The 9 Best Bongs for Adults, High-Minded Design Meets Smooth Smoking

• Ergonomic and comfortable to use
• Easy to clean
• Comes with extra bowl and downstem

• Bowls can clog

The plausible future of bongs isn't weed pens; it's the Modern Bong from Session. It's a bong that doesn't look like a bong but more like a metronome. Judging by its cover, modern and minimalist come to mind first, but it's more practical than that. With an angled mouthpiece and tapered form, it's extremely ergonomic to hold and smoke out of. The silicone footer both indicates the waterline and offers extra protection for the already very thick borosilicate glass body. It can hit hard—don't say we didn't warn you.

Size: 10 inches tall

• Looks beautiful
• Sturdier than a glass option
• Comes with stash container

• Requires you to be diligent about cleaning

Like we said, the good-looking bong is a very rare product. But that's becoming less the case, thanks to a handful of companies making weed accessories. If you want something that will blend into your feng shui, My Bud Vase turns smoking implements into functional works of art. You can buy a beautiful water bong that doubles as a (fake) planter or this porcelain set.

The bong and stash box are modeled after your mom's best china. And it comes with a box to stash your weed, which you need even if you don't smoke super frequently. At eight inches tall, the bong itself is smaller than most options, which adds to the understated nature of this set. Put it on a shelf and it just fades away, becoming part of your decor.

Size: 8 inches tall

• Slotted percolator for better hits
• Holed bowl that prevents clogs

• Costly

Alumina ceramic, stainless steel, soda-lime glass—even the names of these materials scream "high-end." And they are practical too. Heir's Waterpipe is easy on the eyes and lungs. This piece won't get ruined by ash or tar if you take care of it.

Specifically, Heir's bong has an eight-slotted percolator for better filtration and a smoother smoke. If you've never smoked from a bong with a perc (and done so properly) you probably don't understand the appeal of bongs whatsoever. Let's leave it at this: You can take huge hits smoothly and not be left coughing up a lung. We love this one because the mouthpiece is ergonomically angled as well. If there's ever been a bong for getting stoned with ease, this is the one.

Size: 11 or 13 inches tall

• Classic design
• Worth splurging for the terra cotta
• One tree planted for every bong sold

• Takes up quite a bit of vertical space

Summerland makes the best classic-style ceramic bongs. It's also a company that certifiably gives back, planting one tree for every bong you buy. The brand's terra cotta Chongo is a certified classic. That specific bong is currently sold out pretty much everywhere, but it's bigger brother, the Land Yacht, is still for sale in all four finishes that Summerland offers.

They are all gorgeous and are unbelievably smooth to smoke out of. If you're looking for the classic large-basin tall bong, this is the gentleman's pick. Plus, it gets you very stoned, very quickly.

Size: 12.5 inches tall

• Novel design with hidden bowl storage
• Easy to use
• Technically you can take it to-go

• It's still a bong, so not really all that stealthy
• Small bowl

Probably the best novelty bong out there. We can't speak to how consistent or massive your hits are going to be, but there is something special about smoking out of a coffee cup. Just fill up the bowl, fill the cup with water, and light up. It's super user-friendly, and when it's lying around it just looks like another half-empty cup—neat.

Size: 5 inches tall

• Compact
• Easy to disassemble and clean
• Sizable bowl that's a joy to use

• Doesn't hit as hard as a bong

Vessel is best known for its vaporizers and electronic weed goods, but the brand has some high-tech approaches to flower up its sleeve as well. The best example is the Element, the brand's bubbler. These mini versions of bongs are best if you're a solo smoker who doesn't want to overdo it or you just want a slightly more compact solution. At under four inches tall, the Element ticks all those boxes and more.

It's extremely easy to use and clean. It disassembles into six parts, taking the usual hassle out of maintenance. A well-built piece, and its users have nothing but glowing praise.

Size: 3.75 inches tall

• Delivers big, cool, smooth rips
• Contactless draw and inhale

• Very expensive and not beginner friendly

You might well question the relevance of Stündenglass's sizable, tablet-shaped $600 hourglass contraption to your cannabis lifestyle, but we'll do our best to sell it. First, it'll get you mightily stoned—it even gave Seth Rogen a coughing fit. Second, it can rotate 360 degrees, and once flipped it'll leverage gravity and opposing airflow to pull in and filter the smoke. Lastly, when flipped back, gravity will push the smoke out, and you won't even need to touch the mouthpiece to inbreathe. Clean and seamless. But high practically perfected by physics definitely doesn't come cheap.

Size: 15 inches tall

• Beginner friendly
• Easy to draw and pull

• A bit basic

To ease you in, let's start with something, well ... easy. This Diamond Glass beaker bong is an affordable option that doesn't skimp on quality. Design-wise it's what you would expect from a classic bong, but it's refined, not garish or clumsy. It's durable, made of borosilicate glass that won't crack, and has rubber to make sure there's no glass-on-glass collision. The bowl, downstem, and mouthpiece are pretty run-of-the-mill, though there are a few built-in ice notches in case you want to use ice to chill the smoke. Always a fun option. Otherwise, nothing fancy, nothing special, just a solid bong that does what it's supposed to.

Size: 8 inches tall

• Stunning, seriously beautiful
• A one-of-one piece

• The luxury price tag

Want something that's actually one-of-a-kind? You can try befriending a ceramicist or glassblower, or you can buy straight from Brooklyn-based glassblower Paul Arnhold and the smoking brand Edie Parker. The two produced a limited-run collaboration of ten handblown bongs, and there are still a handful sitting on the Edie Parker site.

Yeah, the price is high, but this is a one-of-one handmade piece. Other brands on this list will claim to be works of art. This is the only one whose claim is legitimate.

Size: 16.5 inches tall

At Esquire, we are always on the lookout for quality and class. A stylish, well-built bong that works well will cost you more than the average smoke shop charges, but it's worth it. We've scoured the best online retailers and some of our favorite cannabis brands (throw in some personal experience for good measure) to find you the best bongs for your hard-earned kush.

We found the best bongs in glass, ceramic, and every other material that's good for smoking out of. We didn't forget bubblers or gravity bongs either and have a pick for both of those categories.

Sure, toking via bongs will get you heavenly high. And it'll feel easier on the throat compared to toking from a bowl, blunt, or joint because of the smoother fume. But the bottom line is, as long as it involves combustion—lighting something on fire—it's harmful to your lungs, regardless of how or what you're smoking. As a study on smoking cannabis by the Journal of the American Heart Association states, "Marijuana smoke is still the result of biomass combustion and contains many of the same toxins as tobacco smoke, including fine particles that cause cardiovascular morbidity and mortality."

And do consider the danger of secondhand smoke. A recent study in the American Medical Association's JAMA Network Open shows that cannabis bong smoking in homes may produce four times as much secondhand smoke as cigarettes, which poses many potential health hazards—breathing issues, heart attacks, and the big C. What that means is: Be responsible to yourself and to others.