Best Filter Tips for Pre Rolled Cones

In the modern cannabis industry, one of the primary features of the pre rolled cone or tube is a filter.

Often made with paper or cardstock that’s folded into a “W” shape, the filter, or crutch, helps cool the smoke and keep bits of cannabis – or “Scooby Snacks” - out of a consumer’s mouth, as well as adds some structure to the pre-roll cone for both filling and holding. This extra distance from the end of the cannabis to the tip of the smokers mouth also helps you smoke down to the very last bit.

But the simple, “W” paper filter is not the only choice in the modern cannabis world and the vast array of filter tip choices now available all provide different benefits and can help personalize your smoking experience.

From fancy paper options to corn husks or traditional cellulose acetate to premium wood, glass and ceramic filter tips, there’s a wide world of filter tips available for pre rolled cones, including for the home-packer who prefers a handmade feel to a storebought one.

Let’s explore the various filter tips options to find what’s best for you.

Spiral Pre Roll Filter Tips

For smokers who want something more than a folded piece of paper or card stock, but don’t have a premium wood, glass or even ceramic filter tip on hand, the spiral paper filter still represents a step up from the standard W shaped pre roll filter tip.

Spiral filters are just what they sound like, paper rolled to a spiral and placed in the filter end of a pre rolled joint. These can either be rolled by hand or purchased and are most often found in artisan pre-rolled tubes that resemble traditional cigarettes.

The spiral filter not only stops more particles from getting through, it also adds a bit of firmness to the base of any tube or cone. That makes them easier to hold on to and smoke and less likely to squeeze closed when passed hand to hand. They also have more surface area than a “W” filter, which allows them to catch more resin than traditional folded paper filter tips.

Plus, the spiral filters just look cooler than the standard "W" shape!

Premium Wood Filter Tips

For smokers looking for a step up from paper filters, wood filter tips provide the first truly premium option.

Whether part of the pre-rolled tube or purchased individually, wood filter tips add a further level of cooling and protection against Scooby Snacks. When purchased on their own, premium wood tips can be used either in a joint you roll yourself or as an add-on, with pre-rolled cones fitting inside like a classic, Penguin- or FDR-style cigarette holder.

The filter provides a nice bit of weight, giving the pre-roll a more luxurious feel that can turn any pre rolled cone into a premium product. Most importantly though, the wood filter tip changes the draw of the pre roll and cools down the smoke. Unlike a paper filter tip, the wood tip has a smaller cavity for air to flow through, so the smoke gets cooled down as it is pulled through this narrow opening. Additionally, the change in opening creates a smoother draw.

Plus, wood filter tips can come in multiple flavor options. There is, of course, the natural wood variety, but also a sugar flavor wood tip that adds a touch of sweetness to the lips as well as a vanilla wood tip that provides a taste of vanilla. And because the flavoring is part of the wood filter tip, it adds a nice taste without ever getting in the way of or overpowering the flower inside the pre-roll.

It’s kind of like having your cake – delicious tasting cake – and eating it too.

Premium Glass Filter Tips

A step up from even the wood filter tips, glass filter tips can upgrade any smoking experience. Like their wooden counterparts, glass filter tips do an excellent job of both cooling the smoke and stopping particles from getting through, allowing for bigger hits. The smooth finish of the glass also feels great on the lips and really delivers a luxury feel to your pre rolls.

And again, home-rolling pros can seal a glass filter tip into hand-made joints or cones prior to rolling by licking the paper and pressing it directly to the glass or they can be used by pre-roll fans as an additional filter and touch of luxury by simply stuffing the crutch end of a pre roll into the filters to create a premium filter at a home-roll price.

You can even purchase pre-rolled tubes with glass filters already built in.

Glass filter tips come in a variety of shapes as well, offering a little something for everyone. There are flat-mouth tips that have an ergonomic design to fit in the lip, bullet shaped filters, cone shaped filters and the most common, cylinder-shaped glass filters that have a twist built in to snag particles as they pass through.

Other Pre Roll Filter Tip Options

There are, of course, other filter tip options available, from bio-cooling filters made of biodegradable, plant-based fibers that further cool the smoke without harming the environment to high-flow filters, hollow tips and hemp paper and even metal and charcoal filters that truly do help filter harmful bits out of the smoke. But for the best filter tips for your pre-roll cones, stick with the best-tested products on the market and check out the DaySavers collection of filter tips to decide how best to save the day, your way!

Filter Tips to AVOID in Pre Rolled Joints

Corn Husk Filter Tips

A natural alternative to the plastic cellulose acetate filters, corn husk filters provide a similar feel and thickness, though they do allow for more airflow than their cigarette cousins. Found in many commercially available filters, including many palm leaf blunt wraps, the corn husk filter do an excellent job in keeping small particles from getting through and will keep out more resin than a paper filter.

However, because they are made of a natural material – corn husks – these filters must be monitored to ensure their moisture content is not too high. Corn husk filters have been found to hold moisture, making them potential breeding grounds for microbials like aspergillus and potentially not the best choice for a pre-rolled cone or tube.

Cellulose Acetate or Cigarette-Style Filter Tips

Made from plastic cellulose acetate fiber, filters were first introduced into commercial cigarettes in the 1950s to cut down on the tar and other harmful ingredients found in cigarettes. By the 1960s, they were standard and required by law.

The filters are made by combining bleached cotton or wood pulp with acetic acid and are designed to change color with use, giving the illusion that they are better at filtering out harmful materials than they actually are.

And while the filters are available commercially and there are brands that pack pre-rolls into cigarette-style tubes that feature cellulose acetate filters, the truth is they are not very good for cannabis smoke. They don’t remove any harmful chemicals that may be in the smoke and, in fact, often make the pre-roll joint more difficult to pull a hit through because the resin from cannabis is stickier than tobacco and clogs the filters faster than in a cigarette.