Job Pipe Bud of Titania
I have been eyeing these for many months now. The 'Jetsons'-like look, use of titanium, and variety of accessories are appealing to me in a non-traditional way. I prefer briars by default, but I also like my cob and clay, am still looking for a meerschaum, and view this as another non-briar category to try out. A recent post by @9mmpuffer pushed me over the edge and I made the purchase. Converting the Euros to dollars, it worked out to about $375 (yes, pricey). Note that there are models available at less than half that price -- this is the Cadillac model.
For that price however, you get quite a few accessories: the finned titanium bowl itself which pressure-fits with o-rings into the (what I am guessing is aluminum) base, a regular stem, a 9mm filter stem, a nose-warmer stem, a mouthpiece adaptor, and two mouthpieces. You also get an assortment of extra o-rings and a simple zip pouch to keep everything in.
All the stem bits are stackable, so you can go from a stubby little 4" nose-warmer to an 8" demi-warden and filtered or not as the mood strikes you.
The bowl is reminiscent of a Falcon, in that it has central holes in the bottom that route the smoke into the base and out through the stem.
The 9mm filter adaptor has a screw-on retaining cap; standard 9mm filters fit perfectly. I did have to poke one end of the used filter through the air hole with my pipe tool in order to eject it.
This brings me to my impressions. I've smoked it twice so far. The first bowl was Boswell's Northwoods (my go-to first bowl in most new pipes), and the second was some G&H Brown Flake Scented. I used a 9mm filter in a standard-length stem configuration in both cases.
Mechanically the fit and finish are excellent and the components screwed together satisfyingly. The bowl was easy to load with the tobacco. The bit was relatively comfortable. I don't clench, so bear in mind that the pipe is a bit heavier than an equivalent briar if you do.
My first impression was that the overall draw was a bit tighter than my 9mm briars. Later I experimented with the unfiltered stem, and I had the same experience -- it is a bit tighter a draw than my unfiltered briars. Not enough to cause any significant issues, but I found myself smoking with a slightly faster cadence than normal as a result.
As expected the pipe did not add any noticeable flavor to the tobacco. It was as neutral as I have ever experienced. The bowl did, however, get rather hot during use. This was particularly noticeable during the bottom half of the smoke. The bowl got hot enough that it was uncomfortable to hold with my hand. Fortunately, the black aluminum base remained cool to the touch and is substantial enough to easily hold on to. Adjusting my grip to just the base solved the problem. I attribute some of the heat to my somewhat faster cadence due to the tighter overall draw. The rest is just the physics of a glowing ember in a metal chamber.
Post-smoke cleanup was a bit fiddly unscrewing the various components, but was easy to accomplish. A moistened piece of paper towel on my index finger made short work of the bowl and base. A pipe cleaner ran through the stem pieces and that was it. Afterward it was *clean*. Like factory-fresh. There was zero hint that I had smoked anything in it at all. Zero ghosting.
Cons: expensive, a bit fiddly, bowl gets hot when smoking.
Pros: unique materials and style, *zero* ghosting, easy to clean, flexible configurations in length and filter.
I am keeping the pipe; I think I'll call it "Space Ghost".
. I have no qualms running any goopy aro, floral Lakelands, or lat-bomb English blend through it and it is a fun alternative to tradition.
Hope this was helpful!
I have been eyeing these for many months now. The 'Jetsons'-like look, use of titanium, and variety of accessories are appealing to me in a non-traditional way. I prefer briars by default, but I also like my cob and clay, am still looking for a meerschaum, and view this as another non-briar category to try out. A recent post by @9mmpuffer pushed me over the edge and I made the purchase. Converting the Euros to dollars, it worked out to about $375 (yes, pricey). Note that there are models available at less than half that price -- this is the Cadillac model.
For that price however, you get quite a few accessories: the finned titanium bowl itself which pressure-fits with o-rings into the (what I am guessing is aluminum) base, a regular stem, a 9mm filter stem, a nose-warmer stem, a mouthpiece adaptor, and two mouthpieces. You also get an assortment of extra o-rings and a simple zip pouch to keep everything in.
All the stem bits are stackable, so you can go from a stubby little 4" nose-warmer to an 8" demi-warden and filtered or not as the mood strikes you.
The bowl is reminiscent of a Falcon, in that it has central holes in the bottom that route the smoke into the base and out through the stem.
The 9mm filter adaptor has a screw-on retaining cap; standard 9mm filters fit perfectly. I did have to poke one end of the used filter through the air hole with my pipe tool in order to eject it.
This brings me to my impressions. I've smoked it twice so far. The first bowl was Boswell's Northwoods (my go-to first bowl in most new pipes), and the second was some G&H Brown Flake Scented. I used a 9mm filter in a standard-length stem configuration in both cases.
Mechanically the fit and finish are excellent and the components screwed together satisfyingly. The bowl was easy to load with the tobacco. The bit was relatively comfortable. I don't clench, so bear in mind that the pipe is a bit heavier than an equivalent briar if you do.
My first impression was that the overall draw was a bit tighter than my 9mm briars. Later I experimented with the unfiltered stem, and I had the same experience -- it is a bit tighter a draw than my unfiltered briars. Not enough to cause any significant issues, but I found myself smoking with a slightly faster cadence than normal as a result.
As expected the pipe did not add any noticeable flavor to the tobacco. It was as neutral as I have ever experienced. The bowl did, however, get rather hot during use. This was particularly noticeable during the bottom half of the smoke. The bowl got hot enough that it was uncomfortable to hold with my hand. Fortunately, the black aluminum base remained cool to the touch and is substantial enough to easily hold on to. Adjusting my grip to just the base solved the problem. I attribute some of the heat to my somewhat faster cadence due to the tighter overall draw. The rest is just the physics of a glowing ember in a metal chamber.
Post-smoke cleanup was a bit fiddly unscrewing the various components, but was easy to accomplish. A moistened piece of paper towel on my index finger made short work of the bowl and base. A pipe cleaner ran through the stem pieces and that was it. Afterward it was *clean*. Like factory-fresh. There was zero hint that I had smoked anything in it at all. Zero ghosting.
Cons: expensive, a bit fiddly, bowl gets hot when smoking.
Pros: unique materials and style, *zero* ghosting, easy to clean, flexible configurations in length and filter.
I am keeping the pipe; I think I'll call it "Space Ghost".
. I have no qualms running any goopy aro, floral Lakelands, or lat-bomb English blend through it and it is a fun alternative to tradition.Hope this was helpful!
