The Kaloud Lotus - something that changed the way we smoked. A few months ago, we were able to get inside of the mind of Reza, the creator of the Lotus. Now, we're bringing you a look at the brand new Lotus+, the much anticipated follow up to the successful and innovative original HMD. But today, we're going to be looking at a straight comparison - how does the Lotus+ stack up in the face of it's competition? What does the Lotus+ look like in comparison to other HMD's on the market? Let's just jump into it.
The Oduman Ignis The Oduman Ignis - not a HMD that's available in the US, due to a patent backing from Kaloud. However, it's important to remember that this HMD
does exist, and is something that's on the same level as the Lotus+.
Here's the inside - as you can see, the devices are both similar on the inside. The largest difference comes into the bumps on the inside of the device. The Ignis has small bumps, coating the inside of the device in whole, whereas the L+ has three sets of three bumps, one set for each coal.
The bottoms are practically identical - both featuring 8 bumps n the bottom, with some slits on the outside for airflow. These are also the same size in diameter, meaning that every bowl that will fit a Lotus, will also fit the Ignis.
The largest difference between these two devices (and it isn't large), is that the Lotus slightly slopes inwards, whereas the Ignis' walls are straight upwards. This allows for a little bit more room for coals to fit, meaning that three cubes will fit comfortably in the Ignis, while they'll be close together in the L+. Overall, these two devices are insanely similar. If you have one, there isn't really any major reason to warrant wanting the other (unless you're collecting, like me).
The MIG Razor The Razor was one of the first HMD's to come out after the initial success of the Kaloud Lotus, releasing in Germany in 2014. It, like the Ignis, isn't allowed to be sold in the US due to a patent block from Kaloud, due to a "similar design".
The MIG Razor is going to be a little wider and taller than the L+, hoewver the biggest difference is that the bottom of the device doesn't feature any bumps (the Razor was around before bumps had even been thought about). Instead, the Razor has an indented circle in the middle that allows airflow to reach the coals. That said I don't find this to be quite as effective as the bumps on the bottom of the L+, or the Ignis for that matter. Unlike the L+ however, where the L+'s walls slant inwards, the Razer's walls actually slant slightly outwards, allowing for even more room than even the Ignis can offer.
The bottoms of the devices is where some of the biggest differences lie. Instead of the bumps, like the Lotus and Ignis both feature, the Razor instead has one large ring to help heat reach your tobacco. In practice, this works very similarly to the bumps, and doesn't make a huge difference. That said, the Razor is a
lot easier to clean because of this.
The lids on these two devices are very similar, both featuring a rotating design, with vents to allow for easy heat control. Unfortunately, the Razor's lid cannot be closed completely, otherwise it will cause all airflow to be lost to the bowl, meaning your coals will black out. The difference between these two devices isn't huge, by any means. They're very similar devices, the biggest differences being mostly aesthetics. One thing that's worth mentioning that the pictures don't really show: the Razor is made from one solid piece of metal, and this helps the device to heat up slightly faster than the L+. Again, much like the Ignis, if you already have one of these devices, it's unlikely the other one will make a huge difference in your smoking experience.
The Shishabucks Stratus The Shishabucks Stratus, releasing in mid 2016, is arguably one of the most different styles of HMD that we've seen to date, being a far departure from that of the Lotus, Ignis, and Razor that we've talked about already.
Like I just said, these devices are insanely different. First, you'll notice that the stratus features four separate walls, due to the interlocking lid design, meaning you can carry the Stratus with the lid attached. Second, if you look inside the device, you'll see that the Stratus has several rings to help suspend coals and prevent them from blacking out. It works a lot better in this case than it does in the Razor, as they're smaller, and more spread apart. Finally, you'll also notice that instead of several wider holes on the edges of the inside, there are many smaller holes spread among the inside of the device. This doesn't make any noticeable difference when smoking, however.
The bottoms of the devices are also going to be markedly different. The Stratus uses the same ringed style on the bottom that it does on the inside - several smaller rings, spread apart. Again, this doesn't make any major difference when smoking, like the Razor, however it does make it much easier to clean.
The Phoenix The Phoenix is the first HMD to make a large jump towards being the first funnel style HMD, and as a result of this, it obviously is going to be a lot different from the L+.
The largest obvious difference here is that the Phoenix, instead of having several holes on the outside of the device, has one large hole in the middle of the device. The Phoenix also has many rings on the inside, meant to suspend the coals in the air. This works pretty well, about as well as the L+. You'll also note that the Phoenix is the, like the Razor, made of one solid piece of metal, meaning that it heats up faster than the L+. The other thing of note - the Phoenix is made of a different metal than literally any other HMD on the market. This metal allows for the device to be safely preheated, something that no other HMD can say.
The Phoenix also features a completely flat bottom, making this, by far, the easiest HMD to clean. It also means that the entire bottom will be making contact with your shisha at the same time, allowing for a more consistent heating of your bowl.
The lid on the Phoenix is also vastly different from the lid of the L+. Since it's made in the US, to keep costs down, a handle was left off of the Phoenix lid entirely. There are some issues with the lid in it's current state, however the Phoenix company is in the process of making some design changes to the lid that haven't been revealed to the public yet. The current lid does have an issue where it will get stuck, and it can't be easily rotated to give any heat control over the device. The Phoenix is personally my favorite HMD on the market, as it makes a lot of strides towards making a totally new device - which is what I wanted from the L+. It's easily the most different HMD on the market, and the L+ doesn't hold a candle to it, in my opinion.
Overall? Obviously, I've given my opinion here and there on these devices. But what I really want to know - what do you think? Which HMD is your favorite? Does the Lotus+ impress you? Is it what you wanted out of a new Lotus? Let me know what you think in those comments down below! As always, thank you guys so much for reading, and happy smokes!
