First Pipe, Briar Or Cob?

[mso489]

Simple question from a "lifer," which is better as a first pipe, a briar or a cob? I'm setting aside clay, Meerschaum, and other alternatives, although of course, people start where they start, and anything is possible and maybe desirable for individual people. In terms of cost, an MM cob is undoubtedly one best option. Cobs are light weight, easy to smoke, and make it easy to learn basic techniques, easy to clean, and absolutely the least expensive for someone who wants to see if pipe smoking is for them. You can smoke any blend or single-leaf in them and get fine results.

My argument for briar would be that it is the best known and most classic of pipe materials, though this is not to diminish the historical and cultural eminence of clay and Meerschaum and other materials. If you master smoking a briar, you have cleared the hurdle of the most common pipe smoking tool in current use. Briar pipes cost more than MM cobs, in general, but it is my contention that, with some research and shopping, most people can purchase a good smoking briar, new or used, for forty to sixty dollars, sometimes a little less.

If that cost is not an impediment, I'd probably steer a new pipe smoker toward briar. A little higher price might raise their expectations and increase their determination. I don't think a person needs to spend a hundred bucks or more to attain those goals. Obviously, a hot young trader with Goldman Sachs ought to buy a six hundred dollar pipe, whether he stays with pipe smoking or not, just to accommodate the life style, but that is not my world.

So, I'd say, either a MM cob or a briar is a good choice, with me tipping toward the briar by a hair.

 

[nerdgirlpipes]

I have started and stopped smoking pipes 3 different times and only recently did I get a cob. My first forays into pipes were basket briars. My recommendation would be to get a briar and to actually go to a store and shop for one rather than pick one on the internet. While cobs are cheap, i found their chamber proportions (typically smaller diameter but kind of deep) to be more challenging to pack and keep lit as a beginner.

 

[SmokestackLightnin]

I started with a couple of MM cobs just to make sure I wanted to go all in. It didn’t take long to decide that I did and I purchased a couple of briars. The experience with briar surpassed my experience with cob and confirmed my decision to stick with it. If cost really isn’t an impediment, then I’d recommend a briar. And if it doesn’t work out, then they can sell it.

 

[kcghost]

I went with briar. Not a particularly good one.

 

[StringBEan]

Honestly, if I could go back, I would have started from the jump with a cob pipe. I struggled with a metal-bowled crap pipe, and could never keep it lit. I tried a briar, and thoroughly abused it trying to figure everything out. I actually put the hobby down for a few years out of frustration. I found that crappy metal bowl a while ago, and decided to try again. When I left it at work, I went to my local B&M (shoutout to the Briary), and he recommended a cob. From the first smoke, I found it easier to light, simpler to smoke, and the wide open draw helped me fine tune my technique until I was happy with it. Did I burn out a cob or two? Yes. Would I do it again? Gladly. Should I feel the need to introduce someone to the hobby, a MM Legend loaded with a light Virginia would 100% be my first move. Now that I’ve fallen back into stride, I’ve branched out to some estates and basket briars, but I’ll always point to a cob as the first pipe to provide me a satisfactory experience.

 

[JOHN72]

My cobs already have a thin petrified wall of carbon or whatever you want to call it. My briars are still fresh, new, they are not even a year old, I can not give an opinion. I am fascinated by briars pipes. But it is clear to me that I will continue buying cobs, briars. I have not yet tried clay, nor sea foam. With or without money, I did the right thing to start smoking with cobs, I really did not know if it would be a definitive bet. I had an intuition that yes, it would be a definite bet.

 

[lraisch]

Obviously, people have had good experiences with either as their first choice.

I would come down on the side of briar, because for me that is the superior smoking instrument.

 

[Kobold]

I think a cob would be the best to start with. Inexpensive, lightweight, very forgiving to new smokers when it comes to cleaning and breaking in. The only downside is that cobs don’t look as interesting to me but that’s just my opinion.

 

[JOHN72]

It would have been frustrating to buy a nice briar pipe, some well-known brand, only 100 dollars, and destroy it, because you don't even know how to blow through the pipe, fill it, clean it, smoke it slowly and patiently. The first corn pipe was a real test bench, burned, I ended up breaking the pipe, etc. I don't even want to think about buying an elegant Peterson pipe, for example, and ending up in the trash. It would be personally humiliating.

