You're not wrong to think of it this way in my opinion. Same with cobs. They're both very absorbent which makes them smoke nice and dry. Maybe we could have a long drawn out discussion on whether or not smoking cobs and meers over a long period of time is similar to smoking out of a dirty sponge.
If you buy a meerschaum from Turkey it doesn't have to be a reputable source. Just craftsmanship differs in details nothing else than that. They all come from almost same mines. And they all have same making procedures. I'm talking about the pipes being exported. The ones in lower quality are sold domestically. For example look for turmeermar on etsy. Not reputable but feedbacks don't lie.
They're both screw in, the stems are the same type. The cap on the mortise insert on the left one is broken off an needs replacing, and you've removed the mortise insert with the stem on the right one. You're removing the insert with the stem on the one on the right, that not the tenon. The inserts are supposed to remain in the pipe and frequent removal of them can damage the threads in the meerschaum. I'm guessing you've removed the stem by turning it counterclockwise.
You're one with the better airflow likely has a larger bored draft hole in the meerschaum itself. Those without the screw in inserts have wide open airflow from chamber to stem.
