What's new

Need help buying my first pipe

I enjoy the smell of pipe smoke and interested in purchasing my first pipe.

All things tobacco pipes are new to me. I have found a 4 Generation Pipe of the Year 2019 for $190. I like the aesthetics but don’t know what else I should consider.

Any advice you guys could share would be appreciated. Is this a good buy?

 
It’s a hefty sum for starting out…

Smelling tobacco and tasting it is not 100% the same.
There is a learning curve to it not unlike starting to shave with a DE.
Undeveloped skills could theoretically lead to a damaged pipe.

If you love the shape and have the funds get it but also get some cheap corn cobs or a starter briar/pre owned one to develop your skills.

There are different families of pipe tobaccos do you have any specific in mind for starting out?

Heavily flavored ones can be a bit tricky for a novice.

Smokingpipes.com as an example has a wide selection and many are well under 190.00.

Many folks here will help and advise :)
 
No clue about which tobacco I might prefer. Was just going to try a few and learn which ones I prefer.

I know this will likely get a chuckle from this audience, but I was planning on buying one “nicer” pipe and sticking with it. And I’m ok with buying a gently used pipe to make my funds go further.

But I also recently started enjoying the wet shaving journey and I’ve bought 4 razors in the last 2 weeks…

Thanks @Multum in parvo for sharing your thoughts.
 
As Multum said, It’s more than you need to spend on a 1st pipe. But it’s very nice, and we all understand the need-want continuum.

So thoughts on that particular pipe:
  • It’s beautiful!
  • The price is in line with other 4th Generation pipes.
  • It’s new, so it won’t taste like a prior owner’s favorite tobacco.
  • It is a large pipe with a biggish chamber.
  • For me, it is a bit too heavy. My rule of thumb is 2 oz or lighter. Which speaks to whether you can comfortably clinch it in your teeth or whether you’ll have to hold it.
 
For 1.00 you can upgrade your account for the Brown Leaf Trading badge.

Based on your location there might be folks here that help you out with your selection or samples.
 
Thanks for pointing this out. I added the upgrade to my account. I’m not sure I’ve met the membership time requirement, but it will will be there when I do.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
You will inevitably receive much advice here.

But mine will be humble. To start, keep it simple, and keep it modest. And learn to smoke a pipe first. That is the first step. So many beginners tend to invest lavishly on the tools and tobacco, and so very little on themselves.

Do not invest hundreds of dollars at this time. Invest first in yourself, and in mastering the method of smoking a pipe. A $500 pipe will not be any better than a $5 one in that regard, and you will not know the difference at this point in your journey.

Purchase a $5 cob, a pouch of an easy to smoke over-the-counter blend, such as Sir Walter Raleigh, a pack of matches, and a small bundle of cleaners. And that is all.

Focus on learning how to smoke first with these basics, before going further. They will teach you the essentials of how to smoke a pipe. All the rest will follow in due time.

Do not worry about filling and packing or keeping time now. Learn only to light the bowl, and to sip the pipe as gently as possible without letting it go out, and not puffing it away as a cigarette or cigar. If it goes out, not to worry, that is why matches are sold in packs. At first, you may taste little. Again, not to worry.

Gentle cadence, until you can eventually taste what the most simple pipe blends have to offer. In fact, they offer quite a bit indeed. Far more than their eventual flavor, they will teach you how to easily smoke and savor all blends. A most valuable skill as you progress.

Do not worry if your first efforts are fast and imperfect, and perhaps unsatisfying. Never worry. Each smoke, you will learn a little more. Eventually, you may want more, and that is the time to move forward with something new. But master these basics first.

Again, start simple, and focus on you to start. Again, all the rest will follow. There are a thousand blends and a thousand pipes out there to explore. But do not get caught up in those complexities just yet. Learn to swim before you explore those oceans. A cob and a $4 pouch is a wonderful first teacher.

But most of all, relax and take your time. For that is the goodly purpose of smoking a pipe in the first place. Relaxation and comfort.

Good luck to you on starting what is a most gracious avocation.
 
As Multum said, It’s more than you need to spend on a 1st pipe. But it’s very nice, and we all understand the need-want continuum.

So thoughts on that particular pipe:
  • It’s beautiful!
  • The price is in line with other 4th Generation pipes.
  • It’s new, so it won’t taste like a prior owner’s favorite tobacco.
  • It is a large pipe with a biggish chamber.
  • For me, it is a bit too heavy. My rule of thumb is 2 oz or lighter. Which speaks to whether you can comfortably clinch it in your teeth or whether you’ll have to hold it.
Thanks for the bullet point comments, @mr_houston
 
You will inevitably receive much advice here.

