I have a bunch of purpose built tampers. But find myself using a wine cork most of to time. I find the fit satisfying. Anyone else have a repurpose item for a tamper?
I use a free one that Peterson were giving away with certain pipes. I've got a couple of them and they're pretty good quality, they have a bit of weight to them and are solidly built.
Finger for the top of the bowl and the back of my small Case pocket knife for the lasy of the bowl.. The pocket knife seems to be just the right weight.
For me....it is the same as Warren....... my fingers. They are a helluva lot easier to keep track of than the manufactured ones which I tend to misplace.
Pipe nail or Chech pipe tool. This is something I consider a disposable item, get's lost or misplaced easily and rather often. However, it is an essential tool for pipe smoking. So cheap but functional and plentiful is the way to go IMHO.
These work well for me. They are available at any hardware store, have a nice flat side for tamping and a pointy side for moving the ember, a dandy no-slip grip, they fit easily into a box of matches and they are reasonably priced at around $6.00 for a hundred.