Building a Proper Pipe Rotation Need Advise

[evenflow]

hello as a new pipe smoker i have only been able to scrape up one pipe so far. Dr. Grabow Royal duke. could you guys give me some advise on building a good pipe rotation (where to find, cheap buys ect.) i don't want junk but also don't have much of a budget are estate pipes cheaper? and if so where do i get them?
Edit: Corrected capitalization in title per Rule #9, L.

 

[crpntr1]

Welcome to the forums

Yes estates are a good way to go to get good pipes cheap. Ebay or briarbid...if you have a question about what you might be looking at, ask on here

 

[teufelhund]

Welcome to the forums!

If you need to fill in some gaps because you're having difficulty find quality briar at a decent price; I recommend getting a cob or two. Really inexpensive and they smoke great.

 

[cigrmaster]

Welcome to the forum. Estate pipes represent the best value in terms of bang for the buck. If you could tell me what your budget is for pipes, I could then point you in the right direction. I live by the rule that buying the best pipes I can afford works best for me.

 

[admin]

@evenflow
Do me a favor please, and use your shift key for proper capitalization.

 

[corvinvelegost]

Start small and build. My collection started with a clay tavern pipe i got off a guy for a couple bucks when i was doing civil war reenacting. After that i started picking up missouri meerschaums, grabows, luciennes and the like. All work well and all cost under $50. These can be found at smoke shops and sometimes in drug stores. If your looking for real nice pipes ide suggest estate sales, auctions (live and internet), and antique stores. Ive seen expensive pipes sold relatively cheaply in these settings. Also as stated previously cobs are a great way to start. Hope i was helpful, welcome to the forum and the hobbie.

 

[john218]

The advise given by everyone on the forum will be pretty well the same.
As others said, get some cobs, either individually or a grab of 10 directly from Missouri Meerschaum to give you a start on a good size rotation of pipes.
Estate pipes give you the best bang for the buck. You can get some good smoking pipes that are no longer made or no longer of the same quality as the old ones were. Another advantage of estate pipes is that they are already broken in.
What pipes everyone will recommend in either new or estate pipes depends, as Harris said, on your budget.
Let us know in what price range you want to keep and everyone can give you recommendations for good smokers.
We're a friendly bunch and love to share advice on pipes, tobacco and smoking techniques, so let us hear your questions.
Happy smoking!

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

MM corn cobs are great smokers and are great for your rotation needs. I would also suggest eBay for estate pipes, though you need to read the descriptions carefully. If the pictures are blurry that's not a good sign in most cases. Do some research on a pipe you want to bid on so you don't find yourself over paying either. Another good place to look is at your local B&M and check out there selection along with basket pipes. Sometimes you can find very good no name pipes for little cost.

 

[ohin3]

All good advice so far. I agree that you should buy the best pipes that your budget allows and enjoy them. Estates, cobs and well priced reputable smokers are the way to go. You will often see estates for sale that have never been smoked but are still sold at a used price. Frequent our sponsors and, like the rest of us, spend a ridiculous amount of time window shopping and building imaginary shopping carts and lusting after pipes day in and day out...good god it really is a sickness. Keep us posted.

 

[soggycitybob]

I'm a +1 for Ebay purchases. Just won a bid on an estate Briar Lee billiard for less than $4. Is it a good deal? We'll see. The pics were good, and it could be a nice add to the rotation. But if it's a fail I'm only out $4.
There are thousands of pipes on on Ebay (avoid those made in China - they're pretty but so far no one has had anything nice to say about them) so plenty of opportunity to scrutinize and bid strategically, and even possibly score a great highly recognized name brand. Happy hunting!

 

[fnord]

Evenflow:
Go on eBay and look around for estate pipes made by Weber, Ehrlich, LHS and Custombilt. They were great old companies that churned out quality machine made pipes and all have been out of business for years. (Sadly, their names aren't even known by most of the younger pipers today.) Those pipes can frequently be stolen for less than ten bucks a pop.
Pard, those names made up the strong side of my rotation while I acquired better burners over the years.
Also, Tinder Box Unique pipes were made for The Tinder Box chain of tobacconists by Charatan and just about any Saiseni "second" label will be vintage, oil cured briar older than your dad and maybe even your grandfather and his father. They'll have a fill or two, a blemish, certainly some kind of flaw but they will - I promise - give you an exceptionally fine smoke for less than a twenty dollar bill.
Here's an excellent link for any budget minded briar shopper: http://pipes.org/Articles/Seconds.html At this moment, the link is down but it's golden, Evenflow.
Best of luck to you. MM cobs are always a great fallback but vintage briar is out there if you know what you want and where to shop.
Welcome to the forums, Evenflow. Please remember that the dumb ass question is the one which never gets asked and that this forum is visited daily by hundreds of people who were rookies at one time or another.
Now we're all experts and you'll get five different responses for every question asked.
Fnord

 

[samreddevilz]

As a newbie I see the thread and the posts. Very informative. pleasure to learn many things....

