That’s right! An American made stainless steel hookah has finally hit the market. By American Made, we don’t mean assembled here or even made here with foreign parts. True to the B2 name, this hookah is made in America entirely of domestic raw materials. If you want to hear all things SS INOX, just keep reading!
What You Get
When you order a SS INOX you can expect to receive a stem, tray, and food grade silicone hose neatly packed in a storage box. The hookah is made in the USA and with B2 Hookah that means the materials themselves are also sourced domestically. This means the cost of the raw materials themselves are about 2.5 times more than what you would typically pay for the stainless steel overseas.
Unlike many hookahs of this design, the stem is extruded stainless steel giving it true wall thickness and weight. It is NOT just a piece of piping milled for threading. This gives the body of the SS INOX incredible weight. The bowl port, bottom tray, body, heart, downstem, and diffuser are all stainless steel. The tray lip and tray fins are aluminum (more on this below)
SS INOX Tray
Let’s start with the most eye-catching part of this hookah - the tray. Resembling a jet engine turbine, this tray is sure to be a head turner. It isn’t just printed out of a machine either. The fins are laser cut and hand bent to form while all the screws are hand tapped and drilled. It’s truly an artisan piece of metal work.
There are a couple of reasons B2 used aluminum for the fins and outer ring. B2 was able to add a nice little splash of color to the SS INOX not traditionally seen in stainless steel hookahs. The first run comes in gunmetal, black, and red. Prototypes of the SS INOX had fins that were done in stainless steel. However, the heat of the coals started discoloring the fins over time. In order to avoid potential problems, the fins were done in aluminum with brite dip anodizing to create a stainless steel look and feel. The anodized aluminum will not have this discoloring problem.
The tray doesn’t just look pretty, it is quite functional too! The turbine design allows for a lot of airflow to the coals unlike most trays on the market, which keeps them lit longer. Unlike other B2 hookahs, this tray screws into place with the bowl port making it extra sturdy. All of the screws are removable however it is only recommended to take out the inner ones (close to the bowl port) for a deep cleaing. Another design feature that is a nice touch is how the bowl port aligns with the tray. Although the bowl is actually sitting on the port, it aligns with the tray in such a way that it appears to just be sitting on the tray itself. It is a very clean look.
SS INOX Heart
As with any new hookah the first thing an enthusiast wants to know is about the design of the heart. Like all B2 products, the heart is a traditional chamber. However, the hose port and purge are wildly different than anything else B2 has released before. The SS INOX has a somewhat controversial horizontal port, something that has been known in the industry to fail in the past with hoses falling out. That being said, B2 has taken all necessary precautions on this matter and thus the hookah will come with the option to use a metal on metal connection, metal with O-rings, or metal with grommet. All three of these options work well with this horizontal port and the one you use will come down to personal preference and the weight of the hose you are using.
The purge is vertical with a single ball bearing. When purging, the bearing will block the middle creating a fanning effect of purge smoke in two directions. Not only does it look cool but it is effortless and effective like the purge we’ve come to expect from B2. Like the bowl port, the heart is designed to sit flush with the lip of the base, a very nice design.
Overall Performance
At first glance, the SS INOX looks like a stick hookah. I assure you that this couldn’t be further from the truth. The heart alone weighs over 2 pounds and the hookah itself (without a base) weighs 4.5 pounds. For reference, the MIG Tradi heart which is bigger and made of solid brass weighs only 11.5 ounces more. This hookah is quality. The draw is effortless and wide open, perhaps the most open pipe available in the world market today. The purge is clean, effortless and aesthetically pleasing as well.
The downstem has a removable diffuser that is 7 3/8” long with the diffuser and about 7” without it. It is designed to be used with modern Russian style bases. Pictured next to a B2V2, the diffuser is very wide and open and doesn’t restrict the pipe at all like some other diffusers on the market. The hookah all together on a base stands about 25” tall, making it a perfect medium sized hookah. As discussed before, the tray is an artisan piece of metal work that is both beautiful and functional. The bowl port is designed so that the bowl sits flush with the tray and the heart is designed so that it sits flush with the lip of the base, both of which are nice aesthetic touches that come with a premium product such as the SS INOX.
Final Thoughts
The B2 SS INOX delivers the first ever American made stainless steel hookah. It is an extremely high-quality hookah that performs like the true American thoroughbred it set out to be. You will not be disappointed in picking one of these beasts up!
I will be doing a live video on the B2 Facebook page in conjunction with this article to go over the pipe and answer any questions you may have in real time! Be sure to tune in!!
