Fun fact: 4/20 2024 is a palindrome, man! That means it works forward and backwards—just like a grinder. Woah.

Anyhoo, you can’t 4/20 without the right gear. And every year presents a kaleidoscopic array of papers, metal grinders, glass pipes, and fuzzy cloth stuff. Scan along for something dope that you can take a shining too.

Anyhoo, you can’t 4/20 without the right gear. And every year presents a kaleidoscopic array of papers, metal grinders, glass pipes, and fuzzy cloth stuff. Scan along for something dope that you can take a shining too.

Affordable picks:

Elements King Size Slim Ultra-Thin

Don’t play the envy game: All you need is a $3 pack of Elements, a cheap grinder, and some weed to have fun on 4/20. We like the Elements King Size Slim Ultra Thin with the Artesano Magnetic enclosure. The roll-feel in our hands is just right and the rice paper burns very innocuously.

‘The Cali’ 3-Gram Cone from Vibes

April 20 is all about THC maximalism and that includes huge “doinks”—or very large marijuana joints. Few have the skill to roll up 3 grams of flower like a pro. But anyone can pack a Vibes 3-gram “cone” dubbed The Cali. Legal weed means cheaper weed and bigger joints. It’s that simple. 

Santa Cruz Shredder – Hemp Grinder – 2-piece Lime Green

Save your money and tears on 4/20—roll out with the lightweight hemp grinder from Santa Cruz Shredder. It’s just $12.95, more eco-conscious and lime freaking green so no one can confuse it with theirs. Plus, if you do lose it, you’re out just $13 dollars. Upgrade to steel in Matte Pink for $36.50, or the skater collab 4-piece for $79.95.

”Weed: Smoke It, Eat It, Grow It, Love It” by Ellen Holland

Friend of Leafly and plants, High Times editor in chief Ellen Holland is back with updates to her superb book “Weed”, coming out -refreshed for 4/20. Everything just got prettier and cooler. Just $14.99.

Cookies Bite Dry Pipe

For just $44 you too can join the Cookies boys and smoke around town with a portable, stylish, single-hole bowled glass pipe in the iconic Cookies font, color and style.

Steve’s Dank Pipes

Steve’s Dank Pipes fit right in on Hippie Hill in San Francisco. The wood exterior says hippie, while the glass bowl makes it a connoisseur. Each piece is sanded, finished and waxed for a smooth feel in the hand. Just $55, weed not included.

Marley Natural Beaker in Smoke w/ Gold

Get a solid beaker bong for $160 from Marley Natural. Thick base, pull-out bowl, 8-slit percolator downstem, ice disk, and standing about 1 foot tall.

Puffco Proxy Ripple

First off, we check in with the ringleaders of the Dab-Mania 2024—Puffco. New for 4/20, the Ripple bubbler attachment for their best-in-class hash vape the Puffco Proxy. What the what? The Ripple is $100 and comes in Sea or Sage color. You use it with the Puffco Proxy Base electronic hash oven. Ask your nephew to set you up. That’s what the next generation is for.

Also fresh from Puffco for 4/20: The Peak Pro Limited Edition Flourish ($420), Proxy Flourish ($299), Flourish Hot Knife ($50), Proxy Wizard Flourish $100.

Old-school alternative

The Terplock Dry Rigs from Miyagi—works like an old-school hash pipe, but looks sick. ($300)

Softglass Andy Roth bong

Eschew our overdesigned times with this sleek, minimal, and effective $70 bong from Softglass. Andy Roth Glass channels a love of architecture into this form-meets-function piece of glass art. Andy Roth’s premium stuff goes for multiple thousands of dollars and could fit into Dune 2.

Tandem Rig from Soft Glass

Get going on your dab journey for just $109 from Soft Glass with their Tandem Rig. You get everything you need to dab aside from the hash and torch.

Flower Mill Next-Gen Premium 2.0

The popular grinder-alternative has gone Next-Gen Premium 2.0 with a ton of upgrades. Flower Mill has increased the size and weight on all the units, as well as given them a smoother action to reduce friction points between halves. There’s an aluminum and stainless steel model for both the 2” and 2.5” sizes, and each of them can switch between five different milling plates ranging from extra-coarse to extra-fine. This is my favorite device for weed prep, but the big one is heavy and the small one no longer sticks to your fridge door.

Bohemian Chemist Proto-pipe Collector’s Kit

Pay homage to the times you had to genuinely sneak a toke with this refined version of the proto-pipe, by The Bohemian Chemist. Proto-pipes first dropped in the ‘70s. It’s beautiful and stylish with roots. The buy link comes out any day now.

Magnetic Bag Company 

We’re still working on dialing in the amenities at weed events. Until we get more tables and chairs, stoner will make do with a bag this new magnetic shoulder bag. The Magnetic Bag Company is patent pending and affixes itself to metal. So The Terminator could wear this as a hip pack with no straps. Crazy, right? It’s $89 and can hold your water and pipe and stuff. That’s good because the ground is dirty, and you don’t want your nice stuff on it. 

