First Good Pipe

[pitchfork]

I really don't know what else to say so I'm done with this topic. Good luck.

I have a 12-year old. Do all conversations not run like this?
In a way, this thread has been kind of fun knowing that in a few months the OP will have a totally different perspective on all the questions being asked. What are right now very abstract concepts will at some point be associated with very specific, concrete experience.

 

[throbinson]

Many posters here have tried to explain to you why some pipes are better than others yet you seem not to want to listen.

Yes some did... later in the thread when I asked for more details. Earlier in the thread, not so much. There were a few posts in the beginning that simply said a more expensive pipe was a better pipe, or, that I won't enjoy the hobby using a cheaper pipe... but offered up no details as to why.
Mid-way through people started adding details and I listened, and I questioned... that's how you learn. If someone simply says 'this is better' and I don't question why... then what was the point of starting the thread?
I have never said pipes are equal, not sure where you got that from. I use to play guitar and I know that 2 guitars from the same maker don't always sound the same or play the same. Each is unique, as with anything else made from materials like wood, and more so with handcrafted items.
I'm done with the topic myself though... once people started giving details to back up what they were saying, I got what I needed... and some people seemed to get where I was coming from and offered good advice. Some info was a bit conflicting, but, that's how forums are. :D
I will take Warren's advice though...

After a period of time you'll have an idea of where you want to go with pipes and all of the, sometimes very confusing and oft time conflicting, information you get here will start to make more sense.

But again... I did listen. I'm not buying a no-name brand pipe off eBay for $40, I'm looking to buy a Stanwell for $85 (originally $110) so, name brand and I up'd the budget.
I'm new to pipes, and in 6 months who knows if I'll still be smoking one. I've smoked cigars for years, but we're talking maybe 10 cigars a year so I'm in no way a heavy smoker. I want something good to use... but not expensive in case 6 months from now it's on a shelf collecting dust. :D

 

[warren]

You're trying to make this too complicated as you search for sometimes elusive answers.
First, leather seats might make the driving experience nicer while not increasing performance. Just as the comfortable feel of a well finished briar in the hand will enhance a good blend.
For most of the members the pipe smoking experience is not simply the pipe and how it performs. For some there is the search for the right blend or, simply the fun of trying different blends. For others, it is the pipe. Some collect brands, some shapes, some antiques, etc. Pipe smoking is not, hell, it cannot be a one size fits all.
As no one, including yourself at this time, knows exactly what you are searching for in the way of answers to your questions. Some of the members have tried and you are either slow to grasp or we aren't using the right words. Many of the answers to the questions you ask you will have to find on your own through actually trying different brands, shapes, etc.
You can't enjoy the pipe by only reading and writing about it. Somewhere along the line you have to simply trust yourself, accept that you don't know all of the answers and probably not even the right questions at this point.
Pitchfork has it right, in a few months you will have discovered many of the answers on your own, you will grasp some of the answers above better and, I hope, you will understand some of our frustrations in trying to assist you.
One last piece of advice, members understand your enthusiasm but, in a couple of responses you have gone from asking advised and then challenging that which was offered. If we take offense and resent that approach you now understand why. You've asked, we responded as best we can and then you wish to debate the matter. Take the advice or don't but, don't try and debate. Most of are too old and set in our ways to enjoy that sort of communication.
I'm done here. The dead horse and all that.

 

[sablebrush52]

This has been a very amusing thread. People keep saying that they're "done with it", "done with it", "done with it". I can't recall a thread where everyone has been so done with it. The OP's response makes perfect sense to me. He's new to this and doesn't yet know if he wants to continue, so he doesn't want to make a major investment at this time. He just wants a decent pipe to try out pipe smoking. He'll certainly get that with a Stanwell. Which Stanwell he picks is his business. If pipe smoking becomes something that could be a long term interest, then he can look at other options.
The better quality briar is more forgiving of long term, or heavy, use. For example, better heat dispersion can be beneficial when smoking Virginias. More critical makers may do a better job of selecting their briar because they know their wood, which is more than the majority of smokers can claim.
Artisans and some makers, like Castello, also offer a different view on how the internal engineering should be calculated. Tighter tolerances between the tenon and mortise, polishing of the airway surfaces, etc may make for a smoother draw. Larger airway dimensions may offer a more open or effortless draw. But none of that is necessary for a decent quality smoke. It's simply a preference for some experienced smokers. The notion that one MUST spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pipe to obtain a decent smoke is ludicrous. Someone who insists on this is someone who knows diddly squat about pipe smoking. Having a good smoking technique, prep, packing, sipping, cadence, etc, is more essential than spending a week's, or a month's income on a piece of wood with a length of rubber or plastic attached to it.
And now I'm "done with it" as well.

 

[throbinson]

The notion that one MUST spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pipe to obtain a decent smoke is ludicrous. Someone who insists on this is someone who knows diddly squat about pipe smoking. Having a good smoking technique, prep, packing, sipping, cadence, etc, is more essential than spending a week's, or a month's income on a piece of wood with a length of rubber or plastic attached to it.

That's exactly what I'm taking with me from this thread. :D