# A few weed paraphernailia questions. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428 "2009-05-23T22:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/1 "2009-05-23T22:48:08Z")
I know little about weed. I’ve always assumed you just take some leaves, roll 'em up in textured paper, and smoke 'em. Apparently not, going by what I see in “head shops”. The one I go to has loads of strange things labeled “bats” and “sky boxes”. I know they are associated with weed, but what do you do with them? And bongs…thanks to the Harold and Kumar movies I know how they are used, but I don’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/2 "2009-05-23T22:58:50Z")
I don’t partake, but it’s my understanding from listening to and being around people who do that you don’t smoke the leaves, you smoke the flowerbuds. Don’t know about some of the more obscure paraphernalia, but the bong is used to cool the smoke, so you aren’t burning your hands or lips (or throats). ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/3 "2009-05-23T23:04:13Z")
Yes, you smoke the dried flowers. A bat is a small, concealable straight pipe; you pack one end, which has a recessed chamber, with the stuff and take your hit from the other end. Never heard of a sky box, but a bong is a type of water pipe. The water cools off the smoke and helps filter out some of the tars, called resin. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/4 "2009-05-24T00:57:56Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Yes, you smoke the dried flowers. A bat is a small, concealable straight pipe; you pack one end, which has a recessed chamber, with the stuff and take your hit from the other end. Never heard of a sky box, but a bong is a type of water pipe. The water cools off the smoke and helps filter out some of the tars, called resin. You smoke anything but the seeds and stems. The buds have more THC in them. The bats were called “smokeless tokers” back in the 70s. They capture the smoke internally (except for what you inhale), so there’s less smoke getting into the carpet, drapes, etcetera. They were marketed not so much to reduce waste as to minimize odor/evidence. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/5 "2009-05-24T01:06:21Z")
Also with bats (and sneak-a-tokes, which are similar but short and fat rather than bat shaped) you can carry them loaded without spilling the stuff in your pocket. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/6 "2009-05-24T01:30:57Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > …called resin. I think it’s tar. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/7 "2009-05-24T01:35:16Z")
Bongs aren’t necessarily water pipes. There are air-cooled ones. The basic function is to cool down the smoke so that you can inhale more of it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/8 "2009-05-24T01:36:44Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I think it’s tar. That’s what I said. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/9 "2009-05-24T01:58:06Z")
Ok, thought they were different. Thought tar was a byproduct, and resin, still a… I dunno, a product. Could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/10 "2009-05-24T02:03:46Z")
Well, it’s both, really. True plant resin _is_ something else. However, weed smokers call the THC-laden tar residue they scrape out of the inside of their pipes resin, also. It’s a bit like hash, but not nearly as potent, but still capable of getting you high. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/11 "2009-05-24T03:46:59Z")
The first thing I thought of when I saw the thread was about “weed paraphernalia” was the propane torch I keep in the garage. I use it to burn out weeds that grow in my garden path. I am _so_ out of it. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/12 "2009-05-24T04:12:50Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Well, it’s both, really. True plant resin _is_ something else. However, weed smokers call the THC-laden tar residue they scrape out of the inside of their pipes resin, also. It’s a bit like hash, but not nearly as potent, but still capable of getting you high. It’s hard to tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-weed-paraphernailia-questions/497428/13 "2009-05-25T05:22:57Z")
Its also worth noting that bongs or pipes are preferred because they dont waste weed. With a joint youre using the weed to keep itself burning. Between tokes its sitting there burning itself up and sending the smoke into the air. When I was younger, the stoners I knew considered making joints to be colossally stupid and was reserved only when pot was plentiful and if you wanted to get really high. With a bong you can dole out how much you want to smoke and light it with a lighter. Youre going to extract a whole lot of cool smoke without wasting much, or at least wasting less than a joint. Many stoners will use the side of the lighter to cover the bowl between tokes thus putting out the fire or at least limiting the oxygen getting in there. > [@](#): > > weed smokers call the THC-laden tar residue they scrape out of the inside of their pipes resin, also. It’s a bit like hash, but not nearly as potent, but still capable of getting you high. Seconding this. Its essentially ‘free’ hash. Thats the added bonus with using a bong or at least a glass or steel pipe. After burning through some weed, you will eventually have a black resin covering the bowl. If you scrape this off and light it, youll get a fair amount of THC. Usually enough to get high with.