Cobs

[KruegerFlap]

I predominantly smoke cobs and have a couple I've smoked daily for the last 8 years and they are still going strong. Keep them clean and control the cake and they will last a very long time. I wipe out the inside of the bowl with a paper towel after each smoke and run a pipe cleaner through the stem. I do that with all my pipes though. They will still build cake, especially if you smoke a lot of burley blends. You can make pipe mud using cigar ash and water and fill the gaps around the stem inside the bowl to make them last even longer and easier to clean out.

 

[FurCoat]

These are right at 30 years old. A Legend and a Country Gentleman. The Legend doesn't have a hardwood plug and it hasn't burnt out.

 

[WirelessSmoke]

All I can say as a novice, is that cobs seem to hold up well to the abuse of a newer smoker. I've smoked the three MM Legends I have in rotation way too hot plenty of times, and they've tolerated lots of relights as I learned the in and outs. None of them seem to be any worse for the wear after nearly a year of use and abuse.

 

[lvacgar]

This has probably been asked before but how long can a person expect a cob to last with just basic care? I am thinking about getting a few to add to rotation but have never owned one.

I have “burnt out” only one cob ever, and it was a bad cob bowl. Missouri Meerschaum sent me a free replacement. I have over 50 cobs and they improve with use. They are not quite as durable as a briar but do last quite well over time. They require less upkeep than briar pipes. You owe it to yourself to try them out!

 

[Horrible Gelatinous Blob]

Cobs are great. I have five. Treat them as disposable and you'll see the appeal.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I get about a year out of my cobs smoking them once a day or every other day with aromatics and giving them a good cleaning after every smoke by running a couple pipe cleaners down the stem and wiping down the bowl with a folded up pipe cleaner to prevent cake buildup, but after a year or so they will start to crack and split and just generally fall apart from all the moisture they absorb from the aromatics. Cobs are quite porous and very good at absorbing moisture, and when they've eventually absorbed enough moisture they will start to crack apart.

However, if you smoke drier non-aromatic tobaccos in your cobs they could last a decade or more. It really just comes down to how much moisture they absorb and how long you rest them between smokes to let that moisture evaporate out before heating them up by smoking them again. They could last a year or so like my aromatic dedicated ones that get moisture pumped into them everyday do, or they could last lifetime if only smoked with relatively dry tobaccos, rested a few days between smokes, and well cared for.

 

[JOHN72]

Smoke and enjoy. Everything has an end.

 

[Jahman7]

I've had a few cobs, Ive only had one that burned through the bottom, the rest are still kicking.

I've had one burn through the bottom. I learned a trick...

Mix saliva with ash and tamp it down to the bottom. It creates a barrier that replaces the bottom and protects it from burn through.

 

[abecox]

I've had one burn through the bottom. I learned a trick...

Mix saliva with ash and tamp it down to the bottom. It creates a barrier that replaces the bottom and protects it from burn through.

I'll have to try that if it happens to me again, but I've since trashed the burnt out pipe. Good to know!