Darkside

Darkside Hookahs: the hardware for the dark blend

Most of our customers probably know Darkside mainly through their tasty hookah tobacco, but the brand has a lot more to offer by now. The first step towards hardware here was the Darkside Shot multi-hole bowl. That bowl is still the most popular hookah accessory the brand makes.

More parts followed over time. The Stick hygienic mouthpieces, the D-Fender charcoal windshield and the Heater smokebox, plus charcoal tongs in two lengths and four more clay bowls.

Since 2024, Darkside has also been building complete hookahs of its own. The Darkside Intro started it off, and by now there are four models on our shelf.

What all four share is the way they smoke. Darkside builds Russian style, which means a fairly tight draw and little to no damping from a diffuser. On top of that come details you find on every one of these hookahs: the magnetic hose connector, the Darkside mouthpiece with its silicone grip and the timeless design language in elegant black that runs through the brand's entire range.

The four models at a glance

The Intro is the smallest at around 41 cm and works with a click system rather than a plug-in joint. That is fairly unusual for a Russian hookah, and in everyday use it makes setting up quick. The base belongs to it permanently and is styled to match.

The Neo is the counterpart, a pure stem set without a base and noticeably lighter for it. Charcoal tray, bowl connection and mouthpiece are the same as on the Intro. There is also the Neo 10Y, a special edition marking ten years of Darkside Tobacco, finished in black all the way down to the downstem.

The Evo takes the Intro further and comes out larger. Its most important detail sits in the bowl adapter, a molasses catcher with a removable container. That keeps the stem clean and saves you work when cleaning. A push-on diffuser is included as well, which makes the hookah quieter and a little smoother.

The Ultima is the top model and the only one without plastic. On the Intro, Neo and Evo there is POM or plastic in the base section, on the Ultima it is stainless steel and anodised aluminium. You notice that the moment you pick it up, it is clearly heavier. The charcoal tray is screwed on instead of just resting in place and has a recess that fits Darkside's Defender screen, and the hose connector sits at a slight angle so the hose does not kink while you smoke.

There is one difference between the colours that is easy to miss. Only the Green Gold is gold plated. Black Steel and Grey Steel are built the same way but use bare stainless steel instead of the golden accents.

What does Russian smoking behaviour actually mean?

Russian hookahs usually draw a little tighter than what is common in Germany. You feel more resistance, you hear the water in the base working more clearly and each pull takes slightly more effort. That is not a flaw, it is intended.

It suits a loosely built multi-hole bowl particularly well. A loosely built bowl takes hardly any resistance out of the draw itself, the hookah brings that along, and together the two add up nicely. If you are used to a very open draw, you will notice the difference on your first bowl.

With a base or as a stem set?

Two of the four models come complete. The Intro and Evo bring their base along, so you put your bowl and charcoal on top and get going. The Neo and Ultima are stem sets with a plug-in base connection and ship without a base.

That works well if you already have a suitable plug-in base at home or want to put your setup together yourself. If you are starting from scratch, factor the base into your budget so the price does not catch you out.

Which Darkside hookah suits you?

• You want to smoke Russian style without much planning: Intro. Small, complete, quick to set up.
• You already own bases and want something light to carry: Neo. The set weighs next to nothing and combines freely.
• Molasses in the stem and long cleaning sessions annoy you: Evo. The molasses catcher is already built in.
• No plastic in the base section: Ultima. The only model made entirely from stainless steel and anodised aluminium, and heavier than the rest accordingly.

What else Darkside makes