How does the shii work? Technology, battery and care explained

In this article13 chapters 0% read

1. What is the shii?
2. The shii at a glance
3. How does the shii heat?
4. Preheating: Standard or Aggressive?
5. Tobacco and pods: what goes in and how much
6. Battery, runtime and mains operation
7. Design details that count in everyday use
8. First session with the shii: step by step
9. Cleaning the shii without endangering the electronics
10. Typical mistakes with the shii and how to avoid them
11. shii, XKAH Pro, XKAH Lite or ShishaX VOLTA?
12. Scope of delivery and further reading
13. Frequently asked questions about the shii

This guide explains how the shii heats, when aggressive preheating and Hardcore mode are worthwhile, how battery and mains operation work together, what matters when cleaning, and how it differs from XKAH Pro, XKAH Lite and ShishaX VOLTA.

The shii celebrated its world premiere in May 2026 at the Shisha Messe trade fair in Frankfurt, at the XKAH stand. Behind the device is the Russian distributor of XKAH, and the heating technology comes straight from the XKAH range. The shii is intended for everyone who likes the principle of an XKAH but has no hookah of their own or does not want to put together a setup from individual parts.

You can find an overview of all routes to a hookah without charcoal, electric bowls, e-HMDs and complete electric hookahs, in the article Hookah without charcoal. This one is only about the shii.

The shii at a glance

The adjustable temperatures describe the control levels of the device, not a measurement of the tobacco temperature.

The difference from charcoal lies in heat management, which is what the scene calls controlling the heat via the number and position of the charcoals. Instead of turning charcoals, removing them or tipping them onto their edge, you set a level and the shii holds it. If the group stops drawing for a while, the bowl keeps going for another 10 to 15 minutes.

AUTO or manual?

In AUTO mode, the shii works with presets that suit the common tobacco brands and adjusts the heat over the course of the session. In manual mode you set it yourself: 11 levels from 265 to 315 °C, each 5 °C from the next. You can even switch between the two modes in the middle of a session, because the automatic keeps calculating in the background. If you smoke manually for 20 minutes and then switch back, AUTO picks up where the curve would be without your intervention.

The light ring shows the level

You set it on the encoder ring, a rotating ring with a soft-touch surface. Above it, a light ring shows the chosen level in colour: white at the lowest temperature, orange in the middle range, dark red at 315 °C. Preheating and modes have their own light animations.

Hardcore mode at 315 °C

On the last level of the scale, the shii does not simply hold 315 °C. It switches to Hardcore mode, applies noticeably more power and exceeds 315 °C as well. This is intended for very strong Dark Blends that need a lot of heat before they really develop smoke.

Why the window sits one level higher

For comparison: on the XKAH Lite the scale runs from 260 to 310 °C, on the shii from 265 to 315 °C. The number of levels and the step size are the same, but the whole window sits 5 °C higher. The reason lies in its origin: in Russia, very strong Dark Blends are smoked that demand even more heat than what counts as strong on the German market. If you smoke strong flavours, you benefit from this.

Preheating: Standard or Aggressive?

Before every session, the shii preheats, for around 8 minutes. Preheating is started by holding the button; with a long click you skip it, and a signal tone reports when you can begin. Two programmes are available:

Aggressive replaces a detour that many take with strong flavours: preheating twice so that the tobacco gets going at all. The programme does not take longer than Standard but starts straight away at a much higher temperature. In the scene, this start-up phase is called kick-starting: with charcoal you briefly add an extra piece for it, and with the shii the programme does the job.

50 minutes per session

After 50 minutes the timer ends the session. The preheating time comes on top. If the tobacco still has flavour after that, you start a new session straight away without preheating again.

Tobacco and pods: what goes in and how much

The shii works with stainless steel pods, small tobacco containers with a mesh lid. They are an open system: you fill them with the hookah tobacco of your choice, whatever the brand. Unlike devices with prefilled capsules, you are not tied to a range. Liquids, e-liquids, oils, gels and steam stones do not belong in them.

For one session, around 10 to 12 g of tobacco is enough, depending on tobacco type and moisture. Pack it fluffy, as they say in the scene: sprinkle the tobacco in loosely, do not press it down, so that the hot air can pass through the whole filling. If you pack too tightly, you get an airflow problem, and the hookah then draws hard.

