10 Best Bongs for 2023 Ultimate Buyers Guide
Every serious herb smoker needs a good bong. It’s simply the peak smoking experience. They look amazing. They make fun bubbling sounds. And of course, they give great hits.
But trying to choose a bong can be so confusing. There’s so many different kinds. They come in all shapes and sizes.
How does anyone choose a bong? No worries, we’ve got a bong for everyone. Let’s dive in.
What is a Bong?
A bong is the top-of-the line sticky icky smoking device. While they vary on type, shape, size, and material, they all have the same purpose. They all filter herb smoke through water before you inhale it.
All bongs have roughly the same basic parts. It’s made of a bowl, a downstem, a water chamber, and a smoke chamber (or tube) that’s connected to a circular mouthpiece.
The bowl and downstem are usually removable, though some bongs feature a stemless design.
High quality bongs also include extra features like percolators and ice notches.
Percolators are glass structures within the bong that force the smoke through water. This gives you an even smoother hit.
Ice notches (aka an ice catcher) are little notches within the smoke chamber. That way, you can add ice to cool the smoke even further.
Beyond that, there’s a million ways to build a bong. They can be big or small. They can be made out of glass, silicone, ceramic, or anything a creative stoner gets their hands on.
That’s why it's so hard to say which bong is best, it really depends on your lifestyle.
For this reason, we’ve rounded up a list of the 2023’s best bongs for every kind of smoker.
Top 10 Bongs to Buy Right Now
Here are our favorite bongs on the market. We’ve included a range of sizes, materials, price points and styles.
Whatever kind of bong you need we have one for you!
1. Best Cheap Bong - 8” Mini Beaker Bong
Are you looking for your very first bong? Here’s a great place to start. This little guy is simple, but it’s got ice notches and a diffused downstem.
That’s everything you need for a nice smooth hit.
We love the classic beaker design because it tends to be pretty stable. It’s also made of 5mm scientific (aka borosilicate) glass, so it's super sturdy.
Beaker bongs have a bit more flexibility in water level than straight tube bongs. If you like to add ice to every hit, we recommend you get a beaker bong.
Features:
- Diffused downstem
- Ice Notches
- 5mm scientific glass
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: want something nice but don’t want to spend a lot.
2. Smoothest Hits - 12” Triple Honeycomb Bong
On the other end of the bong spectrum, we’ve got beauties like this. This affordable one-footer has not one, not two, but three honeycomb percs.
Triple your fun with triple diffusion!
Are you scared you might knock it over? Don’t worry. It’s made of 5mm scientific glass. It also has a heavy glass disk at the bottom to give it stability.
The glass disk has a pop of color, you can choose from blue, green, teal, pink or white.
This bong has a stemless design. This makes it easy to switch out the bowl to a quartz banger.
If you want a bong that also doubles as a dab rig, this is an excellent choice.
Features:
- Triple diffusion from 3 honeycomb percs
- 5mm scientific glass
- Stemless design
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: seek the smoothest hit possible.
3. Best Value Bong - The Simple Beaker Bong
Tree percolators are what people usually think of when they hear “percolator”. It’s a percolator that resembles a tree.
The main tube is the “trunk” that the smoke enters, and it gets diffused through the branches.
This tree perc has 8 arms for excellent diffusion and comes in four colors.
Features:
- Simple beaker with an 8-arm tree perc
- Ice notches
- Diffused downstem
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: want a good smooth hit, but don’t need anything too fancy.
4. Best Portable Bong - The Springer Collapsible Bong
Not every bong is meant to sit on a shelf. Some smokers want to take their bong on the go.
Sure, you could always take a pipe or a bubbler with you. But it’s so much more satisfying to take a massive bong rip once you reach the top of a 5-hour climb.
This little beauty by waxmaid is perfect for travelers. Its silicone accordion design can extend from 7 inches to 12 inches.
It’s a shower and a grower. The indestructible design makes it perfect for camping, festivals, and all kinds of travel.
The Springer features a glass bowl and a silicone downstem. The base also functions as a suction cup, so you can stick it in place when not in use.
