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Hey everyone,
I've been very interested in the art of pipe smoking for quite some time and have decided to invest in starting. I was wondering what a suitable price would be for a beginners pipe. Obviously I'm not looking to buy a top-of-the-line Meerschaum pipe at this stage, but I'm a little confused as to how cheap a beginners pipe can be. Is a $10 pipe going to ruin the experience for me? If so what is a suitable price range for a newbie?
Hey mate and welcome to the Ranks. Hmmm, $10.00 pipe is DEFINETELY a no no mate. Spend at a minimum, $40.00-$75.00. If your buget is a bit low at the moment, then go with a couple of Cobs, they can be had for $5.00-10.00 apiece and are great smokers
If you want to go real cheap, start with an MM corn cob pipe. Or maybe start with a $50 or $60 new briar pipe. Estates have been known for good value at a lesser than new price. $50 estates, are probably equal to $100 new.
speaking from experience, never buy a cheap briar pipe. They smoke just plain badly and you will likely not enjoy it or enjoy it significantly less.
If your budget is low the corn cob pipes smoke well and are cheap. You can at least smoke those until you have a bit more money to spend.
Welcome, Redge!
I'm with the others here -- $50US to $100US for a decent briar starter pipe.
You can get a very respectable new briar pipe in that range or, if you want to double your value, obtain twice the value in a restored estate (pre-smoked) estate pipe from a reputable vendor.
For $8-$15 or so, you can obtain a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipe (by all means avoid the cheap imitations).
Pardon me for not properly introducing myself and jumping straight into a question as well! I had seen the corn cob pipes and considered purchasing one, but just wasn't sure the $10 value of them would be a suitable starter pipe. Luckily my budget isn't ridiculously low, and I'll be able to afford a pipe within the $50 - $100 range. Thank you for the advice gentlemen!
Redge, BTW -- many of us can well afford fairly expensive briars and own them as well -- yet we have and enjoy our MM Cobs. I'd recommend you get at least one cob.
It's also good to have the Cob so you can rotate it with your other pipe(s) as it's important to allow a pipe to dry a day or more between smokes.
Welcome aboard, good luck with your purchase, and enjoy.
+1 w/$50-$100 briar pipe range or MM corn cob and make sure to get high-quality pipe tobacco
Redgent, whether you can afford a $10 or a $1000 pipe, you can never go wrong with a cob as a starter. It's great to buy a nice piece of briar when starting out but you should really get a couple of cobs to go along with it, so you can still enjoy the tobacco itself while you're breaking in your briar. Starting out by breaking in a brand new pipe can sour you on the experience a little.
Welcome Red! I'd recommend a Savinelli pipe in the $50 to $100 range. There are other brands that can be had in that price range. I say Savinelli only because even at that price range they have consistently good quality. Welcome to the site. Lots of good advice to be had on here but it can be a bit overwhelming at times remember to smoke slow and enjoy it.
Also, Redgent....You asked if a $10 pipe can ruin the experience....I've had $8 basket pipes that were champion smokers, and $90 Savinellis that smoked and tasted like a dog turd. As a rule, though, the more you pay, the better the wood, and so the better the pipe (older, more properly treated briar, more accurately drilled, fewer flaws in the finish), hence a generally better quality smoke. However, many basket pipes will be good, or even great smokers, as they are often seconds from high-end pipe makers. I'm sitting here with one right now, a King's Cross featherweight, which is a Savinelli second. I paid a few bucks for it (less than $10) several years ago and it is a champion smoker. A second like this is usually good older wood that was found to have too many external flaws, needing too many fills, to qualify for the name of Savinelli (or Peterson, whatever...have a couple of Irish seconds, also). At least this is my understanding of things, and has proven a good set of rules to go by when buying a pipe in my experience.
Still think you ought to get a couple of cobs to go with your startup wood, though.
This is tremendous everyone, thank you so much for the advice!
I see some pretty decent new pipes online for around $70
It's hard to beat a Savinelli in the price range you indicate. They have a nice selection of styles too!
IMO, the corncob is an acquired taste. I have one and I rarely smoke it because they have chintzy plastic stems, and the lousy mouth feel ruins the experience for me.
An equally important part of the equation is the tobacco you choose to smoke. I would avoid aromatic tobaccos -- not because they are inherently bad, but because a beginner's technique is not up to the task of smoking them properly.
Do you have experience with other forms of tobacco? It would be helpful to know how well developed your palate is.
Carey's has a great price on a Savinelli Punto Oro Sandblasted Bing's Favorite, under $90 -- an awesome starter pipe, IMO.
