Graffix has made acrylic water pipes since 1988, and we also make a line of scientific and color-worked glass. People ask us all the time which one they should get. The honest answer is that it depends on how and where you'll use it. Here's how the two materials compare.
The short answer
- Choose acrylic if you want something that won't shatter, costs less, comes in lots of colors and sizes, and can handle being knocked over, packed in a bag or handed around.
- Choose glass if you care most about a clean taste, want features like percolators, and plan to keep the piece somewhere it won't get bumped.
Durability
This is acrylic's biggest advantage. A Graffix acrylic can take a fall off a table that would end a glass piece. That makes acrylic the practical pick for outdoor use, travel, shared spaces and anyone who has broken glass before. Glass can be made thicker (our 24" 9mm straight uses 9mm-thick walls), but even thick glass can crack if it's dropped on a hard floor.
Price
Acrylic costs less to make, so you get more size for your money. A five- or six-foot acrylic costs a fraction of what a glass piece that size would, if you could even find one. Glass prices go up with wall thickness, percolators and color work.
Taste and smell
Glass doesn't absorb anything, so it tastes clean and rinses out without holding odor. Acrylic is a plastic. It can pick up some odor over time, especially if it isn't cleaned often. Regular rinsing and an acrylic-safe cleaner keep that in check.
Cleaning
Glass is easy to clean with isopropyl alcohol and coarse salt. Acrylic is not: alcohol and harsh solvents can cloud or crack it. Acrylic needs warm water and a cleaner made for plastic, like Formula 420 Acrylic Cleaner. We cover both in our guides on cleaning acrylic and cleaning glass.
Features and variety
Acrylic shines in size and color. Graffix acrylics run from a 6-inch skinny straight up to a 72-inch bubble, in about a dozen colors. Glass shines in function and detail: percolators, natural stems, beaker bases, recyclers, and fumed or wig-wag color work. If you want to know what those terms mean, see Glass Water Pipe Features Explained.
Quick comparison
| Acrylic | Glass | |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | Very hard to break | Breaks if dropped |
| Price | Lower | Higher |
| Taste | Good when kept clean | Cleanest |
| Cleaning | Warm water + acrylic-safe cleaner | Isopropyl alcohol + salt |
| Sizes | 6" to 72" | Mostly 8" to 24" |
| Best for | Travel, parties, outdoors, first piece | Home use, flavor, collectors |
Still deciding?
Plenty of people own both: a glass piece for home and an acrylic for everywhere else. Browse Graffix acrylics or Graffix glass, or read our acrylic size guide to find the right height.
Graffix products are for legal tobacco use only. You must be 21 or older to purchase.