| Author | Message | ||
     Robert Rodd Member Username: Rrodd Post Number: 1 Registered: 04-2009 |
This is my first post here, although I've been lurking a few days. I get the feeling I am like a number of others here, a 60-something who smoked for a couple of 3-4 year periods, once in my 20s and again about 10 years ago. I've decided to return to pipe smoking, and now, there's the internet! So, I can ask questions! I'll start with this one. Now that 3rd world countries are mass-producing just about everything, I look at a pipe and think you could probably get one for about $5.00. So, I looked on the net and saw, no, you can get them from $1.50 on up! Has anyone tried one of these cheapies? I don't plan on getting one, I am just curious. It doesn't seem to me that making a pipe is rocket science and they seem to lend themselves to mass-production. | ||
| Mark Yusko Member Username: Watchmker Post Number: 20 Registered: 12-2007 |
If you want a cheapie pipe why not go for a cob? And there made in the good old USA. I'm quite sure they would smoke better than some cheapie from some 3 world dump. | ||
| W. A. Lanman Member Username: Blenheimbard Post Number: 96 Registered: 01-2009 |
Rob, If you are talking about the Sandras and their ilk, they are some unknown type of wood or manmade bowl, with a metal insert and everything I have heard is that they are horrible for tobacco (possibly okay if you are smoking something else, but that is another forum). Tobacco smoking keeps the metal bowl hotter for longer, and the metal imparts a taste to the tobacco. Pipes have been made out of all sorts of substances over the years, and for tobacco it boils down to a very few acceptable choices: 1 Clay: cheap, breaks easily, gets dramatically hot and hard to hold. 2) Meerschaum- no break-in, smooth smoke, easy to carve, ages beautifully, breaks easily, limited world supply (Turkey, Africa, and some in US). 3) Porcelain - easy to decorate, easy to break, no break in period, like clay only prettier. 4) Wood: a) briar- general choice of pipe makers due to characteristics, doesn't impart flavour to tobacco, relatively easy to carve and stain, high tolerance to heat, etc. The best briar seems to found in the area surrounding the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, Algeria, etc.) b) Cherry and other fruit woods- imparts a flavour, but many do not find it objectionable, readily available, softer wood does not lend itself to carving, etc. c) Walnut and other hard woods- good carving material, oils tend to add a dominating and objectional taste to tobacco, readily available. 5) Metal & glass- metal adds taste but is very durable, glass is...glass. 6) Corn Cobs- Generally lined to prevent early burn out and protects from taste cross over, no decoration carving, readily available and cheap. For me Briar and Cob are the only starters real choices. If you need to put together an instant rotation on a small budget, get a handful of cobs. Then build your rotation by reconditioning briars, you can get them either on EBay or fleamarkets and antique stores. Cleaning them up for your own use is something anyone can learn to do, and requires next to nothing in outlay. Lots of references on the net on how to do it see mine at: http://pipes.forumeiro.org/estate-pipe-discussion-f9/the-joys-of-pipe-hunting-t2 0.htm and: http://pipes.forumeiro.org/pipe-maintenance-discussion-f5/pipe-cleaning-restorin g-resources- Hope that helps, and welcome aboard, Al | ||
| Robert Rodd Member Username: Rrodd Post Number: 7 Registered: 04-2009 |
Thanks for all the input Al! I had no intention of buying Chinese-made $1.50 pipes, because a) I don't need to economize THAT much! b) I want briar (and meerschaum). But, it just seems to me that pipes lend themselves very well to mass production. Getting the holes drilled in the correct spot each time is something machines do very well. And you don't have to "design" pipes, just reverse-engineer some known good ones. Anyway, after giving it some thought, and looking at new makers and estate pipes on Ebay, I've decided to go the Ebay way. At one time I would have not wanted a used pipe, but I'm not that way anymore. And you can get some really good pipes for not a lot of money! Plus, they're broken in! In a week I will have amassed 10-20 pipes, including some old (i.e., good) Comoys, GBDs, and Savinelli's. | ||
| Ted Saufley Member Username: Montag Post Number: 17 Registered: 03-2009 |
An excellent summation, Al. Might I add that cherry must be carefully smoked as it is not as heat-resistant as briar? | ||
| Dov Wiseman Member Username: Dov_of_the_galilee Post Number: 62 Registered: 09-2007 |
Welcome aboard Robert, I tend to be an estate pipe purchaser myself. That means second hand! I have a few pipes that I have paid the full going rate of $70 or so but really they're no better than the second hand pipes that I find and refurbish. Last summer for instance I bought a rack of seven pipes and the rack for fifteen dollars in a second hand store. I buffed all of them and sterilized them and they are dandies. There's no $400 pipe in the lot of them, they are lower end pipes by today's standards but they are from the 50's or 60's so their quality is good IMO and they were well smoked so I eased in from someone else's hard work! Now I don't knock the guy who spends large sums on pipes because that fellow is keeping the current market lubricated and quite possibly creating a second hand pipe for the next generation. So if I could suggest getting a cob pipe or two and then trawl your flea markets and yard sales and see what jumps out. I wish you the very best and hope to hear some good tales. | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 1447 Registered: 03-2006 |
Most pipe stores have some briar pipes in baskets for about $20 apiece, and if you pick through them you can find some fairly nice smokers, so I can't see any sense in buying pipes made of mystery wood. I've bought many baskets pipes over the years, and most of them have smoked quite well. | ||
| Gerard Carroll Member Username: Nogbad Post Number: 71 Registered: 06-2008 |
I wouldn't touch anything from China - what if your cheap pipe had been made from some surplus hardwood that had been pressure treated with copper-arsenic? You cannot trust Chinese product safety IMHO. | ||
| Robert Rodd Member Username: Rrodd Post Number: 8 Registered: 04-2009 |
Dov - I actually am having to pull back from watching ebay as the number of "estate" pipes coming online is amazing. I'd guess about 1-5 per hour. In one week, I've bought about 15 briars, plus a really nice meerschaum, 4 pipe racks, and 2 humidors. Total for that was about $200. Time now to just start smoking! | ||
| ARTHUR SANTELLA Member Username: Arty1941 Post Number: 8 Registered: 03-2009 |
I have an old brier pipe with the pipe marked Peter Kent "Gibraltar" & Italy. Does anyone have any info on this pipe? It is a rather small pipe overall. I do not seem to be able to find any info on this brand. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks |