Clay pipes

[spacecowboy57]

Alright, so i just bought a $4 clay tavern pipe from a pawnshop and want to share my evperience. As simple (and generic) as this design is, i happen to like the way it looks. it's about 8 inches long with a nice slender stem so the smoke was quite cool but still tasty. I am going to recommend getting one of these as a cheap alternative to a churchwarden. I should also mention that it is very low maintainance, all it takes is a blast of sink water to clean and you have no "ghosting" of any residual flavors. overall i still prefer the classy feel of a good briar, but i will definitely continue to use this quite often. could use a bigger bowl though.
cheap, generic clay pipe:

-nice cool smokes

-cheap

-low maintainance
what do y'all think about these?

 

[cortezattic]

Thanks for the post! I've had a clay for over 40 yrs., and I enjoy it from time to time with Cavendish tobaccos.

I don't use it all the time because the bowl gets too hot to hold, and gripping by the stem is kind of a pain.

I use alcohol as a cleaning solvent for tar and nicotine; but I suppose a blast of water after every smoke would

clear the bowl too!

 

[chuckw]

I have yet to try a clay. Some friends highly recommend them for flake tobaccos.

 

[lordnoble]

I've thought about getting one, but at the B&M that actually carries them, their asking $30. Not cheap at all... For about the same price I can get a briar churchwarden from Iwan Ries. I'll probably end up buying one online though.
-Jason

 

[puffpuff]

You can pick up some nice ones here:

http://sharrowmills.com/

under smoking accessories.

They even have clay churchwardens.
I'm planning on getting one, the next time I place a snuff order. I stocked up (on snuff) before PACT, so I won't likely try one myself until closer to the end of the year.

 

[cortezattic]

Puffpuff, thanks for the link. Clays are not all that common anymore, and Sharrow's prices seem to be as low as anybody's.

 

[unclearthur]

I enjoy my clays a lot. As for cleaning them I do as was done in ages past. Tuck them in the campfire and burn out all the crud. Nice fresh clean pipe! There was a company in Germany selling clays on ebay at a very reasonable price. I haven't seen them lately though.

 

[spacecowboy57]

I have seen a really nice clay churchwarden for 30 bucks but could definitely find a better use of that cash. My clay is a real bare bones pipe, rough finish, no tip, nothing special. I like it just based on its functionality and that it's shaped different so it looks noce on my rack next to my briars.

 

[abecox]

I got a clay tavern pipe on a whim from Pipesandcigars earlier this summer. I'd say that I'm mostly pleased with it, besides the caveat that the bowl gets rather hot indeed.

 

[pipetrucker]

I've been curious about clay pipes myself. I think I am going to have to look for one as I travel around.

 

[bubbadreier]

I have looked but I guess I am just to afraid to break them... just like meers!

 

[spacecowboy57]

Mine seems pretty sturdy, but i wouldn't go carrying it all over the place unless i had a hard container to keep it in. Also, they are way cheaper than meers, I don't think i will ever use a meer if got one...too paranoid.
And yeah, the bowl is noticeably hotter, I tend to hold it mostly by the stem and little nubby part at the base of the bowl (most traditional clay tavern pipes have this).
Definitely glad i bought it, I was thinking about buying more and painting them so I can add an interesting bit of character to my collection.