The 5″ 14M 45° Black Sheep Large Clear Ratchet Ash Catcher is a glass add-on built for people who love their big rips but hate scrubbing filthy bongs. Designed to sit between your bowl and your water pipe, it catches ash and crud before it ever hits your main piece. At 5 inches (127mm) tall with a 14mm male joint and a 45° angle, it’s a plug-and-play upgrade for most 14mm, 45° water pipes that want smoother pulls and way less buildup.
Why It Works
- Cleaner bong, longer life — The ash catcher acts as a sacrificial filter, trapping ash and resin so your main piece stays clearer for longer.
- Smoother, cooler function — The ratchet perc adds extra diffusion, turning harsher hits into smoother, more manageable pulls without killing your airflow.
- Drop-in upgrade for 14mm setups — 14mm male joint at 45° is the standard for a ton of beakers and tubes, so it slides into most daily drivers without adapters.
- Easy to watch and maintain — The clear glass body lets you see the water level and buildup, so you know exactly when it’s time to swap water or clean.
- Keeps flavor fresher — By catching burnt particles before they reach your piece, you’re not dragging old ash through your hit every time.
- Protects your main piece — If something clumsy happens at the joint area, better the ash catcher takes the hit than your expensive tube.
Best For
This ash catcher is made for glass fans who run 14mm beakers or straight tubes and want cleaner function without buying a whole new water pipe. It’s ideal if you’re a daily driver who’s constantly rinsing your bong, or if you’re the friend in the group who actually cares about how the piece looks after a long weekend.
If your setup already lives on a dedicated dab mat, this is a natural upgrade to keep your whole station looking dialed in instead of grimy.
How to Use It
Slide the 14mm male joint of the ash catcher into your piece’s 14mm female joint at the 45° connection. The angle is designed so the ash catcher hangs naturally in line with most 45° downstem beakers and tubes, keeping everything balanced and stable.
Once it’s seated, add a small amount of water to the ash catcher’s chamber, just enough to cover the slits in the ratchet perc when you tilt it to its normal position. Pop your bowl into the top joint, and you’re ready to go with extra diffusion and protection between your bowl and your bong.
After your sesh, let the glass cool, then dump the water and give it a quick rinse to keep buildup from getting out of hand. For a deeper reset, soak the ash catcher in isopropyl alcohol, rinse thoroughly with warm water, and let it dry completely before you put it back on.
If you like to swap between different bowls or setups, keeping a few options organized with your other smoking accessories makes it easy to build the right stack for each sesh.
The Basics: Ratchet Ash Catcher Function
A ratchet ash catcher uses a circular perc with multiple slits or holes around the edge to break your hit into smaller bubbles. More bubbles mean more surface contact with water, which helps scrub out particulates and cool the hit before it ever reaches your main piece.
Because this piece sits before your bong, it’s your front-line filter: most of the ash, resin, and splash ends up here instead of caking your tube or base. When you’re a few bowls deep and don’t feel like full-on bong surgery, being able to just rinse this instead is a big win.
If you’re pairing this with heavy use or sharing with friends, you might also want to keep your flower or mixes in solid, airtight glass jars so everything going into that bowl is as fresh as the filtration coming out.
Specifications
| Height | 5 inches (127mm) |
|---|---|
| Joint (to bong) | 14mm male |
| Joint angle | 45° |
| Perc style | Ratchet perc |
| Material | Glass |
Fit & Compatibility
This ash catcher is designed to play nice with water pipes that use a 14mm female joint at a 45° angle—most classic beakers and a lot of straight tubes with angled downstems fall into this category. If your piece has a 90° joint (more common on some modern tubes and rigs), this one will sit awkwardly or at the wrong angle, so double-check your joint angle before grabbing it.
For people who run multiple setups, it’s handy to keep this as the designated “dirty work” attachment on your main tube while you reserve smaller pieces or other smoke shop products for quick solo rips.
Care & Maintenance
Because it catches so much debris, a little regular attention goes a long way. Empty and rinse the ash catcher after use or at least daily if you’re running it hard—stale water is where funk and stains start.
When buildup shows up on the glass or perc, soak it in isopropyl alcohol until the residue loosens, then rinse with warm water and let it dry. Keeping your ash catcher clean not only looks better, it also keeps flavor and airflow where you want them.
If you’re switching between flower and concentrates in the same area, it’s smart to keep your extracts stored separately in proper concentrate jars so ash and bong water never end up near your good sauce or rosin.
FAQ
- Will this fit my bong?
If your bong has a 14mm female joint and the joint is angled at 45°, this ash catcher should plug right in. If your joint sits straight up (90°), this model isn’t the right match. - Can I use it with a 90° joint piece?
You technically could with the right adapter, but it will likely hang at an awkward angle. For 90° joint pieces, you’re better off with a 90° ash catcher designed for that style. If you mostly use straight tubes or rigs, you might look into smaller recyclers or silicone bongs & rigs that match your joint style instead. - How often should I change the water?
Ideally every sesh, or at least whenever it starts to look cloudy. Fresh water helps the ratchet perc function better and keeps smells and stains from hanging around. - Is the glass thick enough for daily use?
It’s built as a functional, everyday upgrade piece, but it’s still glass—treat it like you’d treat your main water pipe. Avoid banging it against hard surfaces or twisting it at the joint when it’s stuck. - Do I need to fill the ash catcher and the bong with water?
Yes, they each have their own water level. The ash catcher handles the first stage of diffusion, then your bong’s main chamber does the rest. Just don’t overfill the ash catcher or you’ll risk splash moving into your main piece. - Can I use this with a different bowl size?
The ash catcher’s joint is 14mm, so it’s set up for 14mm bowls. If you have 18mm bowls, you’ll need a reducer adapter. If you keep a few different bowls and adapters stored with your storage & packaging gear, it’s easy to swap depending on who’s over and what you’re smoking. - Does this change how hard I have to pull?
Any added piece adds a little drag, but the ratchet perc is designed to keep airflow open while still diffusing. Most people notice smoother hits more than any change in pull strength, especially if you keep the water levels dialed and the glass clean.