So I haven't had my Savinelli for very long, but I have tried the 3 different 6mm filters I could find for it, and thought for anyone going to give a 6mm filtered pipe a whirl, might find a little review thread of them usefull.
To anyone reading who has some experience with the 6mm filters - Please provide your insights good, bad, or indifferent!
First the Pipe:
Savinelli Lolita 01
I only have 4 pipes including the Lolita pictured above. By far, the Savinelli is my best smoking pipe. So much so, I intend to get another one. I am not sure if I'll get another Lolita or not, but certainly a Savinelli. Considering the price range these fall into - experimenting with them isn't going to kill most. That said, this was the pipe I tested my filters in.
Why a filtered Pipe?
As a way to kill the dreaded tongue bite.
I wanted a filtered pipe as a noob, I smoke fast and have had bite so bad I almost gave up the pipe for good. My 9mm pipe works well, but like I said, this Savinelli works better. That is to say if you are thinking 9mm because the 9mm has the charcoal filters, know that I will probably change to using balsa in my 9mm. But that's another story.
Just to be clear, many don't use filters in their Savinelli's, opting instead to use the insert provided. That's cool too. You certainly can do that. Of course you can't put a filter into a pipe not designed to use one. So there is versatility getting a pipe that can use a filter. Of course that's all personal preference and something only you can decide for yourself. I can however state that the filter indeed does... dare I say it so boldly? Yeah! The filter does stop the bite!
The 6mm Filters:
Falcon - Dr. Grabow - Savenelli
The first thing to note is that the Falcon's and Dr. Grabow's are too long for a Savinelli (Sav). You'll need to cut them to size. Not a big deal, and easy to do.
The Falcon is an almost hard pressed felt. It gets dirty quickly, and it bends and contorts with use. It seemingly was the least effective and I found could only be used once. I may be losing my mind, but I also felt this filter really took away from the tobaccos flavour. Not a fan.
The Dr. Grabow comes wrapped in a plastic sleeve and is hollow. Don't try to remove the outer plastic sleeve. It's there for a reason (to hold it together) and makes for easy insertion and removal. I like this filter. It works well and can be used twice.
There is another draw (selling point) to the Dr. Grabow. Because it's hollow, you can run a pipe cleaner through your pipe. This is a "win." But that said, it does kind of make the next smoke less filtered as the filter works by having many little pieces of paper dangling out on the inside of it which if you use a smooth cleaner, will be pushed flat against the inside of the filter. If you use a "barbed" pipe cleaner and pull out quickly, the little pieces of paper will be withdrawn back into place - I hope that made sense lol.
This filter does not take away from the tobacco flavour nearly as much as the Falcon.
The Savinelli balsa filters were the hardest for me to "get" or understand by just looking at it. That said, the minute you pull one out after use, it becomes rather intuitive. The wood is a sponge. They absorb moisture really well.
I found the Sav to work the best of the three if only because the balsa seems to give me the most honest tobacco taste. They can be kept in the pipe for three uses. Past that, I find they become overwhelmed. I like the balsa filters and when all three of the filters I have are used up, will probably only replace the Sav balsa filters. Though being able to use a pipe cleaner with the Dr. Grabow is a real advantage.
Finally, do yourself a favour and never throw any of these used filters in your trash unless that trash is stored outside lol. I am going to guess you can figure out why without any further explanation
.
Yeah - that's about it. That's what I have found so far. The 6mm filter system especially in balsa really works well for me, and I am sold. So much so, I will be probably be buying another Sav. It's not super sexy - but it works.
Thanks for reading.
To anyone reading who has some experience with the 6mm filters - Please provide your insights good, bad, or indifferent!
First the Pipe:
Savinelli Lolita 01
I only have 4 pipes including the Lolita pictured above. By far, the Savinelli is my best smoking pipe. So much so, I intend to get another one. I am not sure if I'll get another Lolita or not, but certainly a Savinelli. Considering the price range these fall into - experimenting with them isn't going to kill most. That said, this was the pipe I tested my filters in.
Why a filtered Pipe?
As a way to kill the dreaded tongue bite.
I wanted a filtered pipe as a noob, I smoke fast and have had bite so bad I almost gave up the pipe for good. My 9mm pipe works well, but like I said, this Savinelli works better. That is to say if you are thinking 9mm because the 9mm has the charcoal filters, know that I will probably change to using balsa in my 9mm. But that's another story.
Just to be clear, many don't use filters in their Savinelli's, opting instead to use the insert provided. That's cool too. You certainly can do that. Of course you can't put a filter into a pipe not designed to use one. So there is versatility getting a pipe that can use a filter. Of course that's all personal preference and something only you can decide for yourself. I can however state that the filter indeed does... dare I say it so boldly? Yeah! The filter does stop the bite!
The 6mm Filters:
Falcon - Dr. Grabow - Savenelli
The first thing to note is that the Falcon's and Dr. Grabow's are too long for a Savinelli (Sav). You'll need to cut them to size. Not a big deal, and easy to do.
The Falcon is an almost hard pressed felt. It gets dirty quickly, and it bends and contorts with use. It seemingly was the least effective and I found could only be used once. I may be losing my mind, but I also felt this filter really took away from the tobaccos flavour. Not a fan.
The Dr. Grabow comes wrapped in a plastic sleeve and is hollow. Don't try to remove the outer plastic sleeve. It's there for a reason (to hold it together) and makes for easy insertion and removal. I like this filter. It works well and can be used twice.
There is another draw (selling point) to the Dr. Grabow. Because it's hollow, you can run a pipe cleaner through your pipe. This is a "win." But that said, it does kind of make the next smoke less filtered as the filter works by having many little pieces of paper dangling out on the inside of it which if you use a smooth cleaner, will be pushed flat against the inside of the filter. If you use a "barbed" pipe cleaner and pull out quickly, the little pieces of paper will be withdrawn back into place - I hope that made sense lol.
This filter does not take away from the tobacco flavour nearly as much as the Falcon.
The Savinelli balsa filters were the hardest for me to "get" or understand by just looking at it. That said, the minute you pull one out after use, it becomes rather intuitive. The wood is a sponge. They absorb moisture really well.
I found the Sav to work the best of the three if only because the balsa seems to give me the most honest tobacco taste. They can be kept in the pipe for three uses. Past that, I find they become overwhelmed. I like the balsa filters and when all three of the filters I have are used up, will probably only replace the Sav balsa filters. Though being able to use a pipe cleaner with the Dr. Grabow is a real advantage.
Finally, do yourself a favour and never throw any of these used filters in your trash unless that trash is stored outside lol. I am going to guess you can figure out why without any further explanation
.Yeah - that's about it. That's what I have found so far. The 6mm filter system especially in balsa really works well for me, and I am sold. So much so, I will be probably be buying another Sav. It's not super sexy - but it works.
Thanks for reading.
