Does Anyone Smoke A Filtered Pipe Who Loves It?

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bpftc

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 21, 2016
147
1
I am interested in hearing from some of the members who smoke filtered pipes and like them. What do you like about them? The opinions I have read about them thus far range from mildly inconvenient to awful. But they are being made so it stands to reason that someone is buying them and smoking them. Thanks.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
If by "filtered" you mean the Medico or Grabow paper style, then no. I can't stand them. But I do really like the Savinelli balsa system (more of an "absorber" than a proper filter). I have adapted it to my Grabow 6mm filter pipes by purchasing balsa or basswood stock from hobby stores and cutting it to length. I have never tried the Brigham rock maple setup, but I suspect I would like it. I like the absorption, but hate what paper filters do to the draw. Also, they're a soggy, repulsive mess.

 

didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,895
31,635
34
Burlington WI
I've always immediately taken out the filters. The first time I ever really tried smoking with a filter, it tasted terrible and bland.

 

shawnofthedead

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 5, 2015
249
5
Agree with aldercaker, Savinelli balsa filters are bearable since it doesn't restrict the air flow. Charcoal filter or worse yet paper filters are a pain in the arse.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
In the last 2 years I've gravitated toward smoking 9mm filtered Lorenzetti Constantine's, Julius or Augustus Caesar pipes. I have mostly Constantine's because I like it's color the most. They're affordable in the $70 to $80 range (at P&C). I like them mostly because "the gurgle" is gone with them. I've tried many other average priced pipes with no gurgle, but I just like the Lorenzetti the most, and I can't afford to collect a large number of pipes. My only problem is, they must not be very popular with most smokers because the numbers and styles in stock are going down at P&C, and they're more expensive everywhere else.
edit
Germans like them . . . or seem to.
I'm German too!

 

drwatson

Lifer
Aug 3, 2010
1,721
5
toledo
As mentioned paper filters are a big NO! But the balsa filters I like, they work good in Grabows too. I also have a Stanwell 9mm that I love, but I go with the better charcoal filters (Savinelli,Big Ben,Stanwell) they have a better draw. And I have a few Brighams that smoke very well also with the filter in them.

 
Mar 1, 2014
3,646
4,916
Filters are great for reducing gurgle and stopping bits of tobacco from reaching your mouth.

For most of the last year I've just been filling the first quarter of my bowl with aquarium carbon pellets, which are very economical (if a bit messy at first, I wash the carbon dust off before use in a pipe), and the carbon pellets take most of the ash and dottle with them when you knock the ash out of your pipe.

I like the pre-made 9mm filters when you take half the filler out (ironically). A full filter cartridge is too restrictive, but the draw opens up nicely when they're partially empty.

Alternatively, using some spiralled pipe cleaner in the 9mm filter slot works very well.

 

andrew

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,042
400
I love the pipe cleaner in the 9mm filter pipe trick, it makes for a cool dry smoke and doesn't impact the flavor at all.

 

agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,413
In the sticks in Mississippi
I'm not a big fan of filters in pipes. On occasion though I will use a 6mm Savinelli balsa filter, and I have one pipe that takes a 9mm filter, and that too get a Savinelli balsa filter which I like better than the 6mm filters. The best filter system as far as I'm concerned though is the Brigham rock maple filters.

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
Never use them. Just something else to buy and replace besides getting in the way if you should need to run a pipe cleaner through the stem while smoking. As for any idea that any of them remove nicotine is beyond ludicrous. They may possibly remove some of the tars, but nothing else. But, if they suit you and you feel that they do any good then by all means use them.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
For me, they mute the taste so much, especially with blends, I don't use them much.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,079
Carmel Valley, CA
I have a couple of Savs with filter chambers. I can smoke them fine with or without, and it's almost always without. Balsa only.

 

rigmedic1

Lifer
May 29, 2011
3,896
75
I believe that I am one of the biggest advocates of filter pipes on this forum. My Rattray's Craggy Root 60 gets smoked nearly every day, and I am a fan of Big Ben 9mm filters. Virginia tobacco was nasty to me until I tried some in a 9mm filtered pipe. The charcoal apparently filters out something that doesn't agree with my tastebuds, and now I smoke Virginia tobaccos regularly and love it. My favorite filter pipe is the Rattray's mentioned above, and I also have two Petersons that I smoke regularly with the filters. I have been enjoying Peterson Signature Flake with those pipes even today.

Savinelli balsa filters are effective here in South Louisisana, and I enjoy my VaPers in those pipes. They don't seem right without the filters.

I use the paper filters in my corncobs and Dr. Grabows, and my tobaccos perform well,, and I find them tasty. I don't think they take any nicotine from the smoke, nor flavor. They do seem to keep excess moisture from reaching the tongue. That is my experience anyway.

I like my Brighams, but I don't find that there is an appreciable difference between them and the paper filters. The Brighams are just easier to clean.

My collection has over a hundred pipes, and I have been smoking pipes since 1975. I have many fine unfiltered pipes that smoke Virginias and VaPers quite well, and also the aromatics and English blends that I love. Seldom do I smoke a Latalkia blend with a filter, because I think they lose something in the filter. But I have taken the time to try many different system pipes and filtered pipes, and will always have filters and filter pipes in my rotation. I encourage everyone to give them a try, at least, before tossing out the idea offhand because of a herd mentality.

BTW, I am aware of at least one well known pipe carver who smokes 9mm pipes, and I learned of him on the Pipes Magazine Radio show.

