Pipe cleaners

[MattRVA]

BJ Long regular and Blitz are what I’ve settled on.

 

[KPDEdmAB]

No love for Dill's on the forum? I've found them very satisfactory.

 

[AroEnglish]

No love for Dill's on the forum? I've found them very satisfactory.

I’ve been wanting to try these but they’re more expensive than the White Elephant which I like well enough.

 

[Piping Abe]

Dill’s is the best for me. Absolutely no stray fluffies. Very thin. Blitz would be 2nd for best all around. When Big Ben made pipe cleaners they were awesome.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I don't think there's really any contest. Blitz and Vauen are at the top.

The White Elephant cleaners have good wire quality, but the cotton is only slightly above average imo.

Then you have everything else.

 

[jhowell]

Whatever you do - do not buy "craft" pipe cleaners - they are polyester not cotton and do not absorb...

 

[mso489]

I haven't done any real comparison, but BJ Long seem to be standard and dependable, so I usually go for those. For daily use, I go for fluffy regulars. I keep some tapered around for when they fill a special use, but the regulars seem more adaptable to me for daily use.

I also keep a small supply of bristle that I use to clear balky airways and more often to polish vulcanite bits of minor oxidation.

I keep a small supply of churchwarden length regular fluffy for the long stemmed pipes, full churchwardens and a few others.

Pipe cleaners are utilitarian but keep pipes in good smoking shape and are one of the necessities. I'd never pack a few pipes and blends for travel or even a day trip without including pipe cleaners. They keep the show on the road.

 

[kcghost]

There is no "best" simply what we prefer. I prefer BJ Longs in the 7" variety.

 

[MCJ]

For general use I normally buy some of whatever brand is in stock when rounding out my tobacco orders (BJ Long, Dills or MacBaren). Also the Falcon Extra Thins specifically for those of my pipes with narrow draft holes.

 

[Wet Dottle]

Well, I never gave pipe cleaners a second thought and always used BJLongs because that's what I can find on the shelves locally, but I see there's a lot I still have to learn. I'll try some of these other brands next time I place an online order. Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

 

[LeafErikson]

I’ve only ever used by long standard. I also keep the bristled around for deeper cleans when necessary.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Never thought about it much, as I have not had to. Any brand I have tried work well for me, as long as they are cotton. I use regular, long on churchwarden, and bristle if I think it is clogged.

 

[AroEnglish]

I don't think there's really any contest. Blitz and Vauen are at the top.

The White Elephant cleaners have good wire quality, but the cotton is only slightly above average imo.

Then you have everything else.

Guess I'll be trying Blitz and Vauen next. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[trouttimes]

Man, are we a bunch of nerds or what? Two pages discussing pipe cleaners, really? What does it say that I’ve read every post. We all need something to do it seems.

 

[Ben.R.C]

BJ Longs scratch the inside of my stems, Brigham regulars are much better. Anyone want to buy my hoarded BJ longs?

 

[Briar Lee]

Whatever is cheapest.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

BJ Longs scratch the inside of my stems, Brigham regulars are much better. Anyone want to buy my hoarded BJ longs?

Funny, BJ Longs are the only ones I've found that don't have the loose wire at the end that scratches mine.

 

[Ben.R.C]

I had noticed that the regular bj longs would scratch my stems and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. Then I read a post where J Mouton talks about this as a really problem, the internal scratches can collect gunk, etc. He said Brigham were the best and since I switched I’m in total agreement. I don’t like tapered for much, but I have noticed BJ long tapered don’t scratch like the regulars do. Just my 2 cents!