The 3 Best Silicone Bongs: Unbreakable & Easy To Clean

The bong is one of the most iconic pieces of smoking equipment. These cylindrical devices are designed in a way that smoke runs through a water chamber, resulting in smoother hits and a more pleasant smoking experience. Glass bongs are viewed as the pinnacle of rig design; the robust yet delicate material offers an attractive look and feels great in the hand. However, there are other materials that rival glass is both aesthetics and functionality.

WHAT ARE SILICONE BONGS?

Silicone bongs are on the rise—pieces constructed from a unique and versatile material. Without tumbling too deep down the chemistry rabbit hole, silicone is made of polymers, large structural units made of many repeated subunits. In the case of silicone, these chains are made up of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms. The molecular nature of silicone makes it pliable, somewhat resistant to high temperatures, and also resilient to impact.

Silicone bongs usually feature fantastic colours, are sensibly sized, and extremely hard to break. Some people might be put off by silicone bongs in fear that it isn’t healthy to apply a flame to these devices. So, are silicone bongs truly safe?

ARE SILICONE BONGS SAFE?

The bottom line is: you don’t need to worry! Most silicone bongs are made with food-safe silicone, meaning the materials used can safely come into contact with substances humans consume, such as water. This is good news, because materials that aren’t classified as food-safe have a tendency to leech substances into water and food. The bongs listed below won’t be contaminating the water that the smoke passes through.

Additionally, food-safe products also need to meet certain guidelines in terms of temperature resistance, and should also be able to withstand environmental factors such as cleaning and sanitising.

WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE A SILICONE BONG?

Silicone bongs have many advantages over their glass and acrylic counterparts.

• unbreakable

Perhaps the biggest difference is the fact that they are virtually indestructible. Glass bongs are definitely visually stunning, especially those that have been meticulously crafted by master glass blowers; but despite such visual beauty and intricacy, glass is an innately delicate material. The slightest THC-induced fumble can render a masterpiece into a pile of shards within milliseconds. Acrylic bongs can take a bit more of a beating, but this material is still rigid and susceptible to breaking when dropped from a height or crushed during transportation.

Silicone is a different animal altogether. The long molecular chains of silicon and oxygen bend and morph when pressure is applied. Whether the source of that pressure be the ground or the rear end of a clumsy stoner pal perching themselves on top, the chains will become distorted and then return to their original alignment almost immediately.

• perfect for on-the-go

This bendiness isn’t just an ideal defence mechanism against gravity and erroneous behaviour, it also works as an equally impressive travel hack. Silicone bongs can pretty much be folded in on themselves. This makes them incredibly easy to carry around on your person, and also to wrestle into a bag that wouldn’t be compatible if not for the flexible material.

• discreet

This kind of discretion is highly valued among cannabis users who like to smoke on the go. Walking through a public place on your way to a premium smoke spot with a glass bong in your pocket, feeling as though it’s going to punch a hole through the denim any moment, is not functional nor comfortable. In contrast, bending a silicone piece to your will and ensuring it fits snugly in a pocket or bag adds both stealth and comfort to the picture.

• easy to clean

Another big perk of opting to smoke through a silicone bong is the ease of cleaning them. Smoking a bong is all fun and games for the first few smoke sessions—that is, until the glass begins to turn from crystal-clear to stained black and brown. Even regularly changing the water between sessions won’t allow you to escape the inevitability of having to scrub away the buildup of resin. And even if you smoke an opaque silicone model, just because you can’t see the grime building up doesn’t mean it’s not there. Just take a peep down the mouthpiece, and maybe hold your breath as you do so.

Bongs made from non-pliable materials are somewhat annoying to clean. Not only is there a risk of breaking them, but the fact that they don’t bend makes accessing certain areas with pipe cleaners a difficult task that requires precision, patience, and time.

Silicone bongs are very easy to clean. Just stuff a pipe cleaner down the mouthpiece and give it a quick scrub. Then, utilising the heat resistance and resilience of silicone, place it in the dishwasher and hit “Go”. A short time later, through the clouds of steam that arise as you open the dishwasher, you’ll see a satisfyingly clean bong ready to return to the line of duty and serve you for another few smoke sessions.

THE BEST SILICONE BONGS

Silicone is becoming an incredibly popular material to make bongs out of, which is no surprise considering the list of benefits stated above. As with every facet of the cannabis industry, silicone bongs have also experienced rapid and inspiring innovation within a small period of time. Below are some of the best silicone bongs available on the market. Be prepared to be impressed.

SILICONE BONG BEAKER

The Silicone Bong Beaker is a piece that has been designed for those cannabis smokers with an adventurous side and a love for nature. Smoking at home can be fun, but walking out into grassy meadows and luscious forests lends to an unparalleled experience. Glass bongs simply aren’t equipped for this task. The need to store your bong in a bag makes it simply too risky. The Silicone Bong Beaker was made for such tasks. This piece is made entirely of silicone and will merely bounce if dropped. The model is 22cm in height and can be easily transported when going out camping, to festivals, or on a hike. The piece also boasts an intriguing colour profile of neon green and black.

view SILICONE BONG BEAKER

PIECEMAKER KALI

The PieceMaker Kali is an eye-catching and utterly cute smoking piece that features a height of 21.5cm and a base diameter of 8.9cm. It’s super portable and can easily be moved around in a bag or even a big pocket. The Kali features a slanted mouthpiece, which means the bong doesn’t need to be tipped to such an extreme when smoked. The bowl also comes with a spill-proof cap that prevents water from flowing out of the downstem during transport. What’s more, the downstem is equipped with PieceMaker’s Hex-TEK, which disrupts and cools the smoke even more, resulting in a silky smooth hit.

view PIECEMAKER KALI

PIECEMAKER KERMIT

The Kermit is another masterpiece from PieceMaker. The bright green aesthetic is emblematic of the skin of a certain famous frog. The bong is around 27cm in height and 4.8cm in diameter. It also features a splayed-out base that helps prevent it from toppling over when knocked. The Kermit is forged mostly of food-safe silicone, making it very safe to use and very difficult to damage. What makes the Kermit unique among other silicone bongs is the lighter holder installed in the base. This hole is designed to comfortably hold a BIC lighter, and users can also get away with storing a Clipper model in there too. This function is incredibly useful, as all smokers are familiar with magically disappearing lighters during smoke sessions. The downstem is also constructed of silicone and is removable, making for easy cleaning.

view PIECEMAKER KERMIT

HOW TO USE SILICONE BONGS

Now that we’ve had a browse through some of the most impressive silicone bongs out there, how exactly does one go about using them? Luckily, there’s almost zero difference here as opposed to using a bong constructed of a different material. There is no hidden technique to master, or clandestine silicone knowledge that needs to be obtained. Simply pour water into the chamber, place weed into the bowl, light it up, and inhale. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to exhale.

Luke Sumpter

With a BSc (Hons) degree in Clinical Health Sciences and a passion for growing plants, Luke Sumpter has worked as a professional journalist and writer at the intersection of cannabis and science for the past 7 years.

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