But mine will be humble. To start, keep it simple, and keep it modest. And learn to smoke a pipe first. That is the first step. So many beginners tend to invest lavishly on the tools and tobacco, and so very little on themselves.

Do not invest hundreds of dollars at this time. Invest first in yourself, and in mastering the method of smoking a pipe. A $500 pipe will not be any better than a $5 one in that regard, and you will not know the difference at this point in your journey.

Purchase a $5 cob, a pouch of an easy to smoke over-the-counter blend, such as Sir Walter Raleigh, a pack of matches, and a small bundle of cleaners. And that is all.

Focus on learning how to smoke first with these basics, before going further. They will teach you the essentials of how to smoke a pipe. All the rest will follow in due time.

Do not worry about filling and packing or keeping time now. Learn only to light the bowl, and to sip the pipe as gently as possible without letting it go out, and not puffing it away as a cigarette or cigar. If it goes out, not to worry, that is why matches are sold in packs. At first, you may taste little. Again, not to worry.

Gentle cadence, until you can eventually taste what the most simple pipe blends have to offer. In fact, they offer quite a bit indeed. Far more than their eventual flavor, they will teach you how to easily smoke and savor all blends. A most valuable skill as you progress.

Do not worry if your first efforts are fast and imperfect, and perhaps unsatisfying. Never worry. Each smoke, you will learn a little more. Eventually, you may want more, and that is the time to move forward with something new. But master these basics first.

Again, start simple, and focus on you to start. Again, all the rest will follow. There are a thousand blends and a thousand pipes out there to explore. But do not get caught up in those complexities just yet. Learn to swim before you explore those oceans. A cob and a $4 pouch is a wonderful first teacher.

But most of all, relax and take your time. For that is the goodly purpose of smoking a pipe in the first place. Relaxation and comfort.

Good luck to you on starting what is a most gracious avocation.
Sage advice. Thanks for taking the time to share.
 
Welcome, Fallbeard,

Columbo and the others have given good advice. My .02 (and be aware that I have only been back into the pipe world for about 18 months) is to pick up an inexpensive briar (more in a moment), a pouch of Sir Walter Raleigh Regular or Aromatic, some matches, pipe cleaners, and a pipe tamper, and begin your journey. SWR can be had for only about $5 for 1.5 oz., which lasts a while.

As for pipes, Blue Room Briars on the 'Net is an excellent source of inexpensive pre-owned pipes. I've bought several from them and never had a bad one. Each pipe on their site has several pictures as well as specs; you can decide what shape within your price range appeals to you. They have pipes from $40 on up. No need to go for $190 right off: You can probably find something for $50 that you like the look of.

The point here is to enjoy yourself!
 
Last edited:

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Smoking pipes dot com also has Estate pipes, cleaned, refurbished and ready to roll with some excellent top brand names in the 50 to 70 dollar range.
I have a couple of cobs and they work fine, but there are some very good deals on briar out there if you spend just a little time shopping around.
Don't be tempted to go to someplace like Amazon due to the shabby items they sell or eBay till you can identify potential problems from photos.
 
Message received. I will look to purchase a used briar in the $50-$70 range. Like razors, aesthetics don’t directly improve the performance, but I do believe if you like the look and feel of something it can make the experience more enjoyable.

This may be another wide personal preference question to ask, but any brands I should be looking for given the price range and style I’m considering?
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Message received. I will look to purchase a used briar in the $50-$70 range. Like razors, aesthetics don’t directly improve the performance, but I do believe if you like the look and feel of something it can make the experience more enjoyable.

This may be another wide personal preference question to ask, but any brands I should be looking for given the price range and style I’m considering?
SP has Rossi and Savinelli in Italian estates, several Petersons in Irish estates, Ropp, Chacom and Butz-Choquin in French estates, and Soborg and Stanwell in Danish estates - all within that range.

In the next day or so, I'm doing a large give-away if you can hold off and want to enter.

There's nothing less expensive than free. I'll try to get them up today.
 
Message received. I will look to purchase a used briar in the $50-$70 range. Like razors, aesthetics don’t directly improve the performance, but I do believe if you like the look and feel of something it can make the experience more enjoyable.

