I have read a lot here in the forums about how great a cob pipe is. What is the deal with them? For some reason I can toss a fair amount of cash at a nice pipe but can not for the life of me throw down a measley $10.00 for a cob.
A Cob Pipe... Really?
- Thread starter whiteydoughton
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For new pipe smokers, the cob represents a great entry-level pipe that's easy to smoke even if your technique is not yet fully developed - I liken it to a "pipe with training wheels". You can leave the filters in or take them out, as you prefer, and the wide-open draw is a little more forgiving of a mediocre packing job. If you smoke too fast and too hot, you can burn out a pipe - and it's a lot less painful on a $10 (or less) cob than it is on even a Dr. Grabow briar. They're not as prone to ghosting if you get into Latakias or Lakelands early on, so you can get away with using them for whatever you feel like smoking. And once you start paying attention to things like pipe dedication or proper rotation, you can add another pipe or 10 for just a few bucks, and then swap them out for more expensive briars as your budget allows.
First of all, welcome to the forums.
Second of all, cob pipes are good smoking pipes. They are useful for trying new tobaccos that might ghost a pipe, and they are just so uniquely American! They're also very light weight so they are easy to clench for a good period of time.
Ya just gotta try one to find out, so try a cheaper one and see for yourself. If you don't like it at least your not out a lot of loot! :
:
Second of all, cob pipes are good smoking pipes. They are useful for trying new tobaccos that might ghost a pipe, and they are just so uniquely American! They're also very light weight so they are easy to clench for a good period of time.
Ya just gotta try one to find out, so try a cheaper one and see for yourself. If you don't like it at least your not out a lot of loot! :
:
+1 phred! Cobs also have the added bonus of being so inexpensive, they make amazing pipes to smoke while doing any kind of work, because they can take so much abuse. If you were to drop and break it, no problem, just buy another one. IMHO though cobs have tendencies to survive the harshest abuse, although YMMV.
I keep 3 styles of cobs from MM and when at home one of those is what I usually reach for first. I only keep ones with the hardwood plug in the bottom and a sealer finish coat on the cob; no neked pipes. I also don't smoke any small cobs either, so have no experience with them. They smoke cool and dry with a natural sweetness when new. You have to really have wet tobacco or bad technique to make one gurgle. As has already been pointed out I keep them by tobacco type. And they will take a lot of abuse.
I was sorta opposed to cobs because of its "hee-haw" appearance. I then started working at a cigar shop and we sell MM Cobs. I grabbed one and smoked it while I was there one day. Smoked pretty darn good.
I then got one for a slow smoke contest. It was laser etched with the event on the stem and was finished out rather nicely for a cob. It was a donation from MM for the contest, so I think they hand picked these.
Its now one of my favorite pipes and in my rotation.
I then got one for a slow smoke contest. It was laser etched with the event on the stem and was finished out rather nicely for a cob. It was a donation from MM for the contest, so I think they hand picked these.
Its now one of my favorite pipes and in my rotation.
I stayed away from cobs for years because of the awful plastic stems. Then I had some made with a long shank and acceptable stem, by DGE, and discovered that they provide a very good smoke with many tobaccos. Latakia is better in a briar though.
The horrific stems have always put me off (like others). Lifes too short to put a bad stem in my mouth. I need to try one with a handmade stem.
I've gone on a bit of a Cob binge because they offer so many shapes and sizes. To try everything I wanted in Briar would have cost me at least ten times more.
I actually like the plastic stems since they take just minutes to shape with a heat gun, so I can get exactly the bend I like on all my stems. Acrylic stems are much harder to re-shape.
I like pipes with a bent shank, and just a slight bend on the stem, effectively what you get holding a straight pipe in your mouth at a slight angle, except the bowl stays level. I find it preferable because the bit points into the cavity of your mouth and not straight at your tongue, like a P-lip but it's just a different way of holding the pipe instead of needing a special bit.
