Intimidating?
Its like the simplest shit in the world. A diffuser is just a downstem with additional little hole on the sides, it "diffuses" the smoke through these smaller holes to catch more gunk. A percolator is just another little water chamber that the smoke passes through, its just there to catch more gunk as well and make the smoke slightly smoother.
In all honestly I've been around all this stuff for a long time. All those high end name brand bongs are a huge waste of money. I have a bong very similar to the one pictured and we rarely ever use it anymore, its such a hassle to clean, fill up with the right amount of water, and it gets dirty so quick that its more a hassle than its worth. That coupled with the fact that I get much stronger hits just out of my single tube bong, makes it that I regret buying the higher end one.
So yea, don't be dragged in by all the glassware hype, I was a couple of years ago and I'm $450 poorer as a result. Just get a decent single tube with a diffuser downstem and you're solid. Don't spend more than $100.
