Absolutely love bubblers! They use the same principles as a bong. The smoke passes from the bowl through a downstem, through water in the base of the bubble and into your mouth. Even the small amount of water really cools the hits and it is way smoother than a pipe. I'd say it's a pretty good substitute for a bong and easier to pass around in a smoking session IMO:stoned: On the negative side, it's really impossible to clean with something like a pipe cleaner.