Does the "10 Pipe Grab Bag of Smokable Seconds" worth the money?

[cobdave]

Just received mine today. I asked for all cobs (no hardwoods), and that's exactly what I got. 11 of them, in fact. Two were little fellas, which is probably why they sent an extra.
Not one of them had a defect that I would have questioned or even noticed had I bought them from a store.
Go for it, you can't find a better value if you want to build up your rotation.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

I LOVE the small pipes.
Can you put up a list of what models you received in the bag? I'm always interested.
And, welcome, cobdave!

 

[checotah]

"Worth" is subjective. For me, yes, I found it to be a good deal. It provides me with some good smokes in less than ideal situations, ones where I don't have to worry about the pipe if I lose or break it. You know, when you have slipped into the main suite of that famous drug lord, busy scooping up the diamonds, keeping his "arm candy"...uh....satisfied, and his body guards burst in. Can't always take the time to properly tap out the pipe and carefully secure it before leaping the balcony into the waiting Maserati. Ah, the tribulations of the international jewel thief....

 

[okiescout]

"Been thinking of getting this myself. If nothing else, you have a few pipes you can give to friends if they want to try smoking."
Hmhaines, that is a great idea.

 

[mso489]

If you're just starting out and want a quick rotation, you can't beat this. If a few of them are defective enough not to last, it's no loss. However, if you already have six or eight pipes, including cobs or not, I think I'd buy more selectively and pay full price. I don't want to pile up pipes just to own them. Small pipes, cobs or otherwise, are excellent for short smokes, flake, sampling at pipe shows, testing full-strength tobacco, etc. A few small pipes are nearly a requirement.

 

[papapauly]

I loved the grab bag I got! A dagger poker, a long pot shaped pipe that I have never seen before, several legends. A tom Sawyer. Some bent, some straight. I like to have a set cob for each burley blend, one is strictly Prince Albert, one strictly velvet, etc. It is a great way to build up a pipe collection for certain blends. I also have a Twain that is strictly for when I want a Latakia blend but don't want to use a briar

 

[mso489]

In the longer run, I like a lucite/acrylic stem for durability. I chew through the plastic stems that come on most of the MM cobs. I have come to not see cobs as disposable. Many last for years, even with determined wear, and I've really gotten attached to specific ones for specific blends and purposes. I can see the disposable use, and that's a good thing, but I've developed into someone who thinks of them as "permanent party," as they used to say of members of a ship's crew in the Navy.

 

[alexnorth]

Great idea to keep them as giveaways hmhaines! ::

it would be nice to be able to offer guests to try a pipe

 

[crashthegrey]

I do not have a pipe, or rather, a stem for my briar pipe, which my house cleaner broke.

I am sad that we never got to know more about poor Ravid. He has a house cleaner but no money for pipes, he was having trouble keeping his pipe lit and something up, as he was very worried about ED. What an interesting character who faded from the forums far too quickly.

 

[B18]

Go for it! Corn cobs are truly worth the money. Try getting some variation in shapes and chambers.

 

[stvalentine]

Dang, you guys are enablers! I just went to the website of MM and wanted to take a look at the grab bag. Guess what I ended up ordering? Five new nosewarmers! 8O
Oh man, I am so looking forward to mail coming from Missouri..... :lol:

 

[gmjabsky]

Absolutely! I've smoked a few, and I've used others for guests or giveaway pipes so I had company for a bowl

 

[pagan]

Dang, you guys are enablers!

......ummm, yah! :nana:

 

[pwkarch]

I actually have about 10 very good briar pipes that are getting to feel left out. Most of them are 40 years old and very, very broken in. I have one MM CC that is easily 40 years old and still a GREAT pipe to smoke. Over the last 3 months or so I have bought multiple MM CC's in various sizes and shapes, with various stems and I am loving them all. I forgot what a great smoke they give us. I have tried many new aromatic tobaccos to add to my jarred collection, and the CC's deliver a memorable smoke every single time no matter what blend is smoked. I cannot say enough about the combination of MM CC's and a good tobacco. I bought a Cobbitt Elf some weeks back that I am waiting for spring to smoke as it is cold here in Jersey, and unfortunately I am an unheated garage smoker. Sometimes an errand or work issue allows me to be a pickup truck smoker.

 

[wyfbane]

So, SO worth the money...

 

[lucky695]

worth it!!! a 1000 times. If you are as "lucky" as I am I live fairly nearby. and if I want a couple of country gentlemen, I can ask Marilyn and she will mix...WITHIN REASON. She might be as amenable on the phone... just saying.

 

[dogmoby]

I'd say no in my experience. Shipping added about $8 so the total cost per pipe was around $4.20 or so. That's cheap, but it's also only 20-40 cents per pipe or so cheaper then some of the online retailers out there. I usually add a few tins of tobacco and get free shipping. The bag had 8 Legends, a Marcus with a cracked shank which I superglued, and an acorn.
My goal for ordering the grab bag was variety, so had there been 5 legends instead of 8, I'd probably say it's ok. Depends on what you are looking for, but the grab bag is a bit of a lottery.

 

[mso489]

The ten bag is great for people who scatter pipes around their environment to have them when they need them. One in the truck, one in the fishing cabin, on in the boat, one in the garage, one over the door at the office, etc. etc. One in the bathroom beside the shaving gear.

 

[aimlesswanderer]

I've never bought one of these bags, and while it seems like a fantastic bargain, I'm unlikely to ever go for it.
The reason is that I already have three cobs (and two MM hardwoods), and the likelyhood of these letting me down anytime soon are pretty damned remote. If I had a habit of losing or breaking pipes, I might take a different stance, but if I break one or lose one, I'll buy one.... not ten.
If however you do actually find yourself needing ten new pipes, go for it! I'm sure you'll be over the moon with the value for money.