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The world of smoking paraphernalia is vast and diverse, from simple-looking pipes and one-hitters to tech-inclined bongs and pipes that just scream luxury. While some are made for flowers, others can be better with extracts.
Chillum, on the other hand, is something that can help you do both. But what’s a chillum, you might ask? Basically, think of the offspring of a pipe and one-hitter with some dabbing rig DNA in the middle.
Chillums are small smoking devices that can be used for flowers or extracts and can fit nicely in your pocket. If you want to know more about where they come from, how to use them, and which ones we recommend, you can explore them with us in the article down below.
Key Takeaways
- Chillum pipes are small smoking devices made from glass, metal, and even stone in a single tube.
- What is a chillum pipe used for? Users generally use this kind of device to smoke weed, extracts, or both of them.
- These devices are fairly easy to use, as you can pack nugs even without milling or try extracts in small doses with higher-quality materials.
- Chillums are slightly bigger than one-hitters which come in a sleeve, while glass blunts are a more sophisticated version of these single-tube pipes.
What is Chillum Pipe?
So, what is a chillum pipe? This small smoking device is basically the ancestor of one-hitters and pipes but in a slightly larger body. To put it simply, a chillum pipe is a straight pipe with a bowl at the end and a mouthpiece at the other.
These are one of the most simple pípe designs around and date way back to ancestral times when weed and other herbs were used in rituals or as part of an ancestral medicine system.
Chillums are usually made from glass, but they can be very diverse. You can find these small pipes from stone, clay, wood, and even metal. So in a sense, they are like the elder sibling of a one-hitter, with a larger body that can get you blazed in a few seconds.
What is a Chillum Pipe Used For?
The general answer for this is weed, but you can also smoke herbs and extracts out of a chillum pipe.
Of course, chillum weed will hit strongly and have lots of flavors, but it can also be a pretty great starting point if you want to dabble into the world of extracts. We would first try moon rocks or trying hemp-extract-infused weed before dabbing directly since extracts can hit a lot harder than nugs.
That said, not all chillum pipes are designed for this. You’ll want to do this with non-porous materials that can sustain heat, so metal, medical-grade glass, and ceramic are all good alternatives for dabbling with extracts. Since some materials can be porous and store extract residue, we’d skip stone and clay if you plan on mixing some extracts in your session.
How to Use a Chillum Pipe?
Using a chillum pipe can be pretty easy, as it is a straightforward process due to its unique design. First, grind your flower. You’ll want to grind it so it can burn evenly, but chillums will burn whole nugs or moon rocks in a pinch.
Now, stuff the milled flower or nugs at the chillum’s bowl end. Don’t pack this too tight! That will lead to really dense smoke and uneven burning. So try to pack it enough, so you have a good amount of weed, but it keeps the weed fluffy.
From here on, you’ll just have to light the bowl up. In this step, you can either use direct flame or a hemp wick, whatever suits your style best. And after you’ve got the fire up, it’s time to inhale and enjoy your delicious tokes.
Once you’ve got your weed ignited, you can expect it to stay lit for about 5 through 10 full puffs, depending on the bowl. Once you are done, make sure to dump the used weed and clean your chillum out with isopropyl alcohol or a mix of vinegar, water, and salt.
Different Types of Chillums
Much like the people who smoke from chillums, there’s a world out there of these kinds of pipes. Since they’ve been with us throughout our history, there are lots of materials, sizes, and even designs, but they all have in common the larger tube and a single mouthpiece end.
Let’s explore some of the materials you’ll find chillums out there.
Stone Chillums
Pipes can also be made from stone, usually from materials like onyx, pipestone, or other cool-looking stones like sodalite. You could use almost any soft stone that can be carved. Just make sure the stone doesn’t react to high temperatures or combustion before trying a stone pipe.
The main positive characteristic of chillums made with stone is their durability, as they can last a pretty long time with the correct stone. However, due to how porous they can get and the overall potential side effects of smoking certain minerals, we’d recommend going with other materials like glass.
Clay Chillums
Clay pipes are also a historical type of device since cultures have used both stone and clay for smoking for a long time. These are usually known for letting you taste the flower’s aromas and flavors without absorbing anything. Chillums made with clay tend to also cool down smoke due to their natural composition. However, some varieties can be porous, which can lead to bad maintenance of your pipe. If you’re the kind of person that probably won’t be too careful taking care of their chillum, then you should probably avoid clay pipes.
Glass Chillums
Nowadays, chillums’ main bodies are made from medical or food-grade glass. These are pretty easy to clean, resist heat, and also cool down relatively quickly as well. Most of them are easily breakable, though, so try looking for chillums with a silicon base.
The OG Chillum 4-inch American-Made Taster is an excellent borosilicate glass option for your first pipe. Besides its sturdy glass body, the price versus quality is very high. And while it might be simple, it is one of the best entry-level ways of enjoying quick hits without a complicated cleaning routine.
OG Chillum 4 inch American Made Taster
If all you need is an affordable, reliable one-hitter, this American Made OG Chillum is the perfect choice. Keep things simple with this durable glass chillum; it's easy to clean and ultra-portable!
Curled Octopus Tentacle Glass Chillum Pipe
Why settle for a run-of-the-mill hand pipe when you can blaze up with this cool Curled Octopus Tentacle Glass Pipe? This 3-inch long chillum-style hand pipe is made of thick and sturdy boro glass. It's shaped like an octopus tentacle, complete with sucker.
Wood Chillums
Wood chillums are also part of the small historical tour on pipe materials in this section. These usually have a trumpet-shaped bowl on one end and are used for rituals. You’ll usually find these with traditional medicine, although they are relatively hard to smoke from and will deteriorate with time.
