Smoking Savinelli Filter Pipes Without Filter: Adapter or Not?

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peregrinus

Lifer
Aug 4, 2019
1,205
3,787
Pacific Northwest
BDCB3F33-7AA4-4434-959C-6EADF95B941F.jpeg
A question for those of you who have Savinelli pipes made to accept the 6mm balsa filter and generally prefer to smoke them without using a filter.

Do you use a step down adapter fitted in place or prefer to leave the adapter out and draw more open?
 

burleyboy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2019
862
4,473
Europe
I use a Dunhill 9mm filter pipe without filter nor adapter with very good results. It produces a dry smoke and is in fact one of my best smokers. The mechanics of it are probably quite similar to what they call a reverse calabash?

Just make sure to clean out the filter chamber well after each smoke, because that's where the moisture collects.
 

peregrinus

Lifer
Aug 4, 2019
1,205
3,787
Pacific Northwest
Adapter out.

They are too much to clean. Stuff gets in the seams, so you end up taking them out to be thorough.

They don’t fit perfectly, either, and can actually prevent a pipe cleaner from passing if they don’t match up perfectly.
Yes, thank you.
The extra cleaning and added difficulty passing a cleaner were my particular concerns.
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I think it depends on the pipe and your preference, so try it both ways with any particular pipe and find what suits you. Some filter pipes smoked without a filter get a little too turbulent in the airway, and mix too much air with the smoke, but most give you a nice open draw with no problem. Likewise, an adapter can give you a nice even draw, or might be a little more restrictive than you like, though this is rarely the case. All my adaptors accept a pipe cleaner with a little turning and jiggling. I have one 9 mm filter pipe (an Austrian Kemberling bent Rhodesian) that smokes well without a filter. Try around and you will find the way that suits you to a 'T'.
 

maduromadness

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 3, 2014
249
1,797
California
I eventually stopped buying filter pipes knowing those areas where the filter goes collects moisture. I do agree that filter pipes with no filter can smoke exceptionally well and do require more attention to clean. On that note more open draws tend to smoke better. Hence why higher end pipes tend to have more open draws. IMHO
 

milehighpiper

Can't Leave
Sep 10, 2018
418
309
Denver, CO
Another vote for no filter, no adapter. I use a tapered pipe cleaner in the event it starts to collect moisture mid smoke. I also spend a little more time on the monthly pipe cleanings (more like whenever I get a chance) and bend an Everclear soaked pipe cleaner and really work the filter chamber to make sure I get the sour smokey juices out of the area. Other than a bit of extra maintenance (an extra minute or two) it is no different than any other pipe maintenance.
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,604
14,671
I have 3 meers designed to accommodate filters but always smoke them filterless which works well for me...nice open draw. Restricted draws are a common problem...especially with meers.
 

garageboy

Might Stick Around
Jul 15, 2019
50
45
Not a fan of modern savinellis because the adapter is okay at best, and I hated cleaning the chamber if I didn't use it.

Cobs without adapters are way too open for me as well
 
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fightnhampster

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 14, 2019
920
2,562
Indiana
I don't use an adapter or a filter. I will say though that of all the filters with various manufacturers, I like the balsa ones from Sav the best.

My issue is that I like to clean my pipe immediately after smoking and filters tend to get in the way of a pipe cleaner. I don't want to break it down while it is still hot.
 
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STP

Lifer
Sep 8, 2020
4,104
9,547
Northeast USA
I don't use an adapter or a filter. I will say though that of all the filters with various manufacturers, I like the balsa ones from Sav the best.

My issue is that I like to clean my pipe immediately after smoking and filters tend to get in the way of a pipe cleaner. I don't want to break it down while it is still hot.
That’s why I don’t care for the filter. I do use the adapter, and you can still run a pipe cleaner through the pipe without breaking it down.
 

Brother Myk

Lurker
May 1, 2021
5
13
66
Florida
View attachment 68185
A question for those of you who have Savinelli pipes made to accept the 6mm balsa filter and generally prefer to smoke them without using a filter.

Do you use a step down adapter fitted in place or prefer to leave the adapter out and draw more open?
Just my 2 cents. If a Sav is fit for a filter, I use a filter - But if you don't use a filter, I would use an adapter. I find the pipe draws better. The air passage is too large in my opinion without it. Of course, the adapter comes with a host of problems as others have mentioned (they get gunky at the edges rather quickly).
 
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