Are Expensive Cobs Better?

[PipeIT]

When I visited every worker in the factory except the head office secretary was paid minimum wage, and zero benefits.

Zero benefits is not true…

Companies that hire full-time employees in the U.S. must provide federally mandated statutory benefits.

There are benefits as a full time employee.

Guide to Missouri employee benefits and HR rules | PeopleKeep

Stay informed on Missouri's specific employment laws and regulations with this comprehensive guide on employee benefits and HR rules in the state.

www.peoplekeep.com

 

[Sig]

In my opinion the $18 Diplomat/5th Avenue are the perfect size and shape for a corn cob pipe.
They are about the size of an "average" Billiard.
I do not mind the cheaper MM stems, but I do have a couple Forever Stems from over a decade ago. The FS do feel better, but again, I like the regular stems just fine.

 

[OzPiper]

For now, pipe is just a tool for me - I don't care about how it looks. This might change in the future, of course.
And since it's a tool, the less expensive, the better, as long as it does the job?

I have cheap pipes. And expensive ones.
Plain ones and “bling-y” ones.
No names and one from well-recognised makers.

As I smoke on my own mostly, there is no one to tell me how suave I look when I have one of the expensive ones in my mouth

Much like my “collection” of Japanese kitchen knives.
I like to cook - but I’m a rank amateur with laughable blade skills.
But you should see the smile on my face when I have one of those knives in my hand.

Wait a minute - that’s NOT quite right !
I usually have a frown and an intense look of concentration as I try not to lope off one or two fingertips

 

[elvishrunes]

I guess I’ll state the obvious facts, left out of all that blabbering above, though I read it unfortunately For 50$ buy a briar, unless money is of no concern it’s too high for a cob. One decent briar won’t necessarily lead to PAD any more than some cobs.. look at Rossi, or Brigham, or estate on Smokingpipes.com or Ebay (but a little more risky).

 

[FurCoat]

Nope.

The Legend is just fine.

They're really pushing the upper limits of what you can charge for a cob.

Surpassed it if you ask me. I haven't bought a cob in quite awhile.

 

[FurCoat]

I guess I’ll state the obvious facts, left out of all that blabbering above, though I read it unfortunately For 50$ buy a briar, unless money is of no concern it’s too high for a cob. One decent briar won’t necessarily lead to PAD any more than some cobs.. look at Rossi, or Brigham, or estate on Smokingpipes.com or Ebay (but a little more risky).

Or a Grabow. A Grand Duke is less than 40 bucks. Everyone should have a Grabow in their collection.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Or a Grabow. A Grand Duke is less than 40 bucks. Everyone should have a Grabow in their collection.

The new ones have a bad habit of the metal tenon chewing up the mortise.

 

[ziv]

I guess I’ll state the obvious facts, left out of all that blabbering above, though I read it unfortunately For 50$ buy a briar, unless money is of no concern it’s too high for a cob. One decent briar won’t necessarily lead to PAD any more than some cobs.. look at Rossi, or Brigham, or estate on Smokingpipes.com or Ebay (but a little more risky).

Buying a briar is exactly what I'm afraid to do coz like I said, the PAD is strong with me. Because with cobs, you can only go up so much in price, while with briars it's virtually limitless.

 

[ziv]

Or a Grabow. A Grand Duke is less than 40 bucks. Everyone should have a Grabow in their collection.

I've heard Grabow is not the same that is used to be. A lot of negative reviews on the modern pipes.

 

[FurCoat]

I've heard Grabow is not the same that is used to be. A lot of negative reviews on the modern pipes.

Well that sucks

 

[FurCoat]

The new ones have a bad habit of the metal tenon chewing up the mortise.

I hope they fix that. I'm fond of the brand.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

I guess that's where the money is today?

I am currently visiting family where I grew up. There are six recreational dispensaries in one small town alone. The pot shops are everywhere. Some within sight of each other. People must be buying a hell of a lot of pot for all of them to stay in business.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

Yeah, I have looked at Forever Stems.
Do you think acrylic stem vs plastic makes a big difference?

