Choosing a bong today feels more complicated than it should be.
You’ll hear terms like "honeycomb," "matrix," and "tree arm" thrown around, often without anyone explaining how they actually affect the way a piece smokes.
I started Thick Ass Glass because I couldn’t stand seeing poorly designed glass passed off as premium. Function, airflow, and durability aren’t optional; they’re the foundation of a good piece.
If you’re wondering whether a honeycomb bong is better than a "regular" percolator bong, the first thing to know is that honeycomb is a type of percolator and just one approach to solving the same problem: cooling and filtering smoke without choking airflow.
Some designs succeed better than others, and small engineering details can make the difference between a smooth, satisfying rip and a sluggish, frustrating pull.
How Percolators Change Bong Design
Before percolators, bongs were little more than hollow chambers.
The idea was simple: use water to cool smoke before it reached your lungs. It worked, but not well. Thick smoke would crash into the water with almost no real filtration, leaving you with harsh, throat-biting hits.
The cooling effect was minimal, and clearing a big tube felt like taking a punch to the chest.
Percolators force the smoke to work harder. Instead of one large bubble shooting through the water, percolators break the smoke into dozens, or even hundreds, of smaller bubbles.
This increases the surface area of the smoke that touches the water, dramatically improving both cooling and filtration. Hits became smoother, flavors stayed intact longer, and your lungs didn’t feel wrecked after a session.
Adding a perc also changed the character of a bong hit itself.
Pulls became steadier, more controlled. Instead of rushing to clear the chamber in a single breath, smokers could enjoy longer, more flavorful draws. Function mattered now, not just size.
Engineered correctly, a percolator can completely redefine the way a bong feels in your hands and hits your lungs. Poorly made percs, though, introduce drag, kill airflow, or clog easily.
What Actually Is a Percolator Bong?
A percolator isn’t necessarily a type of bong. Rather, it’s a mechanism inside the bong that changes the way the smoke moves through the water.
A "perc" is designed to diffuse smoke into smaller bubbles, exposing more surface area to the water, cooling it down, and filtering it before you inhale. It’s a feature, not a category.
A lot of people hear terms like "honeycomb bong" or "tree perc bong" and assume they’re two completely different things.
They're not. A honeycomb bong is a percolator bong, it just uses a honeycomb-style perc instead of a tree, showerhead, or matrix perc.
Different names, same underlying purpose: better cooling, cleaner flavor, and smoother hits.
Where it gets interesting is how different percolator designs prioritize those goals. Some designs, like a matrix perc, chase maximum filtration with dense, fine diffusion.
Others, like a showerhead or inline perc, focus on keeping airflow unrestricted, making it easier to pull steady, full hits without feeling like you’re fighting the piece.
Each style carries trade-offs.
The tighter the diffusion, the harder you have to pull. The simpler the design, the easier the maintenance.
Some smokers want the smoothest, coldest hits no matter the effort. Others want consistent performance and low upkeep. That’s why I obsess over airflow when designing TAG pieces like this 16’’ Double Honeycomb to Spinning Splash Guard bong.
The Honeycomb Bong: Simplicity That Wins
When I first came across honeycomb percs, I immediately understood why people loved them, but also why most companies were getting them wrong.
Honeycomb designs strip out the unnecessary and focus on pure function: clean cooling, fast pulls, and easy maintenance. When engineered properly, they offer one of the smoothest daily smoking experiences you can get from a glass piece.
But small mistakes, bad disc placement, poor hole sizing, can turn a honeycomb bong from a pleasure into a chore. Here’s what matters.
How Honeycomb Percolators Work
Honeycomb percs are exactly what they sound like: thin, disc-shaped filters packed with dozens of tiny holes. Instead of sending thick clouds of smoke directly through water like a basic bong would, the honeycomb disc breaks the smoke into thousands of tiny bubbles instantly.
This massive increase in surface contact between smoke and water cools and filters your hit with surprising efficiency.
It happens so quickly and evenly that you don’t get those harsh, hot pockets of smoke that some poorly diffused bongs create. Good honeycomb designs are about one thing: maximum filtration with minimal drag.
Why Smokers Love Honeycomb Designs
What sets honeycomb percs apart is how little they fight back.
You don't have to pull your lungs out of your chest just to get a smooth hit. Compared to a matrix or a dense tree perc, a well-made honeycomb feels effortless without sacrificing cooling.
Maintenance is another major advantage.
With tree arms or intricate recyclers, cleaning becomes a project. But the flat, single-disc design of a honeycomb means fewer places for resin and ash to hide.
A quick rinse with ISO and coarse salt usually brings it right back to clean.
For anyone who values consistent performance without the constant babysitting, honeycomb bongs just make more sense.
Things to Watch Out For
Despite all the advantages, not every honeycomb bong hits the mark. Water level matters a lot.
Too much water and you’ll clog the tiny holes, killing airflow. Too little and you lose the full cooling benefit.
Placement also matters.
If the disc sits too high above the downstem intake, the hit can feel "thumpy", you’ll get that awkward lapse before the chamber clears.
We solved this early by tightening the distance between the intake and the disc. It’s a small adjustment most companies don’t bother making, but it’s the reason our honeycomb pieces pull as smoothly as they do.
Other Types Of Percs: Tree, Matrix, and Inline Percolators
Honeycomb bongs are a great choice for a lot of smokers, but they're not the only way to fine-tune a smoking experience.
