Savinellit filters

chs110

Lurker

Feb 25, 2015

11

5

• Mar 1, 2015

• #1

New pipe smoker here. Bought a Savinelli pipe - smoked great. Went to clean it and saw a filter. Did some research and bought some more (6 mm). Inserted it, and tried to light it. Very difficult draw. Removed the filter and was fine. Like the idea of a filter to pick up moisture. What am I doing wrong?????

 

weezell

Lifer

Oct 12, 2011

13,653

49,175

• Mar 1, 2015

• #2

Did you buy the balsa wood filters? You must use only those...

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,211

60,666

• Mar 1, 2015

• #3

Or if you find the draw a little too open, but you don't want the balsa filter, get an adaptor to use the pipe without a filter.

You can get one of these for $1.99 or a pack of five for $4 (the five pack from smokingpipes.com). The adaptor can be kept

clean and used indefinitely.

 

F

frozenchurchwarden

Lifer

Mar 1, 2014

3,665

4,974

• Mar 2, 2015

• #4

I like to use a curled up piece of pipe cleaner in filter slots. Instead of the 10 cent brand name filter it only costs a quarter-cent per bowl if you use 1/8 of a pipe cleaner.

If you smoke once a day that's $36 a year (so for me that would be around $18/year), whether that's worth the extra fiddling is up to you, but as someone trying to get these things worked out in the long term I would rather not spend hundreds of dollars on filters. Not to mention that a pipe cleaner is adaptable to any pipe (that has a filter slot), whereas most filters are limited to a few brands.

 

radio807

Can't Leave

Nov 26, 2011

444

7

New Jersey

• Mar 2, 2015

• #5

SInce no one addressed your question directly, I'll take a stab at it. I use the 6 mm triangular Savinelli filters in several of their pipes and there's no way that they will restrict the draw as severely as you have suggested. Assuming that you're using the correct filter and have it inserted correctly, you need to look for some other restriction in the pipe. Note that the Savinelli filters are triangular and sit in a round hole: the filter doesn't fill up the entire hole and the smoke is supposed to pass around the filter and not through it. If the original filter didn't give you fits, then replacement ones shouldn't, either.

 

cosmicfolklore

Moderator

Staff member

Aug 9, 2013

35,804

84,516

Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC

• Mar 2, 2015

• #6

My guess is that you are pushing the filter too far into the stem, blocking the hole. This happens when I use a filter on my Oscar Tiger. I like the balsas when I smoke my stronger blends, but most of the time I prefer the open draw without the balsa. Try not pushing it all of the way in.

 

cosmicfolklore

Moderator

Staff member

Aug 9, 2013

35,804

84,516

Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC

• Mar 2, 2015

• #7

Just FYI - I was at the hobby shop that specializes in models and RC stuff a few months ago, and they had ten foot lengths of triangular 6mm balsa wood for about $3 give or take some pocket change. I've been slicing off lengths to fit for my pipe, and they work great. They even had some square 9mm lengths that I picked up for some of my older Savinellis that use those.

 

darwin

Part of the Furniture Now

Apr 9, 2014

820

6

• Mar 2, 2015

• #8

Does the 9mm square balsa seem to work as well as the serrated Savinelli 9mm filters? If so I'm heading down to the hobby store today.

 

brass

Lifer

Jun 4, 2014

1,840

11

United States

• Mar 2, 2015

• #9

Darwwin, I've been meaning to go to the hobby shop and try it first hand. But multiple users report that the experience is identical and I've never read that they performed differently.
I tend to smoke the 6mm sans filter. Have a 9mm on the way and will try different configurations.

 

brass

Lifer

Jun 4, 2014

1,840

11

United States

• Mar 2, 2015

• #10

Darwwin, I've been meaning to go to the hobby shop and try it first hand. But multiple users report that the experience is identical and I've never read that they performed differently.
I tend to smoke the 6mm sans filter. Have a 9mm on the way and will try different configurations.

 

saltedplug

Lifer

Aug 20, 2013

5,192

5,118

• Mar 3, 2015

• #11

I've never smoked using filters, but nonetheless I think I can say that real men don't use them))

 

carytobacco

Can't Leave

Nov 23, 2012

302

0

Cary, NC

• Mar 3, 2015

• #12

I like the Savinelli filters but not any others. Especially if you have a problem getting tongue bite.
But that's the only filter I've ever liked.

 

cosmicfolklore

Moderator

Staff member

Aug 9, 2013

35,804

84,516

Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC

• Mar 3, 2015

• #13

Filters, I think of something that actually screens the air flow. Balsa wood just absorbs the moisture from the air making a drier smoke. But, regardless, some just don't like them. To each his own.

Yes, the 9mm works just the same. I have no idea why they made a 9mm, unless it was just a grandfather to the newer improved 6mm ones. You can also stick a Stanwell charcoal filter in there, but then you get into an "actual" filter that passes air flow through a fine charcoal mesh.

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,211

60,666

• Mar 3, 2015

• #14

I don't use filters much, but I appreciate having the option. Some aromatics I like still carry a lot of moisture and can bite, and a filter cuts that way back, whether balsa or Dr. Grabow or Medico. Occasionally, with a really strong leaf, when you want that flavor but not the strength, a filter is good. I don't often use a filter, but I like having the choice. With Savenelli filter pipes, I like having the adaptors that constrict the draw a little but don't filter the flavor. If you like Sevanelli pipes but not the filters so much, they make pipes without filters, such as the 601 churchwarden or the Oscar Lucite line including the KS pipes with larger bowls.