Last week I had the opportunity to visit New York for a few days. Knowing I was gonna be in the capital of the world, months after it legalized weed, I had to go experience the boom of it by going to all the best cannabis stores in the Big Apple. 

My first stop was the Higher Standards store in New York, located in the famous Chelsea Market over the 75th and 9th.

At first sight, the store speaks for itself. It has a unique vibe that stays away from the stoner stereotype and instead looks like a boutique you’d find on SoHo.

Chelsea Market is a prime urban retail corridor, and the store is the pinnacle of a perfectly curated selection of premium smoking accessories, bespoke products, and mainstay lifestyle goods. 

The atmosphere and the personnel inside the HS store make you feel like you are in a contemporary take on a classic smoke shop. 

I could not leave empty-handed and ended up getting four of their best sellers: the bong, the pipe, the dab rig, and the riggler.

I know they were real about the quality of their stuff straight from purchasing. Every single product comes super well packaged, making it a great option for travelers like me who are worried about in-flight mishaps.

It works the same way if you order through the Higher Standards website so you don’t have to worry about it either way. Here are my impressions of my purchases:

Standing out for its 14.25” the Higher Standards Heavy Duty Beaker was the first thing I bought due to its handcrafted design made from durable medical-grade borosilicate glass. What I liked the most about this beautiful glass water pipe was the wide base that gives it supreme stability.

The kit includes a diffuser down stem and a borosilicate glass bowl with a ground glass joint for an airtight seal. 

This masterpiece was created and engineered to rip with optimum performance. Something that can be proved by the slits on the beaker’s diffuser downstem that creates fine bubbles during use, making for smooth delivery of pure, water-cooled smoke.

In addition, the Higher Standards Heavy Duty Beaker comes with a carrying case which makes it the perfect bong to travel with. 

Looking for a gift for your cannabis-loving friend? Well, the Higher Standards Spoon Pipe is perfect for the occasion. 

Made to be ultra-durable, this pipe has a large bowl that allows you to have big rips and long-lasting sessions with the same device. With every pull, the spacious chamber will produce extraordinarily dense clouds of smoke and its flared mouthpiece provides an airtight seal, so no smoke is wasted. 

This pipe is 3 mm thick and handcrafted with borosilicate glass which makes it durable but lightweight. The pipe also comes packaged in a sleek collector’s case and is perfect to be used anywhere and any time you crave a toke.

As well as the other products from Higher Standards, the Heavy Duty Dab Rig was made to be engineered specifically for the water filtration of concentrates. This dab rig is durable because it is hand-made with borosilicate glass. 

In terms of performance, the Heavy Duty Dab Rig is very powerful and reliable. 

It features an extra-thick banger made of 100% pure quartz crystal which is capable of resisting extreme temperatures. The quartz nail also pulls an intense flavor from concentrates at lower temperatures, delivering smooth and powerful rips.

The banger has a deep dish that minimizes splash while introducing cool air for a more comfortable rip. You can be sure the banger will stay securely attached to the rig during use thanks to a sturdy arm and airtight ground-glass connection. 

On the other hand, the rig and its unique design feature a diffuser down stem with extra-narrow slits that produce finer bubbles, increasing the contact between smoke and moisture. As each hit travels through the water chamber, it is purified, moisturized, and cooled for comfortable inhales. 

In total, the kit includes two premium metal tools with silicone grips, a quad-compartment wax container for storing different concentrates separately, and a 100% quartz crystal banger.

Each Higher Standards Heavy Duty Rig is sold in a reversible and reusable collector’s case for safe storage and transport that includes a concentrate container and an additional set of tools.

Equipped with a sturdy base for supreme stability, the Heavy Duty Riggler is a  banger 100% made with quartz which is great because it allows you to use higher temperatures that make the device heat up faster.

The Riggler can be used for both dry herb and concentrates. It also includes a carb cap for an airtight seal and a double-sided concentrate tool with silicone grips for comfortable and precise handling of your material. 

The Riggler is 7 inches tall and is just perfect to take anywhere with you. It’s also considered a travel-friendly device due to its versatility and the carrying case it comes with.

Higher Standards is quality and durability. Something that really stuck out to me about the four products I bought is the premium glass they are made from and how easy it is to clean them. The borosilicate glass means clarity, durability, thermal resistance, and an easy-to-maintain design.