Mossy Giant “History of Cannabis” Print

For lovers of Hieronymus Bosch, the artist Mossy Giant has this sick ‘The Grand History of Cannabis: The Dutch’ print for a pretty 125 English pounds—which works out to at least $1 per minute of tripping out on all the heady details. It’s 44 inches wide by 26 inches tall, and made in collaboration with Spanish social-club La Creme Gracia. “The artwork depicts a short but turbulent time in Netherlands – from about the 60s until the late 2000s the Netherlands was the epicenter of what was cannabis globally during that time.” Limited to 88 stamped and numbered by the artist. 

Even more art: A $30 zine or $50 poster from the first cannabis mylar art exhibition, “Get to the Bag” in San Francisco.

Aeris from Focus V

Alternatively, the Aeris from Focus V portable dab rig offers similar experience for $220. It’s a dabber in your pocket and people love them. The whole thing pairs with your mobile device to dial in those big hashy clouds.

Splurges

Mothership Rainbow Encalmo Chillum—This $545 chillum, or hand-pipe, might be as close to a Mothership glass piece as many of us mere mortals get. Maybe you got an inheritance, or a raise. Just be careful when passing this hand-pipe over concrete.

Stundenglass Modul Dok—You put the Studenglass Modul into the Dok for hash or flower vaping at a table or desk at a cost of $449.

The Salt GlassCreature cup from The Cave—$1,500.

Leisure – Worked Pillar Recycler – Yellow Orange Elvis w/ Fire & Ice Retti. $2,000.

Acceptance of marijuana has grown with the President talking about it positively in his State of the Union address, Missouri doing over $1 billion in sales and 85+% of the population believing it should be legal in some form.  If you are new to cannabis or an old hat though, bongs can make for an excellent experience. Here are the best reason for a good bong.

RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors

Some people find bongs inconvenient and apropos to a college dorm room, but bongs are effective in managing dosages and treating your lungs with a little more care than a joint thanks to the water filter.  Technology has evolved over the years, with devices now available to help keep your space clean, are more compact and, most importantly, make the most of your high priced stash.

Better grasp on your dosage

Consistent doses are difficult to achieve when smoking weed. When rolling a joint or a blunt, these can end up coming out in different sizes, containing different grams of weed. When packing a bong, there’s always the same bowl, which allows for consistency and keeping better track of how much you smoke without having to count the amount of puffs you take.

A cleaner space

The easiest way to consume is a vape or gummies, but a bong has advantages also.  Smoking requires something for ashes, a strong smell and generally a bit more mess, a bong can be both attractive in the space and be cleaner.

An easy way to clean a bong is to use rubbing alcohol and sea salt. Soak it for a while and then jostle it around. Rinse really well, let dry and put it away until next time.

RELATED: How To Smoke Marijuana In An Apartment Without Getting Evicted

Longer lasting marijuana

Bongs are more efficient when it comes to prolonging your weed. Since you consume so much smoke per hit, they tend to get you high faster, with less puffs than if you were smoking a joint or blunt.

Smoother hits

RELATED: How To Clean Your Marijuana Gear Without Using Rubbing Alcohol

Water used in bongs allows the hits to be smoother and gentler on your lungs, preventing irritation and filtering out some of the ash that occurs with combustion. There’s also no need to add tobacco or paper, both compounds that damage your lungs.

So if you invest in a good bong, you can go old school and have a great journey.

We love our glass the way we love our favorite teams—what brings a group together quicker than ripping the same piece with the same fire weed while celebrating a raucous play? Sure, some people prefer to roll up for their sesh, but a good bong takes us to new heights every time.

So for the final battle between The Bongs and The Blunts, Leafly’s got all the action on the green. Whether you managed to get a ticket for the game, or you’re warming up the wings and nacho cheese at home this year, Leafly is handling the play-by-play and breaking down our dream starting lineup for bongs. Here are eleven of our top fantasy picks for a super bowl. 

Andy Roth Glass

Looking at one of Andy Roth’s bongs, you can see a love for not only glass, but also architecture and intricate design (they also make jewelry). His captivating pieces have sharp, clear lines and color arrangements that evoke a mid-century modern fireplace or vintage perfume bottle.

It’s the kind of bong an upscale therapist would have out on the shelf. You can check out Andy’s web store or see our friends at The Cave. Good art doesn’t come cheap, so expect to spend between 2 and 3k but functional art like this is more than just a bong, it’s a conversation piece.

Toro Glass

Everyone knows the beautiful glass grails, slurpers, caps, and core reactors J. Toro and company have released—we know you’ve even seen terp slides videos. But not everyone has the chance to marvel at the gorgeously-constructed glass tubes they create.

Old-timers will even remember the collaboration Alien Labs dropped a handful of years back. Expect to spend $600-$1,200 for a piece, but when you feel how effortlessly you clear the hit, you’ll feel like every penny was well spent. Check out Toro’s shop update on 2/8 or see the selection at Cloud9.

