Briar or Brylon? How to Tell?

[Infantry23]

Please pardon my ignorance but I am wondering how to spot the difference between the 2 materials?

So, I started thinking about this when I stopped into a local Smoker Friendly store just perusing the small cigar collection. I heard the lady at the counter tell a customer that she has wood pipes but no briar pipes. I looked at them briefly and idk what kind of wood they are.... but that got me thinking that I wouldn't know how to spot the difference. One or two of my original pipe purchases were from a store such as this years ago. How would I know what I have now? I'm still a novice pipe smoker and I'm trying to enjoy the hobby while being economical as well since I have many other responsibilities that require my money. Obviously in the future I will research better before buying but I just got to wondering about two pipes in particular.

Any help would be much appreciated. FWIW, they are no-name pipes to my knowledge but one says Italy on the stemmel and the other says nothing. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[captaincalabash]

When you handle an actual brylon pipe, it is unmistakable. It has a sort of plastic or polymer look and feel to the bowl that lets you know immediately it's not briar. Also, unless it's lined (as Yellow-Bole did with theirs), the inside of the bowl will be the same color as the outside. I have one, and as I was warned, it does smoke a little hot. It is virtually indestructible, so I use it as a traveler, smoke a bit slowly, and enjoy it especially on cold days when the weather balances any hot-smoking tendencies!

 

[Infantry23]

So the inside of the bowl is most likely the same finish as the outside? I'd have a hard time telling just from the finish on the outside as I'm sure there are certain finishes or waxes that create a deep lustre, no?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

What kind of pipe shop is this that doesn't have briar? Do they sell bongs and glass pipes?
If it was stamped Made in Italy, I would bet its briar.
Take a look through ebay at the grain on briar, it has striations on one side and a birdseye sorta grain when you look at the grain from the side. Uniquely different from most wood. But, sometimes the quality of the briar is different, with different looking birdseye and even different straights.

I can only think of two companies that make wood pipes that aren't briar, Missouri Meerschaum and Ropp, which is a French company that a long time ago made cherrywood pipes.
These would easily stand out as non-briar.

As stated above, brylon is a plastic that doesn't burn. It won't have grain. It will just look like a hunk of fairly heavy plastic.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

This examples shows some of the different patterns you will see in briar.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yup. I didn't like the one I had as, to me, it had no character.

 

[Infantry23]

Thank you so much for the help! I definitely recognize that type of grain pattern. I wasn't sure if they made Brylon with some type of faux grain or something. I feel much more certain about those two pipes being briar now.

 

[scloyd]

I can only think of two companies that make wood pipes that aren't briar, Missouri Meerschaum and Ropp, which is a French company that a long time ago made cherrywood pipes.

Mr. Brog is another. I received a Mr. Brog pearwood pipe as a gift.

From their website:
We craft our pipes from a variety of woods including; Acacia Wood, Cherry Wood, Briar Wood, Morta Wood, Pear Wood, Rosewood and Oak Wood.

 

[elvishrunes]

Yeah Brylon is pretty rare for bowls overall, not sure about stems, but that doesn’t matter anyhow in the stem material... Stems are usually acrylics...

For bowls smoking a combo of Wood dust and plastic (Brylon) seems a tad creepy to me, pretty sure you’d get plastic fumes mixed in. It was only created during WW2 for the Briar shortage.

Yes Mr Brog makes nice affordable pear wood pipes. I‘ve heard it doesn’t last as well as briar, but at least it’s real wood.

 

[Infantry23]

Yeah, the plastic aspect is creepy ? Pipe smoking has an "old world" kind of charm to my mind and plastic seems very, idk, fake maybe. It's one of the few remaining sanctuaries of authenticity if that makes any sense.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sort of odd to use espresso tampers to illustrate graining in briar. However, I would love to have one of those. Esp with lots of birdseye.

 

[chopper]

Smoking from a pipe made from plastic aint at the top of my wish list.

I've two pear wood Pokers from Poland. Both are very good smokers.
As is my meerschaum lined olive wood pipe.

Were I on a strict budget and building a rotation of pipes from scratch, I'd buy six MM cobs to start.
Then I'd start the hunt for bargain briars at my leisure.

I've won some incredible bargains on ebay. Like the two brand new Lorenzo Plateau briars that I scored for $30-$35usd for the pair.

MM cobs are great pipes that smoke just as well as my much dearer briars.
There's also briar brands like Dr Grabow pipes. Both of mine are in my regular rotation.

Also keep an eye out for basket pipes in tobacconists. I've got a few no-brand briars stamped Made In Italy that smoke as well as my more expensive briars [And one that was a bit of a dud]

There's no need to spend big to enjoy a pipe.
Despite the fact that I don't actually need another pipe [Over 30 in my rotation and even more sitting in boxes] I enjoy my MM cobs so much that I intend to take advantage of the New Year sales and buy several more.

 

[weezell]

Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipes Brother! The only way to go for a reasonabley cheap start up with optimum performance... ?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sort of odd to use espresso tampers to illustrate graining in briar. However, I would love to have one of those. Esp with lots of birdseye.

Cosmic Michael- Might you recall where you saw those tampers? Online I suppose.

 

[elvishrunes]

As for cheaper pipes, the second part of your question, yup as mentioned above, corn cobs, eBay vintage deals, antique/thrift stores can have good finds... I have a vintage Peterson and Brigham each bought for 10$ in good shape.

Expensive and cheap pipes mostly smoke the same, it’s just about the look/design and build and name you pay more for...

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I have a Brylon I like.. yea I know, I'm a shithead. But you can definitely tell the difference.

Fake wooden pipes are not Brylon pipes..

 

[Ahi Ka]

I also have a Brylon pipe...and mixture 79 makes amazingly in it. (I’m not taking the piss btw!)

 

[GlassMan]

First I’m hearing oh brylon. Wondering if my first basket pipe was that.

 

[didimauw]

Take the pipe, and slam it onto concrete. If it breaks, it's briar. If it's still in one piece, it's brylon.

Of course I'm joking, don't do that. I mean that test WOULD work, but don't do it.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Take the pipe, and slam it onto concrete. If it breaks, it's briar. If it's still in one piece, it's brylon.

Of course I'm joking, don't do that. I mean that test WOULD work, but don't do it.

I’m sensing a one brylon for a year coming up...