to use. They have a tube with a bowl at one end, followed by an opening at both ends of the pipe, with the end closest to the bowl serving as a carburetor.

FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN CUSTOM GLASS HAND PIPES

With many unique and colorful examples to choose from, how do you know what’s the best glass hand pipe for your needs? Ultimately, it comes down to personal style and the image you want to project when smoking. Three important criteria to consider are glass type, pipe style, and brand.

Glass type

If you’re a beginner or purchasing your first glass hand pipe, don’t be fooled into thinking they’re made from any old glass – they’re not. Hand pipes which are glass differ from the glass used in products like drinking glasses, windows, and other glass-based items. Instead, they’re manufactured with borosilicate glass.

Pipe style

Various kinds of custom glass pipes are more fitting based on specific personal preferences (like cool smoke versus hot smoke) and for some types of herb. Bowl type is important, too, so learn about the different kinds. Select your pipe depending on what you smoke and your other personal choices.

Brand

Not all brands are created equal, so ask a trusted fellow smoker for recommendations. If you have access to a local smoke shop, stop by for questions and answers. The web has untold numbers of sites where you can find brand information, so fire up your browser before your smoke.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Well-crafted hand pipes are the timeless smoking device that many families pass down generation to generation, sometimes gifted like a precious heirloom. If you have one, then you know of its many benefits and appreciate its simple beauty and reliable functionality. Keep it clean. Keep it close. Keep on smoking.