The glass VaporGenie pipe is our newest product and is a pleasure to use. The glass VG is about 7 inches long and about 4 inches tall. It is made of thick-wall (2.5 mm wall) clear borosilicate glass from Schott Glass of Germany. Wall thickness varies from 2.5 - 5 mm, so it is very durable. It sits stably upright on a flat surface, so loading the bowl is easy. The ceramic filter is exactly the same as the filter used in the other VaporGenie pipes (all VaporGenie pipes use exactly the same ceramic filter material). The filter assembly top and bowl attach by a ground glass joint. The ceramic flame filter is held in place by a stainless steel retaining wire.

The bowl in the glass VaporGenie is larger (about 50% deeper) than the bowl of the classic VG pipes. Bowl is about the same size as the bowl of the handcarved (spiral and smooth) pipes.

Glass tends to absorb more heat than wood, so the pipe and filter of the glass VaporGenie will become hotter than the classic or handcarved pipes (about as hot as the metal bowl of the classic VG pipe). Even with heavy use, the pipe will remain cool enough to touch, but the bowl area may become too hot to touch. It will not burn you, though.

The glass VG has a stainless steel screen (the same screen used on the classic and handcarved pipes), made of 316 stainless steel. The 316 stainless alloy is the most inert and chemically stable alloy of stainless steel. The screen can be  removed if you prefer. We recommend using the screen because:

1) Unlike conventional smoking pipes the screen does not get hot enough to oxidize (i.e. chemically react with oxygen). Because it is not oxidized, the screen will not produce metallic flavors or contamination. Stainless steel oxidizes at about 800F, which is easily exceeded in a conventional combustion pipe (screens are heated red-hot). By comparison, the VaporGenie will not heat the screen above 400F. Hence, the screen in the VaporGenie remains shiny and does not create metallic contamination, even after months of use.
2) Vaporization works best with finely ground herbs, and a screen is the best way to hold the ground herbs because it will not clog. A single hole in glass will become clogged.
3) The screen provides more uniform airflow and uniform heating. This is critical for uniform vaporization.

If you are a glass enthusiast, and prefer pipes with absolutely no metal, please consider using the glass VaporGenie with the stainless steel screen anyway. The stainless steel screen absolutely will not create metallic flavors or contamination like in conventional smoking pipes. Similarly, the retaining wire will also not produce metallic contamination because it is not excessively heated. Besides, what you really need to be worried about is toxic flint dust from flint lighters. How many people out there smoke from a glass pipe to avoid metal exposure and then use a flint lighter?

One nice thing about the glass VaporGenie pipe is that the bowl is transparent and allows you to watch the vaporization process. You can actually see your herbs turning darker brown as they are vaporized. Also, lighter flame placement tends to be a little easier since the pipe is longer and the transparent top allows you to see the flame tip. The sherlock shape puts the bowl slightly below eye-level.

The glass VaporGenie has a screen-retaining feature, so the screen will not fall out when the pipe is inverted.

Maintenance: The glass VG can be cleaned using alcohol+salt, hot soapy water, or conventional glass pipe cleaning products. Solvents, alcohol or soap will not damage the ceramic filter material, so feel free to clean the top by soaking. We do not have specific recommended cleaning instructions.

Click here to see the VG product comparison chart