Falcon Negatives?

[Searock Fan]

As to the question of whether you can or can't taste the aluminum from a Falcon pipe, I really don't know. However, I can say from personal experience that I absolutely could taste aluminum from my Kirsten. (yes, I had one for a while) Yuk!

Someone needs to start a Kirsten thread so we can all have something new to trash.

 

[ray47]

How long does a bantam bowlful last?

I usually get 30 minutes from a Bantam bowl. Also, it depends on the blend you smoke. Flakes will last longer. Ribbon cut or rough cut will generally last around 30 minutes.

 

[anotherbob]

As to the question of whether you can or can't taste the aluminum from a Falcon pipe, I really don't know. However, I can say from personal experience that I absolutely could taste aluminum from my Kirsten. (yes, I had one for a while) Yuk!

Someone needs to start a Kirsten thread so we can all have something new to trash.

kirstens aren't they like a falcon but look even more like they were made in a random garage and super expensive for what you get? Or is that another brand?

 

[romaso]

Well, I just order a powder coated straight with two bowls from Britain. With the strong dollar, it's worth trying for myself. I reckon they'll be like some old Quiet Comrade pipes I had twenty years ago from ebay: cheap, light and durable

 

[romaso]

kirstens aren't they like a falcon but look even more like they were made in a random garage and super expensive for what you get? Or is that another brand?

That's Kirsten, you can still get them for over $100. But I just ordered a powder coated Falcon stem and two bowls from Britain for $61, including shipping to US! This is the vendor I used (the uncolored set is even cheaper):

Falcon - "Create Your Own" Extra

The Falcon "Extra" Stems offer a little more colour a slightly less obvious pipe. The addition of the power coating , takes nothing away from the effectiveness of the cooling system. Create your own Falcon Pipe, just choose the Bowl and Stem from the drop down boxes above. With the wide array of...

www.gqtobaccos.com

 

[hawky454]

The only downside to Falcons is their draw. I like a more open draw on my pipes, I open up most of my briars, which is impossible to do with Falcons. I do like them but the airway is a bit too restricting for my preference, if they sold some with wider draft holes, I would be all over them, they make sense to me, they are nearly indestructible, can switch out bowls, great pipes at a great price, it’s just that one thing I can’t get passed and there is no way around it. Still, I have 3 and smoke them from time to time. Some say the British made Falcons have a more open draft but I was gifted one a while back and it’s still too restricted for me… that is why I only smoke them on rare occasions. If you don’t mind a more traditional sized airway, I highly recommend buying at least 1.

 

[mingc]

My Falcon smokes wet, especially when its cold outside. I think it's because the moisture in the smoke condenses when it hits the cold metal. I always smoke it with a Falcon pipe ring, which works well enough that I use my Falcon fitted with a meer lined bowl as my exclusive travel pipe.

That's Kirsten, you can still get them for over $100. But I just ordered a powder coated Falcon stem and two bowls from Britain for $61, including shipping to US! This is the vendor I used (the uncolored set is even cheaper):

Falcon - "Create Your Own" Extra

The Falcon "Extra" Stems offer a little more colour a slightly less obvious pipe. The addition of the power coating , takes nothing away from the effectiveness of the cooling system. Create your own Falcon Pipe, just choose the Bowl and Stem from the drop down boxes above. With the wide array of...

www.gqtobaccos.com

Let us know what you think of them after you've smoked them!

 

[puff_not_snuff]

kirstens aren't they like a falcon but look even more like they were made in a random garage and super expensive for what you get? Or is that another brand?

Yes, they look like those kids in Explorers made them from junk they found in someone's garage.

 

[trouttimes]

I’m not into Steampunk. People pay huge dollars for an great looking briar pipe. Looks are a part of the enjoyment of the hobby for many of us. I don’t enjoy smoking a plumbers nightmare. I have had 4 Falcons. Used them to fix broken fuel lines on the tractor. Just my opinion, yours can vary. I don’t care.

 

[fightnhampster]

I don't see it mentioned, but the airway is small enough that getting a pipe cleaner up is challenging. But they do smoke really good.

+1

 

[edger]

I have always been amazed how many devoted fans these pipes engender. Considering you are looking at a hollowed out wooden door nob sitting on a body composed of re-smelted Colt 45 liquor can ring pulls. An airway formed from a recycled hydraulic brake cable with a plastic mouthpiece I suppose it is quite a feet of marketing.

The "Weez" is churning in his grave! RIP.

 

[wolfman9]

I didn’t care for the unconventional look when I first began smoking, thought them odd, perhaps eccentric even, but nothing that appealed to me.
Then, I found one for under $10 in an antique store, and figured why not. Turned out to be one of my best smoking pipes, and the odd look vanished, replaced by an understanding of the unique engineering of the pipe.
theyre cheap enough, buy one and try one of they strike your interest, and even if the look doesn appeal, it’s still worth trying one.

 

[UB 40]

Love it or leave it. I love it, great little pipe for a short smoke. Yes the design is questionable, but reasonable to the built of the pipe, in those times, when aluminium was hipp in aircraft engineering. It looks like a Junkers Ju 52, and it smokes like that. Slow, reliable, easy to maintain, open draw without the rings.

 

[skeeter456]

I know this is weird, but each is their own! I ended up selling all my briar and cobs and only smoke my falcons! I can smoke all my bowls back with 0 rest and 0 gurgle. I use a mostly meerschaum so the pipe is light. I am sold, plus you can mix and match!

 

[ssjones]

The "Weez" is churning in his grave! RIP.

I'm with Condorlover. Life's too short for crappy stems....(but to each his own!)

 

[mike wheelock]

have to admit that they do look a little unusual and maybe higher maintenance than a briar but...i bought two stems ( straight and bent ) and seven bowls. i then carved out a waterproof plastic case with room for bowls, stems, lighters and some extras. works like a charm when traveling and to me they seem to smoke quite well and maybe a little cooler? very happy with this arrangement.

 

[tobakenist]

I am a wet smoker so I smoke Peterson System Standard, I have a few Falcon's and they are great and great for wet smoker's, they are easy to clean and are great to smoke, I can't fault them, my first buy was in 1970 and I still have it and still smoke it, it was my first pipe I bought when I was 15 and starting my apprenticeship, it means a lot to me so don't slag it off, I still love it, it lives amongst my vast collection of pipes but at the top.

 

[Bassman65]

Has anyone tried the Falcon International Stem that accommodates a filter?

 

[bullet08]

Negatives.. Hmm.. It's a Falcon? Rather, it's not Peterson?

 

[RookieGuy80]

I'll admit I'm curious. Those who love them swear by them, those who hate them still admit they are good smoking pipes for the most part. I like the modular aspect, swapping out bowls and stems. In that respect it's a bit like wet shaving; dialing in this blade in that razor using this brush on that soap.

As I said, I'm curious. The looks are hard to get over. They look like what they look like. Sure, the International stems fix a lot of the looks issues. But then you have the brown briar bowl on a black stem, which is slightly less...interesting looking than standard.

I think I might have to start hunting for a bent International or the slightly curved in a blue or green Shillelagh with a couple bowls just to satisfy my own curiosity. I can see where it would make a wonderful travel setup. 2 sunglasses cases with 3 bowls each would give me a 7 bowl rotation while taking up less space than 2 pipes.