Avion Stick R Mini
Avion is a company based in Russia. One of their first hookahs that became quite popular across the globe was the Avion Stick R. This is a mini version of that pipe. We'll be going over the in's and out's of this pipe including everything you get. Many companies have their take on the stick but here we have Avion's. First, let's go over what a "stick" hookah is. A stick is a bare minimum pipe with no extra bells and whistles. It has all the essentials and nothing more. They're called sticks for their simple stainless look with no other designs to be seen.
In the box, you get a stem, tray, base, soft-touch silicone hose (okay, I forgot to include this in the pic), and a hose handle. All grommets you'll need are included as well.
All metal portions of the hookah are made of 321 Stainless Steel. This grade of stainless provides excellent resistance to oxidation and corrosion. It can handle high heats and is typically used in car exhaust systems, boiler casings, and jet aircraft components. (Provided by the several websites I googled.) In my opinion, these parts feel to be durable and thick enough to last a long time.
The pipe comes in at roughly 1 ft 2 in (35.56 cm) tall which is a great height for those who want something for their desk, travel, or just want something more minimal and compact in height. It's not the size or weight of your normal tabletop as those can be even smaller but I like using it as one. Unlike some smaller hookahs, you won't notice it spin like some in the tabletop category. What I mean by this is that it won't move when you pull the hose in the opposite direction when using the included hose.
The tray measures in at 6 1/2 inches (16.51 cm) long and is quite small but it's usable for its intended purpose. I often smoke with an Apple On Top Provost and eventually I need to ash my coals. This process requires me to take my top off which I put on the tray and typically instead of removing the coals from the tray I remove the whole bottom plate and drop the coals on the tray. Then I ash them and put everything back on top of my bowl. I found that it's more than doable with the space provided but it's a bit tight. On one occasion I actually had the top cap fall off the tray and onto the floor because I didn't carefully place the top on the tray. Basically, be careful and you won't have any issues, however, the tray is my biggest qualm with this pipe.
The bowl port is a perfect size for all the bowls I've put on it using a mod or Egyptian style grommet.
The heart of the hookah is made out of delrin which is highly durable and wear-resistant plastic. This type of plastic is used in several popular hookahs including the MattPear Simple, and the Union Sleek. I know people who own hookahs that mainly feature delrin and they've had them for years with no signs of degrading. However, if you can tell it's not scratch resistant. Between smoking it and cleaning it for about 20-30 sessions, at this point, it's begun to scratch a bit.
This pipe has a vertical purge which means smoke goes upward instead of what you'll find on a traditional hookah. The purge is excellent and clears out the base in 1 go. With some tabletop hookahs, you'll have to be careful with your purging but that isn't the case with this one. A normal purge for me can be pretty hard but I never got water to go up to the stem. Also, the balls are lightweight so you won't hear them fall back down when you perform this action, it's something that I know bothers some people.
The purge balls are held in by a stainless ring which as far as I can tell isn't really meant to be removed but you can run water through it to clean that area with no issues.
On the bottom half of the heart, there isn't anything too special going on. You'll find the four purge openings and the hose opening.
The downstem has a line marked on it to guide you on where to put your water (I didn't include a photo of this but you can see it in the last photo of the review... In the first photo of the full set up I actually had the downstem on backwards.. Oops). It's something I think every hookah should have. Even if you don't use this line for your exact water level preference at least you have an idea of where you are. Personally, I go a bit below the line. The draw feels like a full-sized pipe.
The purge is made out of delrin just like the heart of the hookah. It has many holes around the sides and one larger one on the bottom. I prefer when hookahs include the hole on the bottom because sometimes tobacco can go down the stem and clog the diffuser. This style at least gives it a chance to fall out of the bottom.
The diffuser isn't completely silent. I noticed a very light rumbling sound which is common amongst the majority of the pipes I use with a diffuser. The draw is nice and smooth and you can't feel any of that rumbling in your pull when you go to take a hit.
The included hose is soft-touch silicone which is my prefered material when it comes to hoses. It's lightweight and easy to move around. When using soft-touch silicone it can sometimes bend making it basically impossible to take a pull. The most common solution is a stainless spring that makes that virtually impossible. You'll get one included in the box. The portion of the hose that goes into the hose port is stainless and has 2 silicone rings around it to keep it in place. The silicone rings can degrade but I suspect that would take a long time to happen. In that case, you can always buy more silicone rings from your local hardware store or even Amazon.
The handle itself is also lightweight and is roughly 12 1/2 inches (31.75 cm) long. It feels nice in the hand and is a suitable length for me.
All in all, I think what you get in the box makes for a great budget pipe. It included everything one would need to get started. Whether you're looking for your first pipe, a desktop pipe, you're on a budget, or you just want something on the smaller side then this is a great pipe to choose. For $135 it's hard to complain. If you're interested in the full-size variation it's also available for $140.
You can pick it up from 5starhookah.com. Don't forget to use my discount code sloth15 for 15% off your order (doesn’t include items on sale). I'm fairly sure this item doesn't stack with my discount code either since they were discounted about 40-50 dollars from their original cost. Thank you all for reading and if you like my content consider following me on my Instagram.