Features:
- Made of silicone
- Nearly indestructible
- 12” fully extended, collapses down to 7”
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: loves taking their bong camping or to festivals.
5. Best Discreet Bong - Water Bottle Bong
Sometimes you need to keep things cutty. We gotchu, fam.
This water bottle design is super discreet. It looks just like an ordinary water bottle.
But flip up the mouthpiece, and you’ve got yourself a nice little ceramic bowl. It’s also got a little stash spot for your herbs.
The showerhead perc at the bottom gives you an evenly filtered rip.
This piece is nearly indestructible. It’s also easy to disassemble for cleaning.
The only downside of this bong is just how discreet it is– sometimes friends think it’s ok to drink the water.
Features:
- Made of BPA-free plastic
- Ceramic flip-open bowl
- Easy to clean
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: need to keep it cutty, yo.
6. Best Straight Tube Bong - Matrix Straight Shot
Some people really like straight tube bongs. We hear you, they’re a classic for a reason! Here’s a straight tube bong that’s sure to give some amazing hits.
The Matrix Straight Shot is named after its matrix perc. A matrix perc is one the best percolators out there.
It’s a gridded glass cylinder that turns the smoke into a million tiny bubbles. This makes you hit super smooth.
It has an ice catcher above the perc. This also functions as a splash guard. This is important on a straight tube bong because they are more prone to splashback than a beaker bong.
Features:
- Matrix perc gives incredible filtration
- Ice notches also function as a splash guard
- Diffused lo-pro downstem
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: prefer a straight tube bong to a beaker bong.
7. Best Mini Bong - Mini Bong with Perc
Yes, size matters, but bigger isn’t always better. Mini bongs have a lot of advantages.
Their smaller chamber concentrates the smoke, so you don’t have to suck as hard to get a big rip.
This particular model highlights the concentration factor. It’s got a widdend portion of the chamber with a showerhead perc.
Diffused smoke quickly fills the chamber.
Be careful when handing this bong to your friends. It hits harder than you think.
Features:
- 9” tall
- Showerhead perc
- Widened chamber concentrates hit
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: believe that big things come in small packages.
8. Best Bong for Parties - Waxmaid Horn Silicon Glass Bong
Of course we’re crazy about glass, but it comes with one big disadvantage. It can break. If you happen to live in a party house, you’ve probably seen your fair share of broken bongs.
This silicone and glass hybrid bong is the best of both worlds. It’s got a glass body that’s protected by colorful silicone.
It also has a silicone downstem with a glass bowl. This way, all the parts most likely to break are made of the stronger material.
The silicone parts easily come off for cleaning. If you’re expecting your bong to be durable and get a lot of wear and tear, this is the perfect bong for you.
Features:
- Made of silicone and glass
- Removable silicone protector makes it easy to clean
- Silicone downstem
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: live a hard-partying lifestyle.
9. Biggest Rips - 17” Double Tree Perc
Looking for something to impress your stoner friends? This’ll do the trick.
This towering beaker bong with double tree percs is impressive just to look at. It’s even more impressive when you smoke it.
Each of the two tree percs have eight arms with three diffuser splits a piece. If you do the math, that equals hella diffusion.
The percs and downstem have a pop of color. You may choose from teal, black, blue, or gold.
Features:
- Beaker design
- Double tree percs give amazingly smooth hits
- Comes in 4 colors
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: love big rips and they cannot lie.
10. Best Looking Bong - 11” Space Gray Bougie Bong
Do you like beaker bongs but wish they were a bit more aesthetic? We’ve got the perfect bong for you.
This piece by Bougie Glass is the perfect functional but pretty bong. Instead of a beaker shape, it’s more of a bell bottom.
This gives the stability of a beaker bong, but looks a bit cooler. It also has a bit more flexibility in water level than a tube bong.
It’s got a 6-arm tree perc in a clear chamber so you can watch the smoke fill the chamber. It’s mesmerizing to watch it in action, and even more fun to hit.
Features:
- Comes in 3 bold colors
- Clear window lets you watch the smoke fill the chamber
- Beautiful yet practical design
Ideal for Bong Smokers Who: believe things should be both fashionable and functional.
