What Are Glass Filters for Joints?

January 27, 2018

Black and White Woman Smoking Joint — Photo by: Bosko Markovi/Shutterstock

A perennial classic, the joint is widely renowned as one of the best ways to smoke weed. People have been doing it for centuries, and it shows no sign of dropping out of favor any time soon. Joints have been the source of countless social encounters, and most of us know at least one joke about passing them. In fact, there’s at least one website dedicated to “pass the joint” memes, which should tell you something about their popularity.

But even this classic pastime can be improved upon, as evidenced by the innovation of producers around the world. You can find rolling papers made from rice, hemp, and other materials, and even go totally organic if you want. But there’s one product that really elevates the experience of smoking a joint or blunt, while retaining the nostalgic simplicity that so many of us associate with them: the glass filter tip. Glass filters are one of the best ways to speed up the process of rolling and really class up the joint (see what we did there?).

What Is a Glass Filter?

When you roll a joint, one of the essentials you need is a filter, also known as a “crutch.” This can be anything from a hastily ripped piece of scrap paper to branded sheets of thin cardboard crutches given out by dispensaries. You crinkle/roll this small piece of paper or cardboard up and it forms the part of the joint that you hold in your fingertips. It’s meant to keep plant matter out of your mouth as you smoke, and allows you to smoke the joint all the way down without burning your fingers or wasting herb.

Glass filters serve the same function, but with several added perks:

Convenience: With glass filters, there’s no more scrabbling around for a suitable piece of scrap paper or having to remember where you put that sheet of crutches. Most glass filters come in a small canister that’s perfect to slip in a coat or bag pocket, so you won’t lose them. Filters make it easier to roll as well, by providing a firm anchor point to roll around.
Smell: One of the worst things about joints is that they make your fingers smell since the smoke is passing right up close to your skin when you inhale. Glass filters create a barrier that reduces the stank. Your skin will still soak up ambient smoke smell, but it won’t be nearly as gross.
Classiness: Joints and blunts nicely rolled with a filter tip just look better. There’s also the fact that their washability makes them a lot cleanlier than sucking smoke through paper. The flavor of your joints will be better too, making this an all-around classier experience than a regular joint.

Where Can I Get Glass Filters?

There are quite a few good filter tip brands on the market. But to help steer you in the right direction, here are three to start with:

1. RAW x RooR

These tips are the creation of a collaboration between the masters of rolling paper, RAW, and glass company RooR. They come in a flattened tip with needled indents or a round tip with an X-shaped filter.

2. OG Tips

These branded tips are undeniably cool looking, and they’re made of grade-A glass. Their classic shape comes in a variety of colors and sizes, and you can get rolling papers from them too!

3. Dank Tips

We saved the best for last here. Dank Tips are made from quartz glass for the highest possible quality, and they have one of the coolest tip designs around: the Tornado. These tips twist your smoke around as you pull. Some say the increased surface area will lead to a smoother smoke, but we say it just looks really cool!

We hope you’re inspired to check out this enhancement to the art of smoking!

Article by: Spencer Grey