Beginner's Pipes.

[bullet08]

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]

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]

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:

The Smoking Dragon: The World’s Most Expensive Smoking Pipe

Russian company Bon-Cadeau has created the mother of all smoking pipes that doubles as an ultra-luxurious hand-crafted jewellery piece.

www.superyachts.com

 

[Chasing Embers]

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:

The Smoking Dragon: The World’s Most Expensive Smoking Pipe

Russian company Bon-Cadeau has created the mother of all smoking pipes that doubles as an ultra-luxurious hand-crafted jewellery piece.

www.superyachts.com

It says the dragon is the most expensive at $85,000. Dunhill's Eiffel Tower pipe is priced at $3.5 million.

 

[sardonicus87]

It says the dragon is the most expensive at $85,000. Dunhill's Eiffel Tower pipe is priced at $3.5 million.

I just Google'd "most expensive tobacco pipe" and pulled the first link. I wasn't looking that hard.

 

[OzPiper]

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".

 

[kcghost]

Best advice to someone who is interested in pipe smoking is to take someone with who knows something of pipes and tobaccos and have him work you on your selection.

 

[crashthegrey]

The best beginner pipe is one you like.

 

[cshubhra]

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

 

[RookieGuy80]

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.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

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]

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.

 

[Lucashly]

Also a straight stem pipe smokes best as there is less drag.

 

[minerLuke]

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.

 

[WhiteCrown]

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.

 

[PipeIT]

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.

 

[AJL67]

Dolla fiddy

 

[WhiteCrown]

Dolla fiddy


View attachment 238949

Aaaand, here comes another question about a soapy taste

 

[AJL67]

Aaaand, here comes another question about a soapy taste

I'll do you one better, let's add the smoking jacket to it.

 

[cshubhra]

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

I was thinking about you after the Hawaiian wildfires. Good to see you post