Gravity bongs are the big guns designed for party seshes with multiple heads and unmatched rips. But what exactly are they and how do they work? Below we’re covering everything you need to know about gravity bongs, as well as how to make your own gravity bong from either glass or plastic you probably already have at home.

What is a gravity bong?

A gravity bong is a type of smoking device that utilizes water and negative pressure to pull smoke into a container for massive hits. Back in the days where weed wasn’t so strong, it was the preferred option to consume weed since it could offer a bigger bang for your buck. More importantly, they were cheap to make at home using one or two plastic or glass bottles. These days, gravity bongs have become a lot more sophisticated. You can purchase fancy glass gravity bongs online, which are built to last and reuse. However, they’re still super easy to use and make yourself.

How does a gravity bong work?

how do gravity bongs work

Gravity bongs work by pushing lots of smoke directly into your lungs using water and gravity. They work by submerging a bottle or chamber into water. The bowl is then lit, and slowly pulled out of the water. As the water drains out, it’s replaced in the chamber with smoke. From there, you just unscrew the lid, put your mouth on the opening, and push the bottle back down. This forces the smoke straight into your lungs.

Because gravity bongs are much larger than average bongs, you can smoke a huge bowl in one go. A hit from a gravity bong is a massive amount of concentrated smoke entering your lungs all at once. For this reason, gravity bongs are stronger than regular bong rips, and are more difficult to accurately dose. They’re more ideal for regular smokers, as the influx of THC can be very intense for casual or newbie smokers.

How to make a gravity bong 

Ready to make your own DIY gravity bong? The process is pretty simple. Below we’re discussing the top two most popular DIY gravity bong designs: waterfall bongs and bucket bongs.

1. Waterfall bong

A waterfall gravity bong is the easier design of the two since it only requires a single plastic bottle. On top of the bottle you’ll attach a bowl to the cap. You’ll then pierce a small hole near the bottom of the bottle. When you’re ready to hit it, unscrew the cap and plug the drainage hole with your finger. Fill the waterfall bong up with water, and reattach the cap with your weed. Light the bowl and unplug the hole, and allow the water to drain from the bottle slowly. This will fill the chamber with smoke. When it’s empty of water and full of smoke, you can remove the cap and inhale from the mouthpiece.

Waterfall Bong Diagram
Waterfall Bong Diagram

To make a waterfall gravity bong you will need:

  • Plastic bottle with a cap
  • Aluminum foil or bowl slide
  • Scissors
  • Weed

To get it ready for the sesh:

  1. Cut a hole in the cap and insert a standard bowl slide. You can also make one with aluminum foil. Just be sure to pole holes in the foil so that the smoke can enter the bottle.
  2. Punch a small hole at the bottom of the bottle. It should be small enough for you to cover with one finger.
  3. That’s it!

2. Bucket bong 

While the waterfall bong is ideal for single seshes and beginners, the bucket bong is the party favor. You can make a bucket bong with one bottle if you use the bottom of the bottle as the bucket. However, it’s traditionally made with a larger bottle and a 5-gallon bucket.

To make one, you’ll cut the bottom off of a plastic bottle and fit it with a bowl in the cap. Once you have your bowl prepped and packed with weed, attach it to the bottle without tightening it completely so that air can still pass and the jug can fill with water. From there, you’ll fill a larger bucket with water and submerge the bottle up to its neck. Then you’ll tighten the cap for an airtight seal. As you light the bowl, you’ll slowly raise the bottle out of the water, taking care to not remove it completely lest your smoke will escape. Once it’s full of smoke, you can unscrew the cap and place your mouth on the mouthpiece. From there, you’ll push it back down into the water and force tons of smoke into your lungs.

Bucket bong diagram
Bucket bong diagram

To make a bucket gravity bong, you will need:

  • A plastic bottle, like from juice or water.
  • 5-gallon bucket
  • Bowl slide or aluminum foil
  • Poking device
  • A sharp knife or pair of scissors
  • Plenty of weed

To get it ready for the sesh

  1. Cut the bottom off your bottle. Aim for an inch or two from the bottom, because the less you cut off, the bigger hits you’ll get.
  2. Using a poking device, carve a hole in the bottle’s cap and fit your bowl piece snugly into the hole. Heating it up with a torch may help you to get a more airtight fit. You can also use aluminum foil with holes punched in it.
  3. Fill a bucket with water.
  4. Leave the cap unscrewed at first so you can submerge the jug up to its neck in the water in the bucket, then tighten the cap.