I actually like the plastic stems since they take just minutes to shape with a heat gun, so I can get exactly the bend I like on all my stems. Acrylic stems are much harder to re-shape.
I like pipes with a bent shank, and just a slight bend on the stem, effectively what you get holding a straight pipe in your mouth at a slight angle, except the bowl stays level. I find it preferable because the bit points into the cavity of your mouth and not straight at your tongue, like a P-lip but it's just a different way of holding the pipe instead of needing a special bit.
Cobs are popular for a number of reasons, and they are WELL worth the price!
As others have said, they are inexpensive and can take a lot of abuse. But I think the best thing about them is the fact that they are incredible smokers. For pretty much any tobacco other than a complex latakia/oriental blend, I've found that damn near everything tastes better in a cob. They don't ghost easily, they burn very cool, and they impart a subtle sweetness to burley/VA blends. Also, they have the ability to tame a lot of harsh or biting blends (aromatics, for instance, and drugstore burleys taste much better in a cob, IMO).
Yes, cobs have a definite "old timer" image. I feel like a Hee Haw extra whenever I leave the house with one. But for puttering around the house, reading, writing, working with your hands, etc., they just can't be beat. Plus, there are many different designs and you can find some that aren't quite as rough looking (Aristocob, for instance, carries some distinctive Missouri Meers). You can also get a really nice lucite or acrylic stem that will last forever from at least one website.
Anyhow, I wouldn't knock cobs until you get a chance to try one yourself. They're excellent bargains for the price (less than $10 for most). I have cobs that I've been smoking for nearly 10 years now with no sign of burnout, which is one hell of a good value for the cash.
As others have said, they are inexpensive and can take a lot of abuse. But I think the best thing about them is the fact that they are incredible smokers. For pretty much any tobacco other than a complex latakia/oriental blend, I've found that damn near everything tastes better in a cob. They don't ghost easily, they burn very cool, and they impart a subtle sweetness to burley/VA blends. Also, they have the ability to tame a lot of harsh or biting blends (aromatics, for instance, and drugstore burleys taste much better in a cob, IMO).
Yes, cobs have a definite "old timer" image. I feel like a Hee Haw extra whenever I leave the house with one. But for puttering around the house, reading, writing, working with your hands, etc., they just can't be beat. Plus, there are many different designs and you can find some that aren't quite as rough looking (Aristocob, for instance, carries some distinctive Missouri Meers). You can also get a really nice lucite or acrylic stem that will last forever from at least one website.
Anyhow, I wouldn't knock cobs until you get a chance to try one yourself. They're excellent bargains for the price (less than $10 for most). I have cobs that I've been smoking for nearly 10 years now with no sign of burnout, which is one hell of a good value for the cash.
I always have some to test a new tobacco or just give away to someone who shows some interest in smoking a pipe.
This is totally the response I was looking for. I wasn't knocking cobs in any way... at least I hope not. I was just wondering what the hoopla was all about. I have looked at the MM's and the Forever Stems and have finalized my choices to a bent Country Gentleman. I just didn't click on the checkout button. I got scared haha. And yes, "Hee-Haw" is what popped into my head too but, thanks to all of you, I am taking the plunge. Savinelli to Cob! Good Lord!
figures i would be the one to be different.
got one cob left, an mm cg...it sits in the toolbox on back of my truck and it goes a lot of places with me...it is a great little pipe and i have had some good times with it...i like the weight of it, i like the wide open draw of it, i admire its toughness and its mom and american apple pie aspect of it.
that said, i still get more flavors out of most any tobacco i have smoked in a quality briar than i do in a quality cob...hell's bells, even carter hall tastes better to me in a briar...that doesn't mean i don't enjoy a cob from time to time...especially with an ungodly mix of carter hall and nightcap...and it certainly doesn't mean to shy away from trying one...there are far too many fans of them to not.
i guess it just means I'm a little different than most.
got one cob left, an mm cg...it sits in the toolbox on back of my truck and it goes a lot of places with me...it is a great little pipe and i have had some good times with it...i like the weight of it, i like the wide open draw of it, i admire its toughness and its mom and american apple pie aspect of it.
that said, i still get more flavors out of most any tobacco i have smoked in a quality briar than i do in a quality cob...hell's bells, even carter hall tastes better to me in a briar...that doesn't mean i don't enjoy a cob from time to time...especially with an ungodly mix of carter hall and nightcap...and it certainly doesn't mean to shy away from trying one...there are far too many fans of them to not.
i guess it just means I'm a little different than most.
