Buying A Shisha

There are different types of Shisha pipe and whether buying from a shop or buying online, its important to know the differences.

Standard Pipe This is your basic shisha pipe, with a single hose. For the best smoking experience get a pipe of at least 24" in height. They vary in design, are fairly cheap and are perfect as a first pipe. All pipes come in different styles, such as Egyptian or Syrian. They all smoke the same, just depends on the look you like!
	Twin Hosed Pipe These pipes are excellent if you smoke with several people. It means you don't have to keep passing the hose around. Just remember that the other person needs to keep their finger on their hose for the other to smoke! Triple and Quad pipes are available if you smoke with even more people or are just very lazy!
Rotator Pipe These excellent pipes spin round 360° and make passing the hoses very easy. With a rotating shisha, no one has to get up or lean across his neighbor to smoke. They tend to be the most expensive and will be more suited to regular shisha smokers. I personally have one and highly recommend them!

Buying from a Shop

More and more shops are starting to sell shisha pipes and it is likely there maybe one in your area. The best place I have found is Edgeware Road, London. This street is filled with shisha shops and has a huge choice of pipes. It is usually possible to barter with the shopkeepers to get an even better deal! Don't be afraid to ask to swap a base or hose if one has caught your eye.

Why not try a shisha at one of the many shisha cafes, before you rush out and buy your own!

When you buy a shisha pipe it should come with a few accessories to get you started including:

• Tobacco
• Coals
• Metal Tongs
• Wind Cover
• and possibly mouth pieces and a charcoal screen

Al-Mustafa on Edgware Road has a good selection of shisha pipes and a fantastic choice of tobacco.

Buying Online

Online sites offer very good ranges and provide delivery. However their prices can be more expensive and its hard to tell how the pipe will look from a picture. However I have found that if you purchase a shisha online you will normally get lots of extras and accessories thrown in for free!

If you can't get to a shop it is well worth buying online. Here are a few links to website's that may be of interest:

Shisha Pipe UK	Hookahkings
Hookah and Shisha Central	TheHookah
Sahara Smoke Co.	Hookahook
Shisha-hookah	Hookah
BuildAHookah - Custom Build Your Own Hookah and Shisha