The Raked Beaker is an 8-inch beaker bong in thick borosilicate, run on a 14.5mm female joint with a fixed downstem diffuser. It has an ice catcher in the neck, a flared mouthpiece, and it ships with a handled 14.5mm male herb slide in one of two colourways.
Raked refers to the colour work — molten glass pulled across the surface while it is still workable, so the pattern is in the material rather than printed on it and cannot wear off.
The build
The ice catcher is the spec that earns its place. Three pinches in the neck hold cubes above the water line, so smoke passes through a cold column after it has already been diffused. On an eight-inch piece, where there is not much vertical distance to cool a pull naturally, that does most of the work.
The downstem diffuser is fixed. That means one fewer part to break or lose and a piece that cannot be assembled wrong, at the cost of not being able to swap in a different diffusion later.
The flared mouthpiece is a comfort detail that matters more than it sounds. A flare gives your lips a wider surface to seal against, which is the difference between a clean pull and one that leaks at the edges.
Specs
- Height: 8 inches
- Material: Thick borosilicate glass
- Joint: 14.5mm female
- Downstem: Fixed diffuser
- Ice catcher: Yes, in the neck
- Mouthpiece: Flared
- Included: Handled 14.5mm male herb slide
- Colourways: Two
- Price: $49.99
Who it suits
This is a daily driver and a travel piece. Eight inches fits in a bag in a way a twelve-inch beaker does not, and thick glass on a beaker base is the combination that survives being moved regularly.
It is also a sensible first bong. The 14.5mm joint is the most widely stocked size in American glass, so replacement bowls, downstems and ash catchers are on the shelf in every shop and in every price bracket.
The included handled slide means it works the day it arrives. Plenty of glass at this price ships as a body and leaves you to source a bowl separately.
The honest limit is height. Eight inches gives you less natural cooling than a full-size beaker, which is exactly why the ice catcher is there — used dry, it will run warmer than a twelve-inch piece.
For more height in the same family, the Scientific Beaker Base is the step up, the Clear Glass Basic is the plainer option, and the Rubber Grommet Beaker trades the ground joint for a removable grommet stem. For adults 21 and over.