Difference Between Scientific and Heady Glass

There are a number of fundamental differences between the two categories known as scientific and heady glass. There are spectacular examples of both simple and intricate glass in either department, but each kind of piece generally has its pluses and minuses. To figure out which you should go with or where you land on the “scientific vs. heady glass” debate, consider the basic ways these kinds of pipes, bongs, bubblers, and more differ from one another.

What Is Scientific Glass?
Scientific glass pieces are often made out of borosilicate glass, which combines the chemical boron with the usual silicate construction of glass in order to create a stronger, more heat-resistant material. Borosilicate glass is what they use to make Pyrex dishes and other cookware. In general, it results in a higher quality, more resilient piece than typical glass. It's also less likely to break in response to either heat or physical stress. If you’re prone to clumsiness and knock over your pieces a lot, scientific glass is probably right up your alley since the last thing you want is to shatter an irreplaceable heady bong by using it as your daily glass.

What is Heady Glass?

While not all handblown glass is heady, all heady glass is handblown. Usually one-of-a-kind or part of a limited run, these truly unique pieces typically have intricate detailing and beautifully worked glass features (like this Zink dab rig). Some heady glass can be themed or simply present new looks not usually seen in the pipe world.

How Do Scientific and Heady Glass Designs Differ?
Heady glass is known not for its physical resilience but for its dedication to exploring creative, highly personalized design elements made using advanced glassblowing techniques. Many glassblowers who make heady pieces are partial to incorporating intricate aesthetic flair into their pieces, mainly sculptural accents or bright colors. You can’t deny how incredibly creative and eye-catching some heady glass can be, and if you’re looking for something with a trippy or pop culture nature to it then heady glass is the direction you want to go in.

Scientific glass is most often clear with minor colored elements if any, and little variation in design aesthetic. Many scientific pieces stick to their original inspiration: the straight-lined beakers and thin tubes of science labs. Although they might not consistently be as visually striking as heady glass because of these design choices, scientific pieces are usually easier to clean.

Where scientific glass design does like to explore is in the filtration department. Scientific glass tends to play around with various types of filters and percs, from honeycombs to showerheads and everything in between. Whether you’re shopping for a bong or a hammer bubbler, scientific glass is absolutely the department where you’ll find the most serious dedication to pieces that focus on breaking down and cooling smoke. Scientific glass pieces, therefore, tend to create a smoking experience that is less harsh and often incorporates ice cubes or other chilled elements like glycerin coils into the mix.

The Adaptability of Scientific Glass
The importance of having a piece with percolators can’t be overstated, and even if you’re not interested in a bong with percs built into it you can still adapt any scientific setup to work with external ashcatchers and filters. That level of customization is one of scientific glass’ unsung benefits: with the right types of joint connectors and maybe a couple of keck clips you can really build up and out to make the setup you want. As smokers acknowledge more and more the importance of broken-down, filtered smoke, it makes sense that scientific glass will only grow in popularity (and that heady glass will also start to take perc incorporation more seriously).

The whole point of heady glass is that it’s made in limited runs by highly skilled glassmakers with unique visions, so compatibility with standardized pieces isn’t really the MO. It’s definitely harder to replace heady glass than scientific glass for this reason, which is something to keep in mind if you tend to be guilty of breaking pieces.

Difference in Price
Both heady and scientific glass can get expensive, but heady glass really escalates quickly into the “art” price point. Be aware that you can end up finding yourself falling in love with something only to notice the multi-thousand dollar price tag. That said: if you’re looking for a piece to give as a gift for a birthday or wedding, heady glass speaks louder than a Hallmark card.

Though it was really pricy for a while, scientific glass is now available at surprisingly accessible price points. You can even get a borosilicate chillum these days if you’re really looking for the bare minimum or to save a couple of bucks.

So, Should I Get Heady Glass or Scientific Glass?
They’ve each got their pluses and minuses. It really boils down to whether you prefer a clean, customizable design that easily pairs with add-ons or are looking for something more complex and artful. If your design impulses lean readily away from minimalism, you’ve pretty much got your answer: get weird and go heady. Otherwise, you can basically find something that will suit your needs either way. It all depends on how much you want to spend at the end of the day.