MM's hardwood pipes?

I haven't smoked a hardwood pipe of theirs personally, but just looking at the reviews online at Aristocob's website, they're great smokers. And for around 5 bucks, I don't think you can wrong ::

The older Ozark Mountain series are a little smaller than the new Rock Maple line they sell. They are a little heavier than their cob counterparts by size but not heavy by any means but the balance is little awkward. I prefer the bent for that reason though I normally prefer straights.
The first few bowls in the hardwoods can be rough as the initial break-in isn't fun but they are nice pipes after than. I don't usually recommend bowl coating with honey but I would here. Also, they all have the cheap plastic stems like the cobs and you may want to upgrade to a Forever Stem down the road.

I have a couple of them, both are great smokers. The taste on break-in leaves a lot to be desired, but after a few bowls that goes away.

I have two, and I don't love them. They get quite hot. I'm sticking with the cobs.

I've never tried one, but the next cob I order will probably include one of these. Not expensive and if you don't like it you can get rid of it. Good luck with your decision.

SWMBO got me one while on a trip, "I thought it would be cool since it's from calico" LOL, it was a nice gesture. They are alright, I used it when I didn't have a rotation yet. Now I hardly use it at all. IF I do it's to sample a tobacco. Not a bad smoker, would rather use a cob however

jsmarriner, on the inexpensive pipe front, I could write a dissertation, but let me point out a couple of possibilities.

Iwan Ries Exclusives, at the Iwan Ries web site, offers compact pipe for about $34 and medium size for around $48

to $52. These are made by Benton in Texas, using (I think it is) Algerian briar, and they are excellent smokers. Buy

one, and you'll have a friend for life. Other great pipes at modest prices are unfinished Savenelli pipes at Cup O Joes.

These will come bare white colored, and have some fills, but will "finish themselves" to a golden honey brown as

you smoke them and the fills will only add an individual touch, and they smoke like Savenellis! If your budget is

really tight, just stick with MM cobs, and try the new bamboo stem cobs from Old Dominion. You're talking $5 to

about $16 bucks a pipe here, and years of happy puffing. Good luck! And if you want more inexpensive pipe advice,

you know who to ask.

We sell them in the shop I work at. I grabbed one to try a new tobacco (paladin, supposedly horrible but I actually love it) and the pipe turned out to be wonderful for short smokes. It gets a little hot but I clench most of the time anyways. Very good "throw away pipe." It has a little bit of a wood taste to it but a couple of bowls gets it out. Definitely a pipe I'll take kayaking, camping, fishing, anywhere I could lose or break it. For 5 bucks it's a damn good smoker.

I don't think they dry the smoke as much as a cob, and there a little heavier but I can only notice if I have a cob there to compare to, there not bad but if I had the choice I would go with a cob, I still don't regret spending the 3-4 bucks to try it out though.

No flame wars, just looking for a logical answer:
Why would you choose a MM hardwood pipe that is not made of brier, over a Dr. Grabow brier pipe, other than price?

Zekest, they are smaller and the design is a little different, that's what made me try one. I honestly think a dr. Grabow would be better though. Of course a cob beats them all :p

If you are looking for a smaller pipe, why not try a traditional corn cob pipe like Old Dominion, who is also forum sponsor.
www.olddominionpipe.com
The prices are about the same as MM.

I think you made the right choice, that things beautiful...

Actually Northern Hard Rock Sugar Maple is an excellent alternative to briar. A good friend of mine makes beautifully rusticated pipes of this wood and he also pre-coats the bowl with his own charcoal based coating which aids in the break-in process.

I have smoked these extensively and would challenge even the most seasoned pipe smoker to be able to discern the difference in a blind smoke off between maple and briar. The two woods, once broken in, I find impossible to discern. In fact some of my favorite smokers are the pipes made of Maple.

Some critics say maple pipes smoke hot. I find that smoked properly with a properly dried and packed load that Maple smokes no hotter than briar. I have had briar pipes that were hot as a firecracker in the hand. I feel this is more the fault of the smoker than it is the wood. Others say they are more prone to burn out. I know a guy that owns a maple pipe that is older than I am that shows zero signs of burn through. Again more the fault of the smoker in my opinion.

One positive about Maple is the chances that the pipe contains sound solid wood throughout the pipe bowl and shank is much greater than that of briar. The nature of the briar burl posesses a much higher chance of having internal cracks, voids, and sand pits compared to the nature of maple. Even with the most expensive briar blocks there is no guarantee that it will not posess internal flaws. An artisan pipe maker may start out with a very expensive block of premium briar and if he is lucky he will create a premium pipe with drop dead beautiful smooth grain; and yet lurking 1/16 of an inch below the surface of the bowl or the outer surface of his $1000.00 pipe could be a crater the size of the grand canyon that could be discovered five years later when the owner pokes through with a pipe tool. This is far less likely to happen with maple.

Briar does offer some of the worlds most fantastic looking grain for smooth or blasted pipes and in that case they should command premium prices. However, when considering rusticated pipes, maple, olivewood, morta, or strawberry wood does not need to take a backseat to briar and should command the same respect for price as briar; and I'm seeing that finally many pipes made with these alternative woods are finally getting the respect they deserve as far as price goes.

Hi all, new member and novice pipe smoker here.
I thought I would just put my two cents in, I just ordered a bent and strait from Aristocob (one bent one strait). Like the others have mentioned the break in does suck (going through that now), buts I offer a word of warning. With this recent order, that makes three in total MM hard wood pipes that I have bought, when you get them and before you start breaking them in, I would be sure to look the pipe over thoroughly. When I got my order (and my very first one I ordered ages ago) the shank was sticking out of the bowl slightly. That being said, so far my bent one is smoking great. I contacted Scott and he apologized and promptly offered to send a replacement to me. So far customer service at Aristocob has been great, but this isn't to praise them as much as to let you know to take that into consideration before purchasing.
Cheers!

My very first pipe was an MM ozark hardwood. It was a great first impression and it's still used in my rotation a lot even though I've upgraded to much more expensive pipes. The break in was a little harsh but it has been a wonderful smoke after that.

Excellent post, harkpuff. I would just add the humble and often overlooked pear wood to your list of briar alternatives.
jsmarriner: congratulations on a beautiful pipe.