Filters, any good?

[Hillcrest]

just wondering if they're worth the hassle or whatever.

Absolutely. They filter out some of the fine particulates in the smoke that can cause 'some' people to have throat or sinus irritation. They do not effect flavor and can enhance the smoking experience. Try an unfiltered cigarrette and a filtered cigarrette ,.. same difference. That being said everyone is different so do what you are comfortable with and find you enjoy. I like to smoke a pipe with a charcoal filter some do not. Unlike those who do not use a filter I don't criticize them and say they are doing it wrong. Its their choice. They have been around for a long time. Try them, see what YOU think, make your own decision. But ... enjoy. Good Luck.

 

[Briarcutter]

I don't know about Balso, but a balsa filter can be considered a filter if it is filtering via adsorption. You claimed it wasn't a filter, per se but it is as there are particles from the smoke that stick to the surface area of the balsa.

The water component you mention, would be absorption. The particulate filtering component would be adsorption and thus is fair to call it a filter.

By that definition, the draft hole would be considered a filter, smoke particles and tar adhere to it
I'd go with balsa is just absorption for the most part.

 

[fireground_piper]

By that definition, the draft hole would be considered a filter, smoke particles and tar adhere to it
I'd go with balsa is just absorption for the most part.

Sure, I mean, making things up is certainly some type of option!

 

[Chris T]

Well, as long as we're being silly, I guess I'll toss a Maxi Pad in my car's air filter housing next time, since it's absorbent and obviously will do as well as a more expensive Fram.

I do use balsa, but it's not what I would call a filter.

 

[Travis K]

yea no kidding, its way more complicated than i figured.

so theres like a buncha different kinds of filters, right? and somethin about ad-sorption vs ab-sorption... who knew. sounds like science class i skipped.

guess it probly depends on your pipe and what kinda tobacco you're usin too, huh? so like, there ain't no one simple answer, i'm guessin.

like a lot of you said, i should just try it and see what happens. guess that's the only way i'll really know for sure.

Thank you all

 

[fireground_piper]

yea no kidding, its way more complicated than i figured.

so theres like a buncha different kinds of filters, right? and somethin about ad-sorption vs ab-sorption... who knew. sounds like science class i skipped.

guess it probly depends on your pipe and what kinda tobacco you're usin too, huh? so like, there ain't no one simple answer, i'm guessin.

like a lot of you said, i should just try it and see what happens. guess that's the only way i'll really know for sure.

Thank you all

It's right there with the perhaps less discussed, almost as opinionated, water flush.

I know this is going to blow the minds of "balsa isn't a filter" folks, but the charcoal filters ALSO filter on the principle of adsorption. So if balsa is not a "filter", neither is the charcoal variety as they work on the same principle.

 

[dublinpiper90]

My 1st pipe was Savanelli is a 6mm balsa filter pipe which is for Aromatics and back before I really knew pipe smoking outside of aromatics, 2nd Is my Peterson SH Baskerville its a 9mm and sops up extra moisture when I’m freight trainin nightcap out of it like a 1920s locomotive crossing the Wild West

 

[Chris T]

It's right there with the perhaps less discussed, almost as opinionated, water flush.

I know this is going to blow the minds of "balsa isn't a filter" folks, but the charcoal filters ALSO filter on the principle of adsorption. So if balsa is not a "filter", neither is the charcoal variety as they work on the same principle.

I had thought charcoal filters were more of a chemical filter, working on chemical bonding- like soda lime was used as a CO2 scrubber in early submarines- as opposed to simple mechanical adsorbtion. Maybe we should all get together and come up with an electrostatic pipe filter and patent it...

One of the things the pragmatic philosophers got right was to point out that the meaning of a word depends on what you mean by the word. We can use words differently, just like we can smoke pipes differently, and different practices don't always mean anyone's wrong.

 

[Michigan_Bill]

I own both filter and non-filter pipes, but personally I actually like them (my Grabow is one of my favorite pipes lately). All it really does as far as I can tell is make the smoke a little dryer for blends that are kinda moist.

What he said.

 

[Gerald Boone]

Some balsa filters came with my Savinelli pipe so I tried them. My personal opinion...Meh..just me. I still have them in the box the pipe came in. My personal opinion is that the design of the pipe, the tobacco used and most importantly the way you smoke probably has more of an impact than any filter.

 

[woodsroad]

I don't know about Balso, but a balsa filter can be considered a filter if it is filtering via adsorption. You claimed it wasn't a filter, per se but it is as there are particles from the smoke that stick to the surface area of the balsa.

The water component you mention, would be absorption. The particulate filtering component would be adsorption and thus is fair to call it a filter.

Balso is the hip term for Balsawood. Clearly, you are not hip enough.

 

[fireground_piper]

Balso is the hip term for Balsawood. Clearly, you are not hip enough.

Story of my life

 

[anotherbob]

yea no kidding, its way more complicated than i figured.

so theres like a buncha different kinds of filters, right? and somethin about ad-sorption vs ab-sorption... who knew. sounds like science class i skipped.

guess it probly depends on your pipe and what kinda tobacco you're usin too, huh? so like, there ain't no one simple answer, i'm guessin.

like a lot of you said, i should just try it and see what happens. guess that's the only way i'll really know for sure.

Thank you all

try it for sure. Some people swear by them and more swear at them. It's all comes down to maximizing you're enjoyment. And at the end of the day only you can figure that out.

 

[zanxion]

I have a mixed feeling about the filters. Some mixtures taste better with active carbon filters and others don't. I noticed also that several mixtures, especially those with burley, I like smoking them with a rather wet smoke. I noticed that when trying my favorite burley based mixtures in my Falcon pipe that gives a super dry smoke. For these, I smoke them in my favorite briar pipe, without a filter but a 9mm to 3mm adaptor to restrict the draw a bit (carefully, and slowly, because burley can mess your tongue big time too).

 

[JBob]

Do filters interfere with cleaning? Can you run a pipe cleaner through the stem with a filter?

 

[Hutch Piper]

Do filters interfere with cleaning? Can you run a pipe cleaner through the stem with a filter?

Generally, no. I think you can with the Grabow 6mm filters. But not 9mm (to my knowledge). Of course, my experience has been that filters assist with moisture. I rarely have a pipe that gurgles when using a filter.

 

[woodsroad]

Do filters interfere with cleaning? Can you run a pipe cleaner through the stem with a filter?

With the Balsa wood chunks, no. You need to remove it. But I find that I don't need to de-gurgle my pipe when there's a balsa in it (or Balso, as the youngerly say).

 

[abecox]

I like em, the help tone down some of the sharper notes but don't really affect flavor too much in my perception. The restricted draw helps me keep from overheating the pipe and they help keep pipes from gurgling, in my experience.

 

[neildowne]

All I've found is they take away all the moisture in the pipe.

So if you get a lot of that sour liquid stuff a filter pipe may be a good idea for you

My BigBen ranger has a little metal filter works a dream

 

[ThePottersHutch]

Started out with balsa filters as my first pipe was made for them and ended up not using them.