<p>Hey! So I'm generally new to pipe smoking and have been picking up some new pipes. One of the pipes I bought was a small joyoldelf churchwarden made out of rose or pearwood (or so they say). The reviews for it were positive but I heard a discussion on Reddit that these Chinese made pipes don't always contain the wood they describe and can harm you. Can anyone confirm this before I give it a smoke
Joyoldelf Pipes Can Harm You?
- Thread starter dallasnewb22
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Discussions of alternative woods inevitably include comments about possible toxicity.
Personally, I would stick to tried and true briar for best performance and safety.
For sure, I wouldn't trust any alternative wood pipe coming from China, but I have no facts -- just suspicion and prejudice.
And BTW, welcome to the forums. :clap:
Personally, I would stick to tried and true briar for best performance and safety.
For sure, I wouldn't trust any alternative wood pipe coming from China, but I have no facts -- just suspicion and prejudice.
And BTW, welcome to the forums. :clap:
I have always wanted to try other types of wood to see how they smoke, but I have never had the courage to do so because there are so many different toxic woods out there that it worries me to a certain degree unless I knew the manufacturer was reputable or I cut the tree down myself. That being said, I believe at one point during my research there is a list of good woods that are ok to smoke from floating around the net, that should be easy enough to find. Personally I feel like you get what you pay for, even more so with Chinese manufacturers. The choice is yours to make, but for myself I would be hesitant until I knew more about who made it...that being said, aside from a few very toxic types of wood, there isnt much out there they could make pipes out of that would be super harmful to smoke out of a couple times. But I definitely would be careful
@Cortez @nunnster
Thank you both for the quick response. It's a nice looking pipe so I can think it'll just be a display piece. I have two other good pipes and will eventually buy another cob (looking at the cobbit dwarf). And thanks man! I feel welcomed
Thank you both for the quick response. It's a nice looking pipe so I can think it'll just be a display piece. I have two other good pipes and will eventually buy another cob (looking at the cobbit dwarf). And thanks man! I feel welcomed
Welcome from central N.C. I've been to Dallas, to the convention center with the headstones on the lawn, where convention attendees tended to have lunch. I have some unusual wood for pipes, but I've become cautious. For example, currently PC is offering Stanwell's made of Beechwood; because they are Stawell retailed by PC, and are a carry-over from World War Two when pipe makers couldn't get briar, I'd say they have been field tested. I've always been a little wary of a little pipe hand carved of Cocobolo, though I think the hazard with that is the dust from making the pipe and not smoking it. I've learned to trust Mountain Laurel, but only made by a knowledgeable carver who knows which part of the bush to harvest. With so many excellent pipes made of briar, cob, and Meer, I don't think I'd branch out from those. Especially in briar and cob, you can get excellent pipes at moderate prices.
The only alternative woods i would trust would be olive and pear root. I have 5 Mr. Brog's pear wood pipes and while they do smoke a little hotter to touch than a good briar, they are still good smokers. I would probably trust the pear wood pipes from the Ukraine also.
I know Im pretty new to this, but I have a 5dollar lil hardwood pipe from Missouri Meerschaum and it is a dream to smoke, I started with a cob and them got that lil guy... acquired a few briars , and when that lil pipe comes in rotation it definitely has a different flavor but its a smooth sweet one. I would say with MM its a safe pipe to smoke. Plus its light as a feather....
^^^^ I'm with John & alde on that. I wouldn't trust anything out of China either. Briar, cherry, etc. are good enough for me. I may go to olive or oear one of these days. I remember "the bubinga wood man" from BITD, buI never bought any of his.
Bill
Bill
Recently I bought several Chinese briar pipes for bargain prices that were recommended on another forum.
The three that I've fired up are good smokers but the 'carbon' lining is nasty that gives off a not so nice taste and burns my mouth.
As the Chinese are willing to poison their own people, including babies by adding melamine [a form of formaldehyde] into infant formula, I wouldn't trust them an inch.
After smoking just one bowl in one of the pipes I removed the carbon lining with sandpaper.
Recently I won an ebay auction for a Pear Wood Poker made in Poland [For $3.25, lol] It's a great looking pipe and a very good smoker.
