GRAV Glass is one of the oldest and largest American functional glass designers and makers in the country. We have been in awe of their work for years starting with their gravity water pipe called The Gravitron. This was the waterpipe that put GRAV on the map for quality American glass water pipes with imagination and innovation. No one thought to recreate a stoner classic in such an elegant manner before, so already GRAV was on to something early on. All of their pieces are elegant, versatile, affordable and functional. Grav Labs (as they are known as) provides smoking solutions with style and zero stigma.
Humble Beginnings of Grav Glass
GRAV started in 2004 in Austin, Texas. Founder, Dave Daily decided that being a stock broker, wasn’t his thing. Dave wanted more than just money to be his driving force, he wanted to build a legacy, something that he could leave his mark on, but what? Dave was a Cannabis enthusiast and decided to get into blowing glass. Dave’s initial idea was to develop a gravity bong that would replace the “homemade” gravity bong many college kids made with 2-liter bottles and buckets. It needed to look and function well. That dream helped launch a glass company that had yet not fully realized the potential it would later develop.
One Idea Leads to Another
Long story short, it wasn’t the Gravitron that made Grav gain the momentum it needed to grow. Turns out it was something as simple as a glass tube with a bowl known to most as a one hitter. The taster by GRAV was born out of a need to make money to keep the company floating and ultimately grew GRAV. The Taster helped Dave get out of debt and even helped him buy more equipment and gradually hire more help. That simple concept brought salvation to GRAV and sparked inspiration that has kept this extraordinary brand alive and growing. That A-ha moment that Dave had to understand that he could design other products that people will not just like, but love!
Quality & Design Counts
When you read words like “velvety or waist”, do you think of glass water pipes? Neither did we. But after hearing one of Grav’s top designers Micah Evans describe his designs, we now get it! GRAV has evolved over the years with additions of designers and artists that raise the bar in every category. Micah’s designs have a very grown-up look and feel. His designs are elegant, fun, functionality always being considered yet each piece has an art gallery appeal. None of Grav’s pieces would be considered an ordinary bong or pipe by any means. The pieces we’re featuring in this story are all designed by Micah and produced by an incredible production team of GRAV glass artists.
Enter the Empress
This water pipe wants to be handled and caressed. Yes, we said it…caress the bong! She’s sexy, she even has a waist! The Empress’ design has both curves and straight edges, but it’s all one continuous curve as you look at it in total. This water pipe is appealing to any gender. The way that light bounces around the curves and edges. The dance of color that the glass picks up in reflection of the room is beautiful. This really is a piece of art- art that you get to smoke out of!
The Empress hits beautifully with either a small amount of water covering the 8-hole perc or adding more water for less volume within the chamber to suppress the size of the hits. It’s fun to experiment with what each user prefers as you explore your use of The Empress. The overall thickness of the Empress is distributed well from base to the inverted mouthpiece that demonstrates the curves and craftsmanship on the whole water pipe. Even the down stem where the 14mm funnel bowl is inserted is extremely thick and precise. This is a lifetime water pipe, one that you will be thrilled to enjoy on the daily.
Easy Breezy Smoking Pleasure
The Empress may sound like “high maintenance, but we assure you she is a no fuss, easy to clean kind of water pipe. Easy to clean for novice and pro glass people. Of course, if you clean regularly, the faster and easier she is to clean. Stale bong water is such a turn off, don’t let this happen to you. This water pipe is certainly coffee table ready and should not have to spend its life in hiding in a closet. If you can’t display your glass due to children, in-laws, etc. We recommend the next two water pipes that GRAV makes that are easy to slip into a cabinet with ease, and are also magnificent to display for all to see and experience.
Check out this video below of all the Empress’ curves and edges and this super unique perc:
GO BIG or GO HOME
That’s what they say… especially in Texas, where everything is big! Dave’s journey of being an Cannabis loving entrepreneur started with something small and he certainly risked it all to start GRAV not knowing if it would make it. Since the beginning Dave Daily’s goal has been to produce products that provide value and leave lasting legacy and memories for the user. We had to share a quote from Dave from the GRAV website on their about us page because it really gets to the heart of what its all about for Dave and his entire company. He said:
“When strangers have our products there is no better feeling. There’s no better feeling than to be almost like a secret shopper and hearing someone talk about our products who doesn’t know me, and I get to know that I was a part of bringing that object into their life and that’s the most spectacular feeling”.
Big Hits Come from All Sizes and Shapes
GRAV has quite the catalog of products to satisfy any Cannapolitan’s desires for big or small controlled hits. Their products are categorized by collection. The sip collection explores how everyday items that we drink from, can also be re-imagined into smoking devices that have not sacrificed style or sophistication. There are five different sip models: GRAV Coffee Mug bubbler, GRAV Slush Cup, GRAV Milk Carton, GRAV Martini Glass, and GRAV Martini Shaker. This round we’re focusing on the favorite for 80’s kids and adults of all ages over 21 that can relate to the timeless Slush Cup.
