Does Anything Really Smoke Better Than A Cob?

[robwoodall]

Harris,
Those are beautiful, particularly the Morrissete. I would gladly pay that much. Unfortunately, I would not even have known to search eBay for that name. Of course, I do now!
I think I probably need to learn more before I buy again. As it stands now, I'm just kind of randomly purchasing. If I get anything worth having, it's just pure luck.
I seem to have very particular wants, without the knowledge to be a smart shopper.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

For comparison, a 1/8" draft hole (which is "roomy" for many factory pipes) is 7.91 square millimeters. But they usually get the transition wrong so most pipes are even more restricted than that.

 

[drfrankenstein56]

You gents are on to something here.I think you answered my bite issue.
I myself have only had any real luck smoking in a cob. A filter cob with no filter. I just went and checked my favorite cob, 7/32" bit fits all the way into bowl. Seems I poked the edge of the 6mm filter retainer away. I think I'm going to try and punch another one I have out to a full 1/4" bore and port and polish the stem.
Wish me luck....
Aj

 

[cigrmaster]

robwoodall, I would recommend you start with a known entity such as Castello. They are in my opinion the best smoking factory pipe out there. Their Sea Rock's can be had for 100-150 in a lot of cases. If you know what your favorite shape and sized pipes are, look for one in a Castello. What kinds of blends do you like as that can make a difference in the shape and size pipe that would work best?
I smoke flake tobacco exclusively so I buy my pipes based on that. I buy only group 4-5 sized pipes. I am a clencher so I buy pipes that weigh 40-60 grams. On a 60 gram I will generally not buy a straight one, but a bent as that is easier to clench. I have set up certain criteria when it comes to buying a pipe as I have found over the years it helps me not to buy a lemon. I like pipes that have a shank dimension of 4.0-4.5mm. Most Castello's have a 4.5mm shank dimension. The reason I like such a large dimension is that the pipe smokes really dry and the pipe practically smokes itself.
How heavy a pipe do you like? Are you a clencher? I would be more than happy to help you look for one and I would also be more than happy to help you look for an artisan pipe, artisan pipes can take a long time before you get a steal like mine above, patience is important.

 

[cigrmaster]

wyfbane, I still have not taken the leap on a Morta even though I love how they look. I am afraid of the flavor that people say they get when smoking one. I smoke a lot of lighter VA's and I am afraid that the smokiness people say they get from the Morta will overpower a lot of my blends. Now when it comes to blends like Mac Baren Old Dark Fired, Stonehaven, Solani Silver Flake, Peterson Iriish Flake, University Flake, Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky and Peterson Perfect Plug, is there a chance these blends could be overpowered?
I really like the looks and price of the Davorin Morta's, are there better ones for the money than this maker?

 

[lucky695]

I LOVE my cobs, they are everyday smokers and can smoke when I'm busy and put it down and relight...then repeat. They are versitile to say the least, lightweight for clentching, and take a beating. That being said, sometimes the draw it too wide open and you want to relax and enjoy the moment. I have a Il Ceppo 1/4 bent and a Ser Jacopo straight twist that are absolute DREAMS! they are effortless on the draw, forgiving on the pack. Daniel Mustran makes a great smoker. My Petersons...for me... are the worst. They gurgle, but that's probably how I pack it, works on all my other pipes. (sidebar anyone want a 2014 XMAS Peterson? smoked twice)

I think frozen is onto something in the engineering talk though, they wouldn't go to all the trouble to do the math if it didn't yield results. Pipes may look pretty, but unless you find the bowl size, shank dimension, draft hole that goes with your style, cadence and tobacco choices it will be an adventure. And after all isn't that what we are here for?

 

[jamesrsmithjr]

Booker, PLEASE do not tell us where that picture was supposed to be posted, somethings are better not said.
Other then that I am with you, my cobs are a tool, and for me they work well. TETO.
As to smoking cobs in public; a few years ago two of my daughters (of the 4, yes I have no hair) were graduating college on subsequent weekends. The first had her ceremony in Constitution Hall in DC. After we strolled, all dolled up, down Penna Ave, me with a cob stuck in my mug. Next weekend we were walking across a pasture to get to the tent, cob stuck in my mug. The cobs worked in both occasions.
Smoke what you like and like what you smoke (right now SG BF in a cob wasp).