As long as it has a thick chamber wall like my Poker, I'd definitely recommend Pear Wood pipes from Eastern Europe.
I'd give any pipe from China a wide berth in future. god only knows what one would be getting.
The three that I've fired up are good smokers but the 'carbon' lining is nasty that gives off a not so nice taste and burns my mouth.
As the Chinese are willing to poison their own people, including babies by adding melamine [a form of formaldehyde] into infant formula, I wouldn't trust them an inch.
After smoking just one bowl in one of the pipes I removed the carbon lining with sandpaper.
Recently I won an ebay auction for a Pear Wood Poker made in Poland [For $3.25, lol] It's a great looking pipe and a very good smoker.
As long as it has a thick chamber wall like my Poker, I'd definitely recommend Pear Wood pipes from Eastern Europe.
I'd give any pipe from China a wide berth in future. god only knows what one would be getting.
While I'd be very cautious with any pipe from China especially a cheap knock off or unknown brand. I just have to say there are several reasons for this. None of that is because the Chinese people or culture is more unscrupulous then anyone else. China is huge and despite the best efforts at time and the not so best efforts of Party member inspectors there is no way to regulate industry effectively. Then America also reduced their efforts in monitoring the quality and compliance of products coming in from China. The point is there is a situation there that charlatans can thrive in, however if you don't believe that many people and companies in America or other parts of the western world would not do the same if they could get away with it, then you really need to look up their track records and about the inspiration to create the F.D.A.. Cause no matter where you are in the world there are garbage people that would stab you in the back for a nickel.
anotherbob - that's very PC of you to say so, but I doubt that any Western manufacturer would even consider adding formaldehyde to a baby/infant food product for example.
Apart from killing several babies, permanently harming hundreds of others and sending thousands to hospital, they've destroyed any trust in the entire infant formula industry.
Over ten years later, most Chinese mothers still refuse to buy Chinese made baby formula.
Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.
Is there any other country where the people don't trust their own products?
The Chinese have a cultural attitude that most Westerners could never comprehend.
As for Chinese made pipes; I've smoked many various brands of new pipes with a carbon lining. Not a single one burnt my mouth or had a nasty taste like the Chinese briars.
If I had the resources, I'd send one off for testing to find out exactly what they've used in the carbon lining.
Although the Chinese briars that I've bought are good smokers, thanks to my experience I would not buy another.
Once bitten twice shy.
Apart from killing several babies, permanently harming hundreds of others and sending thousands to hospital, they've destroyed any trust in the entire infant formula industry.
Over ten years later, most Chinese mothers still refuse to buy Chinese made baby formula.
Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.
Is there any other country where the people don't trust their own products?
The Chinese have a cultural attitude that most Westerners could never comprehend.
As for Chinese made pipes; I've smoked many various brands of new pipes with a carbon lining. Not a single one burnt my mouth or had a nasty taste like the Chinese briars.
If I had the resources, I'd send one off for testing to find out exactly what they've used in the carbon lining.
Although the Chinese briars that I've bought are good smokers, thanks to my experience I would not buy another.
Once bitten twice shy.
Yes it's very P.C. to assume that shit heads are spread out globally and not just congregated across racial or cultural lines (less so cause that's a whole nother kettle of fish). Look at the history of many of the large western companies and the death and damages they've caused. It's pretty clear if you do that there are a good number of people that care more about money then they do about other human beings. Though the really important key part of the message isn't p.c. or not p.c. and that no matter what way you slice it products from China can not be trusted to be generally safe in the way that one can reasonably expect buying products that are both regulated and well established. If an Italian or American company killed you or made you sick with a bad pipe they'd pay for it both in legal fees and reputation for example. And that is more important. If someone said hey I trust Chinese people, well they should know what the problems with the market are. Now that would be interesting seeing what kind of crap they used to line the pipe. And by the way as far as the P.C. debate goes I am great at pissing off people on both sides of that debate, including when I say it's part of a natural transition that's going to level off after people actually figure out how to just deal with the fact that we live in a strange and globally connected world (for example those big organizations aren't into it cause they think it's right, they're into it because it helps their bottom line and makes it easier for them).
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