All You Need to Know About Chillum Pipe Types and History

The word chillum is believed to have originated from the word (Challam) borrowed from Hindu or Persia.

A chillum is best described as a type of smoking pipe, also sometimes referred to as a “hand pipe”. A traditional chillum is mostly formed like a tube or pipe and is hollow inside. Most chillums possess a tube shape and some others have undergone transformation like being encased or stylized. One of such chillums is the Monkey pipe which resembles a pocket knife.

Chillum Pipe Origins

Chillums were initially found mostly in India, South America, and Africa. Smoked by Sadhus and Rastafarians and popularized by hippies, the origin of the chillum has been a subject of huge debate.

The smoking pipes are believed to be made from cow and bull horns which is mind boggling. Chillums gained popularity in the 1960’s and 1970’s in the west primarily due to the hippie culture. The hippies got familiar with the use of chillums via the daily living of an Indian known as Sadhus, who conceived smoking to be a way of getting acquainted with the gods. It is generally believed that the smoking of chillum by Sadhus and some Shiva devotes is in honor of Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the world who was a heavy smoker of weed and bhang drink.

Chillum Benefits

The benefits of chillum are that it delivers a strong hit of the herb, good for smokers who desire to get the experience in the totality. Chillum is believed to be amongst the simplest devices for smoking available, though like many brands, it has evolved with a few changes attempted, it has albeit maintained its simple and classic design. The size of the chillum is also believed to determine largely the thought one holds about it and the experience one has, mostly the fact that the shorter the chillum, the hotter the inhaled smoke becomes. The longer pipe reduces the smoke before it’s inhaled, so in essence, every smoker of the chillum pipe should make a good decision in terms of size.

However, for those who are new to smoking and don't know how to use a chillum yet, short chillums are not good enough as chances are they can be too short to handle and possibly require trials to smoke well. For a beginner smoker of chillum, a six-to-seven-inch pipe is good to start with while for long time smokers, a four-to-five-inch pipe which will give a hot sensation that lasts a long time. Lastly, chillum is best shared as the high tensed hit derived from the pipe shows it’s sufficient for one and other people around. When you get to smoke chillum, ensure to make the joy go round.

Materials For Making Chillums

Chillums are mostly available in a variety of expansive materials, though all through history, much of the design of chillum has maintained a status quo. The chillum you settle for largely determines the experience you have while smoking the pipes. There are basically two common materials chillums are made from: Glass and Wood.

Glass chillum mainly possesses a good cooling outcome, though they could get smashed when shared amongst a group of smokers. Wooden chillum are mostly affordable which largely makes it the choice of the people. Some of the materials which are used in the formation of the wooden chillum include soap stone or clay.

Price Ranges for Chillums

The price range of chillum usually varies due to a few determining factors, which are the material it’s made of, how it was made, and the overall size. Whether the material used to make a chillum is wooden or glass, one cannot necessarily determine what the price will be, the construction quality and size mainly determines the price of a chillum.

Long Term it is important to state here that regardless of the different price range, one of the factors to consider in purchasing a chillum is its durability in the long term. There are chillums that could be found at five to twelve dollars, while some, on the other hand, can be found at a slightly higher price of twenty to fifty dollars. The purpose it serves in the long run justifies the investment. On rare occasions, it’s possible to find chillums made from special materials, one of them is stone. It is one of the highly regarded materials for making a chillum pipe as it performs an outstanding task in cooling down smoke because the property of its composite materials makes them allergic to heat.

Types Of Chillum Pipes

There are mainly three common types of chillums, and they come in different shapes and styles. They is the One-Hitter, Dugout pipes and the Monkey Pipes.

One-Hitter

Another name for this is “tasting pipes”. They are typically smaller both in diameter and length. They also typically get you 1-3 hits, depending on the pack and how hard you puff. This type of pipe resembles a typical normal chillum, mainly because they’re designed to have a single hit. One-hitter pipe can be made from either wood or glass. The glass made one-hitter pipes mostly produces a better and smoother taste than the wooden types as the latter possesses the scents of the woods they’re produced from.

Dugout Pipes

It is largely believed that the dugout pipe was an invention of a smoker who was averse to moving his pipe and his product separately, so he came up with an easy way to carry the case for the two. Dugout pipes closely resembles a lighter with its small rectangular case. It possesses spaces that can size a one-hitter pipe and another space that holds herb. The convenience the dugout pipe offers a smoker is a core reason as to why it remains a favorite.

Monkey Pipes

The Monkey pipe is also widely referred to as the “Fisherman’s friend. Gotten from the dugout pipe, the Monkey pipe is a brand name for a style of chillum which began in the 1990’s. Some of the unique features of the monkey pipe are that they are small, compact, and discreet. Non-smokers who are not familiar with smoking will find it hard identifying the monkey pipe as it shares a resemblance with a pocketknife. It has a joint where it can be swiveled and closed.

Conclusion

If a discreet smoking experience is what you want, the way to go is chillum pipes. The one hitter is perfect for on the go smoking and does not need too much preparing for. Just ensure your buds are pre-ground if you are heading out of the house. Chillums offer a throwback feel for enjoying your herbs in a more old-school fashioned way. This makes you appreciate their simple and effective design.

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