Love Forever Stems and MM Cobs

[dsollars]

For newbies and those who like cobs...
I have a dozen MM cobs--from basic to the Freehand. No gurgles, no real worries about scorching the top of the bowl, dropping pipes on the garage floor, or leaving in a hot or cold car. Only complaint--my still sharp teeth and jaw strength would chew up the standard stems, and i just didn't like the way they felt in my mouth--like chewing on a bic pen or something. I would order replacements and still not be satisfied.
Finally broke down and ordered a couple of Forever Stems from oldlogcabinpipeworks.com. One lucite regal, the other lucite regular. (The have numerous choices of style, material, color, length, etc.) $45 for both, and arrived in about 10 days.
Wow. Nice feel in teeth and in mouth, perfect fit in the shank. Can easy dress up any cob that you have. As budget allows I plan to order many more. I like to sample a variety of different types of tobacco, and cobs make this easy. I figure a $5 to $12 cob and a $23 stem give me lots of chances to enjoy this hobby without busting my budget (and accompanying complaining from spouse). If the cob burns out or just gets ugly, the stem can go into a different cob.
I still want a birth year Dunhill (1964, hint, hint) and have about two dozen briars (some I have had since college 30 years ago) that i still enjoy, but the MM/FS combo seems to be a good one for me.
Only downside is for those who like the filter option--the forever stems won't accommodate filters.

 

[jparker]

45$ Ten days? For 2 acrylic stems? Snap I'm in the wrong business, or I'm just doing it wrong. Probably both.

 

[jparker]

http://vermontfreehand.com/stems/
A little sand paper and time you are good for 4$ plus shipping.

Steve also ships like yesterday. No joke place an order online and walk outside, take a peak in your mail box, check the time stamp on the package it will say yesterdays date.

 

[macaroon]

I don't think I've ever heard a bad report on forever stems; good to hear you're enjoying them, too! I wouldn't mind one myself, as my poor cob's original stem is already bitten through, though it remains serviceable. I'm hoping that utilizing a softie bit will increase the longevity of one of the cheap MM replacement stems. I can't quite bring myself to spend the money on one of the nicer stems... yet.

 

[drwatson]

I was curious how the new caretaker of "forever stems" has been. I have several from Dave at Walker, but have not got any from the new source yet. And wondered how they compare?

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Yeah, I have the Walker stems and couldn't live without them. I get the vulcanite nose warmer stems and then shave the sides a little and thin the buttons for comfort.

 

[cobguy]

I'm really glad that you are enjoying your cobs with the new stems.
However, as @jparker pointed out, there are some less expensive options for your next round.
Besides the link already posted, I would add this one as well:
http://www.pipemakers.org/lucite01.html

 

[newbroom]

The stems w/o tenons on these sites, are you supposed to cut a tenon? or buy an insert?

 

[dsollars]

Do the other stems have a cut, flush-fit tenon? I guess am am paying for convenience or fitted look. I guess I also like the little inlay dot the Foreever stems have. But thanks for the suggestions!

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I was just about to post Pipe Makers Emporium, but I see I've been beaten to the punch.
Make sure you order the 5/16" stem and it should fit a filter stem Cob with about 30 minutes of sanding by hand, but I find it easiest if you fit the tenon while drilling the bore out to 1/8", just use the drill to spin the pipe stem and you can save yourself a lot of elbow grease.

While drilling, it can help a lot if you increase bore size slowly, using two or three bits progressively moving up to the final 1/8" bit (you can go wider but the wider you go the more likely you are to break the stem).

To shape the button slot take a 1/16" drill bit and use it like a carving burr. You will break a few of them so don't use anything fancy.
Of course, always follow all safety precautions (basically ignore everything I say).

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Having said all that, I quite like the $8 freehand stem that you can buy from Missouri Meerschaum, the shape is reasonably nice and it should fit the filter stem Cobs out of the box. Though I would still straighen it and drill it to 1/8" like an acrylic stem.

http://corncobpipe.com/freehand-bits.html

 

[dsollars]

Drills, sanding, carving ... I think that's why I paid extra! . My fitting process required opening the package and plugging it it, and no stitches required.
I have a couple of those MM freehand stems. I find the size of that stem goes well with the freehand, but kinda overwhelms the smaller cobs, even the Country Gentleman. But that is a taste/preference thing. I also found the vulcanite finish to be a little rough, and then have to fight the oxidation...

 

[dsollars]

The two Forever stems are on the outside, the MM Freehand stem is the one in the middle.

 

[brian64]

@dsollars: Agreed. I have one on a Mark Twain cob and it really transformed it...comfortable in the mouth and fit the cob perfectly. Like you, I'm just not going to do the fitting work...it's a one time purchase...can always put it on a new cob.

 

[mso489]

I bought my Forever stems before they changed hands, but I like them very much. They give cobs a feeling of permanence, so the stems last as long as most of the rest of the pipe. I think the new owners will cut down any stem to whatever length you want. Obviously, it starts out at a set length, but it can be shortened to specs. The Forever stems do eliminate the filter, but for most Forums members this is a good thing. The variety of size, color and bend really dress up you favorite cobs. I think MM freehands now come standard with acrylic stems.

 

[gtrhtr]

Thanks very much for all the comments. As a newb, I've been curious about good stem replacement options.

 

[krizzose]

Well said, MSO. Another great thing about them is that they'll fit all the filter cobs. I have 6 cobs, and 1 FS. If I'm smoking more than one cob that day, I just run a pipe cleaner through it and move on to the next fresh cob. It's a great way to get a good pipe rotation going inexpensively. Obviously, they're a huge improvement over the plastic MM stems generally, and really improve the draw IMO