This may be another wide personal preference question to ask, but any brands I should be looking for given the price range and style I’m considering?
You've received a lot of good advice, but let me chime in with a little more:

1. Don't expect to sample a bunch of different blends with only one pipe. Aromatic blends can "ghost", or taint, a pipe with lingering traces of that blend, so I implore you to pick up at least one corncob pipe to try out aromatics; cobs tend not to ghost.

2. If you're the kind of shaver that has to try every blade out there and orders sample pack after sample pack, get that impulse under control until you know how to smoke your pipe. Yeah, I know, if we had any impulse control we wouldn't be here, but still, try not to go crazy.

3. There's not a nickels worth of difference between the smoking characteristics of most pipe-maker's products, so look for the shapes you think you like and focus on that. I have way more pipes than I care to think about, and the ones I return to most often are mid-century models from Dr. Grabow, Brigham, and Jobey. Make certain you like the hobby before you go overboard (writing my own epitaph there...). Stanwell makes a good pipe at a fair price, as does Roma/Savinelli.

4. A golf tee makes a good tamper.

5. I'm assuming you are in the states; if so, check out WV Smoke Shop's website. They will sell small portions of some blends (usually "match" blends) by the ounce, making it easy to try a few basic blends without splurging for entire tins. Blends like Carter Hall, Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, etc are good blends to start with. You can advance to more complex blends after you get comfortable with pipe smoking. Order some pipe cleaners while you're at it. WV Smoke Shop has a decent selection of pipes too.

6. Never buy a pipe made of Brylon.
 
Last edited:

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
@Fallbeard
Brylon is an artificial composite material made usually of nylon as a binder and mixed with wood flour (ground sawdust).
While the few fans there are of it point to its toughness and resistance to scratching, burn out and cracking, those very qualities make it a material most pipe smokers are not fond of.
It gets hot and uncomfortable to hold, it is non-porous so it absorbs no moisture and you have a wet smoke.
It's 50's/60's stuff, I don't know that there is anyone making them today except possibly Amazon sellers passing them off as starter pipes.
 

seabee1999

On the lookout for new chicks
I’ll add in as well; I’ll second even third or fourth the advice of many here, get a cob or two. Depending on how much you do plan to smoke a day, having a cob in hand will allow for the briar or two you plan to get a chance to cool and breathe between smokes. Cobs are very inexpensive and great smokers as well, especially if you do plan to sample blends and tobacco varieties.
 
@Fallbeard
Brylon is an artificial composite material made usually of nylon as a binder and mixed with wood flour (ground sawdust).
While the few fans there are of it point to its toughness and resistance to scratching, burn out and cracking, those very qualities make it a material most pipe smokers are not fond of.
It gets hot and uncomfortable to hold, it is non-porous so it absorbs no moisture and you have a wet smoke.
It's 50's/60's stuff, I don't know that there is anyone making them today except possibly Amazon sellers passing them off as starter pipes.
Until recently, S.M. Frank sold Brylon models in their Medico and Yello-Bole lines. Like smoking a blast furnace. Probably still a lot on the pegs at those creepy "smoke" stores that sell cigarettes, vape supplies, cbd gummies, and Kratom.
 
Last edited:

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
I am going to offer a bit of a different suggestion. I recently got a nice little Peterson fishtail for about $100. It is not the fanciest by a mile, nor the least fancy. It is a solid, well respected, good looking pipe. I might liken it to a Rockwall razor or a Chubby 1 in best badger as pecking order analogies. As regards tobacco, since you were drawn to this by the smell, I would go into a tobacconist and smell for one you like and start there. I like a smoke that smells like burning leaves in autumn, and Rattray's Black Mallory is my favorite. It is crazy hard to find, but there are plenty of other latakia based English blends. Figure out the type of smell you enjoy most and ask for a recommendation. +1 on using a golf tee. A pen knife can do well, too. Cheers.
 

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
A few cobs and some Sir Walter Raleigh, Prince Albert or an Amphora sampler. Matches, pipe cleaners and a golf tee...that would be about $60 - $70 on the high end.

Start cheap and go slow. Pipe smoking wasn't meant to be rushed.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Until recently, S.M. Frank sold Brylon models in their Medico and Yello-Bole lines. Like smoking a blast furnace. Probably still a lot on the pegs at those creepy "smoke" stores that sell cigarettes, vape supplies, cbd gummies, and Kratom.
I've got a small one with a metal "carburetor" at the bottom front of the bowl.
Of course I had to try it. I hate it.
It looks like carboard and is very unfriendly to the whole pipe smoking approach.
 
Top Bottom