Egypt has lengthy been identified within the Center East as the perfect place to get a hookah and hookah accessories. The land of the pharaohs, pyramids, and sphinx can also be the Motherland of the shisha (the Egyptian phrase for hookah). Egyptian artisans nonetheless make hookahs the old-fashioned manner — by hand and with quite a lot of delight in craftsmanship. Making hookahs continues to be a family custom, and the perfect hookah makers in Egypt have earned their spots by means of the continuity of conventional strategies. Glass bases are nonetheless produced from hand blown coloured glass, and artists nonetheless beautify them by hand utilizing paint, glitter, decals, or etching. Hoses are made totally by hand, from the reducing of the material to the turning of the wooden that can grow to be the handles to the addition of ornamental components reminiscent of braid, fringe, or fur. Shafts could also be made from metals like chrome steel, brass, or chrome plated brass, however these metals are shaped by the arms of grasp craftsmen, put collectively by expert welders, and generally etched or embellished by artisans. Potters nonetheless use a potting wheel to make the clay bowls that we name the “head.” In brief, each a part of a real Egyptian hookah is crafted by hand utilizing conventional strategies which ends up in a one-of-a-kind product each time. Egyptian hookahs are so admired and revered all through the Center East that you simply’d be laborious pressed to discover a pipe in one other Center Jap nation that doesn’t have some half that was made in Egypt!
When the hookah craze hit the US, the cultural icon of the Center East fell prey to the meeting line mentality. It did not take lengthy for the hookah to be added to the checklist of counterfeit products being mass produced in China for export to the American market. As a result of neither the homeowners of producing crops or meeting line employees in China have a cultural stake or id related to the product, the hookahs that they produce contain no artistry. The glass bases are molded after which spray painted; the glass itself is just not coloured. Any designs on the glass are likewise spray painted on by machines. Machine made plastic hoses with plastic or simulated wooden ends don’t have any ornamental components on them. Machines mould shafts produced from tin, aluminum, or a mixture of these metals with chrome steel; generally, machines spray paint them in a shade to match the glass. Porcelain, a cloth for which the Chinese language are well-known, has changed the standard clay bowl produced from the wealthy clay of the banks of the Nile River. Chilly, computerized Chinese language machines have changed the intimate contact of the Egyptian craftsmen whose work is a supply of delight.
As a result of Egyptian hookahs set the trade commonplace, it has grow to be frequent for sellers to falsely label their Chinese language look-alikes as “genuine Egyptian” pipes. Many patrons have been taken in by a deceptive description coupled with a low worth and assume that they’re shopping for a real Egyptian hookah when, in actuality, they get an imposter. Do not be duped! Search for the figuring out traits listed under to find out if the hookah you might be contemplating shopping for is the real deal.
Traits of an Genuine Egyptian Hookah
- Genuine Egyptian hookahs are nonetheless handmade utilizing centuries old conventional strategies. Crafted by the arms of people that have a cultural stake and id of their product, each facet of the genuine Egyptian hookah entails artistry and craftsmanship.
- The bottom of an genuine Egyptian hookah is hand blown coloured glass that is available in quite a lot of shapes and colours with hand painted designs. Probably the most telling facet of an genuine Egyptian base is its attribute bands of real 18Ok gold or platinum paint shisha hire.
- Egyptian hoses are handcrafted utilizing conventional strategies and supplies; they fluctuate in model, shade, and ornamental components.
- Shafts are hand shaped chrome steel, brass, or chrome plated brass in varied heights, number of hose holders, designs, and ornamental components. Egyptian shafts are by no means made from aluminum or spray painted in a shade to match the glass base!
- An genuine Egyptian hookah is all the time offered with the identical number of hoses that the shaft will maintain. If you happen to’re shopping for a 2-hose hookah, you get 2 hoses!
- Anybody who sells genuine Egyptian hookahs may have alternative elements accessible. Glass bases break and hoses must be changed each few months for the sake of hygiene, so it is very important have entry to particular person elements to your hookah.
Traits of the Chinese language Imposter Hookah
- The Chinese language imposter hookahs are mass produced in factories by machines and individuals who don’t have any cultural connection to the product. The hookahs all look the identical, simply as one would anticipate from something made on an meeting line.
- Chinese language bases are made from molded glass or acrylic that’s spray painted with materials that washes off with regular cleaning. Designs, if any, are equivalent with no variation in sample or model as a result of machines are preset to make them look a sure manner.
- Chinese language hoses are made from plastic with plastic or simulated wooden ends with no ornamental components. Typically the hoses are referred to as “pleather,” a marketing trick to make plastic sound higher. Hoses are marketed as “washable.” No hookah hose is actually washable as a result of inside every one is a wire coil round which the hose material is wrapped. Operating water by means of the hose solely accelerates the deterioration means of that wire coil! There is no such thing as a such factor as a washable hookah hose!
- Shafts produced in China are machine made from tin, aluminum, or a mixture of these metals blended with chrome steel or chrome. They’re usually spray painted to match the colour of the glass. A hookah with a shaft that matches the colour of the glass is just not Egyptian! The shafts of Chinese language hookahs are made from inferior metals that don’t stand as much as regular put on and tear. Egyptian hookahs, on the opposite hand, are made from sturdy and sturdy metals that may face up to time and utilization.
- As a result of sellers usually should not have alternative elements or accessories, they promote the Chinese language hookahs straight from the field. Which means a number of hose hookahs are sometimes offered with just one hose. If you happen to’re shopping for a 2-hose hookah, chances are high that you’re going to get only one hose!
- To make them extra interesting to the American shopper, Chinese language manufactured hookahs are sometimes offered with a tough shell carrying case. What a good way to cover an inferior product!
- With the current recall of varied products manufactured in China, consumers have to be particularly cautious of hookahs made in and imported from China as a result of they’re painted!
To really respect the cultural significance of the hookah and get probably the most of out of the hookah expertise, it’s essential to have the real factor! Whereas the value of among the Chinese language imports could look engaging, please remember that that is undoubtedly a case of getting what you pay for. A product that can’t stand as much as the utilization for which it was made is not a cut price when it needs to be changed again and again. Purchase an genuine Egyptian hookah and help the artisans and craftsmen who, in a world dominated by machine made items, proceed to make hookahs the way in which they and their households have for hundreds of years.