Diffusion, how much is too much?

We here at ShatterKitchen.com get asked allot about what type of percolator filter type is best.

How much diffusion should you get for the perfect hit or dab?

Well the answer to that question is.....





It depends!

What type of smoker are you?

Do you like taking large draws or small?
Do you prefer a smooth taste or flavorful?
Do you enjoy flower or oil or both?
Do you plan on using this piece privately or in a social setting?

All of these factors come into play when selecting the right level of diffusion.
Classic Percolators

Let’s start with the basic attached up perc like a UFO showerhead or a Tree, Matrix, barrel, and Domes.

These are very popular and have been on the market for about 10 years.

They work great and provide a decent amount of diffusion, if you plan to consume flower and want to take large draws and want to taste the flavor of your flower then a attachment type perc like these would be a good option.

The drawback to these type of filters are because they are attached and are usually non-bridged meaning they are only held on from 1 attachment point. This makes these percs more unstable and are prone to breaking. We've seen it countless times, customers send in emails of their beloved bong they just bought brand new and some "buddy" knocked it over and there she goes! The perc filter is broken off and rattling around your bong like a spray paint can. So if you are accident prone or plan to use your bong in a party setting, using an attachment perc is risky.

Disc Diffusers

Next on the scene came disc diffusers these are discs that are welded into the glass completely sealed inside. This gives the added benefit of being very sturdy and strong. The only way these things get damaged is if the entire tube is cracked or shattered. * Pro-Tip * Never apply direct heat on a glass ring seal unless you are a glass blower and your disc bong will last you a very long time. These disc types include honeycombs, turbines, brilliance cuts, frit discs, and custom water jet cut design discs. Some designers mix and match different discs to get various effects in bongs. Honeycombs - A honeycomb disc can have as much as 200 diffusion holes in a single disc, stacked on top of each other and you can easily get a hundred thousand tiny diffusion bubbles with every pass. Honeycombs are very good for providing a highly smooth experience, because of the high level of diffusion you will experience some flavor loss and for oil consumption you will get more wax buildup inside your bong or rig so it’s not optimal to use honeycombs for wax.
Turbines – A turbine disc features multiple cuts all at the same angle. These cuts force water and air to move in a single circular direction. When enough force is applied it will create a vortex effect swirling and spooling the air and water around like a cyclone. This feature adds minimal diffusion as it doesn’t force the air thru the water as much as spins them together. The turbine effect does however keeps the water from crawling up the tube so when used as a splash guard you can get a shorter more compact bong or water pipe with all the benefits of a big piece. Plus let’s be honest it looks cool as hell to watch. If you like taking big rips – a turbine would be something nice to have.
Frit Disc – The frit disc originally first using in a bong by Dave Goldstein is hands down the greatest diffusion device on the market today. Nothing compares to the level of diffusion you can get from a single frit disc. So like with the honeycomb it’s great for flower and not so great for oil. One major drawback to the frit disc is that it’s holes are so fine and many, that they tend to clog and become hard to clean. Another major issue with frit discs are the cheap knockoff’s out there on the market. This is a major health hazard as glass frit or glass dust can get knocked loose from the bong if it was not manufactured properly and get stuck in your lungs forever. That’s right FOREVER, silica does not absorb in the lung so you will be carrying that around for life. If you plan to go the frit disc route, do your research and buy from reputable seller only.

Inline Filters

Inline filters are percs that work horizontally usually by forcing water and air inside out. These can be very useful as they don’t take up much space and designers can adjust the level of diffusion needed by adding or reducing the amount of holes or slits. All bongs have at least one type of inline filter, usually a downstem or with the newer designs a stemless design.

Downstem – A downstem is a filter that is placed into the water and air and smoke is pulled thru it. At the end of the stem there can be various types of filters. Usually it’s slits, but there are holes, gridded cuts, showerheads, and even trees. The same principal applies, pick your desired level of diffusion.
Stemless/Natural – A natural perc is where there is no filtration device and you are using the air and the natural law of gravity to do the filtering for you. These types of percs will get larger air bubbles and lower amounts of diffusion. This is great for wax as you will reduce the level of wax build up in your bong or rig. Swiss percs, Faberge Eggs all use this type of filtering method.
Stemline/Inline – A stemline is a horizontal tube that is attached to the joint and usually has slits in it. The air is pulled from the joint and out the slits in the stemline. This gives the effect of uniform diffusion and creates an even distribution of air and smoke throughout the bong. This delivers a good amount of diffusion to remove the harshness of flower smoke without washing out the flavor of quality oils. This is a good choice for any bong or rig you plan to use both flower and oil out of.

This is just some of the many different types of devices out there and artists are constantly coming out with newer and cooler tech. Which type of filter do you prefer and why?