Seeking advice on a future pipe.

[Bluemidknight]

Wow, I'm shocked we got a a section on B&B for pipes

This is great!! I can get my shaving advice, coffee, and smoking advice all in one place..

So here is whats going on... I go through a MM corn pipe about one a month.. When I travel they take all kinds of abuse, on the plane, in the truck, rapid temp changes, and sadly by my own hands.. I'm running hot. I go throw 10 bowls a day, I'm sure thats not good on my pipes.. a graveyard of them can bare witness to this.. Cracking along the bowl, near the connection point of the shank and bowl... I clean my pipe once at the end of the day before bed..
So now you can see my bad habits/ daily habits.. Is there a pipe out there for me? Pretty vague of a statement.. I was looking to get a Meerschaum pipe because apparently what I read its ready out of the box for smoking and you can smoke different tobacco with no mix taste..
I wouldn't mind just getting another MM corn pipe again, but I would like to have the "One", not just a specific model that works...

 

[jwhite]

I'm not sure you can get one pipe to do what you want it to do. A meerschaum is capable of smoking many bowls without burnout but they can be more maintenance heavy. They can break if handled roughly or if a cake builds in them. Most of us who enjoy a pipe often have a rotation.

I would suggest as a cost effective solution to get a cob for every day of the week. Each pipe should last considerably longer that way. Another option would be to get a Falcon Pipe which has interchangeable bowls and can take a lot of abuse.

Here is link for some info but they can often be found on the 'bay pretty cheep. http://www.falconpipes.com/

 

[Psicko]

I love my MM cobs. They do take the abuse well, but they are also only 5-10 bucks depending on where you buy them. THey also have a great warranty on them. Check out their guarantee. It sounds like you are hard on pipes in general. It would be better to damage a cob than it would to damage a meer or a briar.

As Jwhite mentions, buy several mm cobs so you can let them rest. Having many pipes allow you to have a rotation so they don't get so much abuse so quickly. I have several briars, and a few cobs. When going out and about I generally take a few cobs for the day, and rotate the smokes throughout the day to let them get a rest.

One more thing. Clean your pipes more often. That will help a bit.

 

[Greglam]

I go throw 10 bowls a day,

Wait, are you saying that you are smoking 10 bowls a day in the same pipe?

If that is the case I cannot imagine what bowls 3 and 4 taste like, let alone bowls 8,9, and 10.

Yeah, you are definitely going to need multiple cobs to get you through the day, not to mention enough to give them at least a day's rest.

I can only dream of being able to smoke 10 pipes a day so I can't really offer you much in the way of advice for that kind of volume but even smoking two or perhaps three or four bowls a day has me with about a dozen or so briars in order to maintain a proper rotation and to avoid souring.

Good luck and happy smoking!

-Greg

P.S. Just out of curiosity, what is your tobacco of choice? Ten bowls a day can get pretty pricey if you're smoking Pease or Samuel Gawith.

 

[buyandhold2018]

If you are rough on your pipes, a meerschaum is not the answer. Although you can smoke numerous bowls a day in them, after 2-3 they get saturated with moisture and the quality of smoking quickly deteriorates. Also, you will ruin them if you smoke them in cold weather and they are easier to crack and break if you mis-handle them. They also require frequent clean because cake is not ideal in a meer-pipe, especially if you want to smoke different blends.

Cobs are the quickest drying pipes I've come across, but in my opinion, more than 3-4 bowls in a day is a lot, even for a cob. Your may want to buy a few cobs.

My personal preference is Briar, but Briar requires more rest (to dry) so this may not be ideal for you.

I'd probably stick to cobs if I was going to smoke 10 bowls a day in the same pipe, $3-5 a month isn't too bad for a new pipe. It will cost you $60 a year for pipes.

As jwhite mentioned, you may want to look into Falcons or Kirstens (http://www.kirstenpipe.com/page_pipestyles.shtml). I've never smoked metal pipes but I hear they are capable of taking a good beating and you could always get multiple bowls for them.

 

[arghblech]

You could try an estate "The Pipe". The bowls are lined with graphite which isn't as delicate as meer.

