Your first trip into a smoke shop can feel a little intimidating, especially if you don’t really know what you’re looking at.
But don’t let that stop you. Most smoke shop owners and employees are welcoming, friendly, and enthusiastic. Usually, they’ll be more than happy to make suggestions and recommendations.
But, just in case anything slips through the cracks, make sure you buy the following two accessories when you first buy a hand pipe (and maybe the third!).
A Grinder
Probably the most important accessory you can get in addition to buying a hand pipe is a grinder. It might not be apparent to novice smokers, but you can’t just pack a bowl or rolling papers with unground herbs.
Well, you can, but be ready for a subpar smoking experience.
Unground herbs are uneven in consistency and density. Consequently, when you light them there will be hot areas and cool areas and the pack won’t burn evenly. Your light can go out, too, or a large piece of herb could obstruct the draw at the bottom of the bowl and clog your pipe.
Conversely, a grinder will allow you to grind your herb to a relative consistency before you pack and smoke it, which will allow it to burn evenly – for a much more enjoyable smoking experience.
Plus, grinders are affordable, very easy to use, and available in a wide range of cool styles. Unique hand pipes are popular, you might as well get a personalized grinder, too.
A Lighter/Hemp Wick
Obviously, you’re going to need a lighter (or some other way to light your pipe). You can buy lighters anywhere, but a cool and useful smoking accessory you can get at most smoke shops is a hemp wick.
Hemp wicks are a convenient and affordable alternative to lighting a bowl directly off of a butane lighter because of the risks associated with butane inhalation.
Butane, which is a carcinogen, can cause health issues when inhaled; however, lighting a hemp wick and then using that to light your bowl will give you a strong, even light, and most smokers can use a single hemp wick several times.
Hemp wicks also burn at a lower temperature than a butane lighter flame, which is better for lighting a bowl because they won’t damage any of the delicate flavors of your herbs.
Plus, they’re fairly affordable and make cornering easy because you can precisely control the application of the wick over the herb in the bowl.
Personal Filter
If you’re concerned about discretion, also consider getting a personal filter. These are basic handheld devices that you can breathe into after taking a hit. They’ll capture and filter the smoke, diminishing the room note.
That is, it’ll be easier to “keep your smoke to yourself” and prevent your hobby from leaving a lingering odor wherever you enjoy it.
Definitely a cool item for some smokers. If you’re interested, visit a smoke shop and ask them what sorts of options in personal filters they provide.
Visit Funkpiece Smoke Shop Online or at One of Their Locations
Ready to buy a hand pipe and the other smoking essentials you’ll need with it, including a lighter and a grinder? Visit Funkypiece Smoke Shop at Funkypiece.com.
They carry a huge collection of unique glass hand pipes in addition to water pipes, rolling papers and cones, dab rigs, bangers, glass chillums, vapes, and of course, grinders and other smoking accessories.
Customers in their area would do even better to visit them in one of their locations, either in Georgetown or Adams Morgan (in D.C.) or in Bethesda, Maryland.
Visit one of their shops or check out their collection of glass smoking pipes in their online headshop today!
