DIY Hookah Cleaning kit5/3/2016 I keep reading these terrible reviews on Amazon and Ebay about these cheap hookah cleaning kits. There is no consistency to what you get in the box and half the time whatever they did send doesn't work for your specific hookah. I figured I'd help you guys solve that problem once and for all since it seems there are a lot of "businesses" on Amazon and Ebay scamming us left and right. I recently pieced together 3 brushes that seem to do it all and will work in most medium and full sized hookahs. As long as you have a Khalil Mamoon or similarly sized and configured hookah, this will work better than any of those crappy kits they push out there for cheap. I've wasted a ton of money on ways to best clean the base, stem, and hose vent and breather valve tube. There's so much in there just waiting for you to get out if you aren't properly cleaning. Click on the images below to order them from Amazon. Now, this set is going to cost you $27.01 on Amazon (prime) but it's a worthy investment that will give you years of good service, keeping your favorite hookahs clean. I promise you won't be disappointed. This is the set I've put together that personally gets used on a daily basis. ![]() If you're an avid hookah enthusiast like me, you're always looking for new ways to enhance each session. Getting the best flavor, the biggest clouds, the least resistance, for the longest possible time. Those are all fundamentals we nail down before investing big bucks into accessories that don't actually change the outcome of the session. That's where this hookah stand from HookahStands.com comes in. It bridges the gap between form and function. It takes your hookah off the floor so you're not leaving a watermark on the carpet or wood. It makes it way easier and safer to share as you can easily roll your hookah across the room without knocking over your coals. It catches the ashes that do happen to blow off the tray. If you want to hand the hose off to someone you can spin the hookah itself like it's on a lazy-susan. It's so smooth. And it looks damn good doing it! I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and I have done everything I could to test it's ability to handle my level of use. Suffice to say it would be very suitable in a commercial/restaurant/bar environment. It's sturdy, it can take a beating, you can pick up the unit with a hookah sitting inside a filled ice bucket and it doesn't make a creak or feel like it's going to smash. I've rolled it on hard tile, cement, dirt, and carpet. It seems to roll smoother with more weight. It takes hookahs of various sizes too. You don't have to have a $300 Khalil Mamoon to work with this. Your entry level Sahara or off-brand hookahs will work. I have tested several bases and styles and the only style I had an issue with was the Mya mini. But that's to be expected as those sizes for desktop use. Now, I'm going to assume this is a byproduct of taking it off the ground, but comparing the two (even with a diffuser at the end of the stem) seems to make the pulls very smooth as it absorbs any vibration caused by puffs. I highly recommend ordering the two accessories that are available for the Hookah Stand. The available Ice Bucket will literally change the way you smoke. For years, we've been putting ice in our bases but it melts within 20-30 minutes and the temps seem to level off. Transversely, changing the quality of the hits as you now have only water in the base which gives you better clouds but now they are warmer and taste more tobacco-ish. Which it isn't as desirable to many. The ice-bucket changes that. Now, you can fill your base with water - and fruits if you feel so inclined - and leave the cooling job to the large volume of ice you can pack around the base. Providing hours - nearly 4 to be exact - of ice cold hookah water. This means longer, more enjoyable sessions. I am able to get two ice trays of ice in there. As they melt, they surround your hookah. Depending on ambient temps, the water in the ice bucket was cold for 24 hours. Wow. The other accessory is interesting and really completes the package. A matching Leatherette carrying case. It's available in either blue or pink - I got the blue one - it feels very tough and thick. I loaded it up with the hookah stand, ice bucket, tongs, coal, and shisha, and it didn't feel like it was going to break at all. The bag would be great for travel and storage when not in use. Acrylic is prone to scratches so it's wise to store it properly. If you aren't going to order the bag, just wrap an old sweater around it or thick blanket. Anything to keep something from gouging your stand. In conclusion, the hookah stand from HookahStands.com is my favorite hookah related product to come out since the Soguk and Mystique Ice hose tips. This combination actually works much, much better and serves multiple functions. You're providing cool water for such a long period of time, you can focus on enjoying time with your friends, studying, whatever you are doing and not have to constantly tend your hookah. Even if you're not a fan of using ice, the stand itself does provide a much safer hookah experience. It looks awesome. Even my very home decor orientated girlfriend fell in love with it and doesn't mind it just sitting there in the living room when not in use. If you own a hookah bar and can't decide on what tables to set up, you'd be a fool not to consider these as the alternative to standard coffee tables. ![]()
These days, third-party lenses are all the rage. Sigma and Tamron released their fantastic 150-600mm f/5-6.3 super telephoto lenses. Both of which are reasonably priced, deliver outstanding performance, and garnering fantastic reviews.
