Crossing over

[EO80]

I have tried my hand at pipes a few times and while enjoyable occasionally it was more burden. I had been told it may be that I was using such a small bowl. So I updated today to this beauty.

Much larger bowl and already telling the difference.
At least baccy is cheaper than cigars....

 

[cigarblunk]

In the end once you fall down that slope hard enough. It's not cheaper hahaha between all the different Baccys and every gorgeous pipe I see on IG that I have to have.

Good luck

 

[winston596]

I've picked up my pipes a little more often too since I have been browsing this forum.

 

[EO80]

In the end once you fall down that slope hard enough. It's not cheaper hahaha between all the different Baccys and every gorgeous pipe I see on IG that I have to have.

Good luck

With the budget down I think this pipe will have to last me. Just have to keep telling myself the budget doesnt allow it when I see all the great pipes. I walked into to the local shop with the intention of just getting a cheap cob and ended up with that for the cost of a lot o cobs! Lol

 

[thedismaltrade]

I've spent more on pipes and baccy then I ever did on cigars. Good luck

 

[The Munt]

Welcome to the world of 20c smokes brother.

So long as you can keep the "I need that pipe" gremlins at bay, it is cheaper. Easier to stock up as well. And to be quite frank every bit as enjoyable. Sometimes though I do want a cigar and nothing the pipe world can offer will satisfy it. But I think they both have a place and it has helped the wallet since I went down the pipe slope.

 

[cgraunke]

@The Munt
The other gremlin that gets me is the "I need that latest hot tin for my collection, and oh they age better too." He gets the best of me WAY too often.
And his brother, "If I buy this buy the pound it's much cheaper per ounce."

To think what I could do with cash on hand if I stuck to 3 or 4 briars and found maybe a half-dozen bulk blends that I enjoyed. And only bought more when I was running out...
But that would be practical!

 

[K Williams]

In the end once you fall down that slope hard enough. It's not cheaper hahaha between all the different Baccys and every gorgeous pipe I see on IG that I have to have.

Good luck

Ain't that the truth!

 

[thedismaltrade]

@The Munt
The other gremlin that gets me is the "I need that latest hot tin for my collection, and oh they age better too." He gets the best of me WAY too often.
And his brother, "If I buy this buy the pound it's much cheaper per ounce."

To think what I could do with cash on hand if I stuck to 3 or 4 briars and found maybe a half-dozen bulk blends that I enjoyed. And only bought more when I was running out...
But that would be practical!

But the chase for getting down to those half-dozen blends you love is the expense on the baccy side.

 

[The_Rev]

In the past year I have definitely crossed over to pipes. I'm not a man of means, but I've been able to find plenty of pipes inexpensively on eBay that smoke great. I'm a smoker, not a collector. I have several MM cobs that smoke well. I have a lot of estate briars I love. I tired of chasing the HTF cigars. I have my favorite sticks I still smoke but personally I find more pleasure in the pipe blends that I enjoy and that are available. Even elusive products like Penzance can be gotten with a little patience. Pipes are my niche. And the folks who smoke pipes are much less obsessed with brands and image than cigar smokers. It's where I find my joy in smoking.

 

[cgraunke]

Preach it! ^^^

 

[EO80]

Thanks for the support and advice guys. I have a good selection of cigars still so with this addition they should last longer. My local sells baccy in bulk and blends some of their own which is pretty good.
And nobody here can claim that they are "practical". That would make too much sense for this group. Its just a matter of figuring out how to make the Financial responsibility thread work for you.

 

[HillbillyPyro]

I will say from my experience, yes at first it was more of a burden most of the time. But finding what works best for you is key. After about 8 months now of staying on it and working on it I'm finally to the point where I can pack a pipe, smoke it, and not even think about it.

 

[Hoshneer]

Yep just keep at it, at some point it clicks and becomes second nature.

 

[JGIORD]

I've tried to convert to pipes, even with buying a bunch of nice expensive ones I still found pipes to be cheaper than cigars. I just prefer cigars. I did sell off almost all of my nice pipes and stick to corn cobbs. I do go back to pipe tobacco occasionally and finally realized that certain tobaccos (orientals in particular) really irritate my mouth. So I mainly stick with VaPers now. I have found that C&D Haunted Bookshop (a burley blend I recently tried through a recommendation) to be very satisfying. It is really strong and has a nice kick which satisfies me as much as a cigar would. This is the only blend I have found to date that does that. My other favorite is Escudo, you can never go wrong with that one.

