What makes a bad pipe bad?

[iergeni]

I'm considering a purchase in the near future and, being a novice, and a financially challenged one at that, I'd appreciate some advice.

I'm looking to buy a decent pipe, but at the same time not spend too much on it. I do realize that you get what you pay for, but at the same time, above a certain point, the increase of the price doesn't bring much improvement in quality.

So the question would be - what are the qualities I should avoind in a pipe? Which things should I look out for? What is it that makes a bad pipe bad?

 

[javajunkie]

cheap whiskey, loose women, and that rock and roll music will turn a pipe bad any day. i blame the parents, really... o)

realistically, an OK pipe by common standards, smoked well, can perform great. and a perfect grade, artisanally made pipe smoked poorly will be a pile. if you are just getting into it, DON'T go heirloom quality. get what you like the look of, and what is in your budget.

FWIW the key points are really the draft hole being centered and being just off the bottom of the bowl, which is the best for airflow, which promotes a better smoke, etc. preference on stem material, if applicable. preference on finish, if applicable. or shape. or the ability to pass a cleaner thought the stem into the bowl without disassembly (for ease of cleaning, or mid-smoke tune ups). but i have a couple that don't have any of that that still make me happy to smoke.

what is your price range? and do you have a local, or are you buying online?

 

[LigaPrivadaFanboy]

What makes a bad pipe? Shank not drilled near the bottom of the bowl. That gets messed that up and you may never build up cake there.

 

[Grrrrr609]

I'm considering a purchase in the near future and, being a novice, and a financially challenged one at that, I'd appreciate some advice.

I'm looking to buy a decent pipe, but at the same time not spend too much on it. I do realize that you get what you pay for, but at the same time, above a certain point, the increase of the price doesn't bring much improvement in quality.

So the question would be - what are the qualities I should avoind in a pipe? Which things should I look out for? What is it that makes a bad pipe bad?

Im not sure I can really answer your question. Fanboy pretty much summed up what screws up a pipe. Alot of companies sell their woodblocks as seconds if they screw up their drilling.

As far as a beginner pipe i would suggest buying a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipe. for about six bucks its a good place to start to learn how to pack and light a pipe. If you really want a briar it would depend on your budget. What your willing to spend. Alot of good pipes out there. My favs right now are Nordings. They feel good in my hand and I enjoy smoking them. Making the pipe smoking a good experience. Also Meerschaum pipes are nice, you dont need to build a cake. They burn fairly cool. And it doesnt matter what you smoke in them, you dont have to worry as much about ghosting.

From my short experience, it isnt so much the pipe as it is me. How I pack and smoke that makes the pipe smoking a bad experience. The choice of tobacco. Whether or not the tobacco needs to dry before packing. How fast I smoke. Whether or not I give myself tongue bite etc.

If you pick up a new briar a precharred one is nice cuz less break-in. just pack it and smoke it. A cob is noce cuz if you screw it up it was only 6 bucks. A meer is nice cuz you can smoke anything in it, like experimenting with new blends.

Good luck.

Like what you smoke and smoke what you like.

 

[ciggy]

For me airflow and the ability to clean or run a pipe cleaner though it easily is at the top of my list. If your really worried about it, buy a pipe with a trusted name. They have been in the buisnes for along time and now how to make a good pipe. Also how it fits in your hand is a key. I personally don't like letting a pipe hang from my mouth using my teeth as a grip. I tend to like pipes that cup well in my fingers. This will really be something you may want to consider. Go to your local pipe shop if you have one and just handle a few of them to see what fits you best. I think you'll be happy that way.

 

[sam a]

that's sorta one of those impossible to answer questions, there are so many variables, and issues of preference involved with pipes. you might find this article helpful though: http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=16

the drilling, and quality of materials are super important, but i can testify as a pipe smoker and a pipe maker that there is also some plain ol' luck of the draw voodoo involved. some pipes just suck for no good reason, and some smoke great despite all their flaws.

 

[iergeni]

Thank you all for your answers.

Corncob pipes are not as readily available here (Eastern Europe) as they are in the US, but I'll look into that nonetheless. The reason why I started this thread is that I bought a pipe last year and after a couple of weeks of smoking, it turned bitter and tarry. I kept getting bitter taste and tar with the same tobacco that gave me an okay smoking experience in the past. I tried the Professor's Pipe Sweetening Treatment, which didn't really work out. All I got was a couple of bowls of brown salt (though in the second try, I kept repeating the process until the salt stayed white...ish).

Because of the ashtray smell, I store the pipe in my garage. It was there during the winter. Last time I checked on it, the weather was a tad warmer and the pipe was oozing with tar when I took it apart - despite the aforementioned treatment.

The pipe is a wooden one, and a super-cheap one, too (I guess I paid something around 5 EUR for it, so that's about $6). I bought it in a sourvenier shop, though in my defense it was the only place I could find in that town that sold pipes (until the actual purchase. Once I bought it, I found a store with proper pipes, of course). The low price leads me to believe that the tar problems I was experiencing were due to the cheapness of materials used, or the treatment thereof. The tobacco I smoked in it, on the other hand, wasn't (only) the cheapest kind.

If I start again, with a new pipe and, most likely, a new pouch of tobacco, how likely am I to experience the same problems again? Or, how much do I have to spend on the pipe to avoid them altogether? (I realize the latter is a stupid question and is thus not meant to be taken literally, but I hope that you get my drift)

 

[ciggy]

If it's the tar resin you get from the stem while smoking that will happen with almost any non filtered pipe. This is just from the moisture settling at the bottom of the bowl while smoking. It's that bitter juice that hits you on the tongue and I hate it as well but I just work through it with a stem cleaner while smoking if I have to. I'm rather new at pipes myself so I'll let the other fellas chime in on this but I think what your looking for is a pipe that requires a filter. Anybody? Also try looking on Ebay.UK You can find alot of nice pipes there as well and don't be afraid of a good estate pipe.

 

[iergeni]

I was refered to this particular selley: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/dayarte?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

Any red lights I'm not seeing?

Anyway, I dug up the old pipe and cleaned it some more. I'll see how it handles this season.

 

[iergeni]

Also, what is the difference between a "metal filter" and a "9 mm filter"? Is one just a subset of the other, or are they completely different?