Glass · In stock in Venice, CA · 1321 Venice Blvd
One of these you hold, the other you set down. That is most of the decision, and everything else follows from it.
People ask this one more than any other question on the glass wall, usually while holding one of each. The internet answer is that bongs are better, which is not an answer, it is a preference dressed up as a fact. The real question is where the thing is going to live and how much effort you are willing to put into keeping it clean.
Bubbler or bong, the short answer
Get a bubbler if you want water filtration in something you can hold in one hand, keep in a drawer and take to a friend's place. Get a bong if you want bigger, cooler, smoother pulls and you have somewhere to keep it. A bubbler is the compromise that works for most people who do not want a bong sitting out. A bong is the one you keep when you have decided you like it enough to give it a shelf.
What a bubbler actually is
A bubbler is built as one piece. The bowl, the stem and the water chamber are all part of the same glass, which is why it is compact and why there is nothing to lose. You put a small amount of water in, the smoke passes through it, and it comes out cooler than it would from a dry hand pipe.
A bong is modular by comparison. The bowl pulls out, the downstem usually pulls out too, and the body holds a lot more water. That is what gives you the bigger, smoother hit, and it is also what gives you three things to clean instead of one.
Where each one lives
This is the part that actually decides it. A bubbler fits in a bag, a drawer or a coat pocket depending on the shape, and it does not announce itself. A bong lives somewhere. Even a small one needs a spot where it will not get knocked, and a full size beaker or straight tube needs a table.
If you move around, share with people, or you just do not want glass on display, the bubbler wins on those grounds alone. If it is staying in one room, the bong is the better experience every time.
Filtration, honestly
Water does two things. It cools the smoke and it catches some of the heavier particulate. A bubbler holds enough water to do the first properly and the second partly. A bong holds several times as much, and once you add a percolator or an ice catch, the difference is not subtle.
What nobody mentions is that a tiny chamber with too much water in it just splashes. That is the single most common complaint about bubblers and it is almost always a fill level problem rather than a design one. Enough to cover the intake, not more.
Cleaning is the real difference
A bong comes apart. The bowl and the downstem come out, everything soaks separately, and modular glass takes this further still. A bubbler does not come apart at all, which means water changes matter much more. Tip it out after a session rather than leaving it, rinse it warm, and it stays fine for a long time. Leave it standing for a week and you will understand why bubblers have a reputation.
We wrote the longer version of that argument in the bong that comes apart, and it applies in reverse here. The easier a piece is to take apart, the easier it is to live with.
The seven on the shelf
Every one of these is in bubblers and in stock in Venice.
GRAV do the two shapes most people want. The Mini Hammer is the classic, a fixed stem hammer that lies flat on a table and will not roll off it, and there is a clear version if you want to see the water working. The Milk Carton from the Sip Series takes a 14mm female joint, so it sits closer to a small water pipe than a pipe.
MJ Arsenal cover the rest. The Alpine Series Mesa is the workhorse and the one we keep deepest. The Jack O'Ripper is a blunt bubbler, which is a different thing worth knowing about: it takes a rolled one rather than a bowl, so it turns a blunt into a water filtered draw. The Frankenbubbler is from the same seasonal run and both are in Halloween while it lasts.
The Softglass Core Bubbler is the travel answer. Real borosilicate wrapped in silicone, so the drop that would end a normal piece usually does not end this one.
Which one, in one line
| Get this | If |
|---|---|
| Bubbler | You want water filtration without a piece of furniture, and you will empty it after use |
| Blunt bubbler | You roll rather than pack, and you want the smoke cooled anyway |
| Silicone wrapped bubbler | It is going in a bag and it is going to get dropped eventually |
| Bong | It has a home, you want the biggest smoothest pull, and you like that it comes apart |
| Dry hand pipe | You want the smallest, simplest thing and you do not care about cooling |
Come and hold both
This is a ninety second decision in person and a long one online. The weight, the draw resistance and how a piece sits in your hand are the three things that settle it, and none of them photograph. The whole glass wall is at 1321 Venice Blvd and we are open every day until midnight, so it does not have to be a special trip. If you would rather it came to you, everything here ships, and local pickup is free.
Questions people ask
Is a bubbler better than a bong?
Neither is better. A bong gives a bigger, cooler, smoother pull because it holds more water and can take a percolator. A bubbler gives you water filtration in something you can hold in one hand and put away. Pick by where it is going to live.
How much water goes in a bubbler?
Just enough to cover the intake. Overfilling is the single most common bubbler complaint and it causes splashing rather than better filtration.
Are bubblers harder to clean than bongs?
Yes, because they do not come apart. The fix is habit rather than effort: empty the water after a session and rinse it warm instead of letting it sit.
What is a blunt bubbler?
A bubbler with a mouth sized for a rolled one instead of a bowl, so a blunt draws through water. The MJ Arsenal Jack O'Ripper is the one we stock.
Can you travel with a bubbler?
That is the main reason to own one. The Softglass Core Bubbler is the most travel proof of ours, since it is borosilicate wrapped in silicone rather than bare glass.
Where can I buy a bubbler in Los Angeles?
1321, at 1321 Venice Blvd in Venice, CA 90291, open every day from 11AM until midnight. Seven bubblers are in stock and they all ship, with free local pickup.