Hello everyone. It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything but here I am. That being said today I will be reviewing the Shishabucks Cast Stratus. This is a heat management device (HMD) created by Shishabucks. This HMD provides a lot of airflow and ventilation in comparison to others like the Kaloud Lotus or Oduman Ignis. Prior to this Shishabucks made a premium version of this product that is CNC’d from an aluminum block. This version sports a casted aluminum with a chrome finish similar to other HMDs like the Kaloud Lotus. What that means is molten aluminum is put into a mold and then cooled to create the product I have here today. What that means for you, the customer, is that you can get the same fancy HMD for roughly half the cost. On the bottom half of the HMD you’ll find a flat surface with 2 circular bumps to allow the shisha to breathe when the device is on top of your bowl. Also with design it will equally distribute heat throughout the bowl. There are also many holes to allow air to travel through the bowl when you take a pull. On the cap there are several openings which assist with your coals staying lit. The cap also features a locking mechanism which attaches to the bottom half and makes it so you can pick up the entire HMD for coal carrying purposes. The handle feels premium and stays cool when you decide you want to use it. The locking mechanism can further be seen in this photo. In my opinion it’s a rather smart design and while using both versions of the Stratus it has yet to fail me once when I wanted to migrate the HMD from the bowl to the sink or from the burner to the bowl. Just like on the bottom of the lower half there are two circular bumps. On the inside of the Stratus this assists with keeping your coals lifted from a flat surface and prevents coal black outs. There is a lot of room inside the chamber. You can fit 3 coconut cubes inside of it. Comparison between cast and premium version. The Shishabucks Cast Stratus is a popular HMD used in my collection. There are several forms of ventilation and airflow created from all sides of the device and my coals never black out due to the raise inside of the chamber of the HMD. Any bowl you currently use paired with another HMD will fit perfectly with this one as well. All in all for the price of 35 USD it’s a worthwhile product and if you’re not looking to shell out for the premium version this one will work just the same.
