Advice needed regarding Ehle Sphere Bong

[AtomicPB]

Hey Guys,

since I have always appreciated the great advice given in our beloved forum, I am seeking advice before spending money on a new glass piece.

My favorite mini bubbler fell victim to an unfortunate cleaning accident a while ago and I'd like to get a new piece after a 6 six week T-Break to celebrate.

I wanted to get this Ehle Sphere Bong with diffusor stem and without the carb hole.

https://www.t-ehle.de/en/spheric-bongs/spheric-bong-bent/spherical-bong-bent-joint-18-8-blue.html

Maybe some of you guys have experience with either the exact same model or a similiar bong. My main concern is, that I really would not like to have a lot of draw resistance and I am not sure if this kind of bong can deliver a low draw resistance.

Also, I can not decide if I should take the 18,8 mm connector or the 14,5 mm. I tend to get the 18,8, because I thought the draw restriction would be lower with the wider diffusor stem.

I am grateful for every input by the experienced users of this forum, since eventhough I own one or two glass pieces, I still consider myself a total newb regarding glass.

Thank's in advance.

 

[pxl_jockey]

Hey @AtomicPB

I checked out the link, that looks like a fun little piece! However I think you might be a bit confused on the joint size. You don’t have a choice really, the bong itself has an 18,8 mm female joint. The low-profile downstem/diffuser going into the joint is 18,8mm on the outside and its corresponding female joint is 14,5mm which is the size of slide, bowl, gong, etc. you would use. I think it would have very low draw resistance, there’s absolutely zero restriction anywhere. But I don’t have experience with this type of bong from a vaporization perspective, just combustion many moons ago.

You do get to choose either a simple downstem (natural perc) or the diffuser downstem (bunch of small holes) or you can certainly get both if you wanna! I think both would be worthwhile but the first one would chug more & the second would be smoother. If you want to try both, EHLE is very accommodating and super friendly IME; they’re actually doing a custom piece for me atm!

Good luck, I hope someone might have vape experience with this one or similar and share!

 

[AtomicPB]

Hello @pxl_jockey ,

thank's for your response. I will follow your advice and just call and ask them directly.

From comparing the pictures of the the bongs with 14,5 mm and 18,8 mm connector, I was under the impression the that the downstem/diffusor is wider for the 18,8 mm. But you are completly right that it is only the outer diameter, while comparing again I recognized that now and saw that the 14,5 mm stem is extended, because of that.

I like the yellow from one the 14,5 mm bongs better than the red and blue from the 18,8 mm bongs but as you suggested, maybe I can ask for a custom made bong with the color I like most.

May I ask what kind of custom bong you ordered? Eventhough I do not really consider myself a glass guy, I always check pictures here, because I am fascinated by the variety and functionality of the different glass pieces.

As you are active on the VapCap and Fluxer Threads. I am actually buying this bong for my VapCap, and thought it is a very relaxing combination with the FluxDeluxe. The bong seems so easy to grab and hold. Now I am thinking if I should get a Vong stem for my Omni or a 10mm reducer and use the Fat-Mouthpiece for a tight seal. Was thinking about one of Ratchet's universal adaptors but they are hard to come by in the EU.

 

[pxl_jockey]

Hey @AtomicPB brother, I think that’s a solid choice for a vapcap and FluxDeluxe combination. I think the FD or other IH really makes using the vapcap with a water tool more satisfying for me, I wouldn’t bother trying with a torch. If you do get a low-profile 14,5mm-to-10mm reducer, you won’t even need a fat mouthpiece or a Vong stem! The mouthpiece of your Omni will fit perfectly into the reducer, like a glove. I’m fairly certain that you’ll be able to get whatever colour logo you like, definitely give a call or email info@t-ehle.de and you’ll get Frauke, she runs the show there! @gunmetalshark was kind enough to put me in touch with her and she’s amazing and so friendly, just a joy to work with.

About my custom, it’s nothing fancy or heady, although they’re definitely capable of doing that. It’s just a simple 55mm tube, with a 18,8mm joint at the top and a 14,5mm off the side, and an elevated base. I have 4-5 low-pro downstems 165mm long for the 18,8mm joint, each made by different people with a different type of diffusion and 3 types of mouthpiece to go into the 14,5mm joint. Just signed off on the quote and I will definitely post pictures on the new acquisition thread when it’s done!


I got obsessed with this idea of interchangeable inputs and outputs, the ability to change the functionality and the tactile experience at the point where the user interfaces with the piece. A kind of Everybong! It’s really just a blend of a piece that EHLE made for Verdampftnochmal and the RooR Vapor bubbler, so I made technical drawings to the specifications I wanted and that was it! I’m pretty excited because Thomas Ehle is actually making it and I never really imagined that I’d own something like that. I would have never considered asking EHLE for anything custom had it not been for @gunmetalshark sharing his experiences.

I too never considered myself a glass guy, thought I was immune to GAS. LOL, guess I was wrong!

 

[gunmetalshark]

Be fast when ordering custom, I just hear from Frauke 2 days ago that the 15th March will be her last day at Ehle,
i can not fo into detail since i dont know beter either but from what she told me it seems she doesnt come along with the
new manager so she took her hat
I have no clue what that means for Ehle in the future bcs i know she also did all the photos for the website/catalog and the frosting on most pieces but what i can say is that ordering via mail will get a whole lot "colder"

 

[AtomicPB]

Hey @gunmetalshark thank's for joining in and the good advice. I wanted to call them today but missed their office times. Luckily, I do not have to work that long on monday and will give them a call. Actually, it is just a another color of their logo on the 18,8 mm Sphere Bong that I wanted to ask for and if that is not possible, I would not be too sad about it, since the function stays the same. I just like the yellow logo better than the red one (which I would choose, if yellow wouldn't be possible).

