Brigham pipe

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maxpeters

Can't Leave
Jan 4, 2010
439
20
I recieved a Brigham pipe the other day. I have been wanting to try one for quite some time now, so I finally got around to ordering one.

The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box was that it was smaller than I thought it would be, judging from the pictures I've seen. It's about a Dunhill size 4.

It appeared well made, although the stem did not meet the shank exactly flush. There was a very small gap under the stem. The top of the stem was flush though.
filterpipes001.jpg


filterpipes002.jpg

The pipe cost me $85.00, but I ordered some filters for it and some filters for some Savinelli's that I own, to bring the total to just above $100.00 so I could avail myself of the free S&H.

I noticed that the interior of the bowl was coated in a brown substance, to protect the walls and help with forming a cake, I suppose. It did not alter the taste of the tobacco in any way.

I promptly set about putting a filter in it and filling it with some Middelton's Cherry blend, thinking that it would be a more wet smoking tobacco than an English blend, as I wanted to see just how well the filter would work.
My first smoke was great! Not once did it gurgle. No pipe cleaners required.

I finished that first bowl highly impressed with their filter system.
I put the pipe down, and came back about 2 hours later to have another bowl. After cleaning the ashes out, and running a cleaner down through the stem, I found that the cleaner would not go all the way into the bowl, although the filter has a hole through it for that purpose. I pulled the pipe apart and found that the air holes did not align properly. There was no way to run a pipe cleaner down the stem and into the bowl, unless you had the pipe apart and took the cleaner and hunted around for the hole into the bowl.

Not a big problem, but very disaponting.
My second smoke was a disaster. Nothing but gurgles and bubbling from the pipe. I got so frustrated I pulled the pipe apart without letting it cool down first. I took the filter out and noticed it was saturated with moisture. I set it aside and put a new filter in, and continued to smoke. Even with a new filter in, I would sometimes get a gurgle.

I took the pipe apart again and cleaned it all out with another pipe cleaner. There was moisture all in the stem. After that, it smoked great again.
I guess they forgot to include a step in the instructions on the filter box. They do say to remove the filter often to shake out moisture, but then they say to just replace filters every 2-3 weeks. They didn't say you had to have another filter handy if you wanted to smoke the pipe again, or that you had to let the filter dry out in between smokes.

Maybe I'm just not that smart, but I thought I was following the instructins. Oh well.
Here's the pipe taken apart and the filter system. The filter on top was after one smoke, and still wet. The filter below it is a new filter.
filterpipes003.jpg

Conclusions: mmmmmmm ........ I have mixed feelings. The first smoke was great. No gurgles, no pipe cleaners needed, the filter did not affect the tobacco taste.

I like the feel of the pipe, and the looks well enough, but all in all, it's kinda fidly.

I have also smoked it without any filters, but not being able to run a cleaner into the bowl is just frustrating.

I really wanted to like this pipe though. I will keep trying it with different tobaccos, and now that I know to always have a dry filter in it, I hope to get some enjoyment out of this.

I don't think I will buy another though.

 

sinistertopiary

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 5, 2009
115
1
Toronto
I have the exact same pipe. (Actually, I have two of them in different finishes.)
It is a finicky pipe, but it's one of my favorites. For some blends, especially balkans, it really somehow lets the flavor "expand" in ways other pipes don't do it for me.
I have only a couple of pipes I can run the pipe cleaner all the way through the stem into the bowl, so it doesn't bother me that I can't do it with this one, though I understand how it would bother some. (Personally, I consider it a bonus if I have a pipe that permits it, but small bowl bents are not conducive to it.)
I don't like filters. I think I tried it with the filter a couple of times, but they're not worth the bother to me. I removed mine long ago and never looked back. (Plus I don't like the idea of having to purchase bundles of new ones for pipes I smoke regularly.) It means I need to clean it more regularly, but that's ok.
I understand your frustrations with the pipe. But when it gives a good smoke, it's a great smoke. Which is why I bought two of them.
I hope you have more smokes with it like your first one.

 

dunendain

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 22, 2009
777
1
Is that considered a Volcano? Very nice. I have a Bjorne in the same shape. She's my sweetheart.

 

sinistertopiary

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 5, 2009
115
1
Toronto
Brigham calls it a volcano, but I think it's more of a brandy. I think of a volcano as being much deeper with more of an elongated taper.

 

maxpeters

Can't Leave
Jan 4, 2010
439
20
Yeah Sinister, I am going to keep trying. I bought it because of the filter system. I was hoping it would be a good smoker, so I guess I'll just learn to use the filter with it.

Maybe there's some secret for using one. From what I read, it's a popular pipe in Canada.

Glad you enjoy yours though. That's what it's all about.

 

python

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 8, 2009
3,756
7,251
Maryland
pipesmagazine.com
That pipe looks pretty nice. That is an interesting looking filter system. Thanks for the info and telling us about your initial experiences with it.

