My New Falcon

[mso489]

I bought my first Falcon, a straight version with what looks to me like a Dublin bowl, faintly conical, with the brown aluminum shank. I got this on the Leap Year sale from Iwan Ries. IR obligingly sent two pipe cleaner rings (seeing I didn't purchase any Falcon rings). I am breaking it in as instructed by the pipe enclosure and the youTube instructions I watched, with two partial bowls of codger blend, Mixture No. 79. Two points in the youTube lesson that don't match my experience. First, the base of the bowl, the hydrodome where the moisture ring goes, on my pipe does not heat up, only warms slightly and is entirely touchable. Second, I get absolutely no "metallic taste" as the presenter describes, just nice tobacco flavor. I'm pleased with the light weight and trim appearance of the pipe, find it understated and snappy looking in a good way. It took me a long time to finally buy one of these, but it seems I will enjoy it. With the partial bowl I got probably forty minutes with loose cut tobacco, in a Group 3 (fairly small) pipe, so that seems entirely adequate and just about right for many sessions. If I have any afterthoughts, I will pass them along, but so far I can recommend these little pipes, designed and originated in the U.S., and produced for decades in U.K.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I've always been curious about them but I just can't get past the look of the things. Glad to hear it seems to be working out for you, Tom! Congrats!

 

[dcon]

Congrats! Enjoy.

 

[anotherbob]

my least favorite pipe of mine, and it's a great pipe. Though people who say the dome gets hot must smoke it like they're trying to race to the bottom of the bowl. Seriously I've never had any issue with it getting hot. Some people really shouldn't be making youtube videos (most people probably.)

 

[Sonorisis]

Bet you can't eat just one!

 

[sandollars]

Congrats on your new pipe! I have found they are perfect for me for travel and short sessions.

Those Falcon Rings are darn expensive./ . You can make your own just by cutting up a skinny pipe cleaner the length of the Falcon ones and they work great . I just lay them in there as a C shape with the stem holebutting up against the middle (so to speak) of the "C" . This saved me tons of money

 

[mso489]

The youTube video showed how to make the moisture rings out of pipe cleaners, so I may do that, and try smoking without any ring too. In general, I don't have many moisture problems. I try not to get into to buying extra filters, inserts, etc. I will also say, for a pipe that doesn't cost much, it looks good.

 

[litup]

I never liked the look of them either until I went to my last pipe club and saw this combination owned by our host:

 

[mso489]

litup, that is a tasteful bit, shank, and Meerschaum bowl combination for sure. The twined shank is nifty. It really ups the game of Falcon design. I think the dark shank on mine is a decided improvement.

 

[BROBS]

shillelagh ?

 

[ray47]

You've done it now. I started with a Dr. Grabow Viking (Falcon wanna be) and now own 10 Falcon stems and 20 Falcon bowls to include 2 block meerschaum bowls and 2 cob bowls. I even have Holiday Themed Falcons. A red shillelagh stem with a green Limited edition bowl, a green shillelagh stem with a red Limited Edition bowl for Christmas, a black Hunter stem with 2 orange Limited Edition bowls for Halloween. Also the green shillelagh stem can be matched up with the green bowl for a St. Patrick Day theme. Will it ever end. I definitely have FAD (Falcon Acquisition Disease).

 

[litup]

That doesn't sound like a passing fad. #DadJoke

 

[cshubhra]

Falcon’s smoke wonderfully !

 

[hawky454]

I had inherited two Falcons a long time ago and I never liked how they smoked as I felt the draw was too restricted. About a year or so ago, a fine feller on another forum said I had to get a British made Falcon and me being the Anglophile that I am I pretty much agreed with him. Well wouldn’t ya know it, that kind feller sent me a free one and I’ve been smoking it happily since. Moral of the story? I prefer the British made Falcons.

 

[ray47]

I have one American made Falcon from the early 50's and the stem is much lighter then the current stems.

 

[condorlover1]

Please don't get me started on these things! I own one somewhere in storage in the U.K that belonged to my late Father. He must have purchased the thing in the early 1970s. Suffice to say I am not a fan and after seeing some of the typical U.K users of this contraption I can never bring myself to smoke one even if they make them with meerschaum bowls.

 

[weezell]

Contrary to my Dear Friend, I like them. They do not get a lot of play,as I prefer my Meer Cutty's. However I do like the way they smoke certain blends...

...

 

[Ctbill]

The youTube video showed how to make the moisture rings out of pipe cleaners, so I may do that, and try smoking without any ring too. In general, I don't have many moisture problems. I try not to get into to buying extra filters, inserts, etc. I will also say, for a pipe that doesn't cost much, it looks good.

I’m no Falcon expert or fanboy, but I have a couple stems, and a few bowls to interchange. Use the dry rings (made/cut from standard pipe cleaners). The straight Falcons have no means to absorb moisture BUT for the dry rings. One wrong head move creates a tobacco juice slurpy without the simple ring...IMHO.
I do not find any draw restriction with the dry rings in place.
Enjoy the new addition!

 

[condorlover1]

@Ctbill +1 'a tobacco juice slurpy'

 

[Bengel]

You need to rock this look to go with the pipe