Have you ever bought an accessory for your water pipe or oil/dab rig only to find it doesn’t fit your downstem? You’ve probably had more experienced smokers tell you it’s because your pipe or rig is "male" or "female." But what is the difference between a male vs. female bong? Let’s dig into what exactly that distinction means.
Male vs. Female Bongs and Dab Rig Products
When looking at a pipe or rig, there's one simple trick to identify whether or not it's a male bong or female bong. Ask yourself this question: "Do I put my bowl onto the joint or into the joint?" If the answer is onto, you have a male bong!
Since the joint or downstem of a male bong needs accessories to be placed on top of it, the accessories you buy must be female. In other words, you have to buy rig or water pipe parts that are listed as being "female" to ensure seamless compatibility. Female water pipe parts will only fit onto a male bong, and vice versa.
Another rule that generally proves true is that dab rigs or concentrate water pipes are male. Standard water pipes are usually female. If you’re not entirely sure, though, it’s best to just check your joint or downstem.
As you may have already guessed, a female bong is the opposite of a male bong. Instead of placing your bowl or other accessory onto the joint or downstem, you would insert it into the joint or downstem.
If you have a female bong, you need to buy male water pipe parts that will insert into your joint or downstem. A good way to tell is if your water pipe has a wider opening that you can slide things into. It’s really that simple!
Purchase a Premium Male or Female Bong & Accessories from TAG
When looking at male vs. female bong products, you've got plenty of options to choose from, as well as accessories to pair with them, when you shop at Thick Ass Glass. There are plenty of other factors to consider when buying your water pipe parts, such as joint sizes, additional filters and material, but those are topics for another article.
Ready to choose a bubbler, bowl or other type of water pipe? Or eager to find the right bowls or adapters now that your pipe's gender is sorted out? Thick Ass Glass has you covered.