These work very well. So, why only 4 stars? Well, as some have pointed out, they become very difficult to blow through after a fairly short time in use. Some have suggested placing some cotton balls in the blow end, removing them when the unit begins to clog up. That's a good idea, as the way this actually works is 2 fold.

It has both a paper fiber air filter, similar in appearance to the automotive air cleaner filters of yesteryear, and after the smoke passes through that, it is then passed through activated charcoal. From my experiments with making my own filters, I can attest to the fact that it's the paper filter that actually removes the visible smoke (resin), as filters I've made that used activated charcoal only, even when constructed to route the smoke efficiently & evenly through all of the charcoal, don't remove visible smoke, at all.

So, it would seem that the charcoal is there only to remove smell and possibly any drug elements, such as THC, or nicotine. So, by placing the cotton balls in the blow end, they begin to absorb most of the resin, which is what is making the smoke visible, preventing most of it from getting to the internal paper filter. But, even this method will eventually clog the paper filter element within the unit.

There is a solution to this. I take a bottle of 99.9% Iso Alcohol and place it in a deep kettle of water - water as hot as I can get it from my tap, to heat the alcohol up. WARNING - NEVER USE FLAME OR THE STOVE TO HEAT ALCOHOL, UNLESS YOU LIKE SERIOUS BURNS!

After the alcohol has had time to become heated, it is then poured slowly, a bit at a time, into the SmokeBuddy. As it will take some time to break through the resin, it won't take much to fill the unit to the top. At first, it will just sit there. But in a minute, it will begin to flow out the bottom, and it will have a ton of resin in it.

I do this over a large bowl. I pour about 8 ounces through the unit. I also use a paper towel to dry off any spilled alcohol at the rim, so I can put my mouth on it and blow the alcohol through. But, it's important not to do this too soon, as the heated alcohol, being allowed to flow slowly, will absorb more resin then blowing it through. The blowing helps clear out the last of the alcohol, and I only do it after each pour stops running out the bottom, to clear it out for the next pour. You can't pour in too much at a time due to how slowly it flows through. Try not to overflow it.

Once this has been done, leave the unit all day to dry out the alcohol. Blowing through it from time to time will help. If you desperately need to use it before it dries completely, you can, but I try to avoid it. When it's finished, it will flow almost as well as it did when new, and so far, I've not yet been able to use one up to the point that I can't re-clean it. I'd have given it 5 stars, if the maker had cared enough to make it out of metal, and so that you can unscrew the top to change the paper filter & even replace the charcoal, when needed.

Instead, they've elected to have us contribute more to pollution, as people will be throwing these plastic bodied units into the trash when they no longer work. As I said, they should have made them out of metal. They would cost more, but they would last forever, with only the filter elements being repurchased and replaced as needed. Far better for the environment & for the customer. There are just WAY too many disposable items being made and sold these days.

This thing is amazing. I haven't tried it with actual smoke produced by combustion, but for vaporizer clouds of vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol, this contraption absorbs it all easily. No smell and no clouds at all. Now, the only 'give away' that I'm vaping is the sound of me inhaling. As soon as I got this and discovered this, I ordered a 'junior' version of it.

I suppose this is both good and bad news! Now I can do it anywhere, anytime, so that generally means I'll do it more! HIGHLY RECOMMEND for vapers!

Purchased for "stealth smoking" and to avoid irritating others with strong-smelling smoke. Originally I considered the travel version but after reading reviews went with the original and I'm glad I did! It's already a pretty small size and fits easily in my purse (though if you're a small purse person, Idk if this or the travel version would work for you or not).

And since you're wondering: yes, IT WORKS! Both my husband and myself were impressed at how effective this was at diffusing smoke and eliminating smell. Very little scent/smoke lingers which is very important if you're an indoor or stealth smoker. It works MUCH better than the "homemade" versions and the price is right. All that remained is what was coming off of the pipe itself. I really can't believe we've gone years without this as we certainly plan to purchase more.

Tips:
- Shout out to "Amazon Customer" review on 8/17/16 for this tip: "Pair it with some cotton balls on the inside to catch the nasty brown resin and it will last you 4x longer than expected without clogging the filter."
- Be sure to put the lids back on when you're finished to preserve your Smoke Buddy.

Leaving 4/5 stars for now -- will add a 5th star if it earns it after more use. (We don't use it at home much).

I like this better than its main competitor Sploofy because the Smoke Buddy lasts forever. When it finally seems dead you can microwave it for 5-10 seconds and let it cool down and it works again. This trick eventually stops working though.

I ended up just making my own with activated carbon and a soda bottle because it was cheaper than buying these products again.You can find activated carbon in the fish supplies aisle of many stores.

To make one cut some slits or make some holes in the bottle of the bottle. Stuff a paper towel into the bottom to cover the openings you just made. Pour your activated carbon(avoid the very fine powder, it will blow out the bottom) into the bottle and stop a few inches from the top. Stuff paper towels into the top to prevent the carbon from falling out. Take your hit and blow it into the bottle from the top and you will get a clean smell out the other end. If you have issues with it working well then adjust how compacted the carbon is until it works for you.

Love this but you can clean it easily. Put in microwave for ten seconds only, blow the steam through, let it sit. Then bang it against something to loosen out carbon. You have to tap all sides many times. Then put it on a pile of books or whatever and position a fan right up against the blow-hole for a while, then tap into the sink and watch all the crumbs cascade out. Repeat until no more crumbs and voila, as new. Don't keep in a bathroom but somewhere dry. Possibly freezer, I haven't tried there yet.