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Historyguy311

Lurker
Jan 31, 2023
37
92
Northeast Ohio
Hello smokers!
I am new to the art of pipe smoking. Actually, this is my 2nd time getting into it. The first time I was a 20 year old kid and although I really enjoyed it, I was told I looked silly smoking a pipe at that age. Now I am 49 years old and 2 things have happened. 1, I no longer look silly smoking a pipe and 2, I no longer care whether anybody thinks I do anyway.
My grandfather smoked a pipe and I remember absolutely loving the manly smell of it. Like me, he was an intellectual and I picture him always reading a book, sitting in his favorite chair smoking the Sherlock Holmes style bent pipe that he loved so much. This is what piqued my interest in pipe smoking all those years ago. Now, after a few months quitting cigarettes, I figured this might be a good time to take it back up. For now I have a cheap Dr. Grabow pipe but I am looking to upgrade. The problem is that there are so many pipe brands and some are very expensive. Can anyone recommend me a decent brand pipe? I am looking to spend around $150 and I prefer European made non-filtered pipes. I appreciate anyones input and look forward to communicating with you all.
Welcome from Ohio! I can relate: I’m 48 and started pipe smoking about seven months ago. I gave it a try about twenty years ago and had no clue what I was doing, so I quickly gave it up. There’s a lot of help on this forum as well as YouTube. Nothing wrong with a Dr. Grabow, I have several in my growing collection. For $150 you can find a really nice pipe—actually for less. There are plenty of Peterson’s and Savinelli’s in the $85-$110 range that you might find interesting. Chacom pipes also come to mind, I don’t own one yet but I’ve looked at several. Search the forum and don’t hesitate to ask questions!
 
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macaroni

Lifer
Oct 28, 2020
1,013
3,135
Texas
Welcome! And enjoy :)

@Grangerous - ditto regarding your above post. My thoughts exactly and expressed better than I would. Thank you.

@mso489 - yes, Yale and New Haven can surprise one with Vet memorials (Woolsey Hall, New Haven's East Rock Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument to name two). And yes, thanks for your service and your many wonderful posts here that have enriched my life.

kindly
mike
 
Dec 3, 2021
5,154
43,949
Pennsylvania & New York
Welcome from Pennsylvania and New York.

You have many, many options available to you from different brands. Something to keep in mind: while you may prefer non-filtered pipes, you can always add an adapter in a filtered one and not use a filter. This option opens up a lot of possibilities in terms of pipe selection, where a pipe you prefer visually is now a viable choice even thought it has a filter. It may add an extra step when cleaning trapped moisture between the adapter and filter chamber, but isn’t that much trouble. I generally don’t use filters, but many of my pipes do take them. What I wanted visually and aesthetically wasn’t available without a filter. I also have option of using a filter, not using a filter and having a more open draw, or using an adapter with a “normal/typical” draw.

Estate, or used pipes could end up getting you five pipes instead of one new one for the same $150.00; you may just need to put a little time in cleaning up the pipes (or not too much time, as an estate can be unsmoked).

Ropp’s Etudiant line are budget friendly. They’re often available under sixty dollars, but tend to have smaller chambers. Rossi is now owned and produced by Savinelli and offer many of the same Savinelli shapes at a lower price (the shape codes will have the addition of an “8” in front of the Savinelli shape number, i.e., 8320 = 320).

If you peruse the “What Are You Smoking?” (WAYS) threads, you can see a wide range of pipes that various members here smoke. Some might be out of your budget range, but many will not. There’s a vast world open to you, and many here will be happy to assist you on your journey.
 

BarrelProof

Lifer
Mar 29, 2020
2,701
10,582
39
The Last Frontier
LOL. posted that last reply before I read this. I was right! A bolt-action fan, huh? I prefer semi-auto myself. That's all I'll say about that. Drifting off topic and that particular one we drifted to is touchy....

Agreed, but he asked. Given that he’s from Texas, I assumed safe ground.

Back to the pipes! I will say, do not overlook the humble corn cob pipe!
 

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Lifer
Dec 5, 2021
1,978
23,977
Southern, NM
Welcome from New Mexico. You've gotten a lot of good recommendations for pipes and I'll throw out Peterson again since its my favorite brand. I love the system spigot pipes they offer.