mnmlh
Well-Known Member
Alright folks - a little comparison between the EHLE 100ml purchased from EDIT, and the HVY mini beaker from aqualab.
Size:
The EHLE is 100ml, obviously, but what about the only slightly larger-looking HVY? 250ml! This was obtained using the same method by which 100ml fits in the EHLE, which appears to be the volume left inside the tube after the appropriate amount of water has been added. It came right at 250, so I assume that is what they intended.
Quality/Durability:
The EHLE is something to behold. It's pure German engineering. Subtle details and perfect glass. It's like a machine churned them out. I can go over the EHLE with a fine tooth comb and appreciate every bit of craftsmanship and little details such as the hand etched signatures on each component. Wow! I'm new to GonG/high quality glass, so this impressed me. It's a solid 3.2mm in every part of the design and employs a full joint size for all the connections at 14.5mm. It's done right, plain and simple - but it is small.
When pulling the HVY out of it's wrapping, I immediately noticed some ripples in base and that it has a home made feel to it, not unlike something you might find at your local head shop. The top of the tube is 3mm, and as it flanges out at the bottom, I imagine it gets down to 1.5mm or so. It has an 18>14mm down stem with a thin half-connection (not sure what the terminology is here) in the tube's joint. Where the EHLE sticks up and out, the HVY just has a GonG lip that the downstem fits into. Within the downstem is a full 14mm connection. One difference in the stem, besides the fancy gridded diffuser, is the ID, which is the same as a regular 18mm setup, allowing more airflow when the slide is not inserted.
Usability:
The EHLE is tiny. It's effectively just a bubbler with a slide that would easily fit in a coat pocket. It holds about a few shot glasses worth of water, and the hexagon base is proportionate to the size but is not enough to make it feel nice and weighted. You have to approach grabbing it with your hand carefully so as not to knock it over. The standard non-diffused downstem chugs through the tiny amount of water with authority. It makes a nice metallic clinking sound, like the well oiled machine that it is. One major problem with the EHLE, and perhaps it's biggest downfall in the general usability department is the water splashing up when you rip it (solution: don't treat it like a big bong, but that's hard when your lungs are at the end of their rope, and go for one last gulp.)
The HVY shines in the usability areas. It holds probably 200ml of water in the base and is very stable with such a short length of tube above it. You can swipe it off it's feet quickly without fear of destruction. Setting it down must be done with care though, as that thin glass and tons of water weight gives it an achilles heel. That is drawback number one. The other one will be familiar to users of beaker style bongs. The last bit can be hard to clear as it swirls around in the bottom unless you right the tube vertically.
Vaping
:
The EHLE has a super-awkward angle relative to ones body for the joint when taking a hit. One must turn the MZ upside down while contorting the wrist in order to get a good grip on it for setting down after your draw. I take 15+ second draws sometimes, so honestly, it just feels wrong. Too much effort. Too unnatural, especially since the joint is near the mouthpiece - you are holding the MZ above your face. Weirdness!
Draws are okay. A little difficult to get massive suction on it compared to something bigger, but it's much easier than the regular stem. I'd probably spend the extra $100 on a nice GonG bubbler for a small vape accessory.
The HVY's diffuser does not play havoc on the airflow like the EHLE and it produces a more consistent vapor that fills the tube in a similar fashion to combusting. The fat ID of the 18>14mm downstem seems to help too. Then there is the angle of the main joint. Ahhh, much better. Actually comfortable to use. Couple with the 13.5 and it's a smack upside the head. This has made me really interested in the SSV. I know I lose efficiency, but since the MZ was my first vape, I'm a convert now and might need both styles. I think most vaporists do (along with a MFLB of course.)
Contrary to advice typically given on the subject, I've found that matching up a "small vape" like the MZ to a larger bong is a good thing, at least, it is with the HVY. It produces vapor the whole way through. I don't "get" these devices - my MZ's airflow get's a lot hotter at the end of the draw than at the beginning. It has dawned on me that this may be due to the brass inside the stem heating up fully. When you remove it, the part that goes into the nylon is pretty long, and the whole thing is hot. Maybe the thermal conductivity of brass is a good thing in this way, as it is recovering lost heat and insulating the vapor path.
Combusting:
Might as well write blurb here while I'm at it. The EHLE's slide is the "European style" with a massive hole in it. If you stick a glass gauze in there and load the gigantic thing up, it's way too intense for my liking. If you swap in the bowl with something like on the HVY, then it's a really nice little bubbler. I might prefer the EHLE when combusting in that way, but would like a diffy for it. The HVY's bowl is nice. It's really a bargain when you think about it. The bowl would cost like $10-12, the diffy another 10-20, and good luck finding a plain tube without those items. It's the best package I could find online, and while my local shop has some $60 HVY minis, they have some heady details I could do with out. I'm a minimalist. The damn slide even matches the color scheme of my office. Love it!
Conclusion:
With all of this said, weighing the positives and the negatives of eachl; get the HVY for vaping, and get the EHLE as a durable combustion bubbler but be careful when you rip it if you don't like the taste of bong water. With vaping, this isn't much of a concern, but it is a little irritating.
The HVY will need more care associated with it, but that is the price you pay, and the only real drawback. The way I see it, I could get 3 HVYs for the price of one nice EHLE. Okay, am I going to break all 3 HVYs and somehow the EHLE is going to be spared in that amount of time? With concrete floors? No way.