I still smoke 30 cigars to 1 pipe at best but every now and then I get on a roll and concentrate on my pipes.

 

[Tennessee Dave]

Congrats on the new pipe.

 

[redneck_toy]

Glad to see you branching out, Eran. In the two months I've been piping, I think I've spent around $350, but that is 5 cobs, two estate briars, and around 15 different tobaccos. Compared to my cigar smoking habits, that $350 would have bought less than three boxes of stogies and with at least 2 stogies a day, I'd be out of cigars. I have over a pound of tobacco now. I love both pipes and cigars, but pipes are a fraction of the price, as long as you keep the pipe acquisition disorder under control. Lol. I had a little trouble with packing a bowl and tongue bite at first, but have found several English blends ( which I prefer anyway) that don't bite, no matter how fast they are smoked. Packing a bowl now is a no brainier. I don't overthink it, I just fill it up in thirds, tamping a little each third

 

[EO80]

Glad to see you branching out, Eran. In the two months I've been piping, I think I've spent around $350, but that is 5 cobs, two estate briars, and around 15 different tobaccos. Compared to my cigar smoking habits, that $350 would have bought less than three boxes of stogies and with at least 2 stogies a day, I'd be out of cigars. I have over a pound of tobacco now. I love both pipes and cigars, but pipes are a fraction of the price, as long as you keep the pipe acquisition disorder under control. Lol. I had a little trouble with packing a bowl and tongue bite at first, but have found several English blends ( which I prefer anyway) that don't bite, no matter how fast they are smoked. Packing a bowl now is a no brainier. I don't overthink it, I just fill it up in thirds, tamping a little each third

Yeah I was having an issue and checked out a youtube video on it. Really helped. I have done it all before many years ago but with the smaller bowl I was using this time it was not working right. This one made it feel like old times.
On the baccy side I have really only had the one so far. Its a good blend from the tobacco place in town and had minimal bite. Looking forward to moving on.

 

[CVAC085]

I slipped down the slope in February of this year into the pipe world. Long story short...7 pipes (and the 2015 BOTL pipe in the works) and a whole lot of baccy, I still reach for both my cigars and pipes. I do find myself more with my pipe if I have the time. So my cigars are aging a little longer. I've limited myself a lot and I have to do my best to stick to it. Especially when buying a pipe I really have to set my price limit. My only exception that I allowed to exceed my price range is the 2015 BOTL pipe, which is my milestone birthday gift to myself this year.

When it comes to the baccy purchases, I have "wishlists" of baccy I'd like to eventually get my hands on and buy when the finances allow. And most every time I do cringe when I see the price at checkout. But I know if I enjoy it, I'll have many bowls to enjoy from just one tin or a few ounces. I'm guilty of some of these limited release baccy purchases that only come out once a year so I stocked up. Don't be afraid to shop around on some of the internet sites either. As much as I love supporting locally, sometimes its just financially easier on the wallet to buy online. And buy a few tins or bulk baccy you've wanted to try out. Get your moneys worth for shipping costs.

All these things come in time, just as proper bowl packing and lighting etc. You can always take out the baccy and re-pack before your initial light. Before you know it you'll have it down pat.

 

[K Williams]

I've tried to convert to pipes, even with buying a bunch of nice expensive ones I still found pipes to be cheaper than cigars. I just prefer cigars. I did sell off almost all of my nice pipes and stick to corn cobbs. I do go back to pipe tobacco occasionally and finally realized that certain tobaccos (orientals in particular) really irritate my mouth. So I mainly stick with VaPers now. I have found that C&D Haunted Bookshop (a burley blend I recently tried through a recommendation) to be very satisfying. It is really strong and has a nice kick which satisfies me as much as a cigar would. This is the only blend I have found to date that does that. My other favorite is Escudo, you can never go wrong with that one.

I still smoke 30 cigars to 1 pipe at best but every now and then I get on a roll and concentrate on my pipes.

Try GL Pease Haddo's Delight. Excellent VaPerDarkFired blend with a nicotine kick.