A New Love For Filters - Sort of

[Sloopjohnbee]

I would highly recommend trying out chamber filters
I know a lot of people are on the fence about filters - I know I was, heck I used to tear the filters of camels ages ago
I wanted to get a hold of some philtpads but couldn't get them to ship to the USA...anyone know where?
But those meerschaum pads in combination with nording stones work wonders on eliminating moisture as well as keeping the tobacco in the bowl. You do lose some fill space- they also indicate that you save tobacco/$$ (a little overkill because if you smoke that much where it pays off - you are probably spending just as much on the nording stones which disintegrate with every bowl. The meer pads hold up well and can probably be sustained for a month.
I'd clean the meer pad with every smoke just like you would with a meerschaum pipe
I didn't find that they impart any foul flavor or anything to the smoke - I did get a hint of the flavor you get from some meerschaum lined briars, but overall they work great.

 

[OzPiper]

I tried a Philtpad (thank you @Ahi Ka) for the first time on the weekend in an old meer.

It was a very dry smoke, and pretty much no dottle left at the end. The draw was a lot more open - very similar to smoking a gourd calabash.

 

[mso489]

I have some 9 mm charcoal filters and some Dr. Grabow 6mm and Sav balsa 6 mm, but I never use them. Smoking a bowl a day, I don't want that muted taste. I might use them for a blend that was too overbearing, or if I was going to smoke a good many more bowls in a day than usual, like at a pipe show.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

I have some 9 mm charcoal filters and some Dr. Grabow 6mm and Sav balsa 6 mm, but I never use them. Smoking a bowl a day, I don't want that muted taste. I might use them for a blend that was too overbearing, or if I was going to smoke a good many more bowls in a day than usual, like at a pipe show.

I like the 6mm balsa as well - I don't find that it mutes the flavors for me

 

[Servant King]

I have both 6mm and 9mm balsas for my two Savinellis, and I stand by them. Granted, these are my only two pipes (6mm Mattone 601 for aros, 9mm Miele 611 KS for everything else), but I do find that the balsas on both help immensely at moisture absorption without adversely impacting the taste. I also have some 9mm charcoal filters left over from a pipe I no longer have, but even these have a use too. Per the advice of @Duke of Erinmore, one to three of these wet down and placed in a jar of overly dry tobacco will help rehydrate it. This process can be repeated if it's really dry, but I only had to do this once to save 2 oz. or so of Peterson Irish Whiskey from a premature, crispy death. I highly recommend this strategy!

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I tried the philt pads. They work as advertised but only last four 6 to 10 bowls before they start to come apart. The need version last longer but if you leave them in the bowl, they can tend to get stuck. And can get clogged up.

I found they made only a minute difference in smoking dryer, not worth the added hassle, at least to me.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Amazon.com : Aquapapa 6 lbs Activated Carbon Charcoal Pellets in 6 Mesh Bags for Aquarium Fish Tanks : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Aquapapa 6 lbs Activated Carbon Charcoal Pellets in 6 Mesh Bags for Aquarium Fish Tanks : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

You can get Activated Charcoal for $5/lb on Amazon.
Used sparingly a 6lb box could cover a thousand bowls.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

I tried the philt pads. They work as advertised but only last four 6 to 10 bowls before they start to come apart. The need version last longer but if you leave them in the bowl, they can tend to get stuck. And can get clogged up.

I found they made only a minute difference in smoking dryer, not worth the added hassle, at least to me.

you seemed like you really loved 'em for quite a bit - you kind of inspired me to trying this out

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

you seemed like you really loved 'em for quite a bit - you kind of inspired me to trying this out

I kind of did, for awhile. When one of the meet ones got stuck in a meer then got clogged up, I almost had to drill it to get it out. I'd lose others that didn't get stuck. Just became more trouble than they were worth.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

Amazon.com : Aquapapa 6 lbs Activated Carbon Charcoal Pellets in 6 Mesh Bags for Aquarium Fish Tanks : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Aquapapa 6 lbs Activated Carbon Charcoal Pellets in 6 Mesh Bags for Aquarium Fish Tanks : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

You can get Activated Charcoal for $5/lb on Amazon.
Used sparingly a 6lb box could cover a thousand bowls.

Looks like a dirty and dusty proposition - I like this stuff for air filtration and odor removal - I use it in packaged finished products - I was thinking of buying it in bulk but that would mean having to handle it and move it into more sealed mesh bags etc - this stuff can get messy - i'd never put it in the bowl of a pipe directly - you smoke with this?