If you’re using one bottle

  1. Opt for a two-liter bottle and cut it in half, or use a large bottle and a smaller bottle
  2. Attach your bowl to the cap or make your own using aluminum foil. Just remember to cut holes into it.
  3. Fill the lower portion of your bottle with water and submerge the top half in the water.
  4. Leave the cap unscrewed at first so you can submerge the jug up to its neck in the water in the bucket, then tighten the cap.

Glass gravity bucket bong 

If you’d prefer to avoid plastic, you can make a gravity bong out of a glass bottle. These bongs are meant for the bucket bong technique and are used the exact same way. However, they’re made with glass which is easier to clean and can be reused. Keep in mind that every bottle is different. Some may shatter under heat, so opt for thicker glass bottles with a weak spot towards the base.

To make a glass gravity bucket bong, you will need:

  1. A glass bottle
  2. A bucket filled with lots of ice and water
  3. Thick string
  4. Flammable liquid, such as isopropyl alcohol
  5. Bowl slide or aluminum foil
  6. A sharp knife or poking tool
  7. Weed

To get it ready for the sesh:

  1. To remove the bottom of the glass bottle, first wrap and tie a long piece of string around the bottom of a glass bottle at the location where you want the bottle to separate. Make sure the string is wrapped round the bottle at least a few times.
  2. Apply plenty of isopropyl alcohol to the string until its fully soaked.
  3. Light the string on fire using a torch, taking care to let it burn at least 15 seconds. Rotate the bottle while the string is burning to ensure an even burn.
  4. Dip the bottle in a bucket of ice water, and the bottom should fall right off.
  5. Remove the bottom of the bottle and change the water in your bucket.
  6. Cut a hole in the cap to fit your bowl slide. You can also use aluminum foil with holes punched in.
  7. Attach the bottle cap and bowl to the bottle without closing it completely. Once it’s submerged in the clean water, you can tighten the cap and hit it like you would in the plastic bucket bong technique.

How to use a gravity bong

Using a gravity bong requires using gravity and negative pressure to extract smoke and push it into your lungs. While both designs are a little different, they both work pretty much the same way. You’ll submerge your gravity bong in water or fill the bottle itself up with water and light your bowl. From there, you’ll allow water to drain out, or slowly lift it out of the water without completely removing it. Once the bottle is filled with smoke, you can carefully unscrew the cap and place your mouth over the opening. From there, you can push the bottle back down into the water and allow the smoke to fill your lungs. If you go with the waterfall option, you can just inhale from the bottle directly.

In both setups, the smoke will be cooled and filtered through water. However, they’re chock full of THC, so they hit like a 9-lb hammer. Seasoned smokers love it in a party session and for getting crazy big rips. But beginners should definitely proceed with caution, as they pack a punch!

Our favorite pre-made glass gravity bong: Stundenglass

Stundenglass Gravity Bong
Stundenglass Gravity Bong

If you’re not feeling crafty and would prefer a more permanent gravity bong, you can always opt for a pre-made glass gravity bong. Glass is preferred over plastic since it can be reused and its safer to smoke than plastic. While plastic will do you in a pinch, it shouldn’t be reused post-session since it can’t be cleaned as easily and may leach carcinogenic plastic-tinged chemicals into your smoke. With glass though, you have nothing to worry about.


We highly recommend Stundenglass gravity bongs. These elegantly designed glass gravity bongs look absolutely beautiful in any setup and are fantastic for personal sessions and parties alike. They come with a contactless smoke delivery system and interchangeable mouthpieces. But more importantly, they offer better water filtration and cooling for smoother hits and better flavors. All you have to do is flip the chamber over like an hourglass and allow gravity to do the work for you. Best of all, your weed goes a lot further in one of these things with less wasted smoke and more opportunities to flip and pull from your bowl.

All in all, gravity bongs are the ultimate party favor. Learning how to make one yourself is just as important as knowing how to pack a bowl or roll a joint, so use everything you learned in this article to design your own perfect gravity bong. If crafting it up isn’t for you, be sure to try a pre-made gravity bong made from glass at some point. They’re perfect for massive hits and for sharing with friends.

https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/how-to-make-a-gravity-bong-smokeables

2 COMMENTS

  1. Seems like too much hassle.A regular one hit bong has worked for me for 50 yrs. along with a steam roller and pinch hitter.They work just fine for me.

  2. Interesting information over here.
    Totally agree with you, Gravity bongs are great for special occasions, parties, and gatherings with friends. Easy to use and easy to make, gravity bongs make it easy to get really high in one big hit.

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