Hello From Melbourne - Suitable Starting Price

[redgentleman]

Hey everyone,
I've been very interested in the art of pipe smoking for quite some time and have decided to invest in starting. I was wondering what a suitable price would be for a beginners pipe. Obviously I'm not looking to buy a top-of-the-line Meerschaum pipe at this stage, but I'm a little confused as to how cheap a beginners pipe can be. Is a $10 pipe going to ruin the experience for me? If so what is a suitable price range for a newbie?

 

[nsfisher]

Hey mate and welcome to the Ranks. Hmmm, $10.00 pipe is DEFINETELY a no no mate. Spend at a minimum, $40.00-$75.00. If your buget is a bit low at the moment, then go with a couple of Cobs, they can be had for $5.00-10.00 apiece and are great smokers

 

[guitarguy86]

If you want to go real cheap, start with an MM corn cob pipe. Or maybe start with a $50 or $60 new briar pipe. Estates have been known for good value at a lesser than new price. $50 estates, are probably equal to $100 new.

 

[rotschefeller]

speaking from experience, never buy a cheap briar pipe. They smoke just plain badly and you will likely not enjoy it or enjoy it significantly less.
If your budget is low the corn cob pipes smoke well and are cheap. You can at least smoke those until you have a bit more money to spend.

 

[redgentleman]

Pardon me for not properly introducing myself and jumping straight into a question as well! I had seen the corn cob pipes and considered purchasing one, but just wasn't sure the $10 value of them would be a suitable starter pipe. Luckily my budget isn't ridiculously low, and I'll be able to afford a pipe within the $50 - $100 range. Thank you for the advice gentlemen!

 

[judcole]

Welcome aboard, good luck with your purchase, and enjoy.

 

[thesmokindragon]

+1 w/$50-$100 briar pipe range or MM corn cob and make sure to get high-quality pipe tobacco

 

[swhipple]

Welcome Red! I'd recommend a Savinelli pipe in the $50 to $100 range. There are other brands that can be had in that price range. I say Savinelli only because even at that price range they have consistently good quality. Welcome to the site. Lots of good advice to be had on here but it can be a bit overwhelming at times remember to smoke slow and enjoy it.

 

[redgentleman]

This is tremendous everyone, thank you so much for the advice!

 

[puffy]

I see some pretty decent new pipes online for around $70

 

[cortezattic]

It's hard to beat a Savinelli in the price range you indicate. They have a nice selection of styles too!

IMO, the corncob is an acquired taste. I have one and I rarely smoke it because they have chintzy plastic stems, and the lousy mouth feel ruins the experience for me.
An equally important part of the equation is the tobacco you choose to smoke. I would avoid aromatic tobaccos -- not because they are inherently bad, but because a beginner's technique is not up to the task of smoking them properly.
Do you have experience with other forms of tobacco? It would be helpful to know how well developed your palate is.

 

[mthanded]

Can't go wrong with a cob as your first pipe and if you don't like it, you're not out a whole lot. I started with a cob and learned to pack it and smoke it before moving to briar's. I find most of my pipes on E-bay or use Briarbid on this site to find good estate pipes. Also, choose a simple tobacco that is forgiving and will take you to next step of sampling. 1Q is a good starter and very forgiving to the new smoker.

 

[redgentleman]

"Do you have experience with other forms of tobacco? It would be helpful to know how well developed your palate is."

In response to cortezattic, I've never sampled any kind of tobacco. I'm headed to a local tobacconist specialising in cigars and pipes to see which brand is fit for me.

 

[Perique]

FWIW, if I could learn this hobby all over again, I wouldn't have bought any kind of new pipe. I would have bought only good estate pipes in my price range. I would have received twice the pipe for half the money, and the pipe would have already been broken in, making my initial experiences more enjoyable. The price ranges suggested above will get you one heck of a good estate pipe. I think new pipe smokers, even those experienced with other forms of tobacco, underestimate the pipe break-in process and how this effects the overall smoke and experience of the tobacco. I know I did.

 

[jah76]

+1 to Sothron
Welcome aboard! You've gotten some varied but great advice.
When I started out I opted to spend more on tobacco then my pipes. I don't regret it. If I could toss one thing out there, I'd suggest trying a variety of tobacco types to help you zero in on what you enjoy. Don't feel like you've got to sample every blend, but get to know the "families" and explore them a bit.

 

[spartan]

+1 Sothron
A word of caution about starting with a cob... I love my cobs. But some members here have said that they would have never become pipe smokers if they started off with a cob. It's a different smoking experience for some. For me, a cob is just another great smoking pipe.
Just don't form your opinion on all of pipe smoking from just one type of pipe. They all have something different to offer and it's hard to determine which you'll like, or hate, or if you will like or hate any at all.
Jump in with both feet.

 

[cedeks]

For the price range you are talking about I would recommend to try big Ben series 5 startup kit pipe really good pipe with a starter kit for a very reasonable price...

 

[uberam3rica]

Hmmm, $10.00 pipe is DEFINETELY a no no mate. Spend at a minimum, $40.00-$75.00. If your buget is a bit low at the moment, then go with a couple of Cobs, they can be had for $5.00-10.00 apiece and are great smokers

Great advice. I don't care for brands, but I like Stanwell.

 

[louiezmich]

I don'd mean to ask questions on someones post, but I figured making a separate post was silly as well. So I also am in the same boat here. I have a pipe that was sent to me as a gift in a pipe set from pipesandcigars.com so I am assuming it is a cheap pipe, thus giving me a less than enjoyable experience. I bought a nice bier pipe with a rustic finish (around $50), but I am nervous to smoke in it because I heard that you can't smoke English and Virginias in the same pipe. Is that True? Or should my rotation be the new pipe I got with a cob and exclude the other because its just a bad starter?

 

[louiezmich]

Thank you very much rothnh, the English blends that I will be smoking are not going to be full just yet so you cleared my worries from me thank you. But when I do start smoking heavier English blends I am sure I will have a new pipe by then because I can't help but collect them now! If you wouldn't mind could you check out the forum I posted of my own? It would mean a lot if I got more of my questions asked. Again thank you.