How to fill a pod

• Open the pod and remove the metal mesh.
• Sprinkle in around 10 g of tobacco loosely and spread it evenly with the fork poker.
• Wipe the rim so that no crumbs burn under the mesh.
• Put the mesh on and let it click into place.
• Use the pod tongs to place the pod in the silicone bowl holder.

One pod for three devices

Two pods come with the shii. They are the same pods as in the XKAH Pro and the XKAH Lite: you swap them between the devices, and the XKAH tongs fit too. The shii replacement pods are the same design as the two included pods. The stainless steel pods are dishwasher safe. Clean the silicone bowl holder separately with water.

Both batteries have the same form factor, fit every shii and show their charge level at the press of a button in four steps. An almost empty battery is not enough: for preheating, the shii demands at least 15 per cent charge. The shii Battery L has a longer maximum runtime than the Battery S.

Smoking on the cable

On the USB-C cable, the shii runs without a battery limit. What matters is the power adapter: only with 65 W via USB Power Delivery is there enough power to smoke and charge at the same time. The 65 W figure applies to simultaneous operation and charging; less power does not guarantee this operation. Even in mains operation, a battery with at least 15 per cent charge must be inserted. The 3-metre USB-C cable is included, a power adapter is not; with 65 W a Battery S is full in around 100 minutes. On the side, you can also charge your phone on the shii.

Unlocking, storing and taking new batteries with you

Batteries bought separately are locked by software for shipping; a charger connected to the USB-C port for about 5 seconds lifts the lock. You should store batteries at +10 to +25 °C, for longer breaks at about half charge. Battery S and Battery L both stay under 100 Wh, the limit that airlines apply to batteries in hand luggage.

Design details that count in everyday use

These ports and components are part of the build:

• Mouthpiece with 360° grip: A magnetic joint lets the grip rotate all the way round. If you pass it along, it turns with it, and the hose arrives smoothly at the next person.
• Magnetic connections: Both ends of the soft-touch hose are held by magnets. For travel you take the hose off instead of wrapping it around the device.
• Modular mouthpiece: can be taken apart into two parts plus connector, good for transport and cleaning.
• Pull-out handle: for carrying or as a rest for the mouthpiece.
• Bayonet: A quarter turn firmly connects the glass base and heating unit.
• Water level window: Min and Max markings take the guesswork out of filling.
• Built-in diffuser: It is permanently installed and provides an even, calm draw.
• Silicone bowl holder and splash guard: The bowl holder sits deliberately snug so that the air path is sealed. Inside, the glass base has vertical walls on which water can splash up when you draw hard; a silicone splash guard at the bottom deals with that.
• 360° purge: Purge is the manufacturer's term for the blow-off, that is, blowing out from the glass base. On the shii it falls out as a circumferential curtain, and an edge guides condensation back into the glass base instead of letting it run down the outside.
• Cool housing: 50 °C at most on the outside. Heating plate and pod stay hot and must cool down before cleaning.
• Silent mode and interchangeable panels: Signal tones can be switched off for the night, and the side panels are held magnetically and are prepared for engraving or lounge branding.

The shii comes in Ink Black and Silk Gray. Technically both are identical: Ink Black is black throughout, while Silk Gray combines silver-grey with a black middle section and a copper-coloured heating ring.

Ink Black and Silk Gray in the room

Silk Gray on the terrace

With the Battery S, the shii also stands where there is no socket nearby.

Silk Gray from the side

Silver-grey with a black middle section and copper-coloured heating ring.

Ink Black with Battery S

The battery sits at the back of the device and can be taken off.

