Hey there guys! Today I'm going to be reviewing the new Zahrah spade hookah.
The Zahrah spade is a multi-port adjustable stem, with up to 4 hose ports with auto-seal capability. The stem comes stock with one Hose port and three Purge valves.
The stem itself is a modern design with a matte black finish, but is also available in blue, red, and what Zahrah calls "Rasta", a green, gold and orange/copper color scheme.
What makes Zahrah stems interesting is their price point, at $95 for stem only, it's a modern and affordable hookah with the possibility of expansion to multi-hose functionality. At this price point, the spade cuts a recognizably modern silhouette to other stems on the market for a fraction of the price.
The stem itself is heavy and solid, and the package comes with replacement rubber stoppers to keep the ports air-tight, and the option of changing the metal purge balls for clear acrylic/glass ones, which I prefer for the ease of cleaning they provide over the metal ones.
The stem is made in china, but with a traditional chamber and wide ports for a full, non restricted draw. The paint on the stem itself seems weak around where the ports are inserted, and chips and peels after a while, but is only an aesthetic drawback to an otherwise functionally solid pipe. I really do wish the paint issue was addressed, and they worked to make it a bit more solid. It's disappointing to see a nicely painted stem start to have chips and peeling, because it hurts the overall appeal.
The tray features concentric circles of raised dots, that progressively get smaller towards the center, which ensure airflow on coals placed in it, holding them well in place and preventing the coal from completely blacking out, until it's ready to get put on your bowl. The design of the raised dots, and the logo on the tray is both visually striking and functional, without being over-the-top and taking away from the overall appearance of the hookah.
Overall thoughts: I really like this stem. It may suffer slightly from paint chipping, but aside from that, the hookah is very modern and functionally great for the price, and it's definitely worth looking into as an addition to your collection. The possibility of multi-hose functionality makes a stem like this ideal for those of you who enjoy having friends over, but don't love passing a hose around and moving the hookah.