We all know who the real special someone is this holiday: Mary Jane.
Show your appreciation for her by putting her into something new and shiny from our list of some of the most bad-ass, fashionable smokeware you can get. I mean, 2023 is just around the corner. You don’t want to start it with some boring bong or plain Puffco.
Scroll through and drool at this most-fresh collection of borosilicate baddies, then go make some room on the credit card.
Puffco Peak tops
Empire Glassworks bottles
In 2022, electrons power the hottest hash pipes, and customizing them is the height of fashion. We’re talking about the hash bubbler Puffco Peak, and hash pipe Puffco Proxy. Step aside, Jordans. What you pop on your Peak bubbler can say as much about your personality as your shoes. Like famous sneaker designers, glassblowers keep reinventing that iconic shape to help us express ourselves. Now with the dry Proxy, there are so many new options, it’s like discovering you can accessorize crocs. Naturally, you’re going to need some next-level glass to get those chugging rips and jealous stares.
All eyes will be on you when you pull out one of these water bottle tops from Empire Glassworks. A big hit with the crowd at this year’s Puffco convention Puffcon in LA, nobody in the parking lot of your gym will be any wiser when you pop this out of your workout bag. Made in Anaheim they offer not only a water bottle style but also beer bottles, and an all-too-familiar sports drink. In-stock now—the Sriracha bottle. Available on www.empiresmokes.com for $420.
Wicked Glass tentacle
For a different kind of dramatic flair, check out these tentacle toppers from Wicked Glass out of Santa Cruz, CA. Whether you’re looking for a bubbler or dry top, you won’t be able to break away from the detail in these suckers. And if you dab hard enough, you can hear the sound of the ocean. Available from shops like www.zeevapor.com and www.prismsmokeshop.com $600-$800 for bubble tops and $400 for dry toppers.
Padd Glass tops
One of the competitors in the 2022 Puffco Glass Open, Padd Glass makes recycler tops and carb caps for the Peak. This is one of those names that has only been established for less than five years but their intricate, Dr. Seuss style makes them someone to watch for. Available auction style on Instagram or at www.padglass.com; prices generally range from $300-$650.
Puffco Proxy Pipe & Buckets
Etai Rahmil saxophone bucket
As the Proxy was first hitting Instagram, everyone went bananas when Roger unveiled the saxophone-shaped piece designed and created by Bay Area-born artist Etai Rahmil. Based in Portland, his work showcases musical instruments, abstract shapes, and household items in eye-widening detail (make sure to check out his collab mask created with international graffiti legend GATS). His bass sax is in the running for the 10k dollar prize Puffco glass competition but you can contact him directly via Instagram to get onto the wait list for your very own saxophone. Sold via online commission or retail stores as listed on his Instagram.
Mindblowing Glass
This year, Puffco debuted a banging new electronic bowl for hash smoking, the Proxy. A vaporizer that’s able to pop out of its base and drop into any similarly sized bubbler, banger, or pipe, there’s never been a device that lets cannabis smokers show off their style like this. Since its release, the glass community has hit the afterburners to create the coolest, newest designs to see how far this hashy little hermit crab will go. From robots and dinosaurs to swords, glassmakers have gone all out on designs to give your Proxy a forever home.
A killer option for those looking for some style and personality in their Proxy game is Mindblowing Glass out of Sacramento, CA. Known for creating Puffco glass with magnetically attached carb caps, he’s been hard at work making a wide variety of bases, most sized to fit inside the standard Proxy case. His social media feed stays full of new drops and special auctions so we recommend turning on alerts to stay up to date. Looking to go outside the box? He also makes sidecars, Sherlocks, and UV-reactive horns. Sold via Instagram; ranging from $150-$300.
Scientific bongs
N3RD Glass
Popularized in the ‘60s, bongs cool, filter, and aggregate weed smoke for big, flavorful, powerful hits. You won’t find a bong with a more vintage futuristic feel than the ones from N3RD Glass. These one-of-a-kind pieces light up like a plasma globe from Sharper Image and come with a custom-built LED base that helps you see the specially backfilled glass as it lights up with crackling bolts of color whenever you touch it. Created and constructed in the Bay Area (shoutout Vallejo, CA), this glowing glassware looks right out of Blade Runner and will no doubt be the most unique piece in any collection. Available at stores like www.artdogsandgrace.com and www.42degreesgaller.com; starting at $3K.
Mobius bubblers
Mobius bubblers reign as our go-to review piece when we’re judging flower. The shorter ‘Ion’ size keeps hits fresh, and Mobius’ trademark “matrix” diffuser downstem cools and cleans the smoke way better than anything else. Each piece is a hand-crafted work of art from the Central Coast, CA. The 2022 winter season customs add colors and texture and fetch even higher dollar amounts, like this Mobius Ion Matrix Accent Series for $1,625. Their Nano Matrix smaller-sized bongs also kick ass—especially the November Circle Glass series.
