Corncob pipes are like blue jeans. They don't look right until they have a little char and a ding or two. Consider it progress. I do not consider my cobs disposable. I have fitted mine with acrylic stems or bought them that way. But in terms of a little wear, that gives them soul. You'll get to like that, or you're missing the pleasure. As these things go, that is nothing, less than nothing.
