The roor is a
bong. It is not, however, like 80% of the other
bongs I have smoked in that it isnt built like a
toy. Further, it is separated from the other 20% in that it is built like chemistry equipment as opposed to
art. Now dont get me wrong, I'm all in support of handblown glass and it is definitely the most attractive and expressive kind of paraphenalia, but I'm talking performance here. a few of the basic selling points:
- It's available in 4 different sizes (though I've only seen the ones with red or black writing in local head shops here in the USA)
- Each of the 4 sizes is available in 3 different grades (thicknesses, basically) of glass (which explains some of the price variation in seemingly identical ones in stores)
- They come with little glass "screens" which are shaped like jacks (you know the game where you bounce the ball and try to pick up as many jacks as possible before catching it again), which works very well because they dont get messy like metal screens and when they do get sufficiently resinated you can just set them in the bowl and burn it off with ease
- The stem/bowl are both made of glass and are both very easily cleaned with warm water, soap and a little brush. The stem is very easily removed from the actual bong, but has a perfect rubber seal when placed in the bong. The bowl fits into the stem by way of chafed (or frosted or whatever), opaque glass (exactly like the stuff they use for chemistry flasks and their glass lids), which works incredibly well. (* sidenote: in the German manufactured ones the stem fits into the bong by way of the same mechanism as between the bowl/stem and not the rubber seal, but I've only heard about them being sold in the USA once)
- The bong itself is probably somewhere around 30 inches tall, and just a simple straight cylinder with a saucer-like base and a little protrusion at the bottom where the stem fits in (much better explained by a picture...).
Now onto the personal testimony and performance...
The three most important things when considering a piece for me are (in order) how it smokes, how it looks, and how easy it is to clean. In the first regard, the roor outperforms any other bong I've smoked. I'm really not sure what it is about it, but you can pull bigger, denser hits off a roor than any other
bong of its size (it even rivals the 5 foot
bong i have the use of). Not only can you pull bigger hits, but you can actually take bigger hits. You can regulate the
density of the hit by pulling the bowl out slightly to let a bit more air in (made very simple and precise with the chemistry seal). Also, you can hit it at just about any angle when you have the right amount of water in it, and it doesnt affect the hit at all.
As far as looks go, I've seen more artistic pieces (obviously), but the roor is hardly an
eyesore. It looks solid and once you've hit it, you appreciate its presence on the
coffee table a whole lot.
Ease of cleaning is another point where the roor exceeds all other bongs I've owned. Because it's such a simple design, it's really easy to just rinse out with warm water in the sink, and with the addition of soap and a big bong brush (found in any self respecting
head shop for under $10), it can be restored to as good as new in about 5 minutes. Even better, you dont have to clean it very often. It doesnt have much water in it (i'd guess about a 1/2 cup) and you can see the water very clearly from the outside so you know exactly how filthy it is, which makes for good incentive to change it regularly (we generally change ours once every couple of
bowlpacks), and when you keep that up, the
bong doesnt get dirty at all.
Another of my personal favorite things about it is the sound it makes when you hit it... because there's so little water there, it doesnt make that gurgling bubble noise, but rather a sound that can only be described as a "
roar." Once you've heard it, the sound is unmistakable. The thought makes my mouth water... :D I only hope I've done justice to the roor with my description.