For me, yes they do. I clench a lot and those regular plastic stems will get chewed through fairly quickly. They're also quite small and narrow little stems so on a bigger pipe like a General they're not super comfortable.

I'd say they're a worthwhile upgrade as the cob itself will vastly outlive the stem and if I keep buying cheap plastic replacements I'll end up spending more money.

They are made well, good looking, smooth buttons, but gurgle from the tight draw.

That's surprising. Anyone know offhand what the draft hole measurements are? It can't be smaller than a 5/32" which is pretty standard.

 

[Briar Lee]

Cost and brand affect the smoking experience less for me than hand feel and tobacco capacity of the pipe. Had MM not gone headshop, I'd consider their unfinished freehand one of the greatest pipes ever made.

Plastering the cobs takes very little time to apply plaster but it must dry an extra day.

Up in the top floors are two years worth of drying cobs. The factory makes about a tenth or so of what they did seventy years ago, so there’s lots of space.

The last time I was there was Pre Covid.

No doubt Covid ravaged the older work force with a vengeance. It did here, and nothing spared any of the counties in Little Dixie.

Our county lost 78 from Covid and only 38 in World War Two.

And the younger generation in Washington won’t work for basic minimum wage when St Louis jobs are available.

Maybe MM has had to raise salaries and offer benefits.

The only reason they’d offer a weed pipe is wholesaler and retailer demand.

Missouri has legal over the counter recreational weed now.

I’m too damned old for a new bad habit, but Missouri has the lowest weed tax on this planet. It’s coming no matter what I think about it, you know?

 

[Briar Lee]

Zero benefits is not true…

Companies that hire full-time employees in the U.S. must provide federally mandated statutory benefits.

There are benefits as a full time employee.

Guide to Missouri employee benefits and HR rules | PeopleKeep

Stay informed on Missouri's specific employment laws and regulations with this comprehensive guide on employee benefits and HR rules in the state.

www.peoplekeep.com

When I visited MM the head secretary took pride in being the only person in the factory paid a living wage.

And she bragged how rich the factory owners were and how large their mansions were in St Louis.

She said they never had to advertise for employees. There were grandfathers working by sons and grandsons all using the same machines their great grandfathers used.

And she took pride that all got the same minimum wage and never any overtime, because they knew to quit after eight hours a day. She said in places where they paid different wages the employees were jealous of each other but there everybody knew everybody else got the same pay as they did no matter how long they’d worked there.

And she said they never drug tested any of their employees and if they were sick or just wanted a day off they didn’t have to come in. Likewise they could leave early any time they wanted. They only got paid the hours on the clock, and she did the payroll.

One big happy family, according to her.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Plastering the cobs takes very little time to apply plaster but it must dry an extra day.

Up in the top floors are two years worth of drying cobs. The factory makes about a tenth or so of what they did seventy years ago, so there’s lots of space.

The last time I was there was Pre Covid.

No doubt Covid ravaged the older work force with a vengeance. It did here, and nothing spared any of the counties in Little Dixie.

Our county lost 78 from Covid and only 38 in World War Two.

And the younger generation in Washington won’t work for basic minimum wage when St Louis jobs are available.

Maybe MM has had to raise salaries and offer benefits.

The only reason they’d offer a weed pipe is wholesaler and retailer demand.

Missouri has legal over the counter recreational weed now.

I’m too damned old for a new bad habit, but Missouri has the lowest weed tax on this planet. It’s coming no matter what I think about it, you know?

For me, it was loss of integrity. They're FAQ page once stated that their products weren't intended for recreational drug use. Once they introduced their carburetor weed pipe line, the disclaimer was removed. It just doesn't sit well with me to buy tobacco pipes from a head shop.

