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Alpaca Bowls is a company based in the US. They’re known for consistently making high-quality bowls that perform well featuring thick clay and high heat retention. The bowl in question today is the Suri. The Suri is a low capacity bowl that is great for sessions where you want to save tobacco but don’t want to compromise on session longevity.
For those familiar with the popular Alpaca Predator bowl, the Suri shares similar dimensions but doesn’t feature a bridge across the spire.
The Suri weighs in at 248g. Keep in mind this can vary about 20g give or take since they’re all handmade.
The Suri is small in diameter and deep which is great for a variety of tobaccos whether they’re blonde or dark leaf tobaccos.
Since they’re all handmade the dimensions tend to vary a bit. The opening of this Suri is wider than I expected it’d be in comparison to my Predator. When paired with a mod grommet I’m able to fit this bowl on all of the pipes in my collection.
Since the Suri has a smaller diameter this bowl isn’t well suited for a Kaloud Lotus. That being said I have used bowls with a similar diameter with a Lotus and it was workable but not ideal. The Apple On Top Provost is the most optimal choice for this bowl because it sits perfectly on top of it.
A fluff pack for my particular bowl is roughly 13g. With a dense pack, I’m getting roughly 18g. Your results will vary, again, because they’re all handmade.
With performance brand tobaccos I am managing to get 2-3 hours with great cloud and flavor output.
Honestly, for the price, it’s very hard to beat the products that Alpaca is putting out. Sure, there are many other solid bowls on the market but from a price to performance standpoint, Alpaca really hits the equilibrium. In my opinion, they make the best bowls on the market for this reason. You’re able to get consistent sessions with various tobaccos at not a high cost. That being said I’m not knocking other brands by any means but it goes to show you don’t NEED to spend a ton of money to get something high quality in your hands.
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). Thank you all for reading and if you like my content consider following me on my Instagram.
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.
B2 is a company based in California, USA. They’re well known for their high-quality American made products such as their B2 V3 hookah. They dropped their wind cover to market in 2020. The job of a wind cover is implied in the name, it stops the wind from hitting your coals amongst other things like keeping your bowl hot for longer or superheating your bowl with a heat management device for a quicker start (popular in the Russian community). After several uses, I’m here to present you with my thoughts on the product as a whole.
It’s made out of 5052-grade aluminum. This grade allows for good weldability and can more easily take on different shapes. It also has good durability and is strongly corrosion-resistant. Three of the panels are bent into place while the fourth panel is attached by rivets for a more stylish finish.
I found the handle while somewhat awkward in shape was easy enough to grab but while it was hot I was a bit more cautious of how I was handling it as I didn’t want to put my hand to close to the body of the wind cover.
By the way, due to it being anodized this thing can be a fingerprint magnet. Not a deal-breaker by any means just thought it would be something worth mentioning.
The wind cover sports a 4 in (2.54 cm) by 4 in (2.54 cm) opening that is suitable for a majority of the bowls you’ll find on the market. I can comfortably say this because even with the Mason Onyx bowl there is some room to spare.
This wind cover stands at 9 in (22.86 cm) tall. With a mol catcher and my tallest bowl, there is still about 2-3 inches of height clearance. It weighs in at 8.71 oz (247 grams) which makes it easy to put it on your hookah or remove it with precision.
The wind cover is great for keeping the wind away from your coals. For this particular session, it was pretty breezy and I felt it did a good job in that regard. This function is an important one because if the wind is hitting your coals, they will heat up more and can scorch your bowl, shorten your session duration, or burn through your coals at a faster rate.
Concerning its ability to lengthen the life of your coals I felt that it did an adequate job. I managed to make my flats go for about one hour and 10 minutes before I decided to call it quits. As for superheating your bowl (with a heat management device), I didn’t find that it made any real impact because the top of the wind cover isn’t closed off.
All in all, I found that the product does what it’s meant to at a fundamental level, keep the wind away from your coals and lengthen the duration of your session. While it isn’t able to superheat your bowl I think this isn’t something that many are looking to do, at least in the American market. One thing worth noting from the maker is that the color can fade over time from high heat. I haven’t experienced this but I’ve only used it a handful of times at this point, only time will tell.
If you’re interested in purchasing this product you can pick it up from 5starhookah.com using my discount code sloth15 for 15% off your order (doesn’t include items on sale).
Blade Hookah is a company based in Moscow, Russia. Their products are made in China and designed in Russia. Don't let this fool you to believe that this product is of poor quality or cheap in its functionality just because it's made in China. Blade Hookah is one of the first companies to make mol catchers. The purpose of a mol catcher is to keep glycerin from going through your bowl and into your stem and base. This particular mol catcher stands at 2.75 in (6.99 cm) tall.
The Blade Mol Catcher breaks down into three parts for easy cleaning. It's made of anodized aluminum and comes in many different colors and patterns. It weighs in at 3.63 oz (103g) and has thick and sturdy threadings across all the screw-on portions. I don’t expect cross-threading in the future with this product and all the pieces screw on very smoothly due to the anodization.
The Blade Mol Catcher is universal which means that it can be used on nearly any hookah with a grommet to keep it in place. It fits on all the hookahs I own with ease. The Hoob Mol catcher has been my go-to up until now and while it does fit on all my pipes it didn't feel as secure on a few such as the Union Sleek. With the Blade it fits very well with no extra stress on my end. The opening on the bottom is a perfect fit across all my current pipes with just a single grommet. With the Hoob, yes they all fit, but I'd need particular grommets or in rare cases a second thin grommet/paper towel to have it fit as tightly as I'd like. With all mol catchers, you're going to want to use a mod grommet.
The tank holds 8 ml of liquid. This capacity is good for 2-4 bowls (assuming you're smoking out of a Turkish style bowl). Generally, with a phunnel, you don't really need to use a mol catcher but I still find bits of coal residue/glycerin in the chamber after use.The top cap that screws inside of the mol catcher serves as an umbrella to all things coming out of your bowl whether that be glycerin, tobacco, or coal residue. With the Blade, more often than not it was effective at stopping tobacco but rarely I'd find 1-2 pieces make its way into my base. Due to the 4 large holes and a lack of a "shield" to cover those holes, there is an off chance risk of getting glycerin inside your hookah. However, not once was my base discolored by glycerin or tobacco.
Personally, I didn't notice any restriction across my testings. If you pair this with a modern pipe, in the vast majority of cases you will only notice a slight difference, if any difference at all.The bowl port on the Blade is a much more traditional style where it's tapered down. I prefer this design as I don't find myself swapping out grommets to see what bowls fit with what grommets. If I'm using a Turkish style bowl I know I'm using a mod grommet. If I'm using a phunnel bowl then I'm using an Egyptian grommet. That being said a lot of bowls will fit with just a mod grommet if that's what you have on hand. Also, all my bowls fit with no concerns about the safety of the bowl itself.
For me, the Blade is a success. The only minor flaw that stands out to me is that the top cap holes aren't covered in some way but really it never affected me negatively. If you turn a blind eye to that caveat then it's the best all-arounder for those that don't want to deal with any hassle but also want to own a mol catcher. I still really like the Hoob Mol Catcher as well but I'll be swapping in between the Hoob and the Blade now.
If you're interested in purchasing this product you can pick it up from 5starhookah.com using my discount code sloth15 for 15% off your order (doesn't include items on sale).
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