Which hookah do you recommend?

Julie · April 30, 2015

Hi! I'm new to this, so forgive me if this isn't the right topic... Not sure where to put it

I've een smoking hookah for a couple of years with different B-brand hookahs, but now I want to buy a good one.

I'm based in Belgium (Europe), so I can't use your recommended vendors unfortunately...

I'm looking for a medium sized (about 65-80cm high) shisha, that I can use with Al Fahker or Nahkla tobacco, and natural coals.
I'd like to use it about once or twice a week, with 2-5 people at a time.

Up until now, I have used crockery bowls and a standard shisha of a pretty unknown brand (it doesn't even say the brand).
It is rusting, the hose is too short and sometimes has black things coming out of the hose, and I can't clean it the stem properly.

Most importantly, it doesn't give a lot of smoke and not a lot of taste... I think I know by now how to manage the heat and prepare the shisha, it's just the quality of the shisha (seals etc) that is not giving me the best sessions..

I'd love to have a good quality shisha for less than 100€ (all in: shisha, bowl, hose, etc).

I've never seen or tried good brands such as Khalil Manoon etc.
I've seen a AMY DELUXE cityscape (click here to see) once however, and it looked like it gave really thick smoke and nice aroma. Didn't have the chance to try it though. This one had a plastic hose (which looked easy to clean, but not sure of the quality vs my leather one), seals with a rubber twist system and has a special head: crockery head with a heat protection screen and kind of sieve. I don't know if that's a good quality though!

At a budget of almost 100€, it's an investment for my student budget, but I really want to make sure I get a quality shisha with the best results and that will last a long time, rust free! If you have any recommendations, more than welcome!

Also, I always use Al Fahker because I used Nahkla once and it sucked, so maybe you can share some tips on that as well?

Thanks guys!!!! Any feedback is really appreciated!

DudeWhere'sMyHookah · April 30, 2015

Some European brands I know are dschinni and nargilem. They get great reviews and are very sought after. Both have websites that are easy to find

That's all I know for real European brands compared to Egyptian Syrian or Arabic brands.

dd0723 · April 30, 2015

Hi! I'm new to this, so forgive me if this isn't the right topic... Not sure where to put it

I've een smoking hookah for a couple of years with different B-brand hookahs, but now I want to buy a good one.

I'm based in Belgium (Europe), so I can't use your recommended vendors unfortunately...

I'm looking for a medium sized (about 65-80cm high) shisha, that I can use with Al Fahker or Nahkla tobacco, and natural coals.
I'd like to use it about once or twice a week, with 2-5 people at a time.

Up until now, I have used crockery bowls and a standard shisha of a pretty unknown brand (it doesn't even say the brand).
It is rusting, the hose is too short and sometimes has black things coming out of the hose, and I can't clean it the stem properly.

Most importantly, it doesn't give a lot of smoke and not a lot of taste... I think I know by now how to manage the heat and prepare the shisha, it's just the quality of the shisha (seals etc) that is not giving me the best sessions..

I'd love to have a good quality shisha for less than 100€ (all in: shisha, bowl, hose, etc).

I've never seen or tried good brands such as Khalil Manoon etc.
I've seen a AMY DELUXE cityscape (click here to see) once however, and it looked like it gave really thick smoke and nice aroma. Didn't have the chance to try it though. This one had a plastic hose (which looked easy to clean, but not sure of the quality vs my leather one), seals with a rubber twist system and has a special head: crockery head with a heat protection screen and kind of sieve. I don't know if that's a good quality though!
At a budget of almost 100€, it's an investment for my student budget, but I really want to make sure I get a quality shisha with the best results and that will last a long time, rust free! If you have any recommendations, more than welcome!

Also, I always use Al Fahker because I used Nahkla once and it sucked, so maybe you can share some tips on that as well?
Thanks guys!!!! Any feedback is really appreciated!

i'm going to have to go back to the group to check out the conversation but we have a member of the forum that is in Germany and he gets these beautiful wood stem shishas, but I don't remember the brand of them or the website.

The black things coming out of your hose is built up sooth from smoking. The hose is not washable and every now and then you have to hit it against something soft like the couch and then blow on it to get all that crap out. Before and after each session I got used to always blowing into the hose for that same reason.

The rust can also be dealt with but with a shisha with that many issue, you are right and should just get a new one.

I will try to find out the website from that other company to see if it helps you.

TheEightyFour · April 30, 2015

Khalil Mamoon (KM) should be relatively easy to find. They have a huge reputation all over the world. They're hand-made in Egypt, and you should be able to find them where you're at. If we can get Egyptian-made hookahs in the states, where it has to cross an ocean to get here, I can't imagine you'd not be able to find them online in Europe somewhere, though I know the smoking laws in Europe are very different than around here.

Dude's suggestions are on par though. Dschinni's are beautiful, and it's a shame they're so difficult to get in the states.

Regarding your hose - you probably have an unwashable hose that has rusted, especially since you state it's leather. If black stuff is coming out of it, it might be residue from the smoke that's solidified or leather peeling off on the inside of the hose, but it could also mean that you're inhaling bits of rust or plastic. Personally, I would stop using that hose immediately. Even if you never wash your unwashable hose with water (which, if it's not understood, you shouldn't do), sometimes water gets up through the hose port. Whatever hookah you buy, I would recommend picking up a washable hose. You'll be much happier and be able to avoid ghosting. Leather is not a good material for hookah hoses, as it absorbs (ghosts) flavor, and is not washable.

Regarding seals - you should pick up some extra grommets when you buy whatever hookah you are going to buy. They're very cheap, and they do go bad over time. More than likely, some of your grommets appear to seal correctly, but have miniature gaps that cause airflow issues.

That Amy looks really nice. The hose on it isn't plastic, but silicone, which is about the best material you can get for a hose. You just need to make sure the aluminum stays dry - there's no indication whether it's coated or not, and if it's not, it will rust. The one thing I'd be concerned about is the "modern-click system" (at least that's what Google Translate says the last item is on the description). What does that mean? Does that mean it doesn't use grommets? Or it "clicks" into place?

The bowl provided looks like a standard Egyptian with a wind screen. Do yourself a favor and try to track down a phunnel/funnel bowl of good quality. Especially since you like AF, which is tremendously juicy, you'll have longer sessions and no mess running down your stem. Something like this one: http://www.amydeluxe.de/shisha-zubehoer/shisha-tabakkoepfe/tonkoepfe/tabakkopf-glasiert

I know nothing of this brand, but based on looks alone, it looks like a great hookah - if you like it, you should definitely pick it up.

Closing thoughts: Saying Nakhla (or, heck, any brand of shisha tobacco for that matter) sucked - that's fighting words around here! What flavor did you try? They have some fantastic flavors, but, just like any brand, some are better than others. Don't give up on a brand because one flavor didn't suit your liking. That being said, even their more modern (Mizo) line will not have near as much smoke output as AF will, because it's not sopping wet in juice.