Size:
The EHLE is 100ml, obviously, but what about the only slightly larger-looking HVY? 250ml! This was obtained using the same method by which 100ml fits in the EHLE, which appears to be the volume left inside the tube after the appropriate amount of water has been added. It came right at 250, so I assume that is what they intended.
Quality/Durability:
The EHLE is something to behold. It's pure German engineering. Subtle details and perfect glass. It's like a machine churned them out. I can go over the EHLE with a fine tooth comb and appreciate every bit of craftsmanship and little details such as the hand etched signatures on each component. Wow! I'm new to GonG/high quality glass, so this impressed me. It's a solid 3.2mm in every part of the design and employs a full joint size for all the connections at 14.5mm. It's done right, plain and simple - but it is small.
When pulling the HVY out of it's wrapping, I immediately noticed some ripples in base and that it has a home made feel to it, not unlike something you might find at your local head shop. The top of the tube is 3mm, and as it flanges out at the bottom, I imagine it gets down to 1.5mm or so. It has an 18>14mm down stem with a thin half-connection (not sure what the terminology is here) in the tube's joint. Where the EHLE sticks up and out, the HVY just has a GonG lip that the downstem fits into. Within the downstem is a full 14mm connection. One difference in the stem, besides the fancy gridded diffuser, is the ID, which is the same as a regular 18mm setup, allowing more airflow when the slide is not inserted.
Usability:
The EHLE is tiny. It's effectively just a bubbler with a slide that would easily fit in a coat pocket. It holds about a few shot glasses worth of water, and the hexagon base is proportionate to the size but is not enough to make it feel nice and weighted. You have to approach grabbing it with your hand carefully so as not to knock it over. The standard non-diffused downstem chugs through the tiny amount of water with authority. It makes a nice metallic clinking sound, like the well oiled machine that it is. One major problem with the EHLE, and perhaps it's biggest downfall in the general usability department is the water splashing up when you rip it (solution: don't treat it like a big bong, but that's hard when your lungs are at the end of their rope, and go for one last gulp.)
The HVY shines in the usability areas. It holds probably 200ml of water in the base and is very stable with such a short length of tube above it. You can swipe it off it's feet quickly without fear of destruction. Setting it down must be done with care though, as that thin glass and tons of water weight gives it an achilles heel. That is drawback number one. The other one will be familiar to users of beaker style bongs. The last bit can be hard to clear as it swirls around in the bottom unless you right the tube vertically.
Vaping
:The EHLE has a super-awkward angle relative to ones body for the joint when taking a hit. One must turn the MZ upside down while contorting the wrist in order to get a good grip on it for setting down after your draw. I take 15+ second draws sometimes, so honestly, it just feels wrong. Too much effort. Too unnatural, especially since the joint is near the mouthpiece - you are holding the MZ above your face. Weirdness!
Draws are okay. A little difficult to get massive suction on it compared to something bigger, but it's much easier than the regular stem. I'd probably spend the extra $100 on a nice GonG bubbler for a small vape accessory.
The HVY's diffuser does not play havoc on the airflow like the EHLE and it produces a more consistent vapor that fills the tube in a similar fashion to combusting. The fat ID of the 18>14mm downstem seems to help too. Then there is the angle of the main joint. Ahhh, much better. Actually comfortable to use. Couple with the 13.5 and it's a smack upside the head. This has made me really interested in the SSV. I know I lose efficiency, but since the MZ was my first vape, I'm a convert now and might need both styles. I think most vaporists do (along with a MFLB of course.)
Contrary to advice typically given on the subject, I've found that matching up a "small vape" like the MZ to a larger bong is a good thing, at least, it is with the HVY. It produces vapor the whole way through. I don't "get" these devices - my MZ's airflow get's a lot hotter at the end of the draw than at the beginning. It has dawned on me that this may be due to the brass inside the stem heating up fully. When you remove it, the part that goes into the nylon is pretty long, and the whole thing is hot. Maybe the thermal conductivity of brass is a good thing in this way, as it is recovering lost heat and insulating the vapor path.
Combusting:
Might as well write blurb here while I'm at it. The EHLE's slide is the "European style" with a massive hole in it. If you stick a glass gauze in there and load the gigantic thing up, it's way too intense for my liking. If you swap in the bowl with something like on the HVY, then it's a really nice little bubbler. I might prefer the EHLE when combusting in that way, but would like a diffy for it. The HVY's bowl is nice. It's really a bargain when you think about it. The bowl would cost like $10-12, the diffy another 10-20, and good luck finding a plain tube without those items. It's the best package I could find online, and while my local shop has some $60 HVY minis, they have some heady details I could do with out. I'm a minimalist. The damn slide even matches the color scheme of my office. Love it!
Conclusion:
With all of this said, weighing the positives and the negatives of eachl; get the HVY for vaping, and get the EHLE as a durable combustion bubbler but be careful when you rip it if you don't like the taste of bong water. With vaping, this isn't much of a concern, but it is a little irritating.
The HVY will need more care associated with it, but that is the price you pay, and the only real drawback. The way I see it, I could get 3 HVYs for the price of one nice EHLE. Okay, am I going to break all 3 HVYs and somehow the EHLE is going to be spared in that amount of time? With concrete floors? No way.