First session with the shii: step by step

Cleaning the shii without endangering the electronics

The shii can be taken apart and cleaned with water, but the heating unit contains electronics and contacts. Caution is needed precisely there. Under the inner seal, molasses, that is the syrup from the tobacco, and condensation gradually accumulate. You can reach this spot without flooding the device:

• Switch off, let it cool down completely, remove the battery.
• Take off the glass base with a quarter turn, empty it and rinse it through with water.
• Remove the pods and silicone bowl holder. Clean the stainless steel pods; clean the silicone bowl holder separately with water.
• Pull out the inner seal and wash it with water only. No isopropanol: alcohol dries out silicone, so the seal hardens and eventually no longer seals.
• Remove molasses residue on the heating plate with a little isopropanol on a cloth. Leave out contacts, pins and silicone parts; do not use isopropanol there.
• Do not submerge or flush through the electronic heating unit. Clean the stem separately from it with a little water or a brush; contacts and battery compartment must stay dry.
• Take the mouthpiece apart into its parts and clean it.
• Let everything dry completely, and only then reassemble and switch on. Moisture at the contacts can damage the electronics.

Typical mistakes with the shii and how to avoid them

Start-up problems with the shii usually have a simple cause. You should know these six:

• The bowl tastes burnt: With light Blonde, Aggressive has been selected or the level is too high. For light flavours, preheat Standard and start low on the scale, then feel your way upwards in 5 °C steps.
• Hardly any smoke comes out: A very strong Dark Blend gets too little heat. Aggressive for preheating and a higher level up to Hardcore mode help here.
• The hookah draws hard: The tobacco sits too tightly in the pod or crumbs sit under the mesh. Sprinkle loosely, wipe the rim, click the mesh in cleanly.
• The shii does not start: The battery has less than 15 per cent. Charge it or attach a charged battery; a new battery must first be unlocked briefly on the charger.
• The battery level still drops on the cable: The power adapter does not deliver 65 W via Power Delivery. With a weaker power adapter the shii only charges; for smoking and charging at the same time it is not enough.
• Water splashes up: The water level is above the Max marking. Fill to between Min and Max; the silicone splash guard does the rest.

shii, XKAH Pro, XKAH Lite or ShishaX VOLTA?

All four devices heat hookah tobacco electrically. The decisive difference is whether you need a hookah of your own:

The temperature values are the adjustable device ranges in each case. They are not a direct comparison of the temperature in the tobacco and not a recommendation for the same setup.

The shii is the choice if you do not yet have a hookah or want a device where everything fits together. You place XKAH Pro and XKAH Lite on your existing hookah; the Pro runs on a swappable battery, the Lite on a cable and is intended for a fixed place at home. The ShishaX VOLTA takes the place of bowl and charcoal on your hookah and heats from two separately controllable zones, above the tobacco and at the chamber wall. You can find XKAH and VOLTA under Electric bowls & HMDs, and the shii and its accessories on the shii brand page.

Scope of delivery and further reading

The device comes with Battery S, two stainless steel pods, USB-C cable, hose with adapter, mouthpiece, dust cover, pod tongs, fork poker and spare balls. A USB-C power adapter is not included; for operating and charging at the same time you need 65 W with Power Delivery.

The overview Hookah without charcoal separates complete devices from electric bowls. The article E-HMD or charcoal? covers the comparison with a classic setup.

Frequently asked questions about the shii

Does the shii work with e-liquid like an e-hookah?

No. Normal hookah tobacco goes into the shii, no e-liquid. It heats the tobacco electrically, just as charcoal otherwise does.

How hot does the shii get?

265 to 315 °C can be set in 11 levels. On the top level, Hardcore mode also heats beyond that. The housing stays at 50 °C at most on the outside.

How long does the shii run on one battery?

The included Battery S manages up to 120 minutes, the larger Battery L up to 180 minutes. Swapping happens during operation.

Can I smoke with the shii while it charges?

Yes, on a USB-C power adapter with Power Delivery and 65 W. A battery with at least 15 per cent must be inserted.

Which power adapter do I need for the shii?

One with USB-C, Power Delivery, 65 W and certification. It is not included, but the 3-metre cable is.

Do XKAH pods and XKAH tongs fit the shii?

Yes. shii, XKAH Pro and XKAH Lite use the same pods, and the tongs fit too.

shii or XKAH: what is the difference?

XKAH Pro and XKAH Lite are E-HMDs for an existing hookah. The shii is the complete hookah with the same heating plate as the XKAH Pro.

Can I take the shii with me?

Yes. It has a pull-out carry handle, a dust cover and a mouthpiece that can be taken apart. Both batteries are under 100 Wh.