I'm eons past the training wheels phase, though that is certainly a good use of cob pipes. They're just excellent pipes --
light weight, durable, usually well drilled, and excellent burners. I've never had one break, burn out, or otherwise
fail me. With cobs, I have had the most incidences of burning the leaf down to white ash, though that is not an
objective for me, but fun to do. I'm enough the non-hee-haw type to like the change-up in style. For people who
are stuck on more expensive pipes, I think they are a good philosophical exercise in coming to grips with the idea
that everything good in life is not measured in dollar value. I have seven. Two Old Dominion including the smallest,
and MM cobs, three with Forever stems and one with a softie. Buy one, enjoy it, and feel no qualms, ever. If you have
a flame-out with a cob, invest another ten bucks. They in no way detract from the pleasure of my briars at many price
levels. I agree with foggy, Lat goes better in a briar. But the finest burley blends go great in a cob, as do many others.
light weight, durable, usually well drilled, and excellent burners. I've never had one break, burn out, or otherwise
fail me. With cobs, I have had the most incidences of burning the leaf down to white ash, though that is not an
objective for me, but fun to do. I'm enough the non-hee-haw type to like the change-up in style. For people who
are stuck on more expensive pipes, I think they are a good philosophical exercise in coming to grips with the idea
that everything good in life is not measured in dollar value. I have seven. Two Old Dominion including the smallest,
and MM cobs, three with Forever stems and one with a softie. Buy one, enjoy it, and feel no qualms, ever. If you have
a flame-out with a cob, invest another ten bucks. They in no way detract from the pleasure of my briars at many price
levels. I agree with foggy, Lat goes better in a briar. But the finest burley blends go great in a cob, as do many others.
I smoke mostly cobs but I also have quite a few briars and enjoy them both but try smoking all day with one briar.
For me that is not a good experience whereas with a cob that is no problem at all.
I know everyone tastes things differently but all my Lat blends are just fine in a cob.
In the past couple years I have amassed about 20 cobs and a dozen or so great smoking briars and if I am going out anywhere I tend to go with a cob.
They are more rugged, less fiddely, and easily replaced.
The only thing the cob lacks is looks, there really is nothing classier looking than a nice briar pipe but at this point in my life I really don't care if I look like a hick as long as I can enjoy a decent smoke.
For me that is not a good experience whereas with a cob that is no problem at all.
I know everyone tastes things differently but all my Lat blends are just fine in a cob.
In the past couple years I have amassed about 20 cobs and a dozen or so great smoking briars and if I am going out anywhere I tend to go with a cob.
They are more rugged, less fiddely, and easily replaced.
The only thing the cob lacks is looks, there really is nothing classier looking than a nice briar pipe but at this point in my life I really don't care if I look like a hick as long as I can enjoy a decent smoke.
cobs are great for keeping in your truck or taking on a fishing trip. Smoke great for the price and if you loose them or break one its not that big of a deal. They are great for certain things and every pipe smoker will have some because of it. They are a piece of pipe history as well.
I've found a $4 MM cob to be a much better smoke than a basket briar at $25-$40 a pipe. If you're on a budget, not sure if you're ready to invest in the hobby, or need a cheepo for the shop, work, truck, or boat get the cob!
I'm an experienced pipe smoker (almost 55 years,) and I have a nice range of briars from some better artisanals, 6 Dunhills, quite a few factory pipes, and a slew of cobs that I regularly smoke and thoroughly enjoy. Yes, they're inexpensive, but more to the point, they offer a great smoke.
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