What do you use to light your pipe?

A torch flame is a no go as far as pipes are concerned. It will scorch the rim for sure!! I’ve been using butanes and Zippos for ages and it does not cause any scorching at all. Matches, of course, are the #1 “lighter” for a pipe

I have a lot of zippos, but none with the pipe insert. I find that the regular zippos are a little difficult to light with, and I’m terrible with matches… I usually just use a Bic.

Pieter, yes I don’t use a torch on a pipe either, except for a cheapo cob or other more “disposable” type pipes and only when it’s the most convenient lighter nearby. Anyone else ever had to rely on a burning candle for a lighter?

You want to talk unique ways to light tobacco? I once had to light a cigarette with a tightly twisted paper towel, some WD40, and a blowtorch striker.

I’ve been know to use a toaster for my cigarettes from time to time. As far as my pipe goes(or any fire source for that matter), i have the Zippo bug. I love them them and own about ten. For those w/have never played w/one, i suggest buying a base model. You can find them for around $10. Once you ahve used a Zippo, nothing else can take its place.

If I have no wood matches a BIC lighter does ok.

@Harlequin I’ve lit my BBQ with gunpowder and carburetor cleaner… It seemed like a good idea at the time…

Good to be crafty…

Bic type lighters seem to be the best to me. A pipe question for the experts: I’ve smoked pipes for about 30 years, but on and off. I know how to smoke one and am not a beginner in that sense. Thing is, I’ve never owned anything other than cheapish briars. The last two cost me 14 euros. Is there a difference in smoking a cheapy over a Dunhill or whatever? I’m perfectly happy with what I have - am I missing something? I have no interest in prestige brand names, but as I have got a little more interested in pipe smoking as I get older I wonder if I should shell out a bit. I suspect this is like asking if snuff is better out of a gold snuff box, but as I am no expert on piping I thought I would ask. Running out of snuff on holiday and buying a pipe to keep me sane has re-kindled my interest and I have been avidly smoking corner shop/gas station brands of baccy since I got back from Greece a couple of weeks ago.

@snuffster Up to a certain point (say around $200) paying more does (usually) result in a better product, in terms of fit and finish, materials and engineering. That is not to say that there are not wonderful smokers to be had quite cheap. I’ve had some great basket pipes over the years that I paid less than $30 for, but in general mid-grade pipes do smoke better than really cheap pipes. The reasons for this include factors such as accurate drilling, well-finished stems with comfortable buttons, well-cured briar, and the absence of shellac type finishes that interfere with the pipe “breathing.” The $200 figure cited above is not a hard-and-fast rule by any means, but, in general, once you get above that level you are paying mainly for aesthetics/collectability.

Ian Walker of Northern Briars make a nice pipe, there’s something different about a hand-made pipe. Peterson makes a decent pipe also for not much money.

Bic type lighters seem to be the best to me. A pipe question for the experts: I’ve smoked pipes for about 30 years, but on and off. I know how to smoke one and am not a beginner in that sense. Thing is, I’ve never owned anything other than cheapish briars. The last two cost me 14 euros. Is there a difference in smoking a cheapy over a Dunhill or whatever? I’m perfectly happy with what I have - am I missing something? I have no interest in prestige brand names, but as I have got a little more interested in pipe smoking as I get older I wonder if I should shell out a bit. I suspect this is like asking if snuff is better out of a gold snuff box, but as I am no expert on piping I thought I would ask. Running out of snuff on holiday and buying a pipe to keep me sane has re-kindled my interest and I have been avidly smoking corner shop/gas station brands of baccy since I got back from Greece a couple of weeks ago.

I agree with what @tybalt has siad. I have 4 dunhill pipes and i guess you just have to smoke one to fully appreciate the workmanship. That being siad, my dunhill’s are all estate pipes bought of ebay for between 40 and 200 dollars. Oldest is 1929 and newest is 1969. Dunhill makes superb pipes, but i couldn’t see myself paying $500 for a new one when you can get a well looked after one which is essentually the same pipe for $120-$150. I do have a few cheaper estate pipes that have turned out to be really good though. I start every day with EMP in a small French bulldog that i paid $5 for.

Agreed on the Dunhills. I like them, and own several, but have never bought one new. Here’s why: I just picked up an estate Bruyere finish rhodesian on ebay the other day for 128 dollars. Brand new that pipe retails for about 730 dollars. Not worth 700 bucks in my ever so humble opinion, but worth every cent of 128…

Agreed on the Dunhills. I like them, and own several, but have never bought one new. Here’s why: I just picked up an estate Bruyere finish rhodesian on ebay the other day for 128 dollars. Brand new that pipe retails for about 730 dollars. Not worth 700 bucks in my ever so humble opinion, but worth every cent of 128…

Nice one!! I’m envious!

Zippo pipe lighter or matches, will be trying Hemp Wick once my free sample arrives.

Bic type lighters seem to be the best to me. A pipe question for the experts: I’ve smoked pipes for about 30 years, but on and off. I know how to smoke one and am not a beginner in that sense. Thing is, I’ve never owned anything other than cheapish briars. The last two cost me 14 euros. Is there a difference in smoking a cheapy over a Dunhill or whatever? I’m perfectly happy with what I have - am I missing something? I have no interest in prestige brand names, but as I have got a little more interested in pipe smoking as I get older I wonder if I should shell out a bit. I suspect this is like asking if snuff is better out of a gold snuff box, but as I am no expert on piping I thought I would ask. Running out of snuff on holiday and buying a pipe to keep me sane has re-kindled my interest and I have been avidly smoking corner shop/gas station brands of baccy since I got back from Greece a couple of weeks ago.

One cheap pipe you MUST have in your collection is a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob. Seriously, they are excellent smokers for almost no money. I’ve just now finished a bowl of Peterson’s Irish Flake in a Great Dane Egg and it was pure pipesmokers bliss!!!

I do not own any Dunhills (yet) but I have a couple of Savinellis, Stanwells, Petersons, Brebbias and quite a lot of the older GBDs. I love each and everyone of them.

Thanks for the advice gents, if I’m still into it in a few months I may treat myself. My pipe smoking goes in fits and starts - I will smoke for a few weeks and then leave it for a year is how it usually goes, but if I’m still enjoying it in a while I will probably invest in a Dunhill, plus a Missouri corn cob.

yeah get a nice pipe. It’s not really that expensive when you consider how much better it smokes when you figure how much more you’d be willing to spend on pipe tobacco if it smoked that much better. the diffrence is very noticable. If you’re willing to look around you can sometimes find great pipes for cheaper because of cosmetic problems. (sometimes briar will seem perfect untill the pipe is carved, still great but if you’re paying top dollar it’s better be perfect). I’ve gotten some high end pipes that way. There are also estate pipes (used really). Shop around compare research and ask questions.

I’d say get what you’re attracted to, as long as you can afford it. If a pipe is properly made the price typically will not determine how well it smokes, at least in general. You could have a $40 BC that smokes better than a $500 Dunhill, it seems very difficult to determine how well it will smoke until you actually smoke it. Many folks will simply buy what they like the looks of and sell it if they don’t like how it smokes, this includes pipes that cost hundreds of dollars. I just pretty much buy according to aesthetics and if it is drilled and formed properly. There is an article out there about “the brand myth”, how a certain brand will not always smoke the same way, it I believe was a response to a statement that (I’ll have to look up his name) could, when blindfolded, taste the difference between different brands of pipes. Maybe I can dig that up. The main factors seem to be how well the pipe is machined/formed, and how lucky you are to get a nice smoking piece of briar- which is hard to determine by appearance.