Buying my first pipe(s)

[cgraunke]

So, I know the tutorials say to give each pipe a rest for a day or two between uses, but I've just been smoking this one single starter cob to death. I need to add a few to my stable. I'd like three or four "keepers" but I'm struggling on where to start and I have a hard time putting money into a temporary fix that I'll just end up replacing a few months down the road. On looks alone the are so many beautiful pipes out there, enough where I become indecisive and don't make any forward progress. Can I get a little help on quality & function?

Should I sick with cobs for a while, just get a few more for rotation?
Should I buy some cheap store grabs, but still a step up from a cob, and work my way up slow? (feels like a waste)
Should I clean up estate pipes and hold of on buying new until I'm a bit more seasoned.
Should I just jump all in, buy the beauties I like, and try my best to care for them properly?

Style-wise, are there benefits or pitfalls I should be aware of?
Any materials/shapes/sizes/stems that I should gravitate toward our stay away from?

Any information is appreciated!

Also, I'm becoming familiar with names like Savinelli, Nording, & Peterson.
Any other recommended makers worth taking a look at?
What are your favorites?
I almost jumped on a couple of Papalia pipes out of Genova, Italy. Anyone have any experience with them?

 

[Grrrrr609]

Dammit I just typed a long post and my imternet deleted it.

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[cgraunke]

Grrrrr...

 

[Grrrrr609]

I will reply again later when I get to a computer.

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[cgraunke]

Thanks man! :thumbup:

 

[Ecks]

My $0.02, while it may not be much for pipes it's what's worked for me. Choose a pipe with your hands. When examining the pipes close your eyes and let your hands explore the wood to see how it rests, how it balances etc. In general a smoother pipe will feel a little hotter while your smoking it, but not all the time. You do not need to drop $100+ on a single pipe at a time for it to be a good pipe. I have a peterson that I quite enjoy smoking, but I don't use it as much as just a $5 cob. And yes resting the pipe is important. A good rule of thumb is one bowl = one days rest. So you smoke 2 bowls in one pipe in a day, leave it for 2 days till you pack and smoke that one again. Check out some $20-30 briars at your smoke shop, if they don't have any in that range and you aren't afraid to put a little elbow grease and time in, check ebay for estate lot pipe sales. Can pick up a handful of briars for around 30 bucks. Something to start with at least. Then during the holidays or birthdays family can treat you to a higher end pipe if you decide to take a hard liking to the hobby.

As far as cleaning your estate purchase should you go down that road, Grrr has some wonderful step by steps on doing it!

It's hard to say what you will and won't like in a pipe's construction. As with cigars everyones taste is different. Some enjoy curved stems, some straight. Some smooth bowls, some rough. It's all personal preference. Again, choose the pipe with your hands. Choose your tobacco with your nose.

Again, just my two cents. Enjoy the slippery slope!

 

[javajunkie]

dude, there is nothing wrong with just rocking cobs. they smoke great, and are damn near disposable! going forward, you may want to get a replacement lucite or vulcanite stem for them.

as far as other materials. brylon is VERY BAD. i have bowls made of pear, i love them, but the consensus is briar is best. olive wood and other hard woods can be had, sometimes inexpensively, and morta, meerschaum, and even strawberrywood are there at a substantially higher entry price, but briar would probably be the best.

my biggest recommendation is that anything you buy pass a pipe cleaner all the way from stem to bowl, it will make your life much easier. as far as WHAT to buy, your call. any shape or style is valid, and you need to listen to your own aesthetic on that. for major factories, i have had a lot of luck with nording and savinelli. for estates, figure out if you want to put effort into it, or if you want fully restored. if you're cool with fixing things up, it isn't hard to get something in clean and smokable condition with very basic tools and skills.

in the end, pick a median price point you can live with. i would NOT go balls deep until you know your preferences better, nor would i go bottom of the barrel; while i have had a LOT of luck so far in the under $60 category, it took some work to find them. find a comfortable middle point; it will hopefully increase your success rate without you finding yourself with an expensive piece you may not love down the road.

good luck with it, hit us up with questions if needed, and let us know where you go with this. o)

 

[cgraunke]

So shape/bend of the stem is purely cosmetic (other than the feel of how it sits in your mouth) and the length only affects how long the smoke has to cool before entering your mouth. Neither affect how easy/difficult a pipe may be to keep lit and/or smoke?

 

[javajunkie]

Kinda, but i would personally shy away from full bent stems, as being able to drop a lceaner through stem to bowl during a smoke is a godsend. Other than that, follow whay calls to you. Or try to go pokeman and get one of every style. O)

 

[Hoshneer]

I get a little more gurgle in bent stems but I actually prefer a small bend. It prevents the gurgle from ending up in your mouth if your smoking moist tobacco. Just keep a pipe cleaner handy to stick down in there.

I don't think there is nothing wrong with smoking a regular pipe a couple times a day unless you are a heavy puffer. Just give it a little cool down time. As far as pipes go you can get some good ones in the $50 - 70 range. Savinelli entry levels and Nording are fantastic. Nording seems to smoke good from the start.

That said a good broke in cob is amazing. Don't let the price fool you they smoke fantastic once you get a little cake. Estate pipes are also fantastic and if you have a local your good with you can barder a bit.

 

[Hoshneer]

One last thing I've found is that pipe making isn't an exact science. No matter how hard they try. I have had cheaper pipes smoke like expensive pipes and vice versa. It's an art and the pipe needs to fit your needs. That's why taking care of it is important. You can always trade it in.

 

[gentimmy]

Make sure you check out Ebay!

 

[derfatdutchman]

Lots of pipes in the $40.00 to $60.00 range. Look at Eriksen ( Nording), Parker (Dunhill), Bjarne, some of the Savinelli line, La Rocca, Rossi (Savinelli), and others. Add a cob or two until you have a three or four pipe rotation. Then one day you'll wake up with about 20+ pipes wondering where they all came from!

 

[cgraunke]

How many times can I relight the same bowl over how long of a time period?
I've been smoking for 20 min on the way to work, then re-lighting again for the 20 min ride home. Can I do this 2-3 times or am I doing myself a disservice and ruining the baccy?

 

[derfatdutchman]

How many times can I relight the same bowl over how long of a time period?
I've been smoking for 20 min on the way to work, then re-lighting again for the 20 min ride home. Can I do this 2-3 times or am I doing myself a disservice and ruining the baccy?

It depends alot on the blend you are smoking, as long as it doesn't taste nasty or sour go ahead. The problem you may run into doing this is that your pipe may start to smoke hot due to the baccy drying out.