Leisure Glass

If bongs were carnivorous plants, then the gardens would be full of Leisure glass; the delicate lines, creative shaping, and colorful patterns expertly distract you while getting eaten. For people wanting to get started on a Leisure Glass piece, the selection available now through Forever Rolling High are, clear but contain the same shape and function for around $500 (check out the insane 54-arm bubbler as well). Anyone shopping for that #hypnotech can check out the selection at Big Al’s.

Subliminal Glass

A juggernaut of crafting real-life items from glass, Patrick McDougall has created everything from a tommy gun and glass dueling pistols to a fully rotating 50-caliber machine gun. His bong work is no less impressive, with intricate imagery and detail, like the sandblasting he did for the Miami Vice-inspired piece Glass2Grass displayed during Art Basel.

Though the pricier Woodgrain and Oni tubes he’s recently released are beyond the value of their $2-3K price tag, his selection of fully carved tubes will be all anyone can talk about during the halftime show. 

Tako Glass

There’s an underwater theme to much of the Tako Glass repetoire that makes you feel like you’ve unearthed something from a head shop in Atlantis. Regular readers of Leafly’s glass features will recognize this talented Washington-based artist from our Spoon pipe roundup last year but beyond the sections of pipes, bubblers and adult toys, you’ll find a whole selection of bongs to fit any price range.

I know it’s like a car schtick salesman to say their best is the most expensive, but this Crystal Seaweed bong is an insanely faceted work of art that contains an outrageous 96 cuts.

ROOR.US

Did you know German glassblowing legends ROOR have a sister studio in California that has been operating for over 10 years? If you’re shopping for something that’s got options but always the same high level of quality, this is it. With a name built on performance, there’s a reason these guys have had to come after fakes in the past.

At The Cave Smokeshop, there are a whole variety of these U.S.-blown models currently on display ranging from the more affordable 14” clear and colored tubes, to the eye dropping, double-chambered ELEVEN30 models and beakers inlaid with Swarovski crystals.

Hi-Si Glass

Coming out of San Leandro, the family-ownedHiSi Glass has over forty years of experience in the game. They have five different bong models, each with a different style of percolation. But what gets me the hardest are their Ice Tubes.

Available in 15” straight tube or 5 mm and 7 mm-thick beaker versions, the ice catching “pinches” remind me of the old days—shoving a half-tray of ice cubes into the bong for those frosty hits. Each of these straight tubes clocks in at under $200 which is an absolute steal and if you want to go pinkie-out there’s a slightly more expensive Hexagon shape for just over $200.

Geo’s Glass

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Geo’s Glass Gallery is the only store in the Cornhusker State that offers repairs and custom work. Their bongs come in two distinct styles, the Shredder, a straight tube with an inline percolator, and the Thrasher, which features an ice pinch within a thick grip.

Within these two you can choose to go with a standard, mini, mega, double, or the dreaded mega-double version—all customizable with 25 different colors, opals, showerheads and they take special requests. Standard models start at under $200 and a fully tricked out mega double tops out at around $1100

US Tubes

Looking for something a little taller? Why not check out the 17” and 20” bongs from US Tubes over in Berkeley California. They’ve been in the business of high functioning glass since 2008, and their bread-and-butter is the beaker shape although their Hybrid, which combines a beaker and a straight tube, has been a popular choice for smokers for ten years now. They make fixed or removable downstem bongs and four different styles of downstem. Anything 14” or shorter is $350 or less, and taller models will set you back anywhere from $400 to $650 for one of their opening day models – the massive, 20-inch, 9mm-thick beaker.

IG: @ustubes

Apix Design 

What about something made-to-order? The Bay Area’s Apix Design has some incredible, Tesla-esque bongs available now through his site, but you can also can a selection of different 17” and 18” stemline bongs, with options like silver fuming or a notched base, each sporting 3 hole glass bowl with a color horn that you’ll pick out yourself. They start at $300 and go up to around $600 depending on the level of fuming you want. These ready-to-order pieces take around one to two weeks to complete or you can contact the artist directly to see if anything from Glass Vegas came back to the shop.

IG: @apixdesign 

Zong

Let’s close this out with a brand that has a championship under their belt already. Zong has an impressive thirty plus years in the business, creating their signature Z shaped Zongs, Zubblers, and Zrigs. The Dr. Seuss-like “kinks” in the neck not only keep bongwater far away from your mouth, but act like the perfect space to toss in an ice-cube or two and enjoy some sub-zero clouds. Their webstore features a 9mm thick linebacker with your choice of up to 6 kinks, and either a beaker or bubble base. With a base price ranging from $150 up to $245, you won’t even blink at adding on the extra $50 for some sandblasted dragons on there.  IG: @zongglass.

No matter who wins what game, these bongs stay winning in 2024 and beyond. Just remember to keep them clean and cradle them to prevent any fumbles!