One of the biggest trends for bong users today is to have one with a percolator of some type inside it. While it is possible to add a percolator to a bong you already have if it disassembles, it’s really much simpler to just purchase a bong that already has one or even more than one.
The main reasons for having a percolator in your bong is to help reduce splashing into your mouth, cooling the smoke, and having an additional filtering source. The word percolator can pertain to the part itself or a percolator bong.
Percolators can come in many different shapes, patterns, and sizes. The main operation of the perc is to create more bubbles when you are taking a hit from your bong. The more small bubbles that are created, the better the smoke is filtered and cooled, which means your hit will be smoother, cooler, and less irritating.
The problem that you might run into is deciding what type of percolator is right for you. Below are ten different examples of the most popular percs you can choose from and what makes them different from one another.
Diffused Downstem Percolator
While a diffused downstem might be considered the simplest of percs, it is still very effective for creating bubbles and helping cool your smoke. You can buy a bong with a diffused downstem or they are usually fairly simple to add to a bong. It is a small glass tube with slits on the sides at the bottom that creates the bubbles. The holes can be in a honeycomb or other patterns as well. It is attached extending from the bowl piece down with the slitted end submerged into the water inside the bong.
Inline Percolator
The inline percolator can deliver a diffused and powerful hit that most smokers want. It is a horizontal tube with numerous slits in it. The more slits the inline perc has, the more diffusion it creates when the air, smoke, and the bubbles are moving through each slit.
Honeycomb Percolator
This perc is a round disc with many small holes. The disc is flat and they sometimes come in twos that are stacked and create multiple chambers. These percs are parallel to the base of the dab rig or bong. This helps the perc shoot bubbles straight up throughout the chambers most commonly found in 420 honeycomb bongs. You can enjoy more cooling and filtration when you have multiple levels of percs.
Tree Percolator
You can easily say that the tree percolator looks exactly as the name describes. With multiple tubular arms full of little slits, they branch out and actually look like a tree. It connects at the top and air comes up from below and is forced into the central tube and down through each of the arms. This creates a crazy amount of small bubbles. The tree perc is one of the more delicate percs and can be more easily broken.
Showerhead Percolator
This particular perc uses a tube that is connected to the main chamber. It pulls the smoke up and through a larger tube. It then pushes the smoke down and out of a rounded base that may have either holes or slits. These opening are of varying sizes because that will help to maximize the diffusion. The more diffusion you get from the various sized bubbles, the better your hit will be. And like the name implies, it looks very much like a showerhead.
Swiss Percolator
When it comes down to a percolator with the weirdest, wildest design, it has to be the Swiss perc. When a bong has this percolator is resembles a glass bottle that has been hit with a shotgun. However, the holes that are placed so randomly throughout the bong are actually the percolator itself. The air is forced around all of these holes and it filters your smoke without creating any drag on your hit. It’s a perfect choice if you want a bong that makes a great conversation piece.
Matrix Percolator
If you really want your bong to be a great deal better, the Matrix perc is a perfect choice. Usually made in a cylindrical shape, it will be centered in the base of the bong. This percolator features horizontal slits as well as vertical slits. This provides a very high volume of diffusion because the smoke can circulate in so many different directions and separation is made easier.
Barrel Percolators
With a straight cylindrical design, it really looks like a barrel. It has gridded notches which also lends to the barrel appearance. Since the barrel perc has more holes than an average percolator, it allows for even greater diffusion. Although the barrel shape will usually be upright, they can be turned sideways in some bongs and rigs that have the perc connected to a downstem.
Coil Percolator
If you really like a percolator that has a very interesting and scientific look, you might choose the coil percolator. Unlike other percs that are only made one way, the coil perc actually comes two different ways. The glass coil percolator that diffuses as you think it would, However, a glycerin coil percolator can be frozen so that you can get a really icy cool toke.
Cross Percolator
While most percolators deliver similar diffusion only in different ways, the cross percolator is really unique in its design and how the smoke is moved. This design takes a downstem filtration system and is combined with a number of cross-shaped tubes that branch off from the center. This diverts the water and smoke sideways away from the center of the pipe. It both encourages more airflow and helps to prevent splashback
