Urb Concrete Pipe Review | WeedPornDaily
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on December 8th, 2017
The concrete and cork pipe by Urb Is Nice. This is probably the most decisive product we’ve featured on WeedPornDaily. The second I posted the unboxing, stoners were already tearing the product apart, saying they’d never smoke from concrete or pay $55 for the privilege. And to be honest, I was a bit hesitant myself, looking at the pipe and picturing sidewalks or buildings or any other industrial object crafted with concrete. I almost didn’t even smoke from the pipe after taking a closer look at it. But is this the worst idea for a pipe, or an innovative addition to the collection of cannabis paraphernalia? Let’s get into it and find out.
The pipe is about 3.75 inches long, almost 1.5 wide, and nearly 0.5 inches thick. It’s made fully of concrete, except for the cork top that encloses the bowl. One end has a hole where you suck in smoke, and the other is carved out into a bowl (and topped with the cork). Above the bowl hole on the top of the pipe are 5 small holes to allow for your lighter to enter the bowl and flame your herbs. The pipe from the outset looks great. It clearly looks well designed and thought out, very minimal and ergonomic like an Apple product. The concrete is smoothed to a marble like smoothness, beyond a few holes and chips, it feels really enjoyable touch. The cork top feels a little flimsy, and is lined with a thin piece of concrete that’s prone to breaking off, sometimes into your bowls (but we’ll get into that later). We used a light gray version, but they also have a dark gray and light pink available.
Before we get into the cons, let’s talk pros. It’s got beautiful packaging. This thing clearly was created by a design student, with a lot of thought put into the design. It’s a box comprised of layered cardboard pieces with four cylindrical pieces of wood that go through each corner. It features a laser etched logo, text, and even drawings on the back that depict a chick smoking with the pipe. They’re well rendered, and it’s cool to get up close and see the pixel like composition and small scorch marks from the laser process. When you pull off the top cardboard piece, you reveal the concrete pipe inside, nestled snug inside a few excised layers of cardboard. A paper ribbon is nestled underneath that allows you to pull it up and grab the pipe. The branding in general is solid, I could easily see this thing in an Urban Outfitters or some shit. It’s the essence of a distilled smoking experience, a (nearly) one piece smoking solution that’s elegantly designed. Just watching the flame of the lighter snake it’s way through the holes on the pipe is pretty cool each time.
Sounds great right? Let’s talk cons and see where we end up. The pipe is concrete and cork. Concrete is a material that isn’t commonly used for smoking devices, and depending on what mix was used, it may contain materials that aren’t safe for human consumption. It’s urban, it’s hip, but at the end of the day it’s a material more likely to pave driveways than end up as plate for eating off of. Glass, ceramic, and even certain types of stone would be more suitable. Marble would be a fine example of a better material. The lining of the cork top as I mentioned previously is a sheer piece concrete, adhered to the cork using what appears to be hot glue. I had a piece of the concrete break off, revealing the hot glue underneath to my smoking chamber. And to make matters worse, the broken concrete lining broke off concrete dust and particles into the bowl. If I had not taken note of it, I would have been inhaling concrete bits instead of just scooby snacks, due to the lack of screen on this pipe. The cork top is also advertised as a way to keep your bowls enclosed and prevent them from spilling or mingling in your bag or say pocket. At no point did the cork top ever truly feel secure, it just slipped out with ease, and even popped out on it’s own on various occasions. I question whether the concrete is stronger and sturdier than well blown glass, however that’s an issue to leave to a KushBusters episode.
But really, the worst offense as a smoking device, this thing didn’t even blaze properly. Due to the small area of the circles, compared to the size of the bowl, you only burn less than half or so of your bowl. I tried several times to keep a consistent flame and attempted to cherry the bowl to spread the flame further, but I had no success. After a couple of hits, I had to open up the pipe and clear out the contents to separate burnt from green buds. In a social situation this pipe would be impossible to corner. If you want to hit it properly, you’d have to pack each hit individually and with limited portions (half a bowl or less). It’s a little annoying in that sense. You could also remove the cork top and just blaze the entire bowl that way, but it’s not as smooth, and seems to go beyond the intended purpose of the pipe. Why have the holes in the first place if I’m going to end up de-corking it and using it as a pseudo chillum. The hit was decent. It had a great pull to it, and I got a good volume of smoke from the small area. The smoke was smooth, but wasn’t particularly tasty or anything. Reminded me of any other bowl hit.
As a pipe, I’m not sure I’d recommend this to anyone beyond a normal glass pipe or bubbler. It looks chic, urban, and the box would catch anyone’s eye at a store. Yet you’re questionably smoking out of concrete, risking concrete bits in your mouth and lung regions, losing your cork top, and smoking tiny bowls you can’t see. If you like the aesthetic and want to slip into a case and carry around for quick discreet stylish tokes, this might be an option for you. I give this pipe a 3/10. This is one of those products I see a lot of potential in. This pipe could easily be improved by a few revisions and it’d be more competitive in the market. I can’t wait to see the next version of the pipe.
