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Last updated on December 9, 2025 | Reading time approx. 04:50 min
You love the hookah experience that gives you a relaxed hookah session, but you keep hearing that vapes and e-cigarettes are supposed to be “better”? And now, a third option has recently appeared in the hookah world: electric hookah systems like the XKAH Pro.
Many people ask themselves: What are the real differences? Which is more harmful, which is cheaper, which tastes better – and which option works best for you in the long run?
In this article we take a look at classic hookah, vapes/e-cigarettes and electric hookah (XKAH). By the end, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what suits you best.
Note: You can find more information on this topic in our blog article here: How harmful is hookah?
With a traditional hookah, tobacco is heated with glowing charcoal. This produces smoke, which is filtered and cooled by water. Hookah is above all a ritual: setup, bowl preparation, heat management, smoking together.
Vapes are very easy to use. They vaporize a liquid (propylene glycol/PG, vegetable glycerine/VG, flavourings, optional nicotine) via a heating coil. This creates an aerosol (vapour), not smoke. Because there is no combustion, no tar and practically no carbon monoxide (CO) are produced – a key difference compared to hookah.
The XKAH Pro is an electronic bowl or e-HMD that replaces charcoal, the bowl and heat management in one system. You still use real hookah tobacco or tobacco substitutes, but the heat source is electric – so no charcoal. This eliminates the biggest problem factor of a classic session: CO and combustion by-products from charcoal. We also published a detailed article on this earlier this year: Electric hookah – the future of hookah enjoyment?
Electric hookah, hookah and vapes – what are the differences?
| Criterion | Classic hookah | Vape/e-cigarette | Electric hookah (XKAH) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat source | Charcoal (combustion) | Coil (vaporization) | Electric heating chamber |
| Smoke/vapour | Smoke | Vapour/aerosol | Vapour from tobacco/tobacco substitute |
| Carbon monoxide | High due to charcoal | Practically none | Strongly reduced |
| Main harmful substances | CO, tar, PAHs and others | Fewer harmful substances, no tar/CO | Less CO/PAHs than charcoal hookah |
| Nicotine | Depending on the filling: regular tobacco contains nicotine, cellulose-/tobacco substitutes are nicotine-free | Exactly adjustable (including 0 mg) | Depending on the filling: like hookah – tobacco with nicotine, tobacco substitutes nicotine-free |
| Usage | Stationary, session ritual | Anywhere, spontaneous | Session ritual, but without charcoal |
| Feeling/experience | Classic hookah feeling | “Vape feeling” | Very close to classic hookah |
Classification:
Electric hookah is not automatically harmless, but removing charcoal clearly reduces one of the biggest drivers of harmful substances (especially CO). And if you want to completely avoid nicotine content in the tobacco, you can fill an electric smoking device like the XKAH with nicotine-free tobacco and get a smoking experience that is very similar to that of a regular water pipe, but also ties in strongly with trends like vaping and only shows a few remaining differences.
Charcoal glows, tobacco smoulders – this produces tar, carbon monoxide and many combustion by-products. CO is a real risk factor with hookah; there are regularly documented CO poisonings after hookah sessions, especially in poorly ventilated rooms.
Liquids are only heated and vaporized. This means the load of harmful substances is significantly lower than with combustion – but not zero; depending on the device, temperature and liquid composition, irritants can still be produced.
Here the tobacco or tobacco substitute stays the same, but the charcoal is eliminated. Measurements on charcoal-free or electrically heated hookah setups show virtually no CO and significantly fewer combustion by-products compared to charcoal setups. In short: the hookah flavour remains, the charcoal-related risks are massively reduced.
This option is probably the healthiest way to experience a hookah session, but for many hookah bars and for consumers with a personal preference for the original hookah tradition it will likely be less attractive.
Vapes or hookah – which is less harmful?
Health quick summary:
Classic hookah tradition (most risky) → electric hookah/XKAH (noticeably reduced) → vape (lowest level of harmful substances in this comparison, but not harmless).
Many people automatically associate hookah with nicotine – but there have long been tobacco alternatives without nicotine. These products are often sold as tobacco substitutes and are made, for example, from cellulose (pulp) or herbal bases soaked in molasses and flavourings.
In our section hookah tobacco without nicotine we’ve collected all products that you can smoke in a hookah without nicotine.
If you want the way a hookah works but want to reduce the risks as far as realistically possible, one of the most sensible options right now is:
XKAH (no charcoal) + cellulose tobacco substitute (nicotine-free).
XKAH removes CO and charcoal combustion substances.
Cellulose tobacco substitute removes nicotine and tobacco tar.
This is not a medical guarantee, but in 2025 a realistic best-practice combination for reducing harmful substances and addiction potential with hookah.