 

[cigrmaster]

lucky695, I have one Peterson and it smokes like crap as it is a wet smoker. It is poorly drilled which is why is smokes so wet. I woulddn't doubt if yours is also drilled poorly and smokes wet because of that and not your packing.

 

[wyfbane]

OMG. All this time I thought it was a pair of swollen kneecaps... HA HA HA HA HA!

 

[thomasmartin]

These pipes posted above are pieces of art and I bet they smoke well. Personally I'm more into classic shapes. In fact to me the best looking is the last. The modified zulu that was factory made.

 

[seadogontheland]

LOL....now that you said that, wyf, I can totally see the kneecaps! hahaha!

 

[danielplainview]

 

[judcole]

As was pointed out earlier, "better" is totally subjective as far as enjoying a smoke goes. I've got some cobs. They're fun to smoke. I like to smoke burleys in 'em.

But I don't consider them anything more than enjoyable little disposables.

 

[wcannoy]

Ok, I'm a pipemaker. I make briar and meerschaum pipes, and they are a bit pricey. Let's get that out of the way first...
I'm also a pipe smoker. I smoke from the moment I'm out of bed, to the moment I'm in it again, probably twenty bowls a day.
I personally own many pipes ranging from cobs, to "start-up artisan" pipes, to factory pipes in several different price ranges, and high-end atrisan pipes including a few of my own make. I have owned, in the past, ten times as many pipes as I own now.
Of cobs, I have, or had, several MMs, usually acquired as a result of finding myself out on the town longer than I had expected to be and, having left my pipes at home, needed a nic fix.
How many cobs I have, I could not say, because I never reach for them. They are disappointing smokers.
To be fair, a few other non-cob pipes that I own are disappointing smokers as well, but most of my pipes are decent smokers, some of them are really good smokers, and a few are outstanding smokers.
Seems to me that a fella has to go through a lot of different pipes to find a few outstanding smokers, and once you find them, they are the benchmark against which most other pipes fail miserably.
So, to the original question, "Does anything really smoke better than a cob?"
For me, the answer is yes.
For you? Maybe not. Maybe it's in your biology that nothing will ever taste as good as smoking a cob.
Or maybe you haven't yet tried a pipe that is really built to perform, and have no idea what you're missing.
This thread is like a couple of guys arguing over whether any car performs better than a Chevy or a Ford, comparing them to Lincolns, Toyotas, and Hyundais, when neither of them have driven a Ferrari.

 

[wyfbane]

Harris,
You have made me come to a sad realization. I only SMOKE smokey tobaccos in my Mortas. I am not qualified to weigh in on the potential blurring of tastes with lighter VA's.
I will say that my mortas smoke cool and do right by my Plum Pudding and Star of the East very nicely.
As to price. I know you are like the MASTER of ninja'ing smoking deals on estate pipes. For me, my favorites with price AND style factored in are (in order): Il Duca, Davorin, Moretti, Askwith, Becker, and Talbot.

 

[thomasmartin]

Walt, I just checked your site and I must say that I like your pipes very much. I like the classic designs. The long Dublin Meerschaums are fabulous. Apparently all seem to be sold out. Too bad!

 

[lucky695]

^^ You should follow Walt on Instagram (waltcannoy) and another good one is Daniel Mustran (nd_pipes) they post some beautiful works in progress and completed.
@cigrmaster Thanks for the encouragment. And like I said, look for one on ebay or something soon from me. I won't smoke it again.

 

[robwoodall]

Thanks again, all.
Harris, I will definitely take you up on your offer to help me make a selection. I'm going to wait a while. Seems like I need to learn a bit more about what I like and need.
Walt, man, you do some beautiful work! I realized as soon as I posted that I'd mis-named this thread. I should have said "Help me find something that smokes better than my cobs." I did not want to re-open any beaten to death debates, it's just that I've had really good luck with cobs, and less good luck with other material. I fully understand that, if briar sucked, it wouldn't have become the standard. I just got tired of buying crappy briar.
Things I would eventually like: A true artisan pipe in a traditional shape, but unique enough that no one else has one like it. A birth-year (1965) Dunhill. A really, ridiculously elaborate meerschaum, and a long-as-hell clay tavern pipe.
But, for now, I'm just going to keep learning until I can make better informed decisions.

 

[wcannoy]

robwoodall said:

My BEST smoking briars, the Grabow and the Stanwell, don't really smoke as well as my cobs. I'm currently smoking BlackHouse in a cheap little MM Legend, clenching it as I type, and having a great, tasty smoke!

