Who wants to buy a cheap Dunhill? http://www.ebay.com/itm/300743998556?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1431.l2649
of course the pipe effects the flavor. It effects how you smoke it how the smoke gets to you. What condition (can’t think of a better way to put it) the smoke gets to you. And maybe more important then any part of the manufacturing of the pipe, it effects how you smoke and how you look at the smoking experience. Every single pipe I’ve owned seems to be better for diffrent types of tobacco. One last thing I think the best guide to getting the right pipe is trusting your gut and your instinct. If you really like a pipe and feel drawn to it that’s probably the best one.
@bob, I agree 100% ! I’ve smoked many pipes in my life. Only now do I know that, before condemning a pipe, I should try every tobacco I have in it. It has happened so many times that a pipe just would not “deliver” until I’ve stuffed it with the tobacco it prefers. And then I have another excellent smoker!!
Who wants to buy a cheap Dunhill? http://www.ebay.com/itm/300743998556?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1431.l2649
Man, someone has really beat the hell outta that pipe! All those chips on top tell you why its cracked. I just dont understand why so people want to whack the pipe to remove the last of the tobacco when you can so easily remove it with a pipe blade or the like. When i see those ashtrays they sell with the cork in the middle i just think Nooo! Great way to wreck your mortise/tenon fit. rant off/ Back on topic. I use bic’s a lot as i get three of them free every time i fill the Nissan Patrol (big tanks 170litres diesel) and the zippo pipe is always on my belt. Zippo’s are the greatest even if the low odor fuel does still have a little taste for a puff or two. The stlg silver sillems old boy (bought for me by my wife) come’s out on special occasion’s.
thanks for the replies gents
Pieter- thank’s! That’s the one! bob- yes the shape size etc. matters. And the briar itself, which is kind of pot luck- even the best pipe makers are limited in knowing which pieces will make better smoking pipes. I guess the main thrust of what I’m getting at is that spending a lot of money on a pipe won’t guarantee that it smokes better than a mid range pipe, it may or it may not. As long as the pipe is well drilled, you ended up with a good chunk of briar, and the shape handles the heat well etc. then you’ve got a good smoking pipe. I totally appreciate collecting pipes and their aesthetics though(I have quite a few), I’m a visual artistic person so I’m with style 100%. But the smoking quality can be lacking in a great looking expensive pipe. I get your point that it is important to find one that matches your style and feels good in your hand and such, though.
I prefer simple pipes. Hell even my meer is just a bowl it’s not carved into a face or anything. I think it’s not only much more beautifull then something carved to look like FDR or something it’s also a great smoker. I save that one for special occasions because it’s just such a great pipe. I guess we’re a bunch of idiots, since I don’t think one of us asked the key questions of what you want in a pipe. Do you want it as cool as possible do you the flavor more concentrated, do you want to smoke several blends, what do you do with the pipes. That last one is very important my cheapest pipe which is crap is super awesome because it’s my hiking pipe, if it gets destroyed I won’t feel any regret. The meer only comes out when I’am chilling by myself or with my chill friends. Also you gotta learn the rules of pipe smoking cause how can you enjoy breaking them if you don’t know what they are.
True, it’s so easy to make assumptions. I like to have a couple or more small bowls around, the perfect size for a modest length stroll. But I know a at least a couple of guys that go for enormous pipes, some bowls maybe even larger than a baseball, or some very long Canadians- my pal at the club has one about 3 feet long. I like more standard sizes in general, and there’s so much variety out there. I don’t know if “Iwan Ries” will ship across the pond, but they have quite a bit to look at. One thing I can say about the taste of different pipes is that the biggest difference I’ve ever experienced would be between a briar and a meerschaum. I hope you find something good Snuffster!
Thanks! Excellent short smokes:http://www.stefanou-pipex.gr/english.htm
Matches for the charring and 1st light, lighter (whatever I have handy) for relights or when it’s too windy for matches.
I started using my standard zippo by rotating the bowl 90 degrees and holding the lighter so that the wick was about 2" below the bottom of the bowl. Later on I got lazy and would usually just flick my Bic.
And thank’s for the link! They do have some nice looking units there! Wonder if one could buy them in the US or mail order them to the region? I’ll just do a little googling…
I have a thunderbird insert but when smoking outside its always my zippo!
I have a thunderbird insert but when smoking outside its always my zippo!
Same here!! Great minds still think alike :))
I have a handful of imco lighters with the angled flame.
For anyone interested if you go to humboltd-Traders.com and subscribe to their newsletter they will send you a free hemp wick.
An Imco pipe lighter. I bought it as a temporary solution when I got back into pipes thinking that it was so cheap that it wouldn’t last long. That was nearly 5 years ago and its going strong.
Hemp bees wax wick…beat pipe smoking tool ever…i get 3ft for 49¢ at a shop by my house…most headshops have em :-bd
I actually like using one of these. http://pala130.org/sale/Ebay/lighter.jpg The insert works well for lighting a pipe, because it is removable when it is lit. It is actually a German WWII Army Lighter.
Thinking of getting a “permanent match”- worst case if it doesn’t perform very well I’m out less than $10.