@50ft_trad- there are things to look for when you buy your first pipe. Looking at the construction of the pipe will help, but still not be %100 guarantee. Picking a pipe that has good construction is a good start, all the pipes I chose that had good construction have worked for me. I have heard of a few from others that didn’t quite work, but that’s in the minority. Here is a link on smoking pipes.com-
https://www.smokingpipes.com/information/howto/selecting.cfm
@TerrapinFlyer @Psicko Thanks for your input guys. I think I’d be having to look at the cheaper brands, or off-brand basket pipes, even if that meant I had to do a bit of jiggery pokery to get it working right. 50+ pounds for a pipe (which I what those three brands are) won’t be an option for me for a long time, unless something miraculous happens. Even if the draft is drilled a little high, I reckon I should be able to compensate with chalk philtpads or the denicool stones, which I already have some of anyway to compensate for poor technique while I’m still learning. I tend to buy everything online, and my usual tobacconist has some I like the look of in the 20-30 pound range. I’ll most likely take a gamble on those when I get a few spare pennies. 
Another cheap brand is Carlo Duca. IF I remember correctly, it is a Savinelli Seconds brand. That was my first “real” pipe about $40 dollars which should be in the 20-30 pound range if Im not mistaken. Some of the other brands have seconds lines as well.
@Psicko Yeah, I’ve been looking at Dunhill seconds, and Prima de Chacom which is Chacom seconds. My usual tobacconist also has a section called Export Specials, which are seconds from other brands. I literally have a Parker pipe in the basket right now, and have been hovering over the checkout button for a few hours. My brother just bought some camping gear off me, so I have a few extra pennies than I did this morning… The trouble is, by the time you’ve added a bit of tobacco, some pipe cleaners, and the other odds and sods that you add to save making another order later, and of course the P&P, it builds to an amount to hesitate about. My brother has just left, so I’m going to pour a brandy and make a decision one way or the other this evening…
Ordered! X_X It’s a luxury I can’t really afford, but it’s a while since I bought myself anything, and this is my treat to myself for quitting the cigs. I feel simultaneously very happy and extremely guilty. Parker Special Selection Shell Briar Curved Cherrywood Pipe p132 http://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/newShop/images/products/thumbnails/18022\_\_big\_250x200.jpg Samuel Gawith 2013 Limited Edition Pipe Tobacco 100g Tin
http://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/newShop/images/products/thumbnails/10420\_\_big\_250x200.jpg Probably not everybody’s cup of tea, but I like a pipe I can put down without it spilling everywhere. The tobacco sounded quite interesting too, and was actually very reasonably priced for 100g (cheaper than “normal” tobacco prices over here) … not surprising really considering it’s still on the shelf after all this time
EDIT: Can’t get the frigging image tags to work X(
Those should serve you nice. congrats on the new pipe. I like the look of the pipe. I don’t care either way if a pipe can stand on its own. I have a few travel pipe stands that keep the pipe upright.
Thank you I have found being able to set a pipe down pretty much anywhere to be incredibly useful. Whether tinkering in the garden, helping neighbours, shifting stuff about, or even just answering the phone, it seems to make things a lot simpler. I’m not saying I’ll never have a pipe that isn’t a sitter, but have found that when I’ve used my cheapo churchwarden or mini wellbent (the only 2 pipes I own that aren’t flat bottomed), it’s been a PITA trying to prop it upright somehow while I attend to something. I don’t often get the luxury of staying stationary or being undisturbed during a smoke. It’s one of the things I’ve found very useful about smoking my cobs, my MM Ozark, and my Molina hobby. I think if I was sat in a pub beer garden, nursing a pint of something tasty, I’d be quite happy with a travel pipe rest. Otherwise, a self supporting pipe (resting the mouthpiece on my lighter or pipe tool to keep it off the surface if necessary) is way more practical for me.
You can get estate pipes on ebay cheap. with a bit of elbow grease and a little know how you can make them shine like new. To de-oxify the stem use oxy clean or a Mr Clean Magic eraser .clean stem interior with alcohol of your choice ,I use mouth wash. use cotton balls in the bowl with alcohol to loosen up cake some use salt & alcohol I don’t like the idea; salt drys the natural oils in the wood causing the pipe to break over time. if it’s a seriously ghosted pipe; activated charcoal in the bowl in a warm oven with the stem removed. I’ll let Greg Pease explain the process http://glpease.com/Articles/Spot.html.
To be honest, they aren’t all that cheap over here. I also don’t have the funds or inclination to gamble, which is the way I tend to consider buying ebay used goods. I like the security of being able to go back to a retailer and getting them to fix the problem. Maybe in time, with a little more knowledge/awareness, and a little less financial constraints, I might take a chance on estate pipes. I could all too easily make a duff purchase right now. I’ve actually just had a quick peek at ebay, and there’s estate pipes listed that I don’t know the first thing about, which were listed for more than I paid for the brand new Parker I posted a picture of above.
@50ft_trad This book might have answers to your questions:
Reading (aka skimming) this thread some more - Savinelli 320’s are a great shape, and the bowl seems to handle most anything well. I have a two - one for English, and one for Va and Va based. Flakes, kakes, ready rubs, whatever. I know some that have tried the Rossi variant, which is cheaper, and claim similar results.
Googled it - that looks a robust pipe. What’s that classed as? Apple? Prince?
I believe the Sav 320 is their author shape. I thought about one some time ago, but at the time, I could only find the giant version (KS, maybe?) at a price affordable for me… I’d like a wide bowl, but I don’t need to put half a tin in there! People seem to love these pipes, though. My cobs will keep me happy until–or if–I invest in good wood. Of course, now that pipes are drug delivery devices in the USA, I imagine them being soon taxed out of any possible price range I might have.
The expense of the tobacco is an issue for me with the large bowls too. All the same, I have been rather intrigued by the Wizard Cobbit and MM Freehand cobs with their large bowls. That said, I got 1.1/2 hours from a bowl of rubbed out Ennerdale Flake yesterday evening in a “standard” 3/4" diameter x 1.1/2" deep bowl. Do I really need a pipe to give me more than that? I don’t think so.
Vapers go particularly well in small MM cob. I love Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls, and never smoke it in anything other than a cob. I did dedicate my best pipe, a restored 1920s Dunhill, to this tobacco. But it just tastes better in a cob.
Ha ha, @50ft_trad. I can get over an hour from flake in a MM Legend. I can get nearly an hour from ribbon in a MM Diplomat. I’m a moderate to fast puffer, too. I know some folks love the big bowls, but I don’t get it. If you look at clay pipes through history, they start tiny, when tobacco was an expensive luxury. Bowl size fluctuated with the cost of tobacco. By that standard, we’ll be loading one-hitters soon!
