by Angel Ferrer 7 min read
A steamroller pipeis a cylinder-shaped hand pipe designed for large, bong-like hits but without water filtration. It has the biggest carburetor hole of any weed pipe, making it the strongest type of hand pipe.
How it works: With a steamroller, you light the bowl, and the smoke fills the tube. Once the bowl burns out, you remove your hand from the large carb at the end of the tube to force all the smoke into your lungs in one powerful hit.
Why it’s different: A steamroller pipe is the strongest hand pipe on the market, and larger-size steamrollers have the same strength potential as a bong rip. Steamrollers shine in giving you the strongest hits using less cannabis, which saves you money.
Things to consider: While steamrollers are stronger and stretch your stash, they lack water filtration like bongs, so the hits are much harsher and can lead to coughing. If you need help deciding check out our article on how to choose a weed pipe.
A steamroller pipe is a long hollow tube made of glass with both ends completely open. One end is used for inhaling (mouthpiece), while the opposite end acts as a carburetor, to control airflow. The bowl is positioned near the carb’s end, sitting outside the tube.
Carburetor: A steamroller pipe has the largest carb compared to any other dry pipe and is positioned differently compared to a spoon pipe’s carb. The larger carb and its position allow an instant rush of air, sending smoke straight through the tube forcing the smoke into your lungs for a powerful condensed hit.
Yes, steamrollers are great to smoke out of because they deliver powerful, unfiltered hits. They’re easy to use, light, and don’t require water filtration so stay cleaner longer. However, their strength can be intense, making them perfect for smoking small amounts of cannabis and still getting strong effects.
The benefit of a steamroller pipe is its unmatched potency. With no water percolator, you get the full strength of cannabinoids and terpenes in each hit, preserving flavor and maximizing effects. This makes steamrollers one of the strongest pipes for getting strong effects with very minimal flowers.
Warning: While steamroller pipes are beloved for their potency, the catch is the hits are much harsher. Make sure you check out how to use a carburetor to control the smoke’s heat to learn how to use the carb to tone down harsh hits with a steamroller.
Learn: Pipe vs Bong (which one is better).
Benefits of a steamroller pipe:
One of the major benefits of steamroller pipes is how efficient they are.
You need fewer hits with a steamroller than you would with other pipes to get the desired effects.
This means less cannabis is needed to get the same outcome compared to other methods like a bubbler or spoon pipe. As long as you can handle the harsher hits, steamrollers are a great way to stretch your stash and save money.
A steamroller pipe is so much stronger because its large carb at the end allows a rush of air to push smoke quickly into your lungs.
Unlike a spoon pipe’s small side carb, the large carb hole of a steamroller pipe introduces more oxygen behind the smoke which pushes all the smoke deep into your lungs. The deeper hit engages your diaphragm which stretches your lung for more THC to be absorbed.
Unlike bongs and weed pipes, steamrollers are one of the easiest pipes to clean.
Whether you’re cleaning a bong or cleaning a weed pipe, both have very hard-to-reach nooks and crannies that require you to submerge or fill your bong or pipe in Isopropyl alcohol.
A steamroller has both ends completely exposed so you can clean with a brush and some IPA and salt, much faster than you would when cleaning a weed pipe.
The difference between a bong and a steamroller pipe is water filtration. Both heat cannabis in a glass bowl, but a bong pulls the smoke through water bubbles to filter and cool. With a steamroller, removing your hand from the carb sends the unfiltered smoke straight to your lungs.
Think of a steamroller as a horizontal bong:
A steamroller fills the tube up with smoke, and once you remove your hand from the opposite end (the carb) air rushes into the tube forcing all the smoke into your lungs in one powerful hit, similar to a bong rip.
Without water filtration, the smoke can be hotter which can lead to coughing.
Steamroller pipes come in different shapes and sizes, but what impacts the experience the most issize:
The impact on size is the same when it comes to how size affects bongs as well.
Below are all the different types of steamroller pipes:
The mini steamroller packs a quick punch.
The smaller size creates a short yet direct path from herb to lungs, meaning you get a fast and concentrated hit similar to a mini bong.
The shorter length means less smoke buildup, resulting in a sharper more intense burst of smoke. The shorter length also means smoke has less time to cool, so expect a harsher hit.
The classic standard-size steamroller pipe offers a much better balance between airflow and smoke volume.
The average length tube allows the smoke to cool more and gives more space for smoke to fill in the chamber. However, the carb is larger so when releasing you get much more airflow than you would a mini steamroller. That means you get a very strong and potent hit that can lead to coughing.
Large steamroller pipes deliver a massive, full-bodied hit (unfiltered for potency).
Think of these larger pipes as horizontal bongs without the water filtration. The extra space lets more smoke accumulate which gives you a much denser smoke. While the longer pipe does help cool the smoke by forcing smoke to travel further, the larger carb (which requires an entire hand to cover) delivers much more force than even a bong rip!
This makes large steamroller pipes one of the strongest dry pipes on the market and even gives bong rips a level competitor in strength.
A curved steamroller pipe, often featured in mini sizes (4-6 inches) makes the steamroller more comfortable to hold and light. Instead of being a straight cylinder tube, they curve at a slight angle.
Beyond the ergonomic benefits, the shape allows smoke to travel in a gentler arc, cooling the smoke slightly before reaching your lungs. The banana-curved body also prevents the steamroller from rolling off the table which is common with most standard cylinder steamrollers that don’t feature anti-rolling elements.
One key difference between a steamroller pipe and a spoon pipe is the placement and size of the carb.
A carburetor is a small hole usually near the bowl end of a dry pipe. Spoon pipes have their carb on the left side of the bowl to help moderate the airflow for a smoother hit.
Steamrollers have their carb at the opposite end of the tube, creating a carb that is often 10-100 times larger than a spoon pipe. The position of the carb creates a direct pathway for air to rush in and shoot smoke into your lungs which much more force than a spoon pipe.
In short:Yes, both weed pipe and steamroller have carbs but a steamroller has a much larger carb and it makes a steamroller much stronger than a standard weed pipe.
A steamroller is a dry pipe and offers very little filtration or smoke diffusion, which is why the hits feel stronger, and hotter, and can lead to coughing.
The lack of water or percolation means the smoke remains dense and potent from bowl to lungs. This is perfect if you want an unfiltered inhale of cannabinoids and terpenes, but the lack of filtration also means it can be harsher on the lungs.
How to add filtration to steamroller pipes:
Some steamroller pipes feature removable glass bowls. If that’s the case, you can use a bong filter which adds a carbon filter and water filtration system to your steamroller pipe. Make sure your bowl size and joint size line up or else the attachment won’t function with your steamroller.
Steamroller pipes offer a unique and potent cannabis experience, bridging the gap between hand pipes and bongs. These cylindrical devices deliver powerful, unfiltered hits by housing an ultra-large carburetor at the end of the tube, which forces smoke directly into your lungs.
While they lack water filtration, steamrollers excel in efficiency, meaning you need very little cannabis to feel strong effects with a steamroller.
The simplicity of steamrollers makes them incredibly easy to clean compared to bongs and spoon pipes. However, this convenience comes with a trade-off: harsher hits that may lead to coughing.
When comparing steamrollers to other smoking methods:
If you are looking for a powerful hand pipe that’s easy to use, steamrollers are a great option, as long as you can handle the harsher hits.
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