 

admin

Smoking a Pipe Right Now
Staff member
Nov 16, 2008
8,764
4,932
St. Petersburg, FL
pipesmagazine.com
It looks like a nice pipe in the photos Max.
It was interesting seeing the filter system and reading about your experiences.
It is nice when you can get a pipe cleaner all the way through a pipe without taking the stem off, but some of my favorites don't allow it either.
Sometimes we get spoiled when we have such a great smoke and then the next smoke doesn't compare to it.
Enjoy the pipe.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
I have a Brigham Algonquin bent Rhodesian. I love it for Va flakes. After

a smoke and cool-down I'll replace the filter and "clean" the used one by

soaking it in a vial of gin for a day, then let it dry out. Thereafter I

just rotate the filters in the manner described. Never a bad smoke! Their

3½" rock maple filter resides mainly in the stem, not the shank, and I

think there's something to the claim that the smoke stream is conditioned

by this extra exposure to the wood.

 

maxpeters

Can't Leave
Jan 4, 2010
439
20
I will have to try that, Cortezattic,

Bet that first smoke with your gin-filter is a doozy, huh? I knew those Canadians must be holding back a secret or two about why the like Brigham pipes. Would you be Canadian, by chance? Lol.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
max,

Not Canadian -- Chicagoan. I don't get any taste of gin that I can recognize. I just use it because that's the only liquor I drink and keep on hand; so it's convenient for all my pipe cleaning needs. I should mention that I give my Brigham plenty of rest between smokes, but I'm not sure it really needs it. It seems to be a briar of pretty good quality.

 

albertaboy

Lurker
Jan 23, 2010
15
0
I've got a brigham voyager apple in rustic finish. i love it. Filter system is nice too but sometimes i find it filters flavor too much with some tobaccos.
i am canadian!

 

jwilsonpipes

Lurker
Oct 25, 2011
1
0
The first pipe i purchased was sold to me by the owner of a tobacco shop. He told me it was a quality hand made pipe and sold it to me for what he called a "bargain" at $40. I should have known better but I purchased it and immediately had problems. After doing some research (should have done before the purchase) I found out it was a $5 Chinese pipe made of something other than briar. It gurgled, was messy, ran hot, and I could barely draw air through the stem as it became to gunked up.
I went to another shop and bought a Brigham Voyager Rhodesian and was very impressed at how pleasurable smoking could be. I now have a few more pipes and this one still smokes great. I do appreciate the filters and have found you can re-use them. After use take them to the sink and rinse them off, even get them soapy and clean them. Let them dry and you can get up to 6 smokes out of them. The reason some may have problems with running a pipe cleaner through them is the wood can expand and slightly change the alignment between the filter and tobacco chamber. If this happens, it is time to replace the filter and you are back to a pleasurable smoke.
There is a reason this is the best selling line of pipes in Canada for most of the last one hundred years, they are reasonably priced, quality built, and readily available.
And yes, I am Canadian!

 

rigmedic1

Lifer
May 29, 2011
3,896
75
I like the Bigham pot that I got off of eBay for $40.00 with extra filters. I had wanted totry it to see if it were significantly different from other system or filter pipes that I have tried, and I have tried quite a few. For someone that has only one or two pipes, it is probably great, because one can swap in new filter right away and then clean the former filter, being ready for aanother use within a day. It is a fine smoker as well. But for a drier smoke, I found the Peterson system or Lepeltier Clay to be more consistent. Enjoy your new pipe!

BrighamPipe.jpg


 

pipedisciple

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 18, 2011
245
0
I just bought that exact pipe this past week from smokingpipes.com (Low Country Pipe and Cigar). Smoked it last night using Highland Mixture and found it to be a very pleasurable smoke, no gurgling. Been wanting to smoke one for some time and will buy another one.

 

jackson1

Lurker
May 28, 2014
10
0
United States
I have been curious about Bingham pipes for a long time. I actively hate breaking in pipes so I've surfed eBay. One of the first items shows a metal tube attached to the stem. Is this typical of Brigham pipes? Can this metal be removed? How does the metal insert work with Brigham's "Rock Maple filters"? Sorry for all the questions. However, if there is anything I dislike more than breaking in pipes, it is metal in the smoke channel.
Jack Casner

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
The new Brighams don't have a metal tube/tenon anymore. It's some kind of stem material and the filters slide into it. I don't get why people think breaking in a pipe is some big deal. I load the first bowl in a pipe the same way as the 300th bowl. It doesn't need to be complicated.

 

kanada

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 8, 2014
162
0
I have 4 brighams and like them all. Also break them in the way mcitinner1 says...

 

purplemotoman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 7, 2014
195
0
Okay I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in. I started almost 2 years ago smoking a pipe. My Christmas present in 2013 was a Brigham Voyageur.

All the Brighams now are made in Italy not Canada. They have what is called a Delron tenon. The Canadian made Brighams have the aluminum tenons. I currently own 46 Canadian made Brighams.

 
Mar 30, 2014
2,853
78
wv
That's a good looking pipe. You said it smoked great the first time, so maybe it's the goopy cherry aro that's the problem and not the pipe. I think you might have the same situation with an S Bang smoking back to back aromatic sludge. Some pipes are a one and done briar. Others can handle multiple smokes per day.

 
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