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American-Made Glass Pipes versus Imported Glass Pipes: What’s the Difference? (Part 2 of 3)

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Whenever an American glass artist creates any hole or slit in a pipe, such as the mouthpiece or the holes on a percolator, they create a hole while the glass is hot, using standard glass working tools. The pipe then is annealed and the result is a very solid piece of glass. On the other side of the Pacific, manufacturers often use band saws, drills, and other power tools to create slits and holes in glass while the pipe is at room temperature, after it has already been shaped and cooled. Grinding away at glass like this, while it is at room temperature, creates a network of micro-fractures around the area, greatly increasing residual stress in the glass and damaging the structural integrity of the whole piece. Continue Reading →

American-Made Glass Pipes versus Imported Glass Pipes: What’s the Difference? (Part 1 of 3)

Cory 1 Comment
imported-pipes

The country of origin may not be a huge factor when shopping for a simple product like an HDMI cable, as long as it works, right? However, when shopping for a glass pipe, quality is more important. After all, we are talking about a smoking apparatus used to deliver some form of chemical into your body (whether it is tobacco, CBD, essential oils, etc.). This is something you are not only going to touch with your lips; you are going to put a flame to it, and inhale smoke through it. That is not something one would want to do through any inferior, chemically-dangerous chunk of glass.

As Ohio’s oldest headshop and curator of functional glass pipes, we have acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding varieties of glass pipes available in the market today. As far as quality goes, it can be divided into two categories: cheap imports and American-made. The purpose of this article is not to knock our local or national competitors or any headshops who primarily sell cheap imported glass. Rather, the purpose is to raise awareness about the importance of quality standards and the many significant differences between imported pipes and American-made pipes. Continue Reading →