Ok, let's level the playing field.
Here are a couple of my cobs, my Grabow, and two of my Stanwells.

None of these represent my best smoking pipe, but if I only owned these pipes pictured, I might have asked the same question you asked, worded exactly as you did. Of these pipes, admittedly, one of the cobs is the best smoker.
Pipemaking sounds pretty straight forward, I know... Put two holes in a block of wood and stick a stem in it. But how does this simplicity account for the wide range of results any one person can get from a variety of makes? Well, a few anecdotal exceptions aside, the devil is in the details... Some makes go the extra mile where some don't, and many high-dollar handmade pipes go the extra hundred miles in each exacting detail to ensure that the end-user has the best possible smoking experience. These details require extra time, extra research, extra experience, and equals extra $$$. And, a few anecdotal exceptions aside, the added investment will result in added pleasure!
Now, that said, I could name off a few makes in the under $250 - $300 range that I would expect only mediocre, or even poor results from, based on my personal experience with these pipes. The same could be said for a couple of other makes that generally sell for a bit more. My only explanation for these aberrations is that the extra cost is not going into ensuring a quality product, but rather is being redirected into driving a grand marketing machine and paying the "higher-ups"...
I think what the pipe buying public needs right now is a great looking, well designed, well made smoking machine that is completely handmade (not hand-finished factory stummels), with a hand-cut from solid rod stem (not a "high quality pre-mold" stem, and not a crappy newbie handcut stem, but a near high-grade quality one), for $200-$300.
Is this possible? I think it just might be...

 

[cigrmaster]

wfbayne, thanks for your list of favorite morta's. Interesting that all of your blends you smmoke in them are of the smoky variety. Do you have any VA, Vaper or Vabur flakes in your rotation? I would think that blends such as Stonehaven, Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky, Mac Baren Old Dark Fired would smoke fine in your Morta's. If you have any of those three could you try them in your Morta and let me know how they taste.
lucky695,

@cigrmaster Thanks for the encouragment. And like I said, look for one on ebay or something soon from me. I won't smoke it again.

I don't understand what your post means, could you please clarify it for me.
Walt, great posts and very well explained. I have tried to enjoy a cob over the years and have also tried to enjoy lower priced pipes as well. My problem was that my first pipe I ever bought was a Savinelli Linea Piu 5 bent Apple and that pipe set a bench mark for me. My second pipe was a 95.00 Jensen bent Billiard and it smoked hot as the devil. My third pipe was a Winslow bent Brandy in a C grade which retailed for 500.00 and it was a fantastic smoker. My 4th pipe was the Peterson I mentioned above so right off the bat, I knew what a good pipe smoked like and when I got a poor smoker, I knew it. I then began to buy Castello's, Radice's. Viprati's, Former's, Balleby's, Rainer Barbi's, Ser Jacobo's Upshall's,Dunhill's and others so I was already cogniscent of how a good pipe should smoke and when I tried my first cob, I could not understand why people loved them.
Now I totally get that as a pipe for a beater and to take fishing it certainly has it's place, but for smoking inside I never got the allure.
robwoodall, good idea to wait a bit and to figure out what you really like about a pipe in terms of size,shape, weight and dimensions. When I used to smoke English blends, I bought a certain sized pipe in comparison to pipes for flake tobacco. For example, for my English blends I enjoyed a group 6-ODA size where as for flakes I enjoy pipes that are group 4-5.
Here is an example of a pipe I would buy for my flakes. This pipe has nice thick walls, weighs 55 grams, has a chamber size of .72 and a depth of 1.6 and a bowl height of 1.96. The stem is a nice hand cut vulcanite one.

http://briarblues.com/dgp09.htm

Price wise for this Ruthenberg( I own 7 of his pieces) is a bit high as I have paid 200.00 for really nice sandblasted ones. Since this one is rusticated, I would not pay more than 140.00 for it.
Now here is an example of a nice English smoker. The dimensions are bigger in side with a .88 chamber width, a 1.87 chamber depth, a bowl height of 2.19. These older Caminetto's were made by Radice/Ascorti and are incredible smokers for the money. I owned 4 or 5 over the years and they smoked as good as any Italian pipe I ever smoked, including Castello. The price listed for this pipe is very fair and pretty much what I paid for all of mine over the years. If I was in the market for one of these, I would jump all over this pipe.

http://briarblues.com/jio53.htm