The Rundown on Sovereignty's 8-arm Perc

The Sovereignty Glass 8-arm is a near perfect model of the classic 8-arm tree perc. There are many other companies that use the 8-arm (or any other number of arms) perc, but very few are able to match the quality of seals, airflow, proportions, and symmetry of Sovereignty’s 8-arms. Not to mention the quality of the bottom perc, which really is the most important part of the piece.

What is an “8-arm”?

The 8-arm is slang for a bong that usually has 2 or more chambers: the bottom chamber connected to the joint, and the top chamber(s) which contain the 8-arm perc. The 8-arm perc is similar in style to a tree perc, but has individual tubing to disperse the water when it’s carried from the bottom chamber to the top. A single arm is basically a tall and narrow tube with slits or grids at the bottom, which create the bubbles. These arms are arranged in a cylinder shape around a tube in the center, which pulls the water up into the arms, and out through the slits/grids at the bottom of each arm. The number of arms in the cylinder determines the name of the perc, hence 8-arm. Sovereignty also makes a larger 12-arm.

Which 8 arm is the best?

Over the years, the team at Sovereignty has narrowed down the 8-arm combos into a few main categories of variations: 1) neck size, 2) bore/tubing size, 3) color, and 4) the bottom perc(s). There are also other options like reduction bands, sandblasting, cold work, flared lips/joints, etc., but for the sake of simplicity we’re going to stick with those 4 main categories. The bottom perc is arguably the most important factor when making a decision on which 8-arm to buy, but we’ll save that breakdown for last since it’s pretty complex.

1. Neck Size

There are 3 different neck sizes commonly found on Sov 8-arms: 38mm, 44mm, and 50mm. 38s and 44s are common, while 50s are a bit rarer. The neck size primarily affects 1) how your lips fit around the mouthpiece, and 2) the airflow. Like most things in glass, it's really up to personal preference, but some have strong opinions on 38 vs 44 necks: a poll on my IG story resulted in an 80:20 split for 44s vs 38s.

I'd recommend choosing your neck size based on how big you want your rips to be. If you're looking for a daily ripper, I'd go with a 38. If you're looking for something to take big rips with, go for the 44 or 50 (if you can find one). However, keep in mind 80% of heavy smokers chose the 44 over the 38.

2. Bore Size

The bore size is also known as the tubing size, and is very important when choosing an 8arm. This refers to the width of the bottom 2 chambers, which contain the bottom perc and the 8arm. There are 1) Double and 2) Triple bores: the difference in function between each is massive.

A double bore means the bottom chamber is the same width as the 8arm chamber, resulting in 2 different tube sizes when considering the neck. A triple bore means the bottom chamber is skinnier than the 8arm chamber, resulting in 3 different tube sizes.

I prefer triple bores. Double bores have a lot of airflow and are made less often, making them harder to find. I personally think the triple bore has the perfect proportions for airflow; the Double bore has almost too much volume, sometimes resulting in more stale/hot smoke. However, that's just my opinion!

3. Color Accents

Sovereignty has a common system for pricing their production pieces, usually based on the amount of color. There are 5 main categories for color accents: 1) Clear, 2) Minor, 3) Partial, 4) Full, and 5) Custom. I'm only going to focus on the middle 3 tiers here, because clear is obviously no color, and customs are hard to come by. In 2023, Sovereignty has been adding color to the seals between chambers.

4. The Bottom Perc

The bottom percs from Sovereignty Glass need a full article on themselves, which will come soon. The best way to know what you like is to try it. Overall, most horizontal percs are smoother, fixed & natural percs are usually more choppy and chug harder. My personal favorites are the g-line and fixed 4.

Note: Fixed grid percs may have a reduction band added.

Summary

Overall, this subject is vast and very opinion-based. Any combination will get some lovers and some haters, so you really have to go with what fits you. There are rarer combinations than others: the g-line 8 arm is rarer than a stem-8, etc. Sovereignty has done a great job of including a wide variety of combos in 2022 and 2023. In the future, I'll update this article with more details, prices, and pictures! Thanks for reading :)

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