How Long for a Cob

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kane

Can't Leave
Dec 2, 2014
429
3
There's been a lot of good discussion of cobs lately, and I am definitely jumping in with a few. Glad to hear that getting rid of the filter is no problem, as that opens up all the cobs as possibilities.

I am curious how long you guys use your cobs for, particularly those of you who smoke cobs a lot. I can see them being seen as a disposable pipe due to their low price, but why throw something away that is still serviceable. I can also see cobs getting smoked more than other pipes if one is out and about, driving, camping, etc., where one would not want to damage or lose a more expensive or precious pipe. If they do go bad eventually, what tends to fail or change with them?
Thanks

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Cobs can go for years, decades. Of course, it depends on how often you smoke them, and in what conditions you store them. The cobs can fracture, but I haven't had that happen to any of mine after years. If you treat them well, keep them clean and maintain them, they'll go on for years. I don't think they last like briar, but they last.

 

jamesrsmithjr

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 13, 2015
122
4
I have some that are over 10 years old. Depending on the number I have in rotation, some ssmoked 2-4 times a day... In the 11 years I have been smoking them I have lost three; A Country Gent that I poked a hole in the bottom (some don't have hardwood bottoms), A Spool that I wasn't watching as I reamed it and took a chunk out of a small split, and one to a lake :) )..
As I said in the other thread; they get better with age, like me :)

 

weezell

Lifer
Oct 12, 2011
13,653
49,163
I have 2 Legends I've been smoking on a regular basis for over 30 years...

 

settersbrace

Lifer
Mar 20, 2014
1,565
5
I've got 2 over 10 years old and smoked frequently that are no worse for the wear. I don't smoke hot either so that may be a reason. I've broken a couple, drowned a few and with that said it's the reason why I smoke them in the danger zones of outdoor work, hunting, trapping or fishing. I also always take a back up out with me, just in case. I learned the hard way on all this because when I first got into pipe smoking I wanted to smoke my pipes while doing the above activities. Expensive pipes were getting broken and destroyed and that friends is a gut punch if there ever was one.

 

minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
I've only been smoking for a short while. I have bought about 7 cobs and have only thrown out two of them. It was my fault, too much ghosting from aromatics. I think the best part about cobs is the price makes them a lot easier to dispose of when a tobacco no longer appeals to you. I take it back, the best part about cobs is that all my cobs are my best pipes. I love smoking them.

 

derfargin

Lifer
Mar 3, 2014
2,028
28
Kennesaw, GA
I have my first country gent I bought 2 years ago. Funny thing is, it gets the most work out of all my pipes because I know whatever I put in it will smoke well. It's ugly as shit, because I've left it outside overnight a few times, and some moisture got to it. It's starting to separate in the "kernel" area in some places, yet it smokes just fine.
I bought a few more country gents, and still haven't gotten around to starting them on the break in, but I have no doubt they'll smoke just fine. One of the best things about this hobby is the cob pipe.

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,087
6,394
Florida
I've got about 8 or 9 cobs in regular rotation. They all eventually develop bulges and exterior 'cracks', but the chambers remain intact and the pipes smoke perfectly. I tend to be a little greedy, I guess, and smoke em fairly vigorously. Most are 1/2 hr to 45 min. smokes. They're light, the plastic stems are soft, and they breathe so as not to become as wet as a briar could.

Burley in a cob is basic pipe smoking 101.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Yeah for Cobs.
I have almost two dozen and smoke cobs more than briars. I've lost cobs but never had one break that couldn't be easily repaired except for one NOT made by Missouri Meerschaum. (Plaster pushed out of the hell with the first tamp)
I've had the shank come loose in a couple of my cobs. The fact that they were dropped a couple of times on an Italian tile floor probably didn't help. A little coat of Elmer's All Purpose glue on the shank made them good as new after drying overnight.
If pits on the naked finish pipes bother you, you can mix a little crushed cob or pencil shavings with Elmers and spackle in the pit using any small found tool, e.g., toothpick, popsicle stick, your finger, etc.
Pax

 

phred

Lifer
Dec 11, 2012
1,754
4
I've got one Missou that has a loose stem (easy fix), a Legend that I've run a poker through the bottom of (still smokes okay... just gotta make sure the tobacco's dry), and a Diplomat that turned out to have a void in the cob that burned through, leaving a cavity off to one side of the bottom of the chamber. Since these were all seconds (and the hole in the Legend is entirely my fault), I'm still quite satisfied with the overall quality of MM's products, which appear to be holding up well after 3 years.

 

cobguy

Lifer
Oct 18, 2013
3,742
15
These Cob-Love threads really warm my heart. :mrgreen:
It just so happens that cobs make excellent tampers as well:
odcob1-600x337.jpg


 

stephenw

Might Stick Around
Nov 14, 2014
99
2
WV
I have a General cob that has been smoked somewhat semi-regularly for close to 30 years. I have a tendency to destroy Legends because I usually push the bottom out when removing the tobacco but I get a few years out of them. The cobs with the hardwood in the base last longer in my rotation, lasting a decade or two for the most part.

 

kane

Can't Leave
Dec 2, 2014
429
3
I am very impressed by your testimonials. Considering the quality of smoke they deliver, their long service to the call of pleasure, and that they cost less than going to a movie, cobs have got to be the best value on the planet. Plus, imho, they have major mojo.

 

stvalentine

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2015
808
13
Northern Germany
I always considered cobs being cheapo toy pipes until I tried one. Man, how wrong I was! You haven´t smoked pipe if you haven´t smoked a cob indeed!

Some of my ignorant fellow countrymen believe that cobs only last you about ten smokes and have to be discarded after that which is utter bollocks of course. I don´t believe they will last you as long as a briar pipe but why should they at those ridicuosly low prices?

Meanwhile I have eight cobs and don´t plan to stop buying and smoking them.

 

momeerphil

Might Stick Around
Oct 26, 2009
98
2
We at Missouri Meerschaum are humbled by your comments. Cobs may not be for everyone (they really are, though), but we appreciate anyone who at least gives them a try.

 

howink

Lurker
Mar 24, 2015
15
0
I just ordered five cobs this afternoon (four Prides and a Morgan). Getting ready for a fishing trip to Wyoming, where I don't want to risk dunking my briars. I have only one cob in my collection that dates back about 40 years, and it's still good-to-go. Can't wait for the mailman to deliver these new pipes!

 

monty55

Lifer
Apr 16, 2014
1,722
3,560
65
Bryan, Texas
I got 7 presently that range in age from 2 weeks to 5 years, none have worn out yet, I do use forever stems tho. but I figure I got at least another 2-5 years out of the oldest. I think a lot depends on how often you use it, and under what conditions.
Thank you for posting momeerphil, your pipes in my opinion are the greatest thing since dirt! :clap:
I smoke them more often than all my briars or meers, and they have ALWAYS stayed affordable, regardless of everything else in this world.
I for one really appreciate the dedication and perseverance of Missouri Meerschaum.

 

jamesrsmithjr

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 13, 2015
122
4
“I for one really appreciate the dedication and perseverance of Missouri Meerschaum.”
I’ll second that. Going on 12 years exclusively smoking MM cobs, mostly Spools, they just feel so right in the hand.
Ty Phil, let everyone at MM know how much they are appreciated.

 
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