This can drive nicotine addiction more strongly because the brain constantly receives small reward impulses. Health authorities particularly warn of dependence among young users and of becoming accustomed to continuous nicotine consumption. In addition, the threshold for starting nicotine use through vapes is lower than ever before.
Both work as clearly defined sessions. Setup and time investment automatically promote more moderation. That doesn’t mean hookah can’t be addictive – but the consumption logic is different.
The reason, why disposable vapes will soon be banned: vapes are electrical devices and do not belong in household waste.
Disposable vapes are a huge problem in 2025. They are sold like throwaway items but are actually electronic waste (lithium battery, electronics, metals). Because they often end up in household waste, valuable raw materials are lost and there is a fire risk from batteries in waste facilities. You can find out why disposable vapes are likely to be completely banned soon in our blog article on vapes being banned in Germany: The current situation in 2025, consequences & the best alternatives for smokers
So our clear recommendation:
Rechargeable, refillable devices are by far the more sensible choice here.
Even though tobacco does not burn to the same extent in a hookah as it does in cigarettes, in a direct comparison the following applies: classic hookah is the most harmful, especially with regard to charcoal (CO and combustion by-products). Vapes are, on average, lower in harmful substances because nothing burns – the liquid is only vaporized. Electric hookahs such as the XKAH sit in between: the tobacco stays, but the charcoal is gone – this significantly reduces CO exposure. None of the options is completely risk-free, but the drivers of harmful substances differ.
Very close. Because you use real hookah tobacco or tobacco substitutes, the flavour is largely preserved and the typical session feeling remains. The biggest difference is the more constant heat without charcoal management – this often makes the results even more reproducible.
CO is produced by the combustion of charcoal. In closed or poorly ventilated rooms, it can build up quickly. This is exactly why there are repeated documented CO poisonings after hookah sessions. Electric systems greatly reduce this risk because there is no glowing charcoal.
If you’re looking for something more spontaneous for in between, yes. Vapes deliver quick flavour and vapour without any setup. What makes them less “hookah-like”: the session ritual is missing – which makes overconsumption easier, especially when nicotine is involved.
Most likely devices with an open draw (DL/sub-ohm). They produce a lot of vapour and feel more “cloud-heavy” than typical beginner devices. If you want to vape more casually and on the side, pod systems are a compact alternative – but their feeling is much further removed from a classic hookah session.
Yes, but: “e-hookah” is basically just a marketing term for an e-cigarette or vape, often used for larger, more powerful models that produce more vapour. Alongside classic e-hookahs there are also disposable e-cigarettes and pod systems, which as innovative, portable devices are an alternative.
There are also electronic hookahs, which some people also call e-hookahs. These electronic hookahs are water pipes that use electricity to heat hookah tobacco and therefore work more like a real hookah with water cooling – and have nothing to do with vapes (e-hookahs).
Yes. With vapes, it’s easy using 0 mg liquids. With hookah and XKAH, you can use nicotine-free cellulose tobacco substitutes instead of tobacco. This removes nicotine, carbon monoxide and tobacco tar, while with the XKAH you still keep the typical hookah setup.
If you smoke hookah regularly, the investment can be worth it: the purchase price is higher than for a regular HMD, but you permanently save on charcoal. In the long term, costs often sit between classic hookah and vaping – with the added benefit that the session experience is preserved while you inhale significantly less carbon monoxide.
Yes – with caveats. Hookah is usually smoked in a social setting rather than continuously. If you smoke hookah very frequently and want to cut down, a vape can be a practical alternative, especially if you gradually reduce the nicotine content.
Studies on smoking cessation show that e-cigarettes can help cigarette smokers quit. However, this data does not directly refer to hookah users. At the same time, because vapes are available at any time, they can more easily lead to more frequent use and stronger habituation in everyday life than a clearly limited hookah session.
If you only enjoy hookah occasionally as a ritual with friends, vaping is therefore not automatically the better alternative. In that case, it is often more sensible to gradually switch to nicotine-free tobacco alternatives such as Hookahsqueeze or Smoke Island – and, if the investment suits you, to consider an electric system such as the XKAH.
This way, the social session feeling remains while carbon monoxide and other combustion substances are significantly reduced and the overall addiction potential is lower. In general, however, the following always applies: any consumption is worse than no consumption.
Since 2025 it’s no longer just “hookah vs. vape”, but a three-way battle:
If you want to enjoy hookah with as little harm and addiction potential as possible, there is a realistic best-practice combination in 2025:
XKAH (no charcoal) + cellulose tobacco substitute (nicotine-free, no tobacco tar) – with real hookah feeling, but significantly reduced downsides. However, this will probably be less attractive for long-term smokers, as the nicotine kick is missing.