Some people want even more filtration, more cooling, or a different kind of pull feel that a honeycomb disc can't fully deliver.
That’s where other percolator styles come in. If you're particular about how your glass functions, and you should be, it's worth knowing what these other percs do differently and why they might fit better depending on your session style.
Tree Percs
Tree percs are one of the oldest engineered designs in water pipes.
They’re built with a central stem that branches into multiple arms, each with slits at the bottom to diffuse smoke through water. When done well, tree percs stack bubbles smoothly, creating thick clouds that feel light and silky when you inhale.
The downside is obvious to anyone who’s owned one for a while.
Those thin arms are fragile. A slight bump during cleaning or travel can snap one, turning a perfectly good piece into a deadweight.
Cleaning is also harder. Resin collects in the arms, and getting into those narrow chambers without the right tools is a hassle.
They function beautifully when they're intact, but they demand respect and patience.
Matrix Percs
Matrix percolators are the heavy lifters of the filtration world. They feature dense grids of holes that micro-filter smoke into countless tiny bubbles.
If you want a hit so cool it feels almost refrigerated, a well-built matrix perc delivers.
But that level of filtration comes at a cost: drag.
Matrix setups typically require a stronger, steadier pull to function properly. They’re also harder to maintain. Residue builds quickly inside the tiny slits and holes, making regular deep-cleaning non-negotiable.
If you're chasing the smoothest hit imaginable and don't mind the upkeep, matrix designs can be worth it, but they aren't for the casual smoker.
Inline Percs
Inline percs are much simpler. They’re straight horizontal tubes, usually slotted along the top, that diffuse smoke before it rises into another perc or chamber.
Because they’re horizontal, they don’t add as much drag, and they pair incredibly well with recyclers or multi-perc systems where you need smooth transitions between chambers.
Inlines don’t offer as much standalone filtration as a honeycomb or matrix, but they shine when used as part of a larger system.
They also avoid the fragile arm problem that tree percs suffer from, making them a smart choice for anyone worried about durability.
Showerhead Percs
Showerhead percs deserve their own lane. They're often mentioned alongside honeycombs or trees, but they’re a different mechanism entirely, and that difference matters.
A showerhead perc starts with a vertical downstem that flares outward at the base. Along that flared edge, a ring of slits or holes forces the smoke out in a uniform radial pattern.
The result is even diffusion with solid cooling, but without the resistance that comes with matrix-style or stacked-tree designs.
Many experienced smokers I talk to say they prefer a single showerhead perc paired with a solid base over more complex systems.
The reason is simple: it’s consistent. It doesn’t clog easily, it doesn’t require deep cleaning tools, and it doesn’t fall apart if you bump it against the sink.
For beginners upgrading from a dry pipe or straight tube, showerhead percs are often the smartest starting point. They give you noticeable filtration without overcomplicating the pull.
And for daily drivers, the low-maintenance design is hard to beat. If you're the kind of smoker who wants something that works every time without fuss, a good showerhead perc delivers exactly that, no over-engineering required.
Stacking It Up: Can You Mix and Match Percolators?
Stacking percolators is where a lot of smokers try to dial in that “perfect hit.”
And yes, mixing perc styles can work, when it’s done right. Pairing a honeycomb with a tree perc gives you dense filtration followed by smooth diffusion, resulting in ultra-cool, feather-light hits.
But the downside is obvious: cleaning becomes a project. You’ve now got fragile arms and a disc full of micro-holes collecting resin at the same time. It adds up quickly.
If you’re looking for high function without the maintenance headache, a honeycomb + showerhead combo is tough to beat. The honeycomb disc handles precision filtration, while the showerhead maintains consistent airflow and helps push the smoke through efficiently.
It’s what I consider an ideal daily driver setup, smooth, reliable, and easy to keep clean.
We’ve built multi-perc systems that avoid the usual pitfalls.
If you’re going to stack percs, make sure the design supports the function. Otherwise, you’re just making your piece harder to use without getting anything back.
Which Type of Bong Should You Choose?
Choosing the right bong starts with how you like to smoke, not how flashy the glass looks.
Every percolator type brings a different feel to the session. Some prioritize silky, chilled hits. Others lean toward big clouds and visual drama. And then there are setups built for efficiency and ease of use.
There’s no single “best” option, only what matches your priorities.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
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If you want smooth, effortless daily hits → Go with a honeycomb perc. You’ll get solid filtration, fast pulls, and a design that’s easy to clean.
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If you want maximum filtration for long sessions or group smoking → Look at matrix or tree percs. These stack diffusion for an ultra-smooth rip, but require more cleaning and care.
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If you want simple, dependable function with easy upkeep → Choose a showerhead perc. Great balance between performance and low maintenance.
Whatever you pick, focus on function first. A clean hit, strong airflow, and durability matter more than complexity.
Know Your Percs, Control Your Rips
There’s no shortcut to finding the right bong, it comes down to understanding how you smoke and choosing a piece that matches it.
If you want daily reliability without the maintenance battle, a honeycomb or showerhead perc will serve you better. If you’re chasing ultimate diffusion for bigger sessions, a tree or matrix setup might make sense, just know what you’re signing up for.
We build pieces that perform day in and day out, designed around real airflow, real durability, and real function.
When you invest in the right design from the start, your sessions get better without extra work.
Know your smoking style first. The right percolator, and the right bong, will follow naturally. If you’re ready for gear that lives up to what it promises, we’ve got plenty of it in our diverse collection.