@pxl_jockey you really encouraged me and gave me the last "push" that I needed to go for that bong. Thank's for that, Mate. Sometimes I have problems deciding and you helped me a lot, making the choice.

I am really interested in the photos of your custom piece, after you got it. I was thinking a long time about the Ehle AKW from verdampftnochmal, because as you, I like modular stuff. Especially for cleaning purposes. But I think it was @Hogni who mentioned that the quality was lacking and verdampftnochmal had a lot of chipped pieces in their store. Maybe that will become an option in the future or I might ask Ehle for the pxl_jockey setup, if I fancy your pictures (trying some british english here). Right now, and I don't know why, I just fell in love with those simple sphere bongs.

I will let you know how it went and will definitely post pictures after everything has arrived. Next week my 8 weeks T-Break is over and I planned to start the celebration with that new bong. I just hope that it arrives until then and that I did not order it too late.

 

[pxl_jockey]

Hey @gunmetalshark thank's for joining in and the good advice. I wanted to call them today but missed their office times. Luckily, I do not have to work that long on monday and will give them a call. Actually, it is just a another color of their logo on the 18,8 mm Sphere Bong that I wanted to ask for and if that is not possible, I would not be too sad about it, since the function stays the same. I just like the yellow logo better than the red one (which I would choose, if yellow wouldn't be possible).

@pxl_jockey you really encouraged me and gave me the last "push" that I needed to go for that bong. Thank's for that, Mate. Sometimes I have problems deciding and you helped me a lot, making the choice.

I am really interested in the photos of your custom piece, after you got it. I was thinking a long time about the Ehle AKW from verdampftnochmal, because as you, I like modular stuff. Especially for cleaning purposes. But I think it was @Hogni who mentioned that the quality was lacking and verdampftnochmal had a lot of chipped pieces in their store. Maybe that will become an option in the future or I might ask Ehle for the pxl_jockey setup, if I fancy your pictures (trying some british english here). Right now, and I don't know why, I just fell in love with those simple sphere bongs.

I will let you know how it went and will definitely post pictures after everything has arrived. Next week my 8 weeks T-Break is over and I planned to start the celebration with that new bong. I just hope that it arrives until then and that I did not order it too late.

Dude, I completely understand that decision dilemma feeling. I’m happy to help when I can because I have directly benefited so much from this community. Hit me up with a DM anytime! It’s just very rare that I have any info or knowledge that’s worthwhile.

About the AKW, I remember the post from @Hogni who is a member I pay attention to. He was lucky enough to be at VDNM and was able to give them a good inspection. He had to go through 5 or 6 before one could pass his keen eyeballs. It’s a collab designed by and for VDNM, so a number of pieces were negotiated for a number of Euro, couldn’t have been much because the retail price VDNM is charging. The folks at the EHLE factory all have varying levels of experience and expertise, and IDK who made those. I was right there with you on the AKW but ultimately decided I didn’t want to risk disappointment.

Found out yesterday that Thomas was beginning to make the pieces so if all survives the kiln, it should be here next week sometime! I’m pretty stoked to see my drawing in three dimensions & transparent.

 

[AtomicPB]

Today I called Ehle as adviced by you guys and they are indeed very nice and helpful.

If I interpreted the Team Information on the Website correct, Frauke is somehow connected to the Ehle family, because there is a Frauke Ehle listed for doing customer service. I am not sure though if I talked to her today. I actually called twice, since I was not sure if my order via mail was understandable. I asked if the head could be swapped for a 14,5 to 10 mm reducer. They don't seem to have them as standard lab equipment, so I hope the adapter won't be to expensive, since it is handmade.

So, hopefully I am going to have the Bubbler by the weekend and can show off some pictures.

@pxl_jockey we really seem to have thought alike regarding the AKW from VDNM, exactly as you I was really eager to order it but did not want to get disappointed after reading @Hogni 's post. Even more after they send me an old iteration of the Vapman and very long ago a wrong MFLB part. They corrected everything extremely fast both times after I called them, so I am happy with their customer service but I did not want to send glass forth and back in case I had one of those chipped pieces.

Be sure you gonna be PMed as soon as I need encouragement when having VAS again.

 

[Hogni]

Hi, haven't been here for nearly 6 weeks so I'm just able to read this now. It's right, I've inspected 6 or 7 EHLE AKW and they all had a sharp-edged bottom side at the base. These sharp edge probably is the reason for tiny micro chips at the lower edge. They are nearly not visible but more an undelightful haptic thing. And as I said, my AKW is flawless.
But that's the only flaw, the rest of the bubbler is well processed and of high quality.
If you should be in fear to get one which doesn't reach your expectation of quality I'd personally choose one for you at VDNM they shall send to you. Just an offer.
Better it would be EHLE generally would deburr the bottom edge of the AKW.
But remember the open downstem is very "bubbly" and produces some differences in (under)pressure which isn't for the liking of everyone in use. I for myself definitely much prefer the diffuser version.