 

[anotherbob]

I only own 3 pipes so far, all of them being MM corn cobs, and the one I like the most is the most expensive out of the 3 - the Country Gentleman.
Now, MM sell corn cobs for up to $50, but would it make sense to buy one that's more expensive than the CG? I know some people say they love the Charles Towne Cobbler or the Cobbit series, but what's the difference - is it just the stem material?
Thanks!

depends on what you're looking for. People seem to forget that pipes are sensual and if you like a pipe more then another pipe then you'll enjoy smoking it more and will find that the pipe indeed smokes better. It's like asking is the same steak eaten in a comfortable and classy place better then if you ate it out of a Styrofoam container in a dirty alleyway?
Well yeah setting matters. Is there anything materially that makes for a better smoke, not really. Or in other words maybe. It might be more enjoyable, but it's not a guarantee.

 

[huntertrw]

Are Expensive Cobs Better?​

Absolutely! The one pictured below is covered in rhodium, gold, platinum, blue diamonds, and the rarest of crystals. It's owner reports that it smokes like a dream (much better than the cheap one that he used to smoke and that was covered in Chinesium), but that he has to wear welder's goggles when enjoying it due to its unparalleled shininess:



Incidentally, its value is currently estimated at $347 million.

 

[PipeIT]

When I visited MM the head secretary took pride in being the only person in the factory paid a living wage.

And she bragged how rich the factory owners were and how large their mansions were in St Louis.

She said they never had to advertise for employees. There were grandfathers working by sons and grandsons all using the same machines their great grandfathers used.

And she took pride that all got the same minimum wage and never any overtime, because they knew to quit after eight hours a day. She said in places where they paid different wages the employees were jealous of each other but there everybody knew everybody else got the same pay as they did no matter how long they’d worked there.

And she said they never drug tested any of their employees and if they were sick or just wanted a day off they didn’t have to come in. Likewise they could leave early any time they wanted. They only got paid the hours on the clock, and she did the payroll.

One big happy family, according to her.

Well the reality is, family, or friends, there are federal laws I’m sure you’re aware of as a lawyer, that full time employees are suppose to be provided benefits.

If everyone working for them is family, or extremely close, maybe then they don’t care about the benefits.

But it doesn’t matter who works for you, if you respect the law, then you stand by it as a business, follow the federal law and provide the benefits, otherwise you are breaking federal law.

The one thing I do know, and others too, is they don’t seem to care about protecting the integrity of their tobacco corn cob roots, now advertising cobs for cannabis, so maybe they don’t care too about doing the right thing.

Cornabis Archives - CornCobPipe.com

corncobpipe.com

Maybe a company like this, is one that seriously won’t care about their employees when the shit hits the fan too.

 

[Briar Lee]

Well the reality is, family, or friends, there are federal laws I’m sure you’re aware of as a lawyer, that full time employees are suppose to be provided benefits.

If everyone working for them is family, or extremely close, maybe then they don’t care about the benefits.

But it doesn’t matter who works for you, if you respect the law, then you stand by it as a business, follow the federal law and provide the benefits, otherwise you are breaking federal law.

The one thing I do know, and others too, is they don’t seem to care about protecting the integrity of their tobacco corn cob roots, now advertising cobs for cannabis, so maybe they don’t care too about doing the right thing.

Cornabis Archives - CornCobPipe.com

corncobpipe.com

Maybe a company like this, is one that seriously won’t care about their employees when the shit hits the fan too.

Federal law requires health care insurance for over fifty employees and MM is way under that.

I doubt they get paid for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Traditionally the workers were like Loretta Lynn’s father—-farmers who worked at a factory instead of a coal mine.

Those bottom land farms along the Missouri are now well over ten thousand dollars an acre.

The little white houses in Washington are now well over a hundred thousand dollars.

Less than an hour down the road are jobs for high school grads paying over fifty grand a year with health insurance, paid vacations, sick leave, and a 401k, and those are non union shops. It’s nearly double that for union jobs.


As Missouri gets more prosperous, it has to be hard on Missouri Meerschaum.