 

[cigrmaster]

I started with a Savinelli Linea Pui 5 Apple shaped. Best investment I ever made as it showed me what a good pipe is supposed to smoke like. This was back around 1997 I think. I tried my first cob in somewhere around 2013 as you guys just would not shut up about them.

So I got a pouch of Carter Hall and while not offensive, it was boring. I tried smoking on e of my best flakes in it and was totally underwhelmed. I tossed it in the trash and have never put my grimy paws on another.

 

[Amarkey]

I bought a cheap Grabow as my first pipe and after a month bought a mm cob. I enjoyed smoking my cob and didnt particularly care if i ruined it while i learned how to smoke just because of how cheap it was. Once i was able to find my cadence got a little better i went back to using my Grabow.

 

[anotherbob]

I don't have an answer for that. Both have advantages. I say which ever they're most drawn too which ever they like the most in their budget. My suggestion for a first pipe is going to be don't cheap out, you can go inexpensive sure but not cheap. What I mean is I always tell them whatever pipe they buy they can have it for a long time and if one you really like cost 40 or 80 more bucks it's not as big of deal as it seems, the pipe will last a long time unless abused or it suffers great misfortune.

 

[AJL67]

Cob mine was purchased at Liberty Tobacco in San Diego. Simple answer for a simple question.

 

[mso489]

I guess like many people, I thought of a cob as a disposable, until I bought a few. Now I feel about the same as I do for briars that I expect to last my lifetime. I outfitted my MM cobs with Forever stems, appropriately, and now when I buy a MM cob, I buy the editions with acrylic stems. Since I have quite a few pipes, the cobs last and last.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Big fan of mid range estate briars. (Estate a fancy word for used, pre-owned, etc.) Already broken in, and if clean, produce a fine smoke. I don't like the look of cobs, but to each his own.

 

[crashthegrey]

Trying to start a war? Lol. This is a polarizing question. I am firmly in the camp of briar. You can get a phenomenal briar for $40 and skip the risk of a basket pipe. I'm sure you know what I recommend.

 

[The Clay King]

My first pipe was a clay
Didn't last long before I broke it...

 

[jiminy]

I'm going to say it all depends on the individual. Some people are more cautious and careful by nature, researching beforehand and making sure they do things properly. For them, a briar pipe may be best. Others are less careful and more impatient, so a cob would be the better choice. Of course, even in these groups there can be nuances. Some in the former crowd may love the cobs, some in the latter may desire briar.

For me, I really started with a cheap basket pipe. I've had a handful of cobs over the years but I just don't like the aesthetics and feel of them. They smoke fine, but take away from the whole experience for me. I also was fortunate enough to smoke mainly English and Balkans to begin (courtesy of @Wellington), so that helped cut back on tongue bite potential. I'm far from a master and smoke infrequently, but realize there is no cookie cutter answer. I think it needs to be customized to the individual, and ideally there would be a more experienced mentor for new smokers to show them the basics.

 

[warren]

I'd say it depends entirely on the new smoker's motivation for taking to the pipe. It could be anything from wanting to ditch cigarettes to a desire to create a "persona", or, maybe even simply wanting to investigate the pipe.

My first pipe was a meerschaum lined briar purchased, at a Woolworth's store. It had to compete with what the professors were exhibiting as I was, more or less, competing with them for the coeds. A tweed jacket was beyond my means. And a beard? Too much time.

So, I would ask the perspective pipe smoker, "Why?"

Affordable cobs, briars or even meers are reasonable starters I believe depending on notivation.

 

[JOHN72]

If I had to choose, I would choose a briar. Why do they smoke better? I don't know, I'm sure they do, I'll find out as the years go by. Undoubtedly, magic, beauty, mystery, elegance. There is no comparison with a decent, humble and excellent corn smoker. I love briar pipes, they are the protagonists in the living room, on the porch, in the solitude of the smoker, in that special room that we all love so much, surrounded by tobacco, pipes and hundreds of favorite utensils that we accumulate as children in their world of toys, memories and dreams.