Filters, Pros and Cons

[Papamique]

I use a 6mm balsa filter in a pipe fitted for 9mm. Love them and buy the balsa stock triangle shape at hobby lobby. It takes 5 minutes to cut 3 months worth. I can get a pipe cleaner through if needed and there is no draw restriction. They do a great job and I wish I had more 9mm pipes.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

That touches on a question I have. My pipes are filter fitted, will I be doing them any harm to ditch the filter and smoke without?

No. I tried the inserts and they are annoying when cleaning the pipe, so I just leave them out.

 

[Browntrout on a 2 wt]

Im impressed at the resourcefulness of fellow pipers and the lengths taken to save a penny! Now have you thought about drilling a hole through the centers to increase the surface area and draw? I once heard an engineering one upmanship story of a Japanese engineer who thought theyd be clever and show up the Swiss , sending a fine piece of wire bored straight through the center. The Swiss returned it riddled through the circumference. After enjoying those posted filter dissection videos Ill happily pay the asking price.
Written in the spirit of appreciation for this discourse of which I didnt expect such interest

 

[Highlandpiper]

No. I tried the inserts and they are annoying when cleaning the pipe, so I just leave them out.

Thanks.

 

[OSOBUCO]

I use 9mm and 6mm charcoal filters. Once in a while a balsa in my Savs. Anyway, I have used Savinelli, Peterson, Vauen, Stanwell, Actitube all with success. I only get 2 smokes out of the cheaper actitube whereas the others I get 3-4.

 

[Peterson314]

That touches on a question I have. My pipes are filter fitted, will I be doing them any harm to ditch the filter and smoke without?

Savinellis come with an adapter (short plastic tube) to drop the bore down from 6mm to the standard 3mm draught hole. My Savinellis are short, so I think the draw is too open without the adapter. My Vauen is a churchwarden, so the draw isn't much affected by removing the 9mm filter and just leaving it out. So when you remove your filter, try the adapter and see how you like the draw.

 

[Coreios]

I use match sticks as suggested by a member here. They work a lot like Balsa filters.

 

[LeafErikson]

Filters can help prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies. No wait that’s something else.

 

[GreatWhiteNorthPiper]

I use Vauen 9 mm in my Vauen pipes and Savinelli 6 mm balsa filters in my Savinelli pipes. Both work great in my opinion and do not influence draw or flavour. Just my two cents.

 

[Bob the bear]

So I've tried all of the various major brand filters and here's my 2c worth(use it don't use it etc) Vauen provides an excellent draw but I do find it detracts from the taste a little. White elephant meerschaum filters are ok for filtering moisture although the 6mm draw is quite restricted. The supermix 9mm provides a best of both worlds for moisture and tar filtering . Savinelli 6mm and 9mm charcoal filters are excellent. No taste detraction and good draw. Balsa wood is fine for moisture filtering . Peterson and Denicota are ok, except for the 3mm Denicota which I personally find does very little at all. Falcon cotton filters are similar to balsa but a little more fiddly and not as effective.

 

[Lumbridge]

IMO filters are great for absorbing excess moisture, but not much else. I use them sometimes (paper or balsa 6mm filters) when smoking a more moist tobacco. The main downside is not being able to pass a pipe cleaner through with a filter in.

 

[seanv]

I use the Balsa filters in my Savs, Petes and cobs. I like them a lot.

 

[seanv]

IMO filters are great for absorbing excess moisture, but not much else. I use them sometimes (paper or balsa 6mm filters) when smoking a more moist tobacco. The main downside is not being able to pass a pipe cleaner through with a filter in.

You can pass a cleaner through the Brigham filter

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

IMO filters are great for absorbing excess moisture, but not much else. I use them sometimes (paper or balsa 6mm filters) when smoking a more moist tobacco. The main downside is not being able to pass a pipe cleaner through with a filter in.

If it does a great job with moisture, no need to run a pipe cleaner through till you finish the bowl

 

[Deano]

I use adapters in Savinelli pipes. Medico filters in a Grabow.

 

[Lumbridge]

You can pass a cleaner through the Brigham filter

I've seen those, yeah. They're proprietary to Brigham pipes though, IIRC. Seems like a good idea to absorb moisture while allowing a pipe cleaner through.

 

[Lumbridge]

If it does a great job with moisture, no need to run a pipe cleaner through till you finish the bowl

It does help with moisture. I'm just a bit paranoid about tenon wear from taking my pipes apart too often. Reading forum threads with hearsay stated as fact can instill a newbie with pipe superstition that, even several years later, is hard to shake.
While I prefer to be able to clean the pipe without removing the stem, it's probably not a big deal as long as care is taken while disassembling the pipe. Otherwise, folks with decades old full-bent pipes would be having issues, and that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[seanv]

I've seen those, yeah. They're proprietary to Brigham pipes though, IIRC. Seems like a good idea to absorb moisture while allowing a pipe cleaner through.

you are right. The Brigham filter only works in a Brigham pipe. Another reason to buy a new pipe lol

 

[Bassman65]

I use 6mm Savinelli balsa and charcoal filters in my Savs and cobs. They do restrict the draw and prevent pipe cleaners, but you never get tongue bite. Flavour can also be muted by the charcoal filters.

 

[Morsoth]

Nope. You can get reducers from some shops thats basically an insert where the filer goes and reduces it to a normal 3mm or so size draft hole. But otherwise it's no harm to leave it out

I tried adapter/reducer, but I'm not a fan. I bought 6mm and 9mm ones. On my Vauen Auenland Almar, it reduced the air flow way too much, so I removed it and I smoke it without filter. Also, sometime, they can be a pain to remove from the pipe... One got stuck in a Missouri Meerschaum once. After the pipe had time to cool off, I had to put a lot of force pulling with pliers to remove it, and this adapter was mostly destroyed.