Difficulties choosing a pipe

[autococker07]

Missouri Meerschaum cobs are not fragile and they don't break easily. They are great smoking pipes.

Exactly this..... they may not have the look you want, but they smoke great, and are tough as nails.... I have several 15 year old cobs that run as good as they did new.

 

[mso489]

If you haven't already bought something, or even if you have, take a look at Kaywoodie Saxon and other lines at WV Smoke Shop, or Rossi pipes at SP and other online retailers. The Rossi pipes are made by Savinelli, in Sav shapes, with slightly less exalted finishes but still great smoking characteristics. Both brands are entirely briar and start new at less than fifty USD, and with good care will last a lifetime. There are many other quality pipes in this range, such as Ropp, Dr. Grabow, and others. I'd stick with briar. Nothing wrong with Mr. Brog, but the other brands have somewhat longer histories and traditions. If you get a MM cob, I recommend the special editions with acrylic stems, since the soft plastic stems can require replacement eventually, and the special editions are still only about twenty-six bucks. Since most Forums members have at least several pipes, putting it mildly, you might think about any or all of these for the future. You don't have to spend a lot to get a first rate smoke. Sorry for the repetition, but my advice stands.

 

[MacMarty89]

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the pipes offered by SmokingPipes or The Danish Pipe Shop. Just browse around their website and pick something that suits your budget / style.

 

[Red Leader]

Great responses thus far, and I'll share a few of mine from getting back into smoking a tobacco pipe this year, some of which will echo others' suggestions.

Brigham: + on being Canadian for you, and I have noticed when looking at them that some of them actually have some incredibly nice briar figure for the price.
Cob: get a cob. Or a couple. The cheapest cobs are like $6 (edit: less). Grab a few and use them for trying a new tobacco out. Or, if you enjoy a certain tobacco, try it also in a cob and see how it is changed/enhanced. Cobs have to have the single highest cost/benefit ratio of any pipe ever made - super low cost, universally excellent smoke.
Kaywoodie: An iconic brand that once were extremely high quality, then fell off the pedestal, and has since been resurrected. New Kaywoodies (I have one) are cheap and smoke great. I got mine from www.greywoodie.com . He doesn't have much inventory right now, but every couple of months he gets a big batch of new ones in. He's probably due for a new batch soon. Prices are usually $40-$55.

Estates (i.e. used pipes): I probably wouldn't recommend this for your first pipe if you had to refurbish yourself, but something to look at for the future. If you can get past the 'used' factor (some can't), this offers quite an incredible opportunity. Reborn Pipes does it right, and ebay, while the 'wild west' of the used pipe world, has some diamonds in the rough once your knowledge increases and you know what to look for. Some of my best smoking pipes came from ebay and were less than $10. Took me a while to figure it out, but it is now my go-to.

 

[kcghost]

Missouri Meerschaum are tough as nails. And smoke reasonably well. Don't forget the estate market. The pipe may have been used but it has been sanitized for you and you get twice as much pipe.