A bong or any water pipe requires care to maintain its looks as well as performance. One of the most annoying facts about water pipes is the frequency at which they need to be cleaned. Unfortunately, after just a few smoke sessions, bong can become noticeably dirty. Dirty water pipes can significantly alter the taste and overall experience of a session. Cleaning a bong is not a very easy process. It is often time consuming as it requires you to take cleaning solution and water to your piece of glass and work around it until the piece is clean and dry. Ash catchers are wonderful inventions that help to prevent the dirty stuff from reaching your water pipe, thus cutting down the number of cleaning sessions.

Ash catcher essentially filters the smoke and catches the ash prior to entering your bong, leaving your bong with as little residue as possible. It is a piece with a bowl and diffuser or percolator that is put right into your water pipe or rig via a joint. There are two different types of ash catchers, those that use water and those that do not. They can either use water to filter the smoke, or rely on air and clever tube placement in the ash catcher to get the job done. They comes in various styles and looks which matches in beautifully with any bong.

The functionality of an ash catcher that uses water and the one that doesn’t use water are indeed same. The first one that does not have water in them traps ash from the smoke in its chamber, preventing debris from entering the bong. The second of its kind that does use water traps ash, but also filters the smoke through the water before entering the bong. There are several ash catcher features that will make them compatible with your bong. After you meet the basic compatibility requirements, you can choose one based on your taste.

Using an ash catcher does not mean you will never have to wash you bong ever again. This simply allows your bong to stay tidy much longer, and you don’t have to worry about cleaning it after every few uses. Additionally, in the case of the ash catcher with water percolation you also get pretty smoother smoke. So if you want to prevent your water pipe from getting dirty frequently, go ahead and add this cool piece to your bong!