 

dread

Lifer
Jun 19, 2013
1,617
9
I stopped smoking for several months after a medical scare. When I came back to it, I found I had become super sensitive to nicotine and something in certain tobaccos. I started smoking a lot of aros and found that filters did several positive things. They eliminated tongue bite completely, they (Savinelli and 9mm Charcoal filters - I only use paper in cobs, not as good as the other two types) seriously reduce the amount of nicotine coming through. The charcoal filters do this the best, though the Savinelli filters are quite good. They also eliminate a HUGE amount of particulates coming through, including the tar. As in, almost all of it. Another benefit is moisture, gurgle, and tobacco bits are all gone. I heard from all of the folks who don't like filters that they get rid of too much taste, but that simply isn't true - the 9mm filters do mute the taste, though you could equally assert that they smooth out the taste. The Savinelli filters don't affect the taste at all really. Best thing: I really, REALLY enjoy aros now and can keep smoking some of the full flavored though Nic heavy blends that I enjoy. Bottom line for me is that I couldn't enjoy this hobby without filters, but they are actually quite good whether I was sensitive to nicotine or not. I now advise beginners to have a go with filters if they are having that any of those common beginner problems. I smoke filtered pipes exclusively now. Good thing for me I love Savinelli, Vauen, and Rattray's pipes! If it helps you enjoy a pipe, go for it and don't be bothered by the naysayers.

 

peteguy

Lifer
Jan 19, 2012
1,530
906
I just recently acquired a pipe that takes the 9mm filter. I cannot find an adapter that will fit and the draw is to open as it is. I decided wth and tried a filter. I enjoyed the smoke and the pipe performed admirably. I plan on using a filter with it until I sell it or can find an adapter.

 

jerwynn

Lifer
Dec 7, 2011
1,033
12
I just want to add a big “HERE, HERE” and thank you to Rigmedic1 and dread’s comments above! I am devoted user of 9mm activated charcoal filters and truly both appreciate and enjoy what they do, for me anyways. I do have a couple of nice non-filter pipes… a Poul Winsløw freehand and a Boswell Wizard, and maybe a couple others. What 9mm filters do for me: they do not affect what I taste at all, and quite frequently, they “smooth out” the overall palate as mentioned above. They do, in my experience, deal with most of the excess moisture that sometimes will make regular pipes gurgle or get you those delightful fetid toilet bowl drops in your mouth. Some of the effectiveness of this is determined by how well the pipe is engineered for filter use. In this respect, I have experienced a huge difference in manufacturers with regard to how well the filter pipe supports airflow and moisture: top-flight best for me > Design Berlin, Vauen, and Stanwell. Least effective for me have been Peterson 9mm versions. I have three of those (in the $200-$400 price range). Each required additional interior drilling and shaping on my part. I will not be buying another from them. Other things filters do for me: they seem to moderate the incoming nicotine, which is fine by me… I don’t smoke pipes for nicotine and basically could care less how much of it I get, as long as I don’t get kicked to the floor by it. And they help me settle my puffing pace to a different more deliberate rhythm. The biggest difference to me between my filter pipes and my non-filter pipes is that a well made regular pipe “breathes” on it’s own, more or less… I LOVE that experience. But with a well-engineered filter pipe, I just settle into a different smoking style that means relighting slightly more often and using a slightly different hand with the tamper. The filters absolutely DO keep a lot of the tissue-irritating nasty stuff out of my mouth. Without the filters, my mouth begins to feel “burned out” more quickly. My voice gets hoarse. And I feel a tightness in my lungs that I do not with 9mm filter use. And finally, I experience no inconvenience whatsoever in acquiring, using, or enjoying pipes with filters. It’s just like throwing in the usual bundle of pipe cleaners and etc when I’m indulging my TAD or PAD.
What I really object to, in the five or so years I’ve been lurking about the forum regarding the filter subject, are the snarky, condescending, condemnational, dismissive, and often downright rude put-downs that more often than not, are dealt out to innocent, brothers and sisters that use filters to good effect. Not that long ago, some of you might remember, a guy here started an anti-filter rant that was longer than this little essay and that amid much stated or only slightly euphemized vulgarity, profanity, and obscenity, dressed down filter users as sissies, losers, idiots, impotent, and etc etc etc. (And god bless aro smokers, who take more frequent beatings than filterists.) As is so often stated here, in English AND Latin in various signature lines, in matters of taste and color, it’s individual… so why not just let everyone be happy in what works for them? I have always striven to maintain an open mind and a “beginners mind” in the Zen sense, towards all things, both in pipe world and the rest of planet. I’ve tried and enjoyed all kinds of tobacco from plugs to ropes and beyond. And all kinds of different pipes and pipe systems. As I’ve settled down to what I enjoy the best, and what really works for me, I truly appreciate those who can respectfully agree to disagree, if they do, or add positive perspectives and dimensions to the discussion. As for the rest of the illegitimate sons of female dogs, god bless them too. I will never disparage them for the ways and means of their own enjoyment. :puffy:

 

reniaeats

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 4, 2014
133
0
United States
I like to smoke Aromatics in a Savinelli with the balsa filter. As others have said, it eliminates tongue bite possibilities and absorbs the excess moisture well.
Also, I don't smoke many English blends, but when I do I always use something like a Vauen with a 9mm carbon filter. I have no desire to take a big nicotine hit from my pipe. Vomiting and dizziness don't appeal to me (and I've never been a cigarette smoker, so I'm pretty sensitive to nicotine). I have no science to back it up, but it seems the 9 mm filter softens the unpleasantness side effects for me some.
Another thing I haven't seen mentioned here, so I'll throw in, is that it slows down those of us who tend to smoke too fast. The filter makes the draw a little harder and forces you to slow down. For that reason, I often recommend new smokers to start with something like a balsa filter. It works quite well as a set of training wheels for a newbie.

 
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