Can't go wrong with a cob as your first pipe and if you don't like it, you're not out a whole lot. I started with a cob and learned to pack it and smoke it before moving to briar's. I find most of my pipes on E-bay or use Briarbid on this site to find good estate pipes. Also, choose a simple tobacco that is forgiving and will take you to next step of sampling. 1Q is a good starter and very forgiving to the new smoker.
"Do you have experience with other forms of tobacco? It would be helpful to know how well developed your palate is."
In response to cortezattic, I've never sampled any kind of tobacco. I'm headed to a local tobacconist specialising in cigars and pipes to see which brand is fit for me.
FWIW, if I could learn this hobby all over again, I wouldn't have bought any kind of new pipe. I would have bought only good estate pipes in my price range. I would have received twice the pipe for half the money, and the pipe would have already been broken in, making my initial experiences more enjoyable. The price ranges suggested above will get you one heck of a good estate pipe. I think new pipe smokers, even those experienced with other forms of tobacco, underestimate the pipe break-in process and how this effects the overall smoke and experience of the tobacco. I know I did.
+1 to Sothron
Welcome aboard! You've gotten some varied but great advice.
When I started out I opted to spend more on tobacco then my pipes. I don't regret it. If I could toss one thing out there, I'd suggest trying a variety of tobacco types to help you zero in on what you enjoy. Don't feel like you've got to sample every blend, but get to know the "families" and explore them a bit.
+1 Sothron
A word of caution about starting with a cob... I love my cobs. But some members here have said that they would have never become pipe smokers if they started off with a cob. It's a different smoking experience for some. For me, a cob is just another great smoking pipe.
Just don't form your opinion on all of pipe smoking from just one type of pipe. They all have something different to offer and it's hard to determine which you'll like, or hate, or if you will like or hate any at all.
Jump in with both feet.
For the price range you are talking about I would recommend to try big Ben series 5 startup kit pipe really good pipe with a starter kit for a very reasonable price...
Hmmm, $10.00 pipe is DEFINETELY a no no mate. Spend at a minimum, $40.00-$75.00. If your buget is a bit low at the moment, then go with a couple of Cobs, they can be had for $5.00-10.00 apiece and are great smokers
I don'd mean to ask questions on someones post, but I figured making a separate post was silly as well. So I also am in the same boat here. I have a pipe that was sent to me as a gift in a pipe set from pipesandcigars.com so I am assuming it is a cheap pipe, thus giving me a less than enjoyable experience. I bought a nice bier pipe with a rustic finish (around $50), but I am nervous to smoke in it because I heard that you can't smoke English and Virginias in the same pipe. Is that True? Or should my rotation be the new pipe I got with a cob and exclude the other because its just a bad starter?
I heard that you can't smoke English and Virginias in the same pipe. Is that True? Or should my rotation be the new pipe I got with a cob and exclude the other because its just a bad starter?
Well I smoke Virginias and English blends in the same pipe all the time. I think it depends on the actual English blend(s) and the guy who's doing the puffing. I'm sure some "full" English blends could indeed "ghost" a pipe, which is why some people devote a pipe to those heavier English blends, just as some like to smoke virginias in certain pipes to, allegedly, taste all the subtle nuances that virginia blend can deliver.
My English blends are limited ATM to Dunhill Early Morning Pipe and H&H Black House, neither of which, to my tastes, are full Englishes. I have dozens of virginias in stock and usually smoke those.
My advice? Sure, get a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipe or two (they're super inexpensive; avoid any cob but MM) and include those in your rotation with your two briars. Let the pipe rest a day between smokes. After letting the pipe cool, clean your pipe religiously and thoroughly after each bowlful. Try your tobacco blends in each of your pipes to see what tastes best in which pipe. Taking notes may be helpful.
Unless you pick a blend that will ghost your pipe, such as a very full English, a blend with Lakeland essence, or certain heavy aromatics, I doubt you need to worry about what you smoke in your pipes.
Welcome to the PM Forums, Louie -- and let us know how you make out! 
Thank you very much rothnh, the English blends that I will be smoking are not going to be full just yet so you cleared my worries from me thank you. But when I do start smoking heavier English blends I am sure I will have a new pipe by then because I can't help but collect them now! If you wouldn't mind could you check out the forum I posted of my own? It would mean a lot if I got more of my questions asked. Again thank you.
If you wouldn't mind could you check out the forum I posted of my own?
Sure, no problem. I'll look for it now.
There is an ongoing debate over dedicating a pipe to a particular blend or type of blend. Some are very dogmatic about this and other will smoke anything in any pipe in their collection that strikes there attention at the moment. Therefore, if you fall between either of the extremes, you are normal. Whatever works for you.
But, some blends will ghost your pipe.
welcome aboard! Winton
The pipe shops that are listed here on the left have wonderful pipes in all price ranges. I buy all my pipes from them.
I only had one bad one and they took it back with no problem. They sell all the major tobaccos also.
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