Glass Bong Bolts and Skellies (Grateful Dead x Pulsar)

Grateful Dead x Pulsar Bolts and Skellies Glass Bong

The Bolts and Skellies Glass Bong is a 15.5-inch borosilicate tube bong from the Grateful Dead x Pulsar collaboration, built for smooth, full-bodied dry herb sessions at home. With dancing skeletons, lightning bolts, and a frosted electroplated finish that catches the light like nothing else on your shelf, this is functional glassware that doubles as a genuine collector's piece. It ships with a diffuser downpipe and herb slide included — fill it with water, pack the bowl, and you're sorted.

What's Included in the Bolts and Skellies Bong

You get everything you need to start smoking straight out of the box — no hunting for compatible parts.

Specifications

Here are the numbers that matter when you're deciding whether this bong fits your setup and your shelf.

Why This Bong Deserves a Spot on Your Shelf

We've sold a lot of glass over the years, and here's what we've noticed: most bongs either look good or smoke well. Rarely both. The Bolts and Skellies manages both because Pulsar actually knows what they're doing with borosilicate. The glass feels solid in your hand — there's a proper weight to it at 15.5 inches tall, enough that it won't tip over on a coffee table but not so heavy you can't pass it around. The frosted electroplate finish has a slightly textured, almost metallic feel under your fingers. It's not a cheap decal job — the skeletons and lightning bolts are part of the glass surface itself.

The diffuser downpipe is the real functional star here. Instead of a single open hole dumping smoke into the water, the diffuser breaks it into smaller bubbles. More bubbles means more surface area in contact with water, which means cooler, smoother hits. If you've been smoking from a basic downstem bong, you'll notice the difference on the first pull. The drag is lighter, the smoke is less harsh, and you taste more of your herb instead of just heat.

The honest limitation? At 15.5 inches, this is a home piece. You're not tucking it into a backpack for a festival. And the electroplate finish, while gorgeous, shows water spots and fingerprints more than plain clear glass — so keep a cloth nearby if you're the type who likes their glass looking pristine. Compared to a standard Pulsar tube bong without the Grateful Dead branding, you're paying for the artwork and the collector's value. If you just want function, a plain Pulsar tube does the same job. But if Box of Rain still gives you chills, this is the one you want sitting on your table.

How to Use the Bolts and Skellies Glass Bong

Straight tube bongs are about as simple as smoking gets. Here's how to get the best out of this one.

1. Fill the bong with water through the mouthpiece opening at the top. Pour enough so the diffuser slits on the downpipe are submerged by roughly 1–2 cm. Too much water and you'll get splashback; too little and you lose filtration.
2. Insert the diffuser downpipe into the bong's joint at an angle, making sure it sits snugly.
3. Grind your dry herb to a medium consistency — not powder-fine, not chunky. A medium grind lets air flow through the bowl evenly.
4. Pack the herb slide loosely. Don't tamp it down hard. You want airflow, not a brick. Fill it about three-quarters full for a single session.
5. Place the packed herb slide into the top of the downpipe.
6. Put your mouth over the top opening of the tube. Light the herb while inhaling slowly and steadily. You should see bubbles forming through the diffuser in the water.
7. Once the tube fills with smoke, lift the herb slide out of the downpipe to clear the chamber. Inhale the remaining smoke.
8. Exhale. Repeat as needed. Change the water after every session — fresh water means cleaner taste and less residue buildup inside the glass.

Keeping Your Bong Clean

Borosilicate glass is tough, but resin builds up fast — especially around the diffuser slits. A weekly clean keeps the Bolts and Skellies hitting properly and looking the way Pulsar intended.

The simplest method: pour out the old water, add coarse salt and isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher), cover both openings, and shake for 60–90 seconds. The salt acts as an abrasive, the alcohol dissolves the resin. Rinse thoroughly with warm water afterwards. For the downpipe and herb slide, soak them separately in a zip-lock bag with the same salt-and-alcohol mix for 15–30 minutes, then rinse. Pipe cleaners help clear the diffuser slits if they get clogged.

One thing to watch: don't use boiling water on cold glass or cold water on hot glass. Borosilicate handles heat well, but sudden temperature swings can still cause stress fractures over time. Warm water is your friend.

From Our Counter

We've been stocking Pulsar glass since well before the Grateful Dead collaboration launched, and the build quality has stayed consistent. The borosilicate they use is noticeably thicker than budget alternatives — you can feel it when you tap the glass with a fingernail. That said, glass is glass. We've seen plenty of bongs survive years of daily use, and we've seen others crack on their second week because someone knocked them off a table. If you're investing in a piece like this, a silicone bong mat or a padded storage case is cheap insurance. The electroplate finish on the Bolts and Skellies is the nicest we've seen on a Pulsar collab — it has a frosty, almost holographic quality in certain light that photos don't fully capture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: April 2026