Hookahs - Real Egyptian or Chinese Imposter?
Egypt is certainly known inside the Middle East like the best position to getting a shisha & hookah accessories. The land on the pharaohs, pyramids, & sphinx is usually the Motherland on the shisha (the Egyptian word for shisha). Egyptian craftsmen still make shisha the old fashioned way -- personally and having a huge amount of pride in artistry. Making shisha will be a family tradition, and also the best shisha makers in Egypt have earned their spots throughout the continuity of classic methods. Glass bases will always be created from hand blown colored glass, & artists still decorate them manually using paint, glitter, decals, or etching. Hoses are manufactured entirely manually, from the cutting on the fabric for the turning on the wood that could get to be the handles for the addition of decorative elements just like braid, fringe, or fur. Shafts could be made up of metals like stainless steel, brass, or chrome plated brass, but those metals are formed by the hands of master craftsmen, build by skilled welders, and quite often etched or decorated by craftsmen. Potters still have a potting wheel to produce the clay bowls that individuals call the "head." In brief, all the parts of the authentic Egyptian shisha is crafted manually using classic techniques which ends up in a exclusive product each and every time. Egyptian shisha are really admired & respected through the entire Middle East that you will be hard pressed to get a pipe in another Middle-Eastern country that does not have some part that has been created in Egypt!
If the shisha craze hit the United States, the cultural icon on the Middle-East fell prey for the assembly line mentality. It didn't require much time for the shisha to generally be included to a list of counterfeit products being made in huge amounts in China for export for the American market. Because neither pet owners of manufacturing plants or assembly line workers in China use a cultural stake or identity related to the product, the shisha that they can produce involve no artistry. The glass bases are molded and next spray painted; the glass itself is not coloured. Any designs about the glass are additionally spray painted on by machines. Bulk manufactured plastic tubes with plastic or simulated wood ends posess zero decorative elements on it. Machines mold shafts created from tin, aluminum, or possibly a mix of those metals with stainless steel; sometimes, machines spray paint them in a color to suit the glass. Porcelain, a material for the purpose chinese people are famous, has replaced the particular clay bowl created from the rich clay on the banks on the Nile River. Cold, computerized Chinese machines have replaced the intimate touch on the Egyptian craftsmen whose tasks are a resource of pride.
Because Egyptian shisha set the business standard, it was common for sellers to falsely label their Chinese look a likes as "real Egyptian" tubes. Many purchasers have been completely used in by a inaccurate description together with a lower price & imagine that they are getting a authentic Egyptian hookah when, actually, they have an imposter. Do not be duped! Try to find the identifying characteristics listed below to ascertain if the shisha you're considering buying certainly is the real thing.
Characteristics of any Real Egyptian Hookah
Real Egyptian shisha are hand-made using centuries old conventional methods. Crafted via the hands of people who possess a cultural stake & identity for their product, all aspects on the real Egyptian hookah involves artistry and craftsmanship.
The base of a realistic Egyptian shisha is hand blown colored glass which comes in a number of shapes and colors with painted by hand designs. One of the most telling part of a realistic Egyptian is made of its feature bands of authentic 18K gold or platinum paint.
Egyptian tubes are handcrafted using traditional methods & materials; they vary in design, color, & decorative elements.
Shafts are hand formed stainless-steel, brass, or chrome plated brass in numerous heights, variety of hose-pipe holders, designs, and decorative things.
Egyptian shafts should never be product of aluminum or spray painted in any color to suit the glass base!A realistic Egyptian shisha is usually sold with a similar amount of hoses that this shaft will hold. If you are investing in a 2-hose hookah, you can get 2 hoses!
Anyone that sells real Egyptian shisha could have replacement parts available. Glass bases break & tubes could be replaced every few months for the health of hygiene, so it is necessary to gain access to individual parts on your hookah.
Characteristics on the Chinese Imposter Shisha
The Chinese imposter hookahs are produced in higher quantities in factories by machines and those that don't have a cultural link to the goods. The shisha all look a similar, just as one would expect from anything made with an assembly line.
Chinese bases are made of molded glass or acrylic that's spray painted with material that washes served by normal cleaning. Designs, if any, are identical without variation in pattern or style because machines are preset to manufacture them look in a certain style.
Chinese hoses are made of plastic with plastic or simulated wood ends without any decorative elements. Sometimes the tubes are classified as "pleather," a promotional trick in order to make plastic sound better. Tubes are marketed as "washable." No shisha hose-pipe is actually washable because inside each is a wire coil around in which the hose-pipe fabric is wrapped. Running water through the hose-pipe only increases the deterioration technique of that wire coil! There is no such thing like a washable shisha hose-pipe!
Shafts created in China are bulk manufactured of tin, aluminum, or a mixture of those metals combined with stainless steel or chrome. They are generally spray painted to suit the colour on the glass. A hookah along with a shaft that suits the colour on the glass is not Egyptian! The shafts of Chinese hookahs are constructed of inferior metals that won't face up to normal deterioration. Egyptian shisha, alternatively, are constructed of durable and strong metals that will withstand some time and usage.
Because dealers generally do not have replacement parts or accessories, you can buy chinese people hookahs from the container. Which means multiple hose-pipe shisha will often be sold with only 1 hose-pipe. In case you are purchasing a 2-hose-pipe hookah, probably you will get only 1 hose-pipe!
To make them more pleasing for the American buyer, Chinese manufactured shisha are usually sold with a hard shell carry bag. Thats a good way to hide a substandard product!
With all the recent recall of several products made in China, clients should be specifically careful of shisha made in and imported from China because they're painted!
To really appreciate the cultural value on the hookah and find one of the most of out on the hookah experience, you should have the real thing! Although the expense of some on the Chinese imports may look attractive, please understand that this has to be a case of getting anything you budget for. An item that can't stand up to the usage in which it was actually made is no longer a great deal if it should be replaced repeatedly. Purchase a realistic Egyptian shisha & keep the craftsmen & craftsmen who, in a world dominated by bulk manufactured goods, continue to make hookahs that they and their families have for years and years.