 

[Commander Quan]

You could also check out Falcon pipes. They are a metal stem with interchangeable brier bowls that screw on. I've never smoked one but there are people out there that love them. You will probably still want to get a couple different bowls and swap them out periodically.

 

[Commander Quan]

You could try an estate "The Pipe". The bowls are lined with graphite which isn't as delicate as meer.

I would skip The Pipe, they are made from Brylon and according to most they don't smoke well at all, and that may be an understatement.

 

[arghblech]

I would skip The Pipe, they are made from Brylon and according to most they don't smoke well at all, and that may be an understatement.

The outside is supposedly bakelite but the inside of the bowl of mine is graphite. It isn't the best pipe ever but it smokes better than I expected. It stays cool, dry, and doesn't seem to ghost.

 

[Blue_2]

A Meerschaum would be great, except the material is only slightly harder than good chalk. It'd break if dropped badly, unlike a cob.

I also have to give a nod to the Falcon. It's probably the most durable pipe currently made. Not the prettiest, but with a metal stem and a replaceable briar bowl, it may fit the bill. The stems come straight or bent, and there are a bunch of bowl styles.

 

[kingthursday]

i concur on the falcon i have 2 stems and 8 bowls and i love them
they are my truck pipe and my work in the yard pipe. ebay and try one you will love it and you can change the bowls over and over and over

 

[Bluemidknight]

Ok I'm leaning to a Falcon now.. But running around with a metallic looking rasp thing in my mouth seems a bit strange...
I saw they have stems that look normal, the International styles, does the insides of the International stems function the same has their metallic standard? On a odd note the International styles have filters, does that mean something is missing with the insides?

I smoke about anything of similar flavor.. I made a mistake of buying a cherry flavor after smoking a week of apple..
Clients and family send me tobacco of quality on special occasions. But for my daily smoking like a furnace going up and down in the desert or here in the states I just grab a big bag of Bar Harbor from Tewksbury & Company out of Denver, COhttp://tewksburycompany.com/tewksco/brands_pipetob_OUTstate.htm,. But if I can afford it I'll be puffing away on Dunhill Nightcap all day..

 

[jwhite]

The international is different from the standard, the odd rasp look of the standard is intended to act as sort of a heat sink to cool the smoke. the international isn't quite the same and uses a filter in the mouthpiece to compensate, but it does have the same bowl interchangeability as the standard. The standard makes use of a dry ring to help keep condensation from where briar meets metal from reaching the stem but some Falcon owners find them unnecessary, I assume the international fits the dry ring as well since the bowls are interchangeable but I cannot confirm this. Because of the filter the two will smoke differently, but that doesn't necessarily make one better or worse than the other. If you are used to filters in the cob the international may be somewhat similar, if you don't use a filter the standard might provide a more relateable smoking experience. If its purely a matter of aesthetics than there are brown anodized standard stems that mitigate the metallic look of the standard. Comfort and feel are a part of enjoying a pipe, if you don't like holding it or feel uncomfortable carrying it around than that must be a consideration.

 

[Bluemidknight]

I found a Falcon on Ebay... I hope to get it soon and see if it works for me

 

[jwhite]

Good luck!

 

[Bluemidknight]

I think I fell in love with the Falcon...

Its very lightweight.. The metal stem doesn't get uncomfortably warm. The filter ring thing is ruining the drag.. Next smoke I'll do it without the ring filters..

Smoking my Falcon with 965 Dunhill.. Need to invest on some bowls...

 

[Commander Quan]

Glad it's working out for you.

 

[Blue_2]

I think I fell in love with the Falcon...

Its very lightweight.. The metal stem doesn't get uncomfortably warm. The filter ring thing is ruining the drag.. Next smoke I'll do it without the ring filters..

Also glad to hear it works for you!

I don't use the rings either. I just remove the bowl and swab it with a paper towel after.

 

[jwhite]

Good deal, and happy puffing!

 

[Bluemidknight]

I was fortunate enough to get this for $14.. one bowl and one stem..

I was bidding for one with three bowls, but it was a bloody mess in the last 10 seconds.. The price rocketed to the moon..