I'd say it's the ultimate and not the penultimate, as I have yet to encounter anything better. Mebbe glass = ultimate, regular = penultimate? I dunno. Anyways, I've never used a non-glass one but they supposedly have a smaller bowl but are essentially the same as far as smoking experience. If the regular is $70 or whatever, is the extra 30 that much of a stretch? If it is, I wouldn't worry about it and just get the regular one, but if there's nothing stopping you aside from sticker shock, I definitely think the glass one is worth it. I will never be using anything aside from my gvg to smoke spice (not counting changa joints) as there's just no need. One of my spice-loving friends has used it once and couldn't believe it. His exact words were "I will never smoke out of anything else, it makes no sense. Can you even call that the same experience? It may as well be a completely different drug just on the ease of inhalation and the manner in which it hits you."