Which Reamer is the Best?

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jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
I prefer the Cooks reamers as being the best reamer that does the least damage. You can get them on ebay. In good condition, around $15.

 

philobeddoe

Lifer
Oct 31, 2011
7,405
11,579
East Indiana
I use the Pipnet most often, when I'm cleaning estates, but I buy a copy of pretty much every reamer I find, as I have found most all of them to be useful in one bowl or another.

 

jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
This is an interesting read, if reamers can be interesting
https://rebornpipes.com/tag/pipnet-pipe-reamers/

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,253
108,359
A knife with a round tip.
5078259.jpg


 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,322
11,087
Maryland
postimg.cc
I use the Pipenet and bought an older set (with the tan plastic). I had the newer, similar style Castleford but the bits kept breaking. A piece of sandpaper wrapped around a smaller bit also works nicely for fine work.
I have a Senor, but rarely use it (with the the movable jaws). I don't find many bowls that fit the angle of those jaws.


 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
To avoid reamers altogether, and the damage they can do, you can always avoid cake building by wiping out the bowl after every use, just leaving the necessary carbon layer. A number of Forums members take this approach, and it preserves pipes nicely. Many love cake, and so be it, but this is a good alternative. A paper towel or paper napkins work nicely.

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
I have a Castleford and I like it. I have heard that they aren't as nice as a Pipenet. I don't restore pipes and imagine that based on others feedback that if you plan on reaming a lot of pipes that the Pipenet is the best option. I ream maybe a dozen pipes a year so the Castleford works well for me. I have not had any problems to date.

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
The best reamer is the one that best fits the job you have. No one reamer is best for everything. You can try to avoid cake, use various knives and scrapers, but you might buy an estate full of cake as I have. I have dug thick encrusted cake out of old estates all the way back to the wood in many pipes with great ease using a Castleford and it worked beautifully for me. Still looks and works like new. But if you are an animal or running a business doing ten pipes a day, who can say?
Some have said the Pipenet is harder plastic but I've had no problem with the "softer" Castleford. Harder plastics tend to snap suddenly, softer ones might distort or bend. One thing I do is start with the smallest tool and work my way up, one size at a time not forcing the thing. Takes the cake right out. Maybe others are just starting with the bigger size.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,630
44,855
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Some have said the Pipenet is harder plastic but I've had no problem with the "softer" Castleford. Harder plastics tend to snap suddenly, softer ones might distort or bend. One thing I do is start with the smallest tool and work my way up, one size at a time not forcing the thing. Takes the cake right out. Maybe others are just starting with the bigger size.
It's actually the opposite. The Pipnet handle has more flexibility than the Castleford and in the 25 years I've used mine, it has never failed me. The blades of the Pipnet are made from thicker stock. I gouged the side wall of one pipe with the Castleford early on, and discovered that a bit of burr had been left on the edge of one of the blades. Castleford is a Chinese knock off of the Pipnet. I still use my Pipnet set, as well as other reamers and other means like sandpaper. The Castelford went in the trash years ago.

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
I remember somebody saying that the Castleford handle rounded out on them where it fits onto the blades, hence the softness issue. I remember you saying about the burr, my set is perfectly smooth, so it would seem that for the lower price of the Chinese clone, you might be more apt to have quality issues needing checked out when buying. Still, I got my Castleford set so cheap delivered with shipping included, I just can't rail about them much. I expect the set to last me the rest of my life. It works great. I just checked the price of the Pipenet and it sells for over 4X the price! Other than the case, it looks almost identical in form. For as much as I need to ream out a pipe to the point of needing a dedicated reamer, I think I did the right thing in pocketing the extra $50.00. I can buy a nice pipe for that much!

 

ophiuchus

Lifer
Mar 25, 2016
1,557
2,052
To avoid reamers altogether, and the damage they can do, you can always avoid cake building by wiping out the bowl after every use, just leaving the necessary carbon layer. A number of Forums members take this approach, and it preserves pipes nicely. Many love cake, and so be it, but this is a good alternative. A paper towel or paper napkins work nicely.

I kinda follow this strategy. It seems to be working.

Sandpaper on your finger. 8O

That's my backup practice. Sometimes I just use the bare finger to clean the chamber. Callouses. :puffy:

 
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