 

[HitchensDog]

I have some 9 mm charcoal filters and some Dr. Grabow 6mm and Sav balsa 6 mm, but I never use them. Smoking a bowl a day, I don't want that muted taste. I might use them for a blend that was too overbearing, or if I was going to smoke a good many more bowls in a day than usual, like at a pipe show.

I smoke cobs almost exclusively and I use the 6mm Grabow filters. I'm sensitive to nicotine, and those filters really help. Although, if I'm smoking something like MB Vanilla Cream, then I don't bother. Even I hardly notice any nicotine in that blend. I've never noticed flavors being muted, but then again, I'm used to how my tobacco's taste with the filter. I guess I should test that some day with two pipes loaded with the same tobacco, one filtered and one not, and see how it tastes.

 

[kcghost]

I don't know a soul who is "on the fence" about filters. You are either "for them or agin' them". I am against them but it doesn't bother me in the least if you are for them. That is unless you are trying for converts.

 

[fireground_piper]

Converts are frustrating regardless of which way the conversion attempt is. My one and only pipe show in Raleigh in 2019, I actually stopped going to pipe tables and carvers about half way through because as soon as I brought up looking for a filtered pipe, the conversation turned to maybe I'm smoking wrong. I just browsed tobacco tables after that.

I've used the balsa ones consistently for a few years and have just started comparing the charcoal ones against the balsa. The charcoal does mute the flavors quite a bit for me compared to the balsa. I'm really hoping the balsa style gets back into production once the worldwide balsa shortage issue is resolved.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

Converts are frustrating regardless of which way the conversion attempt is. My one and only pipe show in Raleigh in 2019, I actually stopped going to pipe tables and carvers about half way through because as soon as I brought up looking for a filtered pipe, the conversation turned to maybe I'm smoking wrong. I just browsed tobacco tables after that.

I've used the balsa ones consistently for a few years and have just started comparing the charcoal ones against the balsa. The charcoal does mute the flavors quite a bit for me compared to the balsa. I'm really hoping the balsa style gets back into production once the worldwide balsa shortage issue is resolved.

i've noticed there is a shortage - any idea of why?

 

[fireground_piper]

i've noticed there is a shortage - any idea of why?

Yes, @swilford gave the explanation in another thread:

Savinelli 6mm Charcoal Filters :: Pipes Accessories

Anyone tried these? The last 6mm charcoal filters I bought, White Elephant I believe, were too long for most pipes and had very tight draws. Im curious if the Savinellis are made properly.

pipesmagazine.com

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

i've noticed there is a shortage - any idea of why?

The philtpads and meer inserts aren't really filters. They may absorb some moisture. They were reported to accelerate the coloring process. I think they may prevent some tobacco particles from getting sucked through the airway. However, they're a bit of a PITA and with a few months experience, the PITA part was greater than the benefits part.

I don't believe balsa filters do much more than absorb moisture. I don't want anything but the moisture absorb or filtered out of pipe smoke. They are nasty with a few uses and a bit of an unnecessary PITA IMHO. If someone likes them and doesn't mind the PITA part, more power to them.

 

[GCW]

I smoke cobs almost exclusively and I use the 6mm Grabow filters. I'm sensitive to nicotine, and those filters really help. Although, if I'm smoking something like MB Vanilla Cream, then I don't bother. Even I hardly notice any nicotine in that blend. I've never noticed flavors being muted, but then again, I'm used to how my tobacco's taste with the filter. I guess I should test that some day with two pipes loaded with the same tobacco, one filtered and one not, and see how it tastes.

Off topic but I love that avatar

 

[Worknman]

I thought about trying the narrow shitpads but figured if it ain't broke don't fix it. I like my charcoal filters.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Looks like a dirty and dusty proposition - I like this stuff for air filtration and odor removal - I use it in packaged finished products - I was thinking of buying it in bulk but that would mean having to handle it and move it into more sealed mesh bags etc - this stuff can get messy - i'd never put it in the bowl of a pipe directly - you smoke with this?

I did wash a few pounds of it to get rid of the dust. I'm not sure if I consider that entirely necessary, depending on how much there is to shake off before loading a bowl.

 

[jewman22]

Philt-ers? kind of a novelty, yeah iv'e tried them, and do work. But I find the Savinelli Balsa filters work just as well, and doesn't impact bowl capacity.