Need help with finding right pipe

[Newfoundsmoker]

Hello I am pretty new to pipe smoking. Really enjoying it.

I have some pipes I inherited from my Grandfather. I try not to smoke them too much.

I am in the market for a new pipe. The one I am smoking now (first picture) fits really well in the hand and does not heat up like my Grandfather's pipes. The stem split length ways on both top and bottom. No luck in buying the stem alone so far.

The two I have been really looking at is the Mr. Brogs bent bulldog and the rattray's goblin 99. These are the shapes I like the best. The goblin 99 does seem like it would heat up faster than the mr. Brogs.

I would like your thoughts on these two as well as any other suggestions in this style of pipe.

Thank you

 

[anotherbob]

thoughts on these are you'd be happy smoking any of them. You could try and figure out what's perfect but that's an endless road.

 

[cshubhra]

From the point of pure asthetics... I would prefer the Rattray. I don’t know about smoking qualities of any above

 

[gerryp]

I like the Rattray's too. I've been eyeballing the Fachen and Dark Ale cherrywoods for some time now.

Btw...have you considered a cob? 24 bucks will get you one of these babies. I love mine.

 

[olkofri]

I'd go for the Rattray's. Some time ago someone was commenting about issues with Mr Brog's quality control.

 

[mso489]

Some love their Brogs. Right now SP has some Genods (French pipes) for $35 if you scroll down through the Genoa pages. Mighty good deal. French pipes tend to smoke and last well.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'd go for the Rattray's. Some time ago someone was commenting about issues with Mr Brog's quality control.

There have been a few discussions about Ratteay's draft holes being crooked. I had a Marlin Dublin with that issue.

 

[olkofri]

Looks like a crapshoot everywhere you go then.

 

[Newfoundsmoker]

I like the Rattray's too. I've been eyeballing the Fachen and Dark Ale cherrywoods for some time now.

Btw...have you considered a cob? 24 bucks will get you one of these babies. I love mine. View attachment 2721

Never considered a cob. How long do they last. I am looking to spend money once on a good pipe and have it for a long time

 

[olkofri]

Never considered a cob. How long do they last. I am looking to spend money once on a good pipe and have it for a long time

Then go briar or Meerschaum.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Never considered a cob. How long do they last.

Decades of you take care of them. I have an MM General from the early 2000s.

 

[anotherbob]

as far as cob life span typically they last except for the stem on the more affordable Missouri Meerschaums. That's the part that breaks the bowls tend to last unless you abuse it.

 

[milehighpiper]

Never considered a cob. How long do they last. I am looking to spend money once on a good pipe and have it for a long time

I have the MM Cob pipe pictured above and it smokes just as good as some of my briars. I have had it for a little under a year. I smoke any new blends my friends give me to try and it smokes just fine. I do prefer to smoke really sweet blends out of it, something about those blends in a cob while doing chores seems right. Anyway, short answer: it should last you a long time if you take care of it. Also the beauty is that if you do burn a hole through it or break the pipe, you can just buy a new one (~$15) and throw the acrylic stem on it!

 

[gerryp]

I'm no expert, but I think a MM cob, especially the more hefty ones, could rival a briar for longevity. To me, the plastic bits on many of them make them feel flimsier than they are. I have a Country Gentleman with an aftermarket acrylic mini churchwarden stem, and it feels like you could bash somebody's head in with that thing.

 

[mso489]

I like the MM cobs that cost a little more but have acrylic stems. The stems don't chew through, and the whole pipe lasts longer for me. The price difference is from the $7 to $11 pipes and those that cost $24 or $25. If you have a few pipes, this makes them last a long time, possibly years or decades. Some see them as looking a little too folksy, but I think with a snappy sports coat or for that matter a tux, they can look quite sharp. People see so few pipes being smoked, they hardly critique what level of pipe you have going.kl

 

[gerryp]

Some see them as looking a little too folksy, but I think with a snappy sports coat or for that matter a tux, they can look quite sharp. People see so few pipes being smoked, they hardly critique what level of pipe you have going.kl

Sandpaper and black dye...Voila, a cob for formal occasions.

This isn't an issue for me, since these days I rarely go to places that require anything more formal more than shorts, a t-shirt, and Crocs.

 

[shanez]

I am looking to spend money once on a good pipe and have it for a long time

Therein lies the rub. "Money" is a relative term in that context. What you consider expensive might not be what I consider expensive might not be what someone else considers expensive etc.

Cobs are definitely an inexpensive way to go. Estates can be as well. That being said, if I wanted a new (or fresh as the term may be) pipe with what I consider the best QPR (quality to price ratio), I would look for either a Savinelli or a Peterson.

Depending on who has what on sale out there, both have sub-$100 great offerings.

 

[rogers]

Get a Peterson Donegal Rocky. I own a couple myself, they are practically bulletproof.

 

[olkofri]

Hey, Newfoundsmoker, confused yet? ?

 

[gerryp]

At one time I would have turned my nose up at the idea of smoking out of a corn cob. Then one day, after taking a long hiatus from pipe smoking, a friend gave me a MM Eaton, of all things, with "Rabbit Hash, KY" stamped on the shank. Just for the hell of it, I went to Rite Aid and picked up some tobacco. I gave it a test drive, and was blown away at how well it smoked with no break-in whatsoever. The next day I went to the tobacco shop and bought some My Mixture 965, was more blown away, and here we are.

Even if they aren't your #1 favorite, cobs are a good, inexpensive option for increasing the number of pipes in your rotation so you have backups while your favorites are resting.