 

[evenflow]

Thanks for the advise everyone, very much appreciated. I will definitely be looking on ebay, and ordering myself a grab bag of cobs.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Yeah, estates are the best way to build a quick solid rotation on a budget. Definitely hit up eBay and or briarbid.com as well as the estates section of sponsor sites. Cobs are also a good avenue as well.

 

[rmbittner]

For the best selection in the $40-75 range, I think eBay is really your only option, unless you happen to live near a fantastic pipe shop that sells estates. Briarbid, SmokingPipes.com, and other online options also have lots of fantastic estate pipes -- and you may find some in your price range -- but I think most of them will start in the $80s and go up from there. Which might be fine -- I didn't notice you mentioning a price range -- but I doubt it.
My personal advice would be to keep an eye on auctions for GBD, Parker, Comoy, Peterson, Claret by Sasieni, Tinder Box, Peterson, La Rocca, and other mid-range brands. (Some of these brands are "seconds" for more expensive brands; Parkers, at least at one time, came out of the Dunhill factory, for example.) But there are some no-name pipes that are great smokes as well. I'd encourage you to look closely at the photos and try to find pipes with few, if any, fills; while fills won't affect the smoke, I think too many of them give the impression that it wasn't a great piece of briar to start out with. . . or the manufacturer wasn't selective enough in choosing wood. (But that's just a personal bias!) I would also not buy any pipe that came with a filter or a "stinger" insert in the stem. Again, personal preference.
Ideally, it will be well cleaned, sanitized, and ready to smoke. But if not, there's tons of advice here on how to get even a neglected pipe into good shape. So if it's a bargain, just know you might have to invest a little time and elbow grease.
Bob

 

[evenflow]

My budget unfortunately isn't much more than 30-40 dollars right now.(My kid goes through diapers like there going out of style. lol) But if any of you see a good deal or even have some estate pipes for sale yourselves please let me know, i'm always looking for a good bargain. :D

 

[rmbittner]

My budget unfortunately isn't much more than 30-40 dollars right now.

In that case, I'd either encourage you to rely on the pipe you have until you can double that budget. (If you mean $30-40 per month, then in two months you could afford a nice mid-range pipe -- either estate or new.) Or -- and I am NO fan of corncob pipes -- settle for several cobs. But I don't think they'll give you the kind of long-term aesthetic pleasures you can reap from a good briar.
Bob

 

[evenflow]

Yeah i will probably get some cobs for now. unfortunately my house burnt down a couple of months ago and we lost everything. (Including my precious Gibson Les Paul along with five other guitars but that's another subject.) So we're still trying to rebuild our life. Hopefully down the road my budget will grow so i can enjoy my new hobby to the fullest. ::

 

[chagovatoloco]

I love Peterson, used ones can be had on Ebay for as little as $25.00. You have to wait, watch and snip but it can be done.

 

[paintedklown]

Evenflow,
First of all, I want to say that I am happy to see that everyone in your family is OK after the fire. That is what is MOST important after all.
Secondly, I want to say that I am sorry for your losses. I am sure that HAS to be tough to lose everything like that. Not to sound calloused, but I hope your insurance company takes care of you and your family. I know that money cannot replace special items, and those things that have sentimental value, but I am sure it would go a long way to helping you regain a sense of normalcy. Good luck to you and your family, I will say I prayer for you, and yours.
Now with the important stuff out of the way, let us get on with the fun stuff.
I have to toss in a BIG "+ 1" for the idea of buying Missouri Meerschaum cobs. Sure, they may not be as "glamorous" looking as a briar pipe, but they smoke very well, and there are a lot of pipe smokers out there who use cobs more than any other pipe available. Why? Because they are great pipes! Seriously, they really are.
I was quite surprised at how much I immediately enjoyed smoking my MM Legend. Almost no imparting of flavor on the tobacco, and you have no worries with trying to break them in with a special method or system. They can essentially be smoked "all day, every day" with no real detrimental effects. In fact, I smoke mine several times a day, everyday, and it's GREAT!
Worried about being "out classed" by the "old pros" with massive collections of rare Dunhill pipes? Don't be, I would lay down a paycheck that says there are a LOT of guys with large collections of nice pipes, who keep MM cobs in their regular rotation. I was quite happy to find that I have not seen a piper yet, that looks upon the cob lovers with disdain. Sure, there are a few detractors, but ANYTHING popular is going to have those that prefer something else, and that's ok too.
You too can have all this for generally under $5 a pipe, out the door. My local tobacconist sells MM Legends for just $3.99 + tax. Not too shabby IMO. 8)
Also, I am surprised that no one has mentioned Mr. Brog pipes. While their lowest cost offerings are not briar, but pear wood, they have some available for as low as $10, are a sponsor of this site, and seem to be growing in popularity among the pipe communities I have visited on line.
Good luck with whatever you choose.