Does Anything Really Smoke Better Than A Cob?

[agnosticpipe]

I like cobs, and I like briars. I smoke briars more than cobs, but I don't like briars MORE than cobs. I have 8 cobs, and 70 briars. This only because I find briars more interesting than cobs. All my pipes smoke as good as can be expected, but I smoke briars more because I like the looks and selection better.
Right now I'm smoking a sort of custom MM orange Diplomat 5th Avenue with some Rivendell tobacco from The Country Squire in Jackson Ms. Yes, I'm enjoying this along with some Tequiia, limes, salt, and corn nuts. I know you think that I might be too messed up to be objective about pipes right now, and you may be right. But that doesn't mean I can't relate how my MM cob is smoking. Welll, shit, I'm having a pretty good time, if I do say so myself! :mrgreen:

 

[daimyo]

I like my cobs, I like my briars and meers better. I don't think it would be fair to say better but certainly more to my liking.

 

[newbroom]

That's not orange, Orley, it's mellow yellow. Next time, do us all a favor and just do the 'tell' part. :lol:

 

[cortezattic]

I've noticed that the posts of some dedicated cob smokers convey an sense of defiance of the conventional briar that borders on audacity. Sometimes, pushing back too hard argues for the object of their contempt. (Nothing approaching that in this thread, BTW. Just an overall observation.)

 

[weezell]

First grab for me is almost always a cob... when relaxing at home a Meer... when in the mood a briar...

 

[kola]

I think I'm hooked on cobs due to the nostalgia part of it. But I tend to think I get a better smoke from my briars (esp with VA's and English blends). Burleys seem to go well in cobs but I rarely smoke them anymore.I also think cobs are like any other pipes, some smoke great and some smoke terrible.
MM cobs are still the best cobs but their cheap stems suck. I had some nice custom stems made for my cobs.

 

[philobeddoe]

I hope that everyone smokes whichever pipe that brings them the most enjoyment and that our hobby of pipe smoking is inclusive to all who puff tobacco. That being said; I loathe cobs. I dislike the way they smoke, I dislike the way they look and I especially dislike the anti-briar/pro-cob, "underrated underdog" vibe that is proliferated amongst many cob lovers. Now then, please feel free to flame away!

 

[petesmokes19]

I, like many of you purveyors of fine pipes, started with the cheap pharmacy corn cob pipe. And the only way to see it, is if the tobacco taste better in a cob in your opinion, then why worry if there is any, thing better, find, a decent cob, and smoke it whenever the need arises, me personally I smoke Dr. Grabow's grand Duke, but I often return to my cob when I want a sweeter flavor in my tobacco smoke.

 

[seadogontheland]

I like the cobs with larger bowls and I'm with Warren, they are more or less disposable. Now this doesn't mean I would abuse mine, but if they get injured then it only hurts a little.

 

[drennan]

I've only had half a dozen cobs but all of those cobs dulled oriental tobaccos right down, maybe I was unlucky but I wouldn't ever want to smoke an oriental forward blend in a cob again. I do think cobs absorb more moisture than briar during the smoke so are more forgiving to smoke.
I'm looking forward to Old log cabin pipe works getting things sorted as I hate those cheap cob stems!

 

[jiujitsubowl]

I am still new but i prefer cobs. Mainly because of bookers point. I am on a fixed income and I am looking for smoking tools, not collectibles.

 

[robwoodall]

"Smoke what you like best!"
Always good advice. How do I know what I like best until I've bought EVERY PIPE MADE?
"...some dedicated cob smokers convey a sense of defiance..."
Oh, yeah, I've seen that! I've also seen an almost sense of shame among cob smokers, like they don't want anyone to think they can't afford a "better" pipe. I think some people get TOO emotional about their hobbies.
"Cobs as disposables..."
That's the biggest advantage. If I get a cob that smokes like crap, I can try to fix it if I've got time to kill, or just throw it away if I don't want to mess with it. A hundred dollar briar is not going to break the bank, but I do feel the loss of the ones I've bought and not liked.
"Find an upstart artisan that blows cobs out of the water for $150..."
That's what I really want. Be it Artisan made, Dunhill, Petersen, Savinelli or whatever. I want the beauty and durability of a briar, without sacrificing a good smoke. I'm not really pro- or anti- any type of pipe, but one place that briar definitely wins is "heirloomability." (Made up word of the day)
You rarely hear about someone inheriting his grandfather's cob collection. There doesn't seem to be a big market in "birth-year Missouri Meerschaums." I want a pipe that will last longer than I will, feel good in the hand and express some kind of artistic vision.
But I need to to SMOKE WELL, damn it. Now, get off my lawn...

