Next Level Pipe

[bbarnes]

Hey everybody. I've been lurking around for a while but now I have a reason to post. I ordered my first pipe last December. It's a brylon Yello-Bole. Boy was that stupid! I usually do a fair amount of research before I make a purchase but I was in a hurry, so I grabbed a "starter kit". I smoked it a few times until I thought it had been broken in but it was still pretty terrible. I ordered 3 cobs from Missouri Meerschaum and I LOVE them. I also picked up a cheap no-name briar out of the basket at my "local" (the closest tobacco shop is about 50 miles from my house) B&M. It has some kinda metal screw-in filter deal. I don't like it much either. I get a lot of gurgle from it, no matter what I smoke.
Now on to the point of this post, I'm looking to buy a good briar for around $50 - $60. I can't justify (to the wife) getting anything more expensive than that YET. Especially since I bought two new guitars in the last month :lol: . I've looked around at Cup O Joes, 4noggins, etc. but I'm not sure what would be the best purchase for the money. Cup O Joes has a Savinelli Florence for $40 that I like but I wasn't sure about the quality of those considering Savinelli pipes usually fetch a much higher price. I'd also thought about just getting one or two Dr. Grabow's until I can get something "better". Any suggestions?

 

[tjameson]

Ill also throw Tsuge's name in the hat. They make great smokers and you can find quite a few in your price range on smokingpipes.com

 

[yazamitaz]

Bbarnes, welcome to the forums. If you have been lurking for a while I am sure you realize how great the camaraderie is on this site and you will get lots of good info here.
I would have recommended a Brigham from P&C, but SmokingPipes.com has them here

http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/Brigham/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=118321
I just got one of these two weeks ago and it is a good smoker that won't break the bank. Cup o' Joes and 4noggins are great sites as well. For example, 4noggins has Brindisi pipes which were one of my first back in the day
http://www.4noggins.com/BrindisiItalianPipe096.aspx
Have fun with your journey and happy smoking ::
Dan

 

[mso489]

I have many suggestions along this line, but I'll confine myself to two. Smokingpipes.com has Tsuge (Japanese) pipes that

are said to be excellent quality, and you can get a nice bent brandy right now for $50. Iwanries.com, under pipes, has

a category, Iwan Ries Exclusives, their house pipes, which run from about $36 to $52. Because this is an old-line Chicago

pipe shop, they want good pipes to carry their name, and all of their pipes will be at least okay and I find them way better

than their prices indicate; I have four. Their Canadians are excellent, for example. Also, I second the motion on the Dr.

Grabow Royalton bent bulldog; just a great pipe. The only hitch there is that it is a filter pipe, and you may not get the

best take on the tobacco you are trying. One more point: Some folks who can afford the $350 to $450 (and up) pipes tend to feel

that that's the only way to smoke. I tend to think that if you never graduate above the $100 price point, or $80, you can

do fine. You get beautiful artistry and top notch craftsmenship in the expensive pipes, but you can experience all of the

best of good tobacco in the less expensive to mid-level pipes if you shop carefully.

 

[numbersix]

Welcome to the forum bbarnes.
I can't add more than what's already been said. Savinelli's are excellent pipes and I've heard very good things about Tsuge too. One word of caution, ebay is a where you can find excellent deals on estate (used) pipes, but it can be risky. You need to be careful of the seller and the pipe in question. Plus you will want to research how to clean up a used pipe too (not hard, but there are some rules to follow). But if the seller has a high rating and takes returns, then it is usually a safe bet.
Good luck!

 

[politicalmonster]

I would have to also vote for Grabows as great value pipes. You can get two for the price range you are talking about. You can pick them up on fleabay (don't think I have seen a Grabow on Briar Bid yet) all day long for $10 - $25 depending on condition. The three that I have all smoke really well.

Biggest thing is that if you don't already, learn how to clean up an estate pipe, and go that route. You get sooo much more value by careful shopping for estate pipes, and with an hour or two of work, they can be made to look as good as new, plus no tedious break in time!

 

[teufelhund]

Welcome! Everybody here is giving pretty solid advice. Estates are a nice way to go; odds are it's a good smoker because somebody kept them around instead of tossing it in the fire.

 

[javajunkie]

I have just bought one of those Tsuge Kagas off smokingpipes.com. I will warn you that it is smallish, definitely a nose warmer, the stem is a little thin, and it does have a stinger. However, it is a joy to both clench or hold, the stinger pulls out, and the bowl size is damn decent. I haven't had it long enough (nor know enough yet) to figure out what smokes well in the beastie, but it has burned down to ash, fairly dry and very cool, from out of the box. In my book, it was a solid addition to my young roster, and am thinking of picking up another, truth be told (a finished to go with my blast).
Good luck with it, and hope you enjoy your final find!

 

[joshwolftree]

I'll throw mr. brog in the running good pipes and ussually only 20-30 bucks

 

[bigmick]

I have two pipes that I bought new and both are great. One is a Savinelli Oscar, which is a bit above your desired range, but the other is a Nording Gold Series. $60 at CupOJoes. Well worth the money.

 

[pruss]

Welcome aboard!
When I rejoined the hobby I bought my first "new" briar pipes as estate pipes on e-bay. I bought them from reputable e-bay pipe sellers, with HUGE reputations and history, and was not disappointed. I didn't pay more than $50 for any of these three pipes and ended up very happy with two estate GBD pipes and one estate Royal Danish (Stanwell Second). They are all wonderful smokers with fantastic character.
Good luck, and enjoy the search.
-- Pat

 

[oklansas]

Stupid question: Is brylon really that bad?

 

[lordofthepiperings]

My advice would be to scour eBay or smokingpipes.com's estate section hunting for Savinellis, Petersons, or Stanwells. Usually you can get a decent one of those trust worthy names for around $50-$70.

 

[slackerdiver]

If you want to get a fresh pipe I can recommend the Savinelli Duca Carlos. smokingpipes has then around fifty bucks. Got mine at B&M on advice of owner who didn't try to upsell me. Enjoying...

 

[tbradsim1]

No one has mentioned the Estate Edwards, best bargin for 50$ or under, good reasonable pipes, try one you won"t regeret it.

 

[bbarnes]

Thanks for all the excellent replies. I believe I've decided on the Savinelli Trevi Rustica. I found it on Amazon for $75 and remembered I got a $30 gift card for Christmas that I never used! I went to the Savinelli website which has a really helpful tool for finding the type of pipe you're looking for. There were tons of great suggestions, which made it even harder to choose! But seriously, they were all greatly appreciated. I'm already eyeing the Tsuge and Brigham's now haha. PAD is definitely starting to kick in!