jezter6 said:
Mr Humps:
Can you give me a quick breakdown of the best $20-50 pipe brands? I'd like to swing by tonight and would be willing to have a good pipe even if it becomes more of a 'showpiece' than a routine smoker.
I'd be glad to give you my thoughts on the matter!
Remember though, nice pipes are a luxury item. As a result, prices vary. Going online can save you 30% easily.
First off, pipes to avoid at all costs:
Plastic Pipes- My first pipe was a plastic-y thing that I paid $7 for. It was terrible. Sure, it let me smoke, but it wasn't enjoyable and cleaning it was a mess. These pipes often have a metal basket and a few internal parts to keep the plastic from melting. Totally not worth it. I'd smoke a cob for the rest of my life before I got sucked into one of these.
Glass Pipes- Are sold more for smoking other types of plants. Don't even think about it.
This leaves us with 4 other options which I will detail below...
First, to get them out of the way...
Calabash- Calabash is a gourd found in Africa (I think). They hollow it out, dry it, and turn it into a pipe. Sherlock Holmes smoked a calabash. They have those gorgeous exaggerated curves and look really neat, although sort of garish. You may decide you want one of these, maybe they really speak to you. Personally, I love the way they look, but can't imagine myself seriously smoking one. I know nothing as to their care or longevity. They are pretty unusual, to be honest.
Next...
Meerschaum- is a mineral/stone found underwater in the seas of the middle east, Turkey being the most notable. It's like limestone in that it's formed by dead sea creatures. The difference is that the stone is often a brilliant white color, takes a nice shine, and is easily carved. There's a lot of very extravagant and intricate Meerschaums out there. Like corncobs, meerschaum doesn't "ghost" very readily so it's a nice pipe for rotating different types of tobacco. Over time, the color starts to turn brown as the smoke/stuff leaches through the pipe. These effects can be very attractive and cool and is pretty much a desirable thing. They tend to run $80+ for good ones.
Next...
Corncobs- the best brand is Missouri Meerschaum and they cost about $5 each and as was already mentioned, are highly regarded even by pipe snobs as providing a great smoke. The thing is that a pipe will start to "ghost" after awhile, giving you the taste of whatever else has been smoked in it. That makes it tough to try new tobacs. So many people keep some fresh cobs around just to try out new things.
Finally...
Briar- Briar is a root of a shrub. They cut it up, drill it, and make pipes out of it. 98% of all pipes are briar. They are what you think of when you think of a pipe. The downsides of briar is that they "ghost" previous tobaccos that you've smoked, so most serious smokers have at least a few of them. Generally, you want to let them rest for a few days between smokes. So, in that sense, don't worry that you will outgrow a beginner pipe- you'll just add it to your rotation, if not so you can smoke more often, then so that you can smoke a different type of tobacco with it to avoid ghosting.
Dr Grabow is the cheapest of the cheap. They are available at Walgreens for about $20, however some of the nicer ones are indeed sold through Tobacco stores in the $30-range. While frowned upon by pipe snobs, all reports indicate that they smoke really darned well for the price.
A step up from Dr Grabow are "the real pipes". Peterson, Savinelli, and Stanwell, I believe, are the big three. Most of these will be around $50, though again, you can go on the internet and find specials for less money, or nicer more extravagant ones by those companies for more. Plenty of Peterson, Savinelli, and Stanwells are over $100.
Then there's the carvers... the guys who carve pipes and have made a name for themselves. Many of these carvers have a lesser range of pipes, basically either "seconds", or else more mass-produced pipes. Maybe they have cosmetic defects, less attractive grain in the briar, or whatever. These good pipe makers don't often sell bad-smoking pipes, so usually it's just something cosmetic. Generally, "rusticated" pipes (they look like the bark of a tree usually) are cheaper because they can hide any defect in the briar. On the other hand, some people really just like the look of rusticated pipes. Just because they
can hide defects doesn't mean they are unattractive. You can also get sandblasted pipes which may look rusticated, or may just provide a dull matte finish. This also tends to hide defects and allows some pipe makers to "fill" defects with a sort of wood putty, not that this is done very often. And, of course, there is the highly polished (carnuba waxed) finish that shines and sparkles in the sun. It's just a personal preference, really, having little to no effect on how the pipe smokes.
So first off, pick a style of pipe that you like. Bent or straight? Apple? Brandy? Acorn? Billiard? Poker? Dublin? Freehand?. Just look around. Then find a finish that you like. Rusticated? Sandblasted? Polished?
Then go from there. Don't get too caught up in the brand. Just find one that speaks to you. The reddish one I have in the second picture is a Nording Fantasy Pipe ($75). I bought it because it's beautiful to my eyes, but many people say they don't smoke too well (though mine seems to be a good one). It is flanked by two Missouri Meerschaums ($5.10 each). The one in the top picture is a Tsuge, which is my favorite carver. His top of the line pipes, the ones I love, cost upwards of $500, but the one in the picture is in his lesser line of pipes and I got off eBay for $65, though sometimes you can find them for even less.
check out
www.smokingpipes.com and also
www.frenchyspipes.com Those are two highly regarded sellers that provide great pics to help you get a feel for what's out there.
