I think Cheech water pipes are manufactured in China and I've never heard of Nobilis but from the way it seems like they are trying to look a bit like Mobius worries me and makes me think they made be imports as well. It kinda reminds me of the old Simpsons episode when Homer is looking to buy a new TV and spots the Panamafonic and all the other ripoff brand names. Personally I'd be worried about one of those China made pieces breaking especially considering the joints will see a lot of action when attaching and detaching the Solo.
Have you thought about buying a USA made piece? Both
JhanPixel and
Colie Glass sell quality USA made stuff at decent prices becasue you are buying direct from the manufacturer/artist without paying extra to cover a retailer's overheads. They both offer discounts to FC members making their already attractive prices even better, JhanPixel gives a 10% discount and Colie Glass give a 20% discount. Since it seems you are looking for a fairly small volume piece here are a few suggestions.
I'm guessing your GonG is 18mm from the choices you've shown us so it might be worth considering this
8" Circ UFO Showerhead Sidecar from JhanPixel for $122 inc. postage with the FC discount as it looks like it has a fairly similar volume to your initial choices.
I believe the
Stemline Perc Bubbler - 8-10 Inches Tall by Colie Glass is also available in 18mm, it appears to have a fairly similar volume to the pieces you've been looking at and is only $83.50 inc. postage.
If you want something a little smaller then you can get this
5" Sidearm Thick Mini Showerhead from Colie Glass for only $87 inc postage with the FC discount. It's made with Schott Glass which is the best quality you can get and it's got a wall thickness of 7mm so it should last you a while. Also with the small can size it should really preserve the flavour nicely.
There is also the
Double Stack from Colie Glass that I posted on the last page with has the bonus of versatility since you can choose to use the
bubbler on it's own or with the
ashcatcher if you want more volume and percolation. It is only $74 inc. postage with the FC discount for
both the bubbler and the ashcatcher together and they are both made with Schott Glass. You also have the option of getting the
bubbler on it's own for just less than $45 inc. postage.
If you want something bigger then the 14" Tall Showerhead Bubbler maybe a good option and it is currently on sale for the insanely low price of $87.50 inc. postage with the FC discount. It is also made with Schott glass. You can see by
following this link that mlo4sho, who is a member on this forum, recently purchased this piece and seems very happy with it. He even posted a video of him using it which can be seen at the bottom of his post.
When quoting prices inc. postage I have assumed that you are in the USA, if you live elsewhere then check the pages linked for shipping costs from Colie Glass. For JhanPixel you will need to contact him directly by
clicking this link to obtain a shipping quote.
All these are just a few suggestions and I would highly recommend browsing both the
JhanPixel and
Colie Glass stores to see if there is anything that catches your eye, remember to include the FC discounts when looking at the prices. I hope all this helps you avoid the pitfalls of cheap import glass and assists you in finding a piece that will last you.
Please note that as always any text that is highlighted in white are links to the relevant pages. If you have any questions feel free to PM me as I am always happy to help.