Weed Pipes For Beginners: Choosing Your First Hand Pipe

Most people looking for weed pipes for beginners tend to end up facing the same exact problem: too many options. Decision overwhelm. Information overload. We’re going to help you cut through the noise by introducing the best beginner weed pipes for you to choose from.

Badass Glass is your trusted online retailer for glass pipes in every style under the sun, whether you want something simple you can take on the go or a fun, statement piece you can impress your friends with at home. We’ve handpicked the top pipes from the most well-respected brands the industry has to offer.

Make sense of all the different pipes on the market below. We’ll break it all down and walk you step-by-step through choosing your first pipe. We’ll cover types, materials, sizes, and all the other factors you have to take into account to pick the perfect first pipe. 

Key Takeaways

• Spoon pipes are the most straightforward weed pipes for beginners. 
• Glass is the go-to material because you get to enjoy unaltered flavor, and it’s so easy to clean.
• Stone and silicone may be a better choice if you care about durability more than anything. 
• Bowl size dictates how much flower you can pack at a time and whether a pipe is best for solo sessions or group settings.
• Most high-quality beginner hand pipes cost between $20 and $40. You can spend less, but set your expectations on what you’re getting. 

Quick Look at the Best Beginner Pipes

What to Look For in Weed Pipes For Beginners

We don’t want you to feel like there are too many options at your fingertips. While Badass Glass does have an unparalleled selection to choose from, actually narrowing it down to “the one” is pretty easy. Let’s start by breaking down the most common styles.

Different Types of Pipes For Beginners

You can ask anyone how many types of weed pipes for beginners are out there, and you’ll probably get a different answer from one person to the next. We think these are the 6 styles you really need to know about:

• Spoon pipes: Spoiler alert. These are the best beginner weed pipes. The bowl sits at one end, the mouthpiece is at the opposite end, and there’s a carb hold on the left side of the pipe to control airflow. Super simple. Yet, they can be beautiful, too.
• Chillum pipes: Another really beginner-friendly style, perhaps even more so than a spoon pipe. These are straight tubes with no carb hole or moving parts. Pack one end, light it, and inhale from the other. They’re the simplest pipe you can buy. You just get a little less control.
• Sherlock pipes: These are really unique, replicating the type of pipe Sherlock Holmes smoked from. They curve downward from the bowl, so the flame is farther from your face when you spark up. A lot of them have a flat bottom so you can sit them on a table. 
• Gandalf pipes: Think a really long Sherlock pipe. They can be up to 14 inches in some cases! The extra length isn’t just to make a statement, though. It also cools the smoke more. These are obviously not practical for on-the-go sessions, but they’re a lot of fun at home.
• Steamroller pipes: An open-ended cylinder with a bowl on top. You pack the bowl, cover the far end with your hand (this is the “carb hole”), and inhale from the mouthpiece while lighting the bowl. You get much heavier, denser hits than you would with a spoon or chillum pipe.
• Novelty pipes: These come in every shape and design imaginable. From mushrooms to avocados, boxing gloves, seashells, even a lipstick tube. The possibilities are endless. These are not just gimmicks, either. They actually work! 

Technically, you could buy any of these for your very first pipe. You may even find it too hard to choose just one, so you pick up a couple styles for different occasions. 

Understanding Pipe Materials

The material a pipe is made from impacts a lot of things. How the flavor tastes, how durable the pipe is, how much it costs, how easy it is to clean…obviously, material cannot be taken lightly.

Glass is the best choice for a reason. Borosilicate glass (the same type used in lab equipment) preserves the flavor of your flower, so you get to enjoy all the nuanced notes of whatever strain you’ve selected. It takes just a few minutes to clean the pipe, too, and it’s back to good as new. You don’t have to stress about any harmful byproducts being released from your pipe itself as you smoke, either. Glass handles rapid temperature changes without offputting anything.

There are a few other pipe materials worth knowing, though - especially if you’re looking for something affordable and durable for on-the-go sessions.

Take metal, for example. Metal smoking pipes are as durable as they get. They can go anywhere. Just throw the pipe in your bag, and you have nothing to worry about as far as breaking the piece. It takes a beating. But flavor purity can be questionable at best. Expect a little “metallic” edge.

