Bowl size is also important. Large/medium/small...... Obviously, starting on the lowest end of size, you have your one-hitters. You can get those for really cheap, but the downside is that it's made (as it's name implies) for taking one single hit at a time.

Normal pipes start with bowls that can be packed with about .2-.4 grams at a time. This size is great for personal use, though you can obviously get a bigger one and just fill it partway. Not too bad for use in groups, but I find it needs to be refilled after five-six hits, depending on who is taking the hit.

Then, of course, you have bowls that can pack anywhere up to a gram at a time, some possibly bigger. These are great if you smoke with others a lot, as you don't have to refill every ten seconds.

A bowl size that's too big/small for your consumption needs can be aggravating. Either you have to put more in there than you want to smoke, risk it falling through to the bottom of the pipe if you don't put enough in, or if it's too small, you have to refill it a few times to get high. My pipe at the moment can pack in about .35 grams, which I find is a good size if it's just me or me and my roommate smoking.


Carb/no carb? Well, a carb is the little hole you hold your thumb over when smoking out of most pipes. When it's covered and you're sucking in air, all the air hitting the burning pot is coming from up above and tehn being sucked into the pipe stem. This makes it cherry very nicely and keeps it burning. You release the carb to flood the pipe stem with fresh air, which allows you to clear all the smoke out of the pipe and put it where it belongs: in your airways! :-) Carbs are great; personally I prefer them, as they cool the smoke by hitting it with fresh, cool air, and you don't have to worry so much about accidentally getting a mouthful of ash.

Also, another thing to look at is stem length. The longer the length, the better chance the smoke will cool a bit before it hits your lungs. The cooler it is, the more you can inhale at a time/longer you can keep it in without coughing. Also, the bigger the stem, the bigger hits you can take since there's more places for smoke to fill before you clear it.

After all of that, comes color and looks and all that jazz. Those preferences are totally up to you, but honestly don't get a piece whose look you hate simply because it fits the bill for everything else. Get something you know it will be a joy to get high out of.