Thread: Pipe of the Day

Originally Posted by NoseWarmer

So how do you like the White Pouch? That's my favorite for the Captains...

I like the White Pouch better myself, it has a nice smooth draw for a good inhale, pleasant taste !

Just For Him's Shortcut To Mushrooms in my Yuki Tokotomi Blasted Fugu Blowfish

Guy's, am I crazy or what ? I've got four estate pipes, two of which are supposedly quality pipes, an Arlington and an Old England. Both I believe are ghosted, very nice and decent smokers, "they are going to be sent to a fellow member for a good cleaning this week" but I always find myself wanting to smoke this Grabow most all of the time, "must be why I ordered a new Freehand Grabow yesterday" this pipe was almost new when I bought it and didn't have any buildup/cake hardly at all. Now I know the most expensive New Grabow "Big Pipe" can be bought here http://pipesandcigars.com/drgrabow.html for less than 40 bucks. Is it the filter or what that makes my Grabow my favorite pipe ? Will these others be as enjoyable when cleaned out. I really am enjoying this new hobby, and definitely not going to shy away from it cause I love the taste of these fantastic tobaccos we can purchase. What is the advantage of a more expensive pipe over, say a 40 dollar Grabow/Kaywoodie over a 100+ dollar Peterson/ Savinelli pipe. Don't get me wrong, cause I would love to have one, or for that matter, a custom pipe. Bottom line is do the high end pipes smoke that much/or any better than Grabows that I'm growing fond of, am I crazy ?
Thanks Guys

BTW I'm burning a bowl of Mac Baren golden extra out of my Grabow while typing this.

Have a great day guys !

I've never tried real high-end budget pipes so i cannot speak from experience. I honestly think that most cheap or mid price pipes smoke as good. With the pricey pipes it is the design that costs, and yes they can be aesthetically really beautiful and unique. Some expensive pipes are also handmade, not engine turned, and rare and skilled pipe artesans have to earn their living too.
With really cheap pipes there can be a small risk of getting something like monday piece but the risk, imho, is very small. Corn cobs are ok too.
This question about smoking ability of a pipe is highly personal. In general what affects smoking is the thickness of the bowl and the length of the shank and stem. Rest is mostly up to you. The best pipe is the one that you feel most comfortable with. As i said before, some like daughters, some like mothers and some like them both.

What is comes to tobacco ghosts it is relatively easy to get rid of it by yourself with salt and vodka (unscented alcohol) treatment. Getting your old pipe shiny, if you like it that way, is easy with carnauba wax. There are several methods of restoring old stems, some use chlorine, sand paper and shining wax like Autosol. I prefer warm olive oil. There are also products that are specially made for these purposes. If you like to try to clean some of your old pipes, then i recommend you to try first with some cheap estate pipe. There is nothing to lose.

I have some nice high end pipes - some of them smoke great, some of them are OK. Same with my lower and mid-priced pipes. Personally I think it has to do with the quality of the wood and the engineering (by this I mean drilling of the chamber, shank and stem). That said, I won't spend the kind of money that a lot of the high end pipes cost new....I just bide my time and pick them up as estate pipes, clean then up and smoke them. Besides, at that point the are (usually) broken in and only cost about 1/4 as much as they did new. I like all makes and models of pipes both factory and artisan. IMHO if you keep them clean they will perform well for you, some just need a new stem or maybe need the airway drilled out. Others (due to size or shape) may perform better (or worse) depending on what type of tobacco you smoke in them. The majority of my pipes I probably paid $10 to $20 for on eBay, then sat down and cleaned/repaired them as they needed. Like what you smoke and smoke what you like!

PM Sent. I've recovered more than a few really nasty crusty old pipes. I've come to the conclusion that anything that wasn't a great smoker would never be smoked enough to be ghosted, crusty and nasty . Once you get them squared away they are not unlike that filthy, stinky, ugly old dog that you rescue from the pound. So greatful that they are just your best friend forever.

I just want to thank all you guys for chiming in, y'all have been a great help and answered some of my questions that were bugging me. Got a great PM from 1OldGI that I'm gonna try on one of my old Estate pipes tonight.
Thanks for being so helpful guys !
Mark

Originally Posted by blugill

Guy's, am I crazy or what ?

Now I know the most expensive New Grabow "Big Pipe" can be bought here Dr. Grabow Pipes for less than 40 bucks. Is it the filter or what that makes my Grabow my favorite pipe?

Bottom line is do the high end pipes smoke that much/or any better than Grabows that I'm growing fond of, am I crazy ?
Thanks Guys

BTW I'm burning a bowl of Mac Baren golden extra out of my Grabow while typing this.

Have a great day guys !

I started out with a Grabow and a cob... Still both rank in the top 5...

Just to let ya know, The Grabow's are charred with tobacco before they are sold... That helped me a lot when I started... I didn't and I still don't like to break in a new pipe... Something about the "charring" wood flavor... It's not Hickory or Apple...

I have both low end... $5.00 cobs and $100.00 customs... I like the low end for a "working" pipe, If it gets hurt... Not as big a deal as if I were to break a custom...

+1 to what nosewarmer just said, i have a 2 pipes that i guess could be called mid priced, and i have 3 cobs, i find myself smoking the cobs pretty much daily, the other midpriced ones set. but then again that could just be the hillbilly in me to.

Sorry, friends.
There wasn't enough speed to upload pictures. So I only posted in SOTD.
Tomorrow we (my wife Anett and I) will visit manah and his wife. Alex and I have to exchange some stuff and like to smoke a pipe (or two) together.
It will be the first time I meet a SRP member naturally.