Great with water!
I'll be up front: I never heard of this stuff before stumbling on it while browsing Amazon. I was intrigued, and decided to give it a shot as I own a large....&#34;water pipe&#34; (16&#34; tall beaker style with an ice catcher).<br />So after almost a month, here are my thoughts.<br /> 1)These beads expand A LOT once they absorb the water! The package I received was enough to fill two 1 liter bottles once they achieved full size, so unless you have a lot of glassware to fill, hydrate a pinch of the beads.<br />2)Despite what people say,  DO NOT FREEZE these beads! Freezing the beads will destroy them, so keep that in mind. You can throw them in the freezer for a few minutes to chill them, but don't forget them. I would suggest storing them in the fridge if you want to keep cold ones handy.<br />3)These are NOT a replacement for water, they simply can't filter the way water does. They do diffuse the smoke, but the point of water is a smoother hit through filtration, not diffusion. Diffusion helps filtration, however.<br />4)When used WITH water, these beads are great! These beads are noticeably cooler than room temp, and when in water, they will actually chill the water! It's not ice cold by any means, but it definitely makes a difference! They also help diffuse the smoke in the water so you get a smother draw!<br />5)They DO help keep the glass clean. My glass is used heavily, and gets a large buildup of resin (and ash) at the water line. It has to be cleaned every few weeks to get rid of the buildup before it becomes too much. These beads have prevented that buildup, instead I can just change the water and rinse one a week! They don't CLEAN the &#34;pipe&#34;, but they do prevent the buildup.<br />6)They look cool! I wish I could find some in a deep colors, rather than the pastels I see from everyone, but even so it adds some color to my clear glass!<br />7) I have reused the beads several times just by rinsing and replacing the water. You can dehydrate them after use and rehydrate when you need again, also.<br />  TL;DR- Cool beads get huge, great with water, makes the glass look cool and clean(er)!
Rating: 5 stars