Bong Downstem and Downstem diffusers
Downstems
A downstem is a glass piece that goes between the bong and the bowl. The main reason for using a downstem is to have extra bubbles that cool the smoke and provide crisper and smoother hits.
Some user add an ash catcher between the downstem and the bowl. By doing that they add an additional water pool for the smoke to be purified and cooled. If you want to go extreme, you can add one ash catcher and two downstems to your bong for the ultimate smoking experience.
Usually the glass on glass downstems are airtight and don't need any rubber or plastic at the joint with the bong. However if you buy plastic downstems you will might have to use a rubber to keep them airtight otherwise your smoke will be mixed with air and loose its potency.
Some user add an ash catcher between the downstem and the bowl. By doing that they add an additional water pool for the smoke to be purified and cooled. If you want to go extreme, you can add one ash catcher and two downstems to your bong for the ultimate smoking experience.
Usually the glass on glass downstems are airtight and don't need any rubber or plastic at the joint with the bong. However if you buy plastic downstems you will might have to use a rubber to keep them airtight otherwise your smoke will be mixed with air and loose its potency.
Diffusers
The part of the downstem that goes into the bong's water pool has small holes or slits through which the smoke escapes. These slits are called diffuser slits and the more diffuser slits a downstem has the better. These diffusers are breaking the smoke. The basic idea is that the more you can split the smoke up, the more you can cool it down. More surface area basically. The cooler the smoke is the smoother the hit.
These two downstems have 18 and 3 diffuser slits. The first picture is a six arm downstem each arm having 3 diffuser slits for a total of 18 diffuser holes or slits. The second picture shows a regular downstem with 3 diffuser slits.
These two downstems have 18 and 3 diffuser slits. The first picture is a six arm downstem each arm having 3 diffuser slits for a total of 18 diffuser holes or slits. The second picture shows a regular downstem with 3 diffuser slits.
