Ashcatchers, are they worth it?

Ashcatchers, surprisingly, a lot of people still get these mixed up with ashtrays, thinking it’s just a synonymous term, however, they couldn’t be farther from the truth.

What is an Ashcatcher?

An ashcatcher is simply an attachment to your bong or oil rig that usually contains a water chamber with a percolator or some other way for smoke to travel through inside it before actually entering your piece. Ashcatchers usually comprise of an extra water chamber and percolator that attach to your bong’s joint, and you place the bowl on the end of the ashcatcher, making it the first glass that your hit permeates through

One cool thing about ashcatchers is due to the fact that they fit standard joint sizes is that there is no limit to how many ashcatchers you can attach in a row, so long as your bong can handle it, that is. Be careful how much stress you place on your glass joints!

How do they help?

An aschatcher’s main purpose is to catch the ash from your bowl before it goes into your bong, by catching a majority of the ash within the ashcatcher’s water chamber, your bong will stay cleaner for a much longer period of time, and ashcatchers are usually easier to clean than bongs anyways, so that is definitely another perk. Which, speaking of perks, many aschatchers have at least percolator within their water chamber so they also help create a much smoother hit for your piece..

Are there any downsides?

The downside to adding an ashcatcher to your piece is that it will add a significant amount of drag to your hits, since you’ll be having another water chamber and percolator to pull through, so you’ll definitely want to bolster your lung capacity. Another downside to ashcatchers is depending on the one you buy, they can end up putting significant stress on the joint of your bong, and since it disproportionately adds weight to your piece, it’ll be much easier to tip over (so consider getting a bong with a standing base!)