 

[mso489]

It's in the eye of the beholder, I suppose, but a well-broken-in good-smoking briar is like a good cob to me. Because of its light weight and free draw, a cob (a good one, MM or Old Dominion) almost disappears when being smoked, whereas a good briar is present but supportive. It's all in the mind, but that's my notion.

 

[thomasmartin]

To me it's not only the quality of the smoke that counts. It's also about the feel and beauty of the pipe and to me nothing, not even a Meerschaum beats a beautiful bruyère when it comes to looks. Cobs? Well....

 

[thomasmartin]

Just wanted to add that I never smoke in public. I smoke at home or among friends. (Which I don't consider public). Not even my most beautiful pipe. I enjoy the beauty of it just for myself and not to look good for others. For me it's just a part of the hobby.

 

[cigrmaster]

For my tastes, a hand made artisan pipe with a hand made vulcanite stem, blows away the cob. I am very particular about my stems and nothing beats my Rad's, Ruthenbergs,Herbaugh's,Weaver's,Thile's, and other hand made stems. In terms of engineering, the previously mentioned artisan make pipes that literally smoke themselves.
robwoodall, I understand where you are coming from because the quality of the briars you are smoking are really not that good. I honestly believe that if you were to purchase a nicely made artisan pipe, you also would be blow away at how great they smoke. You just need to get lucky on the estate market and if you do, I believe you also will become a lover of artisan made pipes.
Here are a some examples of my better deals when it comes to artsian made estate pipes.
This Stephen Downie Apple I purchased for 135.00 delivered from smokingpipes.com. is an incredible smoker and as good as anything in my collection.


This Steve Morrissete Dublin is an awesome flake pipe and I got it off of ebay for 139.00 delivered.


My best deal on a factory pipe is this Castello Collection Occhio Di Pernice which has a retail of around 700.00 and I paid 184.00 delivered.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Stick with Cobs and mid-grade briar. I didn't find any increase in draft engineering quality within my budget range above the $100 price point.

People say their $500 pipes are amazing, that's fine, so is a Cob.

The best recommendation I can make for a factory pipe is Briarworks (Neptune/Icarus). They specifically went out of their way to ensure a consistent, open draw, and from the one pipe of theirs that I have it shows (ok I spent $110 on that pipe and not $100, close enough).

Out of all my pipes (including a few $300 models), that pipe is the only one I've handled that I can't make improvements to, it was as good as it can be from the start.
I just wish Briarworks would make bigger pipes. At this point my best strategy to get a great pipe at a reasonable price is to do some filework on a low end Savinelli. Rossi is still decent but my pipe from them had one or two extra things to clean up.

 

[wyfbane]

For me, Mortas smoke as good as Cobs.
I have 2 Il Ducas and a Davorin. They are sublime.
I am weighing the purchase of a Mr. Brog Morta. If I do and it smokes like my others, there is the answer. Morta (insert less-than sign that keeps disappearing when I hit enter) $75 = pure smoking bliss.

 

[seacaptain]

A Dunhill Christmas cob. $5700.

:lol:

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

For me the whole "Cob vs. Briar" debate revolves around the engineering of the pipe, which oddly enough has nothing to do with whether your pipe is made of Corncob or Briar.
The shank on the Cob I'm holding right now snugly fits a 7/32" drill bit, which is pretty darn big for the draft hole on a pipe. That's a 5.55mm diameter and 24.19 square millimeters. I might even call that "too big" but we can forgive Missouri Meerschaum for going overboard a little (and it lets me stuff random things in the shank to act as a filter).

The regular plastic stem from Missouri Meerschaum ends in a 4.72x2.35mm hole (or at least this one does), that's 11.09 square millimeters, just 1.28 square millimeters short of the Artisan standard 5/32" bore (3.96mm diameter or 12.37 square millimeters).

The plastic filtered stem ends in a 6.29x2.35mm square hole in the button, that's 14.78 square millimeters.

Apparently Castello uses a 4.5mm diameter draft hole, which is 15.90 square millimeters.
The plastic bits from Missouri Meerschaum also have a beautiful taper to them, the draft hole transitions smoothly from round to square using almost the entire length of the bit. Someone obviously did their homework when designing the molds for those plastic bits because from what I've seen they're designed better than any other mass produced bit on the market.
If large bore draft holes and decently engineered bits were industry standard then the advantage of the cob would go away, as would most of the practical advantages of all your expensive pipes. But for some bizarre reason the trend persists that factory made Briar pipes have a small draft hole and a stem that usually looks like it's made from the same mold as the first mass produced stems a hundred years ago.