Metal Chillums
Lastly, metals like stainless steel are fairly popular to use with pipes as well. You probably won’t find many smaller pipes like one-hitters or chillum with this material, but it is one of the sturdiest and easiest to clean. That said, some cheaper metals will give a metallic taste to your tokes, so you’ll trade durability for flavor.
Benefits of Chillum Pipes
A frequent question about the small device besides what is a chillum pipe used for is if there’s any benefit to it. And if you’ve smoked on the go or want to go lowkey, you might find a few benefits from using a smaller hitting pipe.
First of all, chillums are portable. You can pack them up with your weed or extract on the go and smoke whenever you want. With only a few inches long, you can put them in your pocket or bag without having a full-on pack.
Now, you do need a carrying case of sorts, as weed and extracts tend to have a distinctive smell. That said, even a blunt case will do the trick if you don’t want to spend much.
Secondly, you’ll find chillums are a great way to get a burst of flavor with a quick hit. This will let you really test the profile flavor thanks to the terpenes, which are responsible for the aromas and flavors of your strain.
Thirdly, chillums are a great way to really get the best out of your weed. Sometimes smoking from a pipe with a bad design can lead to waste. So, by using a smaller pipe, you can ensure that all of your packed bowls get consumed. And sometimes, a single bowl can last more than you’d expect, so it’s a solid option to get high on the get-go.
Chillum vs One-Hitter
What is a chillum’s arch-nemesis? We’d say a one-hitter. One-hitters have a similar concept to chillums. It is a single-hitting toke device that has a singular tube and packs the weed on the bottom.
The main difference between the two is the more intricate design of a chillum and that most one-hitters come with a “sleeve” to keep them in. Also, chillums generally have a sturdier design, while one-hitters can break fairly easily.
Chillum vs Pipe
What is a chillum’s best pro against a pipe? Its size and how easy it is to clean. While in theory, chillums are a kind of pipe, this can already tell you there’s a huge amount of types of pipes out there. Some are portable, but most ornate glass pipes won’t be as comfortable to take a few puffs on the go.
And while pipes are easy to use, sometimes cleaning can get tricky if the pipe has a very complicated design. This is where chillum’s shine the brightest, as they are usually pretty straightforward to clean: an alcohol rinse with a few scrubs with a poking tool will easily do the trick
Chillum vs Bowl
Bowls are a kind of pipe that usually have an emphasis on the place you put the weed. These devices usually have a larger, spheric side that connects to a tube and mouthpiece. Some of these are made from glass and there are even silicon bowls available.
While these can hold more weed than chillums, they are a little more difficult to clean on the get-go as the “bowl” part usually needs to be taken out and cleaned between sessions. So if you prefer quantity, go for a bowl pipe. If you prefer accessibility, try a chillum instead.
Chillum vs Glass Blunt
A glass blunt might be the chillum’s biggest rival. These pipes basically have a mechanism inside that you can open and use as if they were joints, only made out of materials like medical-grade glass.
Glass blunt might be a better option if you don’t mind two things: having a fairly good cleaning routine and maintenance and having some practice with grinding and preparing blunts. Chillums are more simple in design, but that also helps with simpler cleaning and overall smoking process.
Final Thoughts
So, what is a chillum? These small pipes are almost like siblings of one-hitters: small devices made from different materials like glass, metal, and clay, which have a mouthpiece on one end and a bowl on the other.
These are pretty easy to use and can be cleaned easily, and are the perfect step if you don’t want to have a bulkier smoking stash or want something that can be easily put in a bag or packet.
While one-hitters are better for single tokes, and pipes and glass blunts are better for smoking at home, Chillums are a solid midway option to enjoy delicious tokes and try extracts without having to break the bank.
Where to Buy Chillums Online?
Talking about banks, you might want to try some of these kinds of pipes. Chillums usually cost anywhere from $7 bucks and anywhere up to $40 bucks. A very affordable option is the Dankstop’s 4″ Clear Glass Chillum for a deep bowl with a clear view.
For something a little fancier, there are other options with much fancier designs, like this blown glass Rasta Swirl Chillum, also by Dankstop. This pipe is 4.25” long and has beautiful colored glass accents if you are into colorful smoking paraphernalia.
This Curled Octopus Tentacle Glass Chillum Pipe is perfect if you want a stunning piece that’s both small and can hold a few hits. With merely 3 inches but a really intricate design with colored borosilicate glass, this psychedelic octopus will always have a hand (tentacle) to lend.
OG Chillum 4 inch American Made Taster
If all you need is an affordable, reliable one-hitter, this American Made OG Chillum is the perfect choice. Keep things simple with this durable glass chillum; it's easy to clean and ultra-portable!
Curled Octopus Tentacle Glass Chillum Pipe
Why settle for a run-of-the-mill hand pipe when you can blaze up with this cool Curled Octopus Tentacle Glass Pipe? This 3-inch long chillum-style hand pipe is made of thick and sturdy boro glass. It's shaped like an octopus tentacle, complete with sucker.
Lastly, the Liquid Freezable Glitter Chillum is another eye-catching design by Dankstop. While it is the priciest on the list, it also has a freezable liquid chamber, so you can always get cold hits. Oh, and it glows in the dark. So you’ll probably love these for some smoking sessions outside while camping or generally at night.
Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission when you click links in this content. Our professional curators independently research and recommend products and services, with no newsroom involvement. Merchants can pay for a sponsored listing and may choose to rewrite their summary. When that happens, we label the listing as “Sponsored” and highlight it in grey to differentiate the merchant-provided content from our writing.