Stone is another option we see talked about a lot. Stone pipes are usually carved from natural onyx, and the stone itself absorbs heat so you get a slightly cooler hit. A lot of the stone pieces we carry here at Badass Glass are hand-carved in Mexico! 

You’ll see acrylic and ceramic pipes as well. Some brands even make silicone pipes. But if we had to give you a single recommendation on weed pipes for beginners, it would definitely be glass. 

Pipe Sizing: Length and Width

4-5 inches is the sweet spot for most beginner weed pipes. It’s short enough to easily store and travel with in a bag. But still long enough to handle comfortably without cramping your grip. Anything under 3 inches gets really hot near the mouthpiece. Longer pieces (like Gandalf pipes) cool smoke better but are just really impractical to travel with. 

Glass thickness is arguably more important than length and width, though. It influences how durable the piece is. Thicker glass is less prone to shattering if it bumps something too hard. Don’t settle for less than 3mm thickness on your beginner pipe. 

Think About Bowl Size, Too

Smaller bowls obviously hold less flower - but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Smaller bowls are great for solo sessions. You won’t waste nearly as much flower with a smaller bowl.

But you’d be constantly repacking the small bowl in a group setting. This is to say, part of choosing the best beginner weed pipes means getting more specific about how you’re going to use the piece. 

Chillums and one-hitters have the smallest capacity by design. Spoon pipes and Sherlock pipes are a good middle ground. Steamrollers tend to have the biggest bowls. 

Budgeting For Your Pipe

The best beginner weed pipe doesn't have to cost much. You can probably find something for as little as $10-$15 depending on the material, style, and brand. But as with any smoking utensil, we want to caution you: you get what you pay for!

One of the mistakes we see people make with weed pipes for beginners is going with something cheap just because it’s your first one. But then they realize their first pipe isn’t good enough, so they end up buying a second one shortly thereafter. Why not just get a good one from the start?

We encourage you to spend at least $20-$30 on your first pipe. You can still get a really high-quality price at that range. But the more you spend, the more options you get in terms of style, glass thickness, and features.  

Other Pipe Features

Don’t stress about this stuff too much, but there are a few other things you may want to take note of as you weigh your options for the best beginner weed pipe:

• Carb hole: Most spoon and Sherlock pipes have one. Chillums don't. A carb lets you clear the chamber and control how big your hits are. It’s definitely a feature you want.
• Built-in screen: Most pipes don’t have this, but a glass honeycomb screen can stop flower from pulling through and getting in your mouth (the dreaded Scooby Snacks). This is common with chillums.
• Flat base: A pipe that sits upright on a table without wobbling is really convenient for mid-session breaks.
• Color-changing glass: This is a really fun feature that’s purely aesthetic, but adds character to the piece.

So What is the Best Beginner Pipe?

If we could only recommend one specific type of pipe for newcomers, it would actually be pretty easy: stick with a glass spoon pipe. It’s everything you need at an accessible price point and without any confusing frills or features to get the hang of.

That said, the best beginner weed pipe for you specifically depends on how and where you smoke.

• Quick sessions on the go? Keep it even simpler with a chillum. 
• Prone to dropping things? You might want a stone or metal pipe first.
• Cool, smooth smoke without adding water? Longer pipes like a Gandalf are great. So are stone pipes.

There are no right or wrong answers to weed pipes for beginners as long as you’ve thought carefully through the details and feel good about your decision. You probably will end up with a few pipes in your collection, and that’s a good thing! 

Bottom Line on the Best Beginner Pipe

Hopefully you feel confident in choosing among the many different weed pipes for beginners. There are tons of options in store for you at Badass Glass, so all that’s left to do at this point is take a look at the collection and see what catches your eye!

Everything we stock, from spoon pipes to chillums, stone pipes, sherlocks, and steamrollers, are all solid options depending on what matters most to you. Don’t overthink it, because you can always come back and buy another pipe if the first one ends up not being exactly what you had hoped for.

So, what are you waiting for? Shop the full range of weed pipes for beginners. You won’t go home empty-handed!

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