How Much Do Top Quality Bongs Cost?
Bongs come at a range of price points depending on a number of factors. If you want a nice glass bong, expect to spend a minimum of $50.
However, a bong that costs less than $100 will likely be a bit smaller and/or won't have percs.
If you want a big glass bong with multiple percs, you’re looking in the $100-200 range. Most of the bongs we carry are in this price range.
If you wanna treat yourself without going overboard, we have a lot of great bongs that cost about $150.
Now of course, if you love glass and have money to burn, you can always spend more. Above $200 is where things start to get wild. In this price range you get a lot of art glass.
Many of the bongs also have insane percolators. Bongs in this price range don’t just provide great rips – they look super cool while you do it.
How Do Bongs Work?
A bong is a simple yet genius construction. It takes advantage of aero and fluid dynamics.
The bowl contains dry flowers. When you light the flowers and inhale, the smoke gets pulled through the downstem which is resting in the water chamber.
Then the smoke bubbles through the water and fills the smoke chamber, or tube.
When you’re ready to take the rip, remove the bowl. This will allow fresh air to clear the smoke chamber.
It might seem a bit complex at first. Don’t worry. Once you use a bong a couple times it becomes intuitive.
It is a time-honored tradition among smokers to make bongs out of silly things like buckets and watermelons.
How to Choose the Best Bong
Look, there is no “best bong” for everyone out there. The best bong for one person might be too big for the next.
We included ten very different bongs on this list for that very reason. The best bong is a matter of taste.
To fully understand your own taste as a bong smoker, there are a number of factors to consider. These factors include:
Material
Bongs can be made out of glass, scientific glass, silicone, plastic, and ceramic. Out of all those materials, we like scientific (aka borosilicate) glass best.
It’s clear, gives smooth hits, is easy to clean, and is stronger than regular glass.
It’s also the most expensive material to make a bong out of, but we think it's well worth the price.
Glass has one major downside though. It can break. If you want something that’s less expensive and unbreakable, go for silicone instead of glass.
Silicone bongs are colorful and great for travel. They’re also machine-washable.
We also have one bong made of BPA-free plastic. It’s designed to look exactly like a water bottle.
Brands
You want a quality bong? Get one from a good brand. We have contracts with a number of legit glassblowers in the greater SoCal area.
We’ve got best bongs brands from Bougie, Diamond, AFM, and SWRV Glass. They all use scientific glass for their smokable creations.
Extras
The basic bong has a body, bowl, and downstem. This provides a perfectly adequate hit, but it could always be smoother.
Percolators make your hit smoother. They do this by forcing the smoke to go through the water multiple times. There are many different kinds of percolators.
The only downside of percs is they tend to be intricate glass structures that can be difficult to clean.
Ice notches are also a common extra on bongs. These are notches in the smoke chamber of the bong where you can put ice.
This way, the smoke gets nice and cool before you clear the chamber.
Size/Portability
How big do you want your bong to be? There are advantages to both big and small bongs. Big bongs are impressive.
You can get really big hits with a big chamber. Big bongs also have more space for extras like percs and ice notches.
The downside of a big bong is they require more material to make, and thus are more expensive. Some people also find them unwieldy.
Small bongs tend to give more concentrated hits. They’re usually less expensive because they don’t use as much material to make.
You don’t have to pull as hard to fully clear the chamber. They are also more portable.
However, it’s rare to find a mini bong with multiple percs.
Budget
We get it, money talks! Your budget determines what kind of bong you can buy. A good mid-range bong costs about $150.
If you want to spend less than $100 on a bong, we have a lot of great mini bongs and bubblers in that price range.
Editor’s Choice For The Best Bong in 2023
So we’ve given you the ultimate bong breakdown. But I know what you want to know. If we were buying a bong from this list, which one would we choose?
We’d go for the 12” Triple Honeycomb Bong. It’s an inexpensive one-footer with three honeycomb percs.
It gives super smooth hits with its triple filtration. We also love honeycomb percs because they’re relatively easy to clean.
We hope this article has helped you on your bong buying journey. There’s a perfect bong for everyone, we want to hook you up with yours.