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bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
10,199
41,436
RTP, NC. USA
Get whatever you want that fits your budget. There is no such a thing as a "beginner's pipe". That includes briar, cob, meer, and any other material being used. Get the one that makes you happy and won't break the bank. Better yet, one your wife/husband/gf/bf won't kick you out to the couch/dog house.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,660
31,229
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Get whatever you want that fits your budget. There is no such a thing as a "beginner's pipe". That includes briar, cob, meer, and any other material being used. Get the one that makes you happy and won't break the bank. Better yet, one your wife/husband/gf/bf won't kick you out to the couch/dog house.
if she does kick you out though you'll have more time to smoke a pipe so....
 

sardonicus87

Lifer
Jun 28, 2022
1,334
13,938
37
Lower Alabama
Start with a $2,000 estate Dunhill. Might motivate oneself to keep going if it seems like a steep learning curve or you don't like it at first. Use that sunk-cost-fallacy as motivation to stick with it.

Better yet, grab this one:
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,902
117,121
Start with a $2,000 estate Dunhill. Might motivate oneself to keep going if it seems like a steep learning curve or you don't like it at first. Use that sunk-cost-fallacy as motivation to stick with it.

Better yet, grab this one:
It says the dragon is the most expensive at $85,000. Dunhill's Eiffel Tower pipe is priced at $3.5 million.
 

OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
6,743
36,383
72
Sydney, Australia
Get whatever you want that fits your budget. There is no such a thing as a "beginner's pipe". That includes briar, cob, meer, and any other material being used. Get the one that makes you happy and won't break the bank. Better yet, one your wife/husband/gf/bf won't kick you out to the couch/dog house.
^^^^ Can't agree more

I can never understand the advice to "get cheap one, just in case you find that it's not for you".
If that cheap, badly made pipe smokes hot, draws poorly, gurgles, melts (because it's made from plastic), the finish bubbles or falls apart after 2-3 smokes, they may give up on pipes altogether.

I can always remember being told "if you want to get a neophyte interested in wine, DON'T give them a glass of 2 buck chuck. They will always remember a good wine, but a bad one may turn them off for good".
 

RookieGuy80

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 6, 2023
734
2,710
Maryland, United States
The consensus answer from above is a relatively higher priced pipe (To keep the user motivated) and also smokes well. For a beginner it would mean it is forgiving of a immature cadence.

It also needs to be forgiving of the fact that a new user will be smoking the same pipe again and again.


In other words a meerschaum 😀
100% correct! Specifically, a Missouri Meerschaum. 😁
 
Nov 20, 2022
2,736
27,686
Wisconsin
If asked, I would advise getting a factory briar pipe that costs $75 - $100, unless you have a B&M close to help you pick a basket pipe. Get used to an average reliable smoking experience and then work from there. That price is not too high considering you will be able to use that pipe for the next 30 years.

$75 pipe plus a couple tins / samplers + cleaners and Czech tool = $120 with free shipping.

That pipe will work just fine for multiple smokes even on the same day allowing the beginner to get used to the whole experience and then be able to decide what they like and don't like making the next purchase more personalized.

I disagree with the cob as a beginner pipe. They are not the same as a briar, and is best suited to a person who already knows how to smoke a pipe and enjoys the idea of cobs.

As @OzPiper points out, a cheap or unusual pipe is more likely to turn a person off of smoking. Get a basic briar from a factory that will work well. Factory pipes have quality control, so less likely to get a quirky pipe.
 

Lucashly

Can't Leave
Jun 21, 2023
382
338
California
I disagree with the cob as a beginner pipe. They are not the same as a briar, and is best suited to a person who already knows how to smoke a pipe and enjoys the idea of cobs.
I agree. I started out with a Cobb and got discouraged. Went to a basic Peterson and found the two pipes smoke significantly different. The Peterson was easier to smoke. If you want to smoke cobs pipes there is a learning curve just like briars.
 

minerLuke

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 2, 2023
293
581
Vancouver BC
I have a few Rossi and Ropp pipes that I got for about $50 USD that smoke quite nice, especially for that price point. I have also got some Stanwells around that price and they are all good smokers too.

I have higher end pipes from Savinelli, Dunhill, Upshall but you don't need to spend big $$ to get a pipe that smokes decent.
 
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WhiteCrown

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 29, 2023
176
520
Pac NW, USA
Well, this thread took quite a different turn than the last one I remember participating in in regards to cobs... where the idea conveyed was that people who smoked cobs are lazy... ;) I have started a few folks out on them and lets just say if you recommend a cob, you just earned yourself a lot of mentoring with break-in, pipe mud, etc. Maybe not the best idea for an internet recommendation, where you can't be there to say, "don't lick the flame over the rim" on the first light lol. On here, I'd agree it's best to recommend a Grabow/Brigham/Rossi or the like.

For my friends, especially the ones timid to shell out $50-100 on a new smoking device, I'll keep telling them to go grab a cob at the local shop and I've got you on tobacco, let's have a pipe together and I'll show ya. I'll even give you one of these sweet tampers I got at the golf store.IMG_20230809_161144.jpg
 
Last edited:

PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,115
30,394
Hawaii
The consensus answer from above is a relatively higher priced pipe (To keep the user motivated) and also smokes well. For a beginner it would mean it is forgiving of a immature cadence.

It also needs to be forgiving of the fact that a new user will be smoking the same pipe again and again.


In other words a meerschaum 😀

Or get a decent Clay, not much to go wrong there, other than breaking it.