A few nights back, I was over at my mate’s place, and he asked if I had any spare pipe gauze lying around. Now, I had a couple of those gauzes that only seem to last for a bit – they fall apart faster than you can say ‘light it up.’ Not like the sturdy ones from way back when.
We started chatting about how shit these modern gauzes are, and he told me about the time one of them actually melted, and he accidentally ended up inhaling some hot gauze. Scary stuff!
During the week, I was heading down the town to the local head shop to grab some of those Cyclone hemp blunts with wooden tips. They’re perfect when I’m in the mood for a blunt but want to skip the nicotine that comes with tobacco blunts.
While I was at the shop, I asked about gauzes, and the girl behind the counter, Meghan, pointed out a small glass jar with a cork lid. Inside were what looked to be decent quality gauzes.
“They’re £2.50,” she said, “and you get 25 in a jar.” Well, that sounded like a good deal. I took them out to inspect, and I was instantly impressed. These weren’t like those super-thin wires you find in really cheap gauzes that come in the wee folded bit of card. These had some substance to them.
I ended up choosing the 16.5mm ones; the others were 12.5mm. And you know what? I was quite taken with the little glass jar itself. It had a bit of style, and it’s handy for keeping things organised. The brand name is Red-Eye, and the gauzes are made especially for them to fit their range of pipes.
My mate was well impressed when I gave him some of them. I’ve got a few pipes, and these gauzes seem to be doing a solid job. They’re a bit stiffer, so they fit snugly in my bowl and don’t end up taking the shape of the bowl, which I think makes it block up quicker.
All in all, I’m happy with the Red-Eye stainless steel gauzes. I reckon they’ll last a good while. If you’re on the lookout for better gauze screens, swing by your local head shop – mine’s called The Seedy Side of Town – in Belfast and have a chat with the folks there. They’re friendly, helpful, and they know their stuff. Happy toking, my friends!
