Folks either love them or think they are awful. Give me your take and why. I'm thinking about adding some to my next order from Amazon just to try them out. Any particular reason why I should or shouldn't?
Give Me the Pros and Cons of Softy Bits
- Thread starter mikethompson
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
Folks either love them or think they are awful. Give me your take and why. I'm thinking about adding some to my next order from Amazon just to try them out. Any particular reason why I should or shouldn't?
I like them and use them on all of my pipes because they are comfortable for me when clenching. They do come in multiple brands and sizes, and not all are the same. I prefer the ones from BJ Long. It is important to take them off and clean them on occasion. Keep an extra one or two on hand in case one needs replaced.
Too spongy for me. I wrap the mouthpiece with black friction tape.
I like the thought of them, but they seem to make the bit too large for my comfort.
This. When I tried them it was too big and uncomfortable. Probably because I am used to NOT having them. I usually don’t bite down anyway and just let the pipe dangle from my teeth/mouth so I don’t really need anything so I go naked stem.
Too big and, yes, I can taste the rubber material. I can also taste most Vulcanite as well, so take my super-sensitive taste buds with a proverbial grain of salt.
There is a food-grade heat shrink called Insultab. I cut an inch of that and put it on every pipe and shrink it to fit. It does not add bulk to the bit, but still gives my teeth bite for clenching and protects the original bit. If you don't like the bulk added from a softy bit, you might try this.
I thought about getting some for my cobs, because those plastic stems get a little deformed from my clenching, but the cob stems are quite skinny, and I wasn’t sure if these would fit. I ended up just making vulcanite and acrylic stems for them instead.
I've used softy bits on MM cobs because I chew through the soft plastic stems that come on all but the special edition and freehand pipes. My problem is, being a slightly wired personality -- border collie as my wife kindly puts it -- so with softy bits, I tend to flex my jaw against them and cause more trouble than just clenching a regular bit. It's supposed to cushion the teeth and jaws, but not if you decide to do 100 reps of jaw exercise, the result is a sore jaw.
I like to clench and find it much more comfortable with the softy bits. I've got them on all my pipes. I have chewed through a number of the softy bits so it's nice to be able to just throw them away and slap on a new one. No teeth chatter on my stems and it's more comfortable for me.
I buy food grade silicone tube you can get all sizes to fit the stem just cut a piece and away you go, Cheap as chips and for me a lot more comfortable.
They’re ugly and ruin the aesthetic of the pipe.
Also who are you protecting the stem for? The next owner???
They are like new person training wheels or something.
it’s like biting on a rubber cigar. Or maybe some people are used to rubber and silicone appendages going in their mouths.
Last edited by a moderator:
If you place them just in front of the button instead of on the button as shown in the photo, they're perfect.
I used to put them on my pipes to make clenching more comfortable but I found that, because they are soft, I was using more force to clench and dig my teeth into them, resulting in TMJ pains. I've since stopped using them and adjusted the way I clench, using just enough force to keep the pipe stable and secure. As a result there are no marks on any of my stems and I have no TMJ pains.
And tooth marks don't?
If you don’t like tooth marks adjust your technique?
I clench all the time when smoking and softie bits helps me have a firm grip on my pipes so I don't drop them, and protects the stems from ugly clenching marks.
I remove softie bit and clean stem + disinfect bit after every use.
I'm working on improving my clenching technic so one day I won't need them, but for now they simplify things.
I remove softie bit and clean stem + disinfect bit after every use.
I'm working on improving my clenching technic so one day I won't need them, but for now they simplify things.
The BJ Long ones fit the MM cob stems and all of the other various pipes I have. The plastic MM stems are too small and hard and make my teeth hurt. I chewed up my first cob stem, then got a replacement and started using the softies with it and then on all my pipes. They work well for me.
- Status