There are several different shisha smokebox variants from AO. These differ firstly in the colour of the material, but also in the material itself. The AO HMD 912, which is made of stainless steel, is available in 5 different colours. The AO HMD Sandblasted, which is made of aluminium, is only available in silver.
The stainless steel version AO HMD 912 is available in the following colours. The function of the HMD is the same for all variants and does not differ by colour!
The different models differ in material. While the AO 912 HMD is made of stainless steel, the AO HMD Sandblasted is made of aluminium. The materials differ in the physical values of heat conductivity and heat storage capacity. An aluminium HMD has a better heat conductivity, but a lower heat storage capacity. This has the advantage that heat is conducted more quickly and also cools more quickly. On the other hand, higher temperatures can be reached with stainless steel - so the tobacco can be smoked more strongly and more flavours can be released. Depending on the experience of the user, we recommend beginners to use the aluminium version and advanced users to use the stainless steel version.
No, the material of the somebkox does not matter for the tobacco you smoke. You can smoke Burley and Virginia tobacco with both types. The brand of tobacco doesn't matter either. You can smoke Al Massiva tobacco, Hookain tobacco or Blackburn tobacco with aluminium or stainless steel HMD in your hookah.
Unlike the Kaloud Lotus or the Onmo HMD, the AO HMD has no knobs or bars. This means that a distinction can only be made between full contact and the contactless variant, depending on the head construction. In the non-contact version, the tobacco does not touch the HMD, which can have slight advantages in the draught. In addition, the hookah tobacco burns less quickly, but may also release fewer flavours. With full contact, the tobacco touches the bars or the entire underside of the HMD. This leads to more heat being transferred to the tobacco and more flavours or nicotine being released. Which contact you should smoke with depends on your experience as a shisha smoker. If you are more experienced, we recommend a contact version for more flavours, but if you are just a beginner, we recommend a contactless version first. Besides your level of advancement, the type of tobacco used is also crucial. Basic tobaccos such as Burley tobacco, for example, which is also known as Dark Blend tobacco, usually require a little more heat than the easily digestible, beginner-friendly Virginia tobacco. However, a distinction should also be made here: Beginners in the Dark Blend area can start better without contact and only try to build up contact later, if necessary.