However, not everyone has a grand laying around for the Sigma Contemporary, Tamron , or the orgasmic Sports version from Sigma that will set you back about $1,800. That's a fantastic price considering what you get, but it's still a lot more than most people have to spend if they are hobbyist, amateurs, or just getting started out. This is where my sleuthing skills paid off once again. I present you the Sigma 100-300mm F/4 HSM EX IF. Built like a talk, sharper than I could have possibly imagined for a fairly old lens (5-8 years), and about 3lbs. I found an insane deal on eBay for this one and there are a few more priced under $600 left out there from reputable sellers. This is a rare lens. So rare that Sigma doesn't even list it on their website. I found that strange as they list all kinds of old lenses. The more I dig up, the more I think they may have over-engineered this one. Sample photos on flickr and pBase show incredible wildlife images. Videos on youtube from a few years ago show brilliant sharpness and beautiful bokeh. I recently shot a baseball game between College of Sequoias and Fresno City, using my Canon 60D and an Opteka monopod. The Autofocus was super fast, and manual focus engaged amazingly well. I love using this thing. Check out the sample gallery below. ![]() Over the last few years, the internet has given birth to these so-called "Challenges" by which you are dared to do something utterly and completely ridiculous on video and risk injury or death in the process. We minorities will decry "oh, white people" but we have had a few of our own lowbrow moments and participated in large scale to the proliferation of this stupidity. Remember the Cinnamon Challege? How about that fun Fire Challenge? One of the latest additions to this f*ckery is the Duct Tape Challenge. To participate, simply ask a friend to duct tape you to a wall, chair, bed, etc. Then, time how long it takes you to escape. Yes, folks. Your kids are doing this. Youtube has thousands of videos of people attempting this, many being slightly injured in the process. One boy gaining a ton of unwanted attention is Skylar Fish. The 14-year old Frankenstein-esque kid pictured to the left. In attempting to free himself from his silvery binds, he cracked his head open on concrete, suffered a brain aneurysm, is blind in one eye and now permanently disfigured. Who takes the blame in this case? His mother? His Friends? God? Personally, I blame society. We have created an environment where kids can't be kids anymore. Kids are not going through the same phases we did.. They are skipping straight to shenanigans, by passing much of the life experiences they should have before making it to that point. Anyone who plays Call-of-Duty can attest that little kids are foulmouthed little racist dickbags. Youtube has tons of recordings of these kids mouthing off and it's baffling what comes out of their mouths. They aren't running around outside getting hurt riding bicycles like I did on many...many occasions. Now, we have these tiny, jobless, uneducated, desensitized creatures, who can't fend for themselves. I rarely see kids out doing anything. I used to see kids everywhere having a blast, riding bikes, playing games, and just living. The only time they seem to go out now is to capture themselves doing blatantly idiotic things on video and labeling it a challenge? I'd love to see challenges like "Volunteer at a local Food Bank" or "Do something nice for a complete stranger!" How about "Make A new friend by 3pm," that sounds pretty awesome. It sad and hilarious that the film Idiocracy seemed to predict this almost a decade ago. For a complete list of idiotic challenges, click here: http://www.listchallenges.com/youtube-challenges ![]() New York is a bizarre, nutjob infested, smelly, impossible to navigate, small country with the power to create and destroy industries. One ballsy company, Hot Octopuss, decided they had a great solution for the city's masterbation epidemic - a free spooge booth. It seems New York has been plagued with public dolphic floggers over the last few years. Speculation for the issue seems to be daily stress associated with city life. I grew up in New York and I can tell you I never had the urge - even during the insatiable peak of my pubescence - to do the 5 Knuckle Shuffle in front of people. As a somewhat functional adult, I still have no urge to mangle the midget with an audience. It's crazy talk. Years ago, 42nd Street and Times Square was known as "The Deuce", a 2 block strip of oddities. You could find anything and everything there. Strip clubs, hookers, adult toy shops with jerk booths inside, and more. Mayor Rudy Giuliani made it his mission to clean up that area and he did it. Hot Octopuss seems to think the new business model of 42nd Street leaves these guys no alternative but to Wax the Buick on train or city bus. Time will only tell if this Guy-Fi Booth is successful. Only sporting a curtain for privacy, it features a laptop, and hopefully a roll of paper towels. For more information, read the full article from the Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/manhattan-guyfi-booth-men-relieve-stress-article-1.2499002:
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