Introducing you once again to the beloved Slush Cup of your childhood
The fun and highly functional sip collection pieces are extraordinary in looks and bangin in the amount of volume of smoke they can produce. This is very true with the Slush Cup. This piece might look like a beginner’s cup, but it requires some lung capacity if you try to fill it with smoke and attempt to take it all in at once. Depending on how much water you put inside is also going to determine what space is left for smoke and also the way it hits. If filled half way between the bottom and the first curve towards the top of the cup, you’re going to have a heavier pull with added water for filtration.
The perc has six razor sharp looking slits at the bottom that gives the Slush Cup those huge bubbles. There’s no need to attempt to take in all the smoke in one hit, so don’t get it twisted. That said, you should not sleep on leaving residual smoke inside as it will easily linger and become stale. There is only one way for the smoke to exit and that is through the glass straw mouthpiece. The straw is also thick and the design throughout the bottom to the top is really fluid and flawless. The invisible joints between the cup and the straw are also impressive.
Easy to Handle
The Slush Cup has a nice feeling in the hand and the straw was carefully designed to be angled just right to make this a joy to smoke out of. The small 14mm bowl that accompanies the Slush Cup is completely adequate in air flow to either flush your remains into the slush cup or tap out the ash as it draws to the end and ready for a fresh bowl. We’re not fans of drawing through the old ash into such a beautiful piece, not to mention the smell of ashy water leads to cleaning the piece sooner than later. It’s a preferential thing, but we prefer to keep our smoking units clean and with fresh water for the best and tastiest hits.
Speaking of taste, all of the GRAV water pipes we tested here produced a smooth and silky smoke full of flavor.
GRAV Rain Bubbler in Amber
We saved one of our favorite pieces for last, this little wonder of a water pipe is a surprising contender. It goes to show that GRAV designs their pieces to satisfy a wide range of tastes and preferences. This is part of Grav’s success is their ability to keep exploring and creating smoking devices that can last a lifetime if you take good care of them. All of the above applies to the surprisingly satisfying hits that come from this handheld bubbler. The rain drop shape fits perfectly in the hand with a spot to grip below the bowl to secure your hand around the beautiful amber glass. GRAV makes colored glass pieces, but yes a lot are clear glass. This is why when they do choose to have a piece in color, you take notice.
The GRAV Rain Bubbler is the perfect travel water pipe.
Whether you’re traveling outdoors or from the bedroom to the living room, this piece is ready to go with little effort needed. We took this little one with us to Outside Lands (a music festival that allows Cannabis consumption and sales) and it fits easily into a side pocket or even the water bottle holder on the side of a backpack. Everywhere the Rain Bubbler went and got lit up, it got attention. The volume inside this piece is also one of our favorite features of this pint sized water pipe.
It’s just enough smoke to take in comfortably and keep going. We appreciate the small but mighty 14mm bowl that comes with the Rain Bubbler, it’s the perfect match for function and size. The hue of the amber glass is beautiful and although it’s darker than clear glass, you can still see when it needs to be cleaned.
Speaking of cleaning, every one of these pieces we’ve featured are quite easy to keep clean and clean. A little alcohol and some swirling and they’re ready for action in no time.
GRAV is Cannapolitan Approved and Recommended!
GRAV checks off all our boxes for all of the following: Style, function, durability, easily handled, and easy to clean. Lastly, they get a huge check mark for originality and affordability. GRAV makes their collections reasonably priced so that the masses can have quality glass with superior craftsmanship and have money left to get some Cannabis to fill the bowls!
Expect to see more GRAV products here in Cannapolitan. Don’t stray, we’ll be back with another feature on Grav’s all new glass joints! These are a game changing evolution available in California dispensaries and likely to expand into other medical & legal adult sale states to come. They also understand that not all states are there yet, so they will be offering empty GRAV Glass Joints that you can fill yourself and reuse and reload. They’re thinking over there at GRAV to solve all our Cannapolitan needs and desires!
Don’t doze off on Grav’s Black Friday Sale on 11/26/21 through 11/28/21 and get 25% off store-wide and get FREE shipping! Enter promo code BF21 for the discounts at check out.
Here’s a few cool videos that GRAV produced for the Slush Cup, The Empress and the Rain Bubbler.
Any of the Sip Series by GRAV is the perfect gift for your friends and family members that need a quality smoking device at an attainable price point that makes them an ideal gift for the holiday season.
The GRAV Behind the Design Series is a fun and informative video series on how much thought and effort goes into each of their pieces.
