This one's about the length first. It's 10cm / 4.25" from the bottom of the keck clip notch down, i.e. when sunk flush, 10cm total including the frosting goes into your bong. That's as short as they come in "regular" sizes. This is advantageous on standard ~2" diameter bongs, as it won't bottom out against the back or short bottoms. 12cm stems are
...Read MoreRead more about This one's about the length first. almost always up against the back but for a millimeter or two to spare, and/or leave you with little water to work with. The 10cm sits higher in the bong, and while this should not affect the draw, it allows you to raise the water level 3/4" higher, which doesn't sound like much, but that's all extra water below the point of submersion, which keeps things fresher longer. Be warned, if you have an unusually long neck (you probably know if you do) you might come up short.
Don't put it in a full size beaker. Because of the triangular bottom wall, it won't sink deep enough, especially if there is a perc up the line. You'll lose half the volume in the bottom. A mini beaker should be fine.
As for the "Vortex", well, it's closed on the bottom and slitted. You get smaller bubbles, and it actually keeps weed flakes and larger ash chunks out of the water. (Don't be so sloppy.) So any pull through stays in the stem until you back flush it and top off the water.
Smoother? Mathematically, there is more surface area being exposed to the coolant. However, this vortex action also mixes the smoke with more air, resulting in a wispier, less concentrated hit. This persists as you clear it; it still vortex-es, so you have to pull the smoke up rather than getting that instant Pop!-and-delete.
So, those are accurate measurements and my experience with a standard tube and beaker. If 10cm is your size, there aren't a lot of options out there, so you should pick this up just to try a different style. It doesn't get goopy either. Most of the sludge condenses in the neck at the water line, like anything else. Not much even gets to the slits. Read LessRead less about This one's about the length first.