Spoon pipes
Tako glass
The classic spoon pipe never goes out of style. Seattle’s Tako Glass spoon pipes combine timeless beauty with classic function. There’s nothing like seeing the colors that explode from a spoon as you give it some use and no better way to tell if your weed has that overwhelming flavor. With over twenty years of experience blowing glass, his pipes and chillums are galaxies of colors that somehow fit in your pocket. Available at www.takoglass.com; ranging from $30-$80.
Glass tips (with backups)
Riptips
It’s almost 2023, that means time to quit rolling those boring old joints and catch up with the times. Gone are the days of the half-gram pinners, now we’re squarely in the era of doinks, bats, and cannons. To start rolling these, you’re going to need to start with some tips. There are a ton of options out there, but nothing has the same dedicated following as Riptips. Made in Colorado since 2015, they’re reusable, eye-catching, and feature nine individual air channels and three sizes. New drops sell out quickly on their website, so don’t hang out on the buy now button wondering if it’s worth it. Available at www.theriptip.com; $40 each.
Stellaz
Glass tips save lips—definitely. But for people who buy and hit pre-rolls, there’s a glass option that will give you that continental look. One of my favorite ways to class up your joint smoking game comes from the talented Charlene Foster, AKA Cha Cha. Her artful joint holders, called Stellaz, are made with super-strong borosilicate glass and come in two sizes for holding different preroll tips. Featured by Elevate Jane and available in various colors, these will give you that classic Hunter Thompson meets Cruella De Ville vibe. Available at www.chachachainz.com; starting at $30.00.
Biokemp
Glass tips get grody and require a rubbing alcohol bath. Go sustainable disposable with Biokemp’s combo of hemp and corn. They last up to three joints per tip and come in a rainbow of colors and designs. Custom logo? Go for it. Handing someone a big fat joint that has your initials in the tip is a pretty boss move and don’t be surprised if they ask you what stores you’re in. Available at www.beacons.ai/shopbiokemp/main; $50 for 100 tips.
Heady dab rig
Mothership Glass
If we’re going to talk about a bucket list, vision board-level glass, we have to talk about Mothership Glass. Some of the most artisan, high-end work you can aspire to own. This collective has operated for almost a decade, captained by Scott Deppe who has pioneered the glass scene for thirty years. These are pieces you’d imagine seeing in a fine Italian art museum before a session. Their eggs and exospheres are highly sought-after and sell for upwards of ten thousand dollars. Lately, they’ve been putting out a hologram series that depicts scenes embedded into the glass in a mix of old-world frescos and foil trading cards. In an alternate dimension, Oakley sunglasses took over the world and their Louve is full of Mothership Glass. (Available at www.mothershipglass.com; starting at $4K for a glass piece and $500 for a carb cap)
Scientific dab rig
Stratisphere glass
When you picture the term scientific dab rig, it’s hard to think of something that fits the bill more than a spinning strand of DNA. And while there’s half an internet full of sequencer-like rigs for sale, when you’re ready to bring one home to the lab, you’ve gotta go for the unmistakable work of a Stratisphere Glass. A master of kinetic glass, their work has moving parts that come alive as you inhale creating a hypnotizing display that’s so much fun, you’ll probably pack another. Like a lot of quality glass art, finding one of these means staying on top of the drop list posted through Instagram, but it’s well worth it. (Available through stores listed on their Instagram feed. Priced around $12K)
Home and fashionware
Surf Rat Glass Cups
One of the more surprising collectibles in the glass world is cupware. I know, after staring at all these incredible bongs, it’s easy to forget glassblowers make more than just pipes and rigs. But if you sneak into a serious glass collector’s kitchen, you’ll discover the cup-blowing scene has a vast range of artists creating some outrageous stuff. There’s something particularly eye-catching about the work of Brian Ratcliffe, aka Surf Rat Glass. His cups, shaped like oversized bangers, slurpers, and slides, are jaw-dropping and will make you feel like Antman in a headshop. His website keeps a stock of some items, and you can read about regular drops on Instagram. Available at www.surfratglass.com; starting at $250.
Avante Garde Glass Cups
When you’ve got glass cups showing up at Art Basel, you know the sippy cup generation has all entered the chat. Avant Garde Glass represents a stunning redefinition of the word glassware. Their work is more art-with-a-function than functional art and features a technique called “avant-tech.” Shops all over the country work on adding their bongs and rigs to their roster but wait until you see their cups, which carry liquids through geometric patterns in the cup walls up to a built-in straw. Think of it like a crazy straw, a sippy cup, and a piece of art got fused together in a Jack Kirby fever dream. (Available only through over 25 retailers listed on www.avantgarde.glass.)
Whelp, our bowl is cashed for Leafly’s Glasstravanganja 2022. Click on over to all our other holiday gift goodness.
