Glass Hand Pipes

A hand pipe is the simplest glass there is. Bowl, chamber, mouthpiece, all one piece. No water, nothing to fill.

Every hand pipe on this page carries the Helix inside it: Venturi inlets that pull outside air into the draw and spin it cool before it reaches you. Up to 700°F in. Around 100°F out.

Five shapes, one idea. The Classic, three steamrollers, a spoon, a chillum and the Sidecar, plus custom builds and finished one-of-a-kind pieces from Boxfan himself. Hand-spun borosilicate. Designed by Boxfan, engineered in Texas.

What is a hand pipe?

Hand pipe (hand′ pīp′) n. A dry glass pipe held in one hand, with the bowl, chamber and mouthpiece in a single piece. Also called a handpipe or a glass pipe. Spoons, chillums and steamrollers are all hand pipes.

THE HELIX STARTED AS A HAND PIPE.

The Helix Classic is the original shape, held since the Venturi patent in 2007 and still in production. Every other piece on this page runs the same idea at a different size.

How a Helix hand pipe cools without water

A plain hand pipe is a straight run from the bowl to your mouth. A Helix puts a cooling chamber in between, and the air does the work in five steps:

1. Hot draw enters — up to 700°F.
2. Micro injectors pull in cool, ambient air.
3. Mixes in the Venturi chamber.
4. Pressure drops, streams coalesce.
5. Exits cool — around 100°F.

That is the Venturi effect: a moving stream drops in pressure and pulls outside air in from the side. Less heat, more terps. See how a Helix cools smoke without water.

Every hand pipe we make, side by side

Which hand pipe is yours?

You want the original. The Classic. The Clear Classic shows the swirl working; the Silver Fumed Classic carries a .999 silver-fumed head that shifts color as you use it.

You want it in your pocket. The Solo Chillum at 3.5″ or the Solo Spoon at 4″. Same cooling, smaller glass. More in the Travel Series.

You want a straight, open draw. A steamroller. The Hybrid adds the Classic Venturi chamber and its three Trinity inlets.

You want to choose the colors. The Custom Builder. You make the choices; the inventor makes the glass.

You want one of a kind. The fully worked pieces from the Artisan Collection. One of each. When it is gone, it is gone.

Hand pipe questions

What is the difference between a spoon, a chillum and a steamroller?

Shape. A spoon is the curved pocket shape with the bowl up front. A chillum is a straight tube with the bowl at the tip. A steamroller is a longer straight tube, open all the way through. All three are hand pipes, and on a Helix all three are air-cooled.

How does a hand pipe cool without water?

With air. Venturi inlets pull outside air into the draw and spin it into a vortex before it reaches you. Up to 700°F in. Around 100°F out.

Which size should I pick?

Longer glass gives the swirl more room to work before it reaches you. The OG is the full-length version. The Micro and the Solo pieces carry easier.

What are Helix hand pipes made of?

Hand-spun borosilicate, every piece on this page. The Silver Fumed Classic adds .999 silver fumed into the head.

How do you clean a glass hand pipe?

The same way as any Helix. The five-step method is on the Understand page. A clean chamber cools better.

Who makes the Helix?

Boxfan, the inventor. At the torch since 1997, one of the original 24 Snodgrass apprentices, and the Helix Venturi has been his since the patent in 2007.

How fast does it ship?

In-stock pieces ship from Texas in 1–2 business days. Free US shipping on orders $70+. 21+.