Dr. Grabow Pipes - All Filtered?

Well, actually the spelling is Grabow, not Garbow. I've seen some of them (can't remember the names they gave), that were made in the 1960s of what appeared to be exceptional wood and they had standard tenons without filters. And, I believe I read (maybe in P&T Magazine?), that Dr. Grabow also made shop pipes for retailers that did not have the plumbing.

I had an L.L. Bean house pipe that appeared to be a Dr. Grabow product that had a metal fitting in the stem (stinger) but no filter per se. However, if your question is whether Dr. Grabow makes any current new pipes without filters, I don't know, but all of them can be fitted with standard no-filter adaptors -- those that are typically offered with Savinelli pipes, or any other 6 mm no-filter adaptor, and many pipe smokers who like an open draw just smoke them without a filter and with no adaptor. Personally, I use the adaptor to close the draw a little and, to me, focus the flavor better.

All of the current pipes made by IP&A (the folks who make Grabows) are filtered,but of course can be smoked with or without a filter or an adapter. In the older Grabows,only the cheaper lines- Duke,Lark and I think some Riviera had an integral non filter tenon. They did come with a removable stinger.

Here's an adaptor you could use retailed by smokingpipes.com:
https://www.smokingpipes.com/accessories/pipe-supplies/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=77100

The only one I have any experience with is the one that came with a new Savinelli I bought. It appears to be made out of the same acrylic that the stem on the pipe is made of. When I smoke my Grabows without a filter, I have noticed that the cavity where the filter goes makes a gigantic moisture collection chamber. Normally not a problem, but on a humid day, or with a slightly wet tobacco, moisture will happen. I just use a bit of beeswax on the face of the shank to make sure I don't get a "leaker".

"I vant to be alone...to smoke my pipe!" - Greta Garbow, I mean Grabow, I mean Garbo.

I believe that's actually a photo of Greta Grabow smoking a Grabow pipe. Garbo did not enjoy Grabow pipes (from what I hear), because she thought Grabow pipes were inferior to her Garbow pipes. She did enjoy Grabow pipes for her yard work as the Garbow pipes were too expensive for such menial labor. So, Greta Garbow smoked Garbows except for the occasional Grabow while Grabow smoked Grabow pipes and could not afford Garbow pipes. Quite simple really.

coffinmaker, the adapters are plastic, but so are acrylic/lucite stems. Since they are distributed by Savinelli, I presume they are heat resistant. I do not get any flavor from them.

<p>I had a Grabow years ago no filter loved it. I think it still on the bottom of the snake river

Yes, they do make unfiltered pipes. The Grabow company is in Sparta, NC (I live in Winston-Salem).
I was working on a story about Sparta a few years back and got to take a tour of the Grabow factory. I was quite impressed with the craftmanship and quality, and the tour really changed my perception on Grabows. The original owner's grandson now runs things and he's a great guy. After the tour I notices two racks on the front wall just inside the door; one group of pipes was filtered and the other was unfiltered. I asked if I could buy one and the owner let me take my pick, for FREE! It's a nice bent brandy with a goldish/amber acrylic stem.
He explained to me that though they make production pipes, when a pipemaker comes across a good piece of briar he/she is allowed to make a nicer version of whatever they want. They use bulk ebauchons. The grain isn't the most spectacular (hence the dark stain on most of their pipes), but the briar is good quality (but I'm not sure where it's from).
Now I've never seen these pipes for sale anywhere outside the factory. And, unfortunately, their Website is not exactly up to today's standards. I swear they could be selling these as Grabow specials online and making some pretty good cash.
It's hard to even find a Grabow anymore as most B&Ms don't sell them and pharmacy's no longer carry them. So I don't know who their customer base is. But if your interested, I bet you could give them a call and see what they have. If you're ever in Sparta stop by and ask if they can show you around.

Lee, that's my fantasy of taking a tour of the Dr. Grabow factory and getting a free special edition pipe. Their marketing is determinedly old fashioned. There are various special edition pipes that you can't get at stores but have to request directly from them, and very little information available on these. I too am puzzled as to exactly how their pipes are distributed. But I think the product itself, and especially the top of the line Royaltons, are strikingly good pipes. They don't feature grain, but they do have rather sophisticated shaping and are nicely light weight, well drilled and decidedly durable. I get the sense that their employees are pipe owners and smokers. I don't see their pipes offered at pipe shops in N.C. or anywhere else. I think the pipes are very nifty, not just like anything else.

@mso489 if you had a LL Bean pipe,they were a Smokemaster pipe originally made by Briarcraft then made by Sparta industries (Grabow).they had 2 holes in the stem that a that a pipe cleaner was inserted into and the thin metal tube allowed the smoke to pass in to the stem,they are actually good smokers.

mso489: If you are in NC and have a free weekend, let me know and I'll go with you. We could tour the factory and have a few smokes. What fun that would be! I have no pipe smoking buddies here so that would be a real treat. ::

mso489: If you are in NC and have a free weekend, let me know and I'll go with you. We could tour the factory and have a few smokes. What fun that would be! I have no pipe smoking buddies here so that would be a real treat. [::]

Click to expand...

I've heard that the GM at the factory has pretty much shut down tours of the factory. This came from a former president of the company who has regular contact with the GM. However,one of the members over at the Dr. Grabow Collectors Forum has been in contact with the GM and it looks like he will schedule a tour of the factory sometime in April for the member of the DGCF who are gathering in Sparta at that time.
Anyone who wishes to attend that tour is welcome to join us. We are also planning to attend the Raleigh Pipe Show.
More info on the tour here-- http://drgrabows.myfreeforum.org/about8301.html