Pipe Feedback / Suggestions and New Member Introduction

[chakaraka]

Hi Everyone,
I have been lurking on here at least a few days now, gathering information from here another forum and numerous online vendors. My step-daughter bought me a crappy Chinese pipe as a gag gift for Christmas. You know "old man" joke, primarily because my current winter beater is a Plymouth Acclaim. I guess she figured that I have the old man car, now I needed an old man pipe. Well the funny thing is that although it in no way would be worthwhile to smoke (being some synthetic "stone" material) at a distance it looks pretty cool (smooth apple type shape, medium colour with bent stem).
Innocently enough, I went online to see what the thing was made of and whether it was even cleanable, let alone smokeable. Well I got straightened out pretty quick and decided to leave it as a prop or conversation piece. But in the meantime, some childhood pipe nostalgia hit me and I remembered my Dad dabbling with (likely a cheap pipe) at about my age. I also had an old English gentleman that lived next door when I was very young and I remembered him sitting out enjoying his garden and a bowl. Long story short(er), I got bit with the curse and now find myself very intrigued with pipes and the whole ritual. I am currently a cigarette smoker and would love to cut down or abandon that habit for something a little more refined and redeeming. So I am in the very early (crack-whore like) stages of PAD.
Today, I had a chance to visit a not so local B&M (two cities away, as we don't have a real tobacconist here, just a couple "head shops"). I was honestly quite disappointed this store's offerings and apparently I have acquired more taste in pipes than this B&M. I saw a few Medico's that were so-so...one of which was so tight I could barely pull it apart to inspect it at about $50 depending on the model. Then in the basket he had mostly straight designs and I am interested in bent stems, especially smooth or partially smooth designs. But amongst the basket pipes he had one rustic curved for just shy of $30 by some unfamiliar Italian manufacturer. It didn't seem to be all that well finished (bore alignment) so I resisted the impulse and put it back down. His rack pipes all seemed to be rather dusty Medico's, with a couple Brigham's thrown in and even with the basket pipes likely only had 2 dozen in the store. I thanked him for his time and high-tailed it out of there. There is one more B&M about an hour from me in the opposite direction, but I have never been there and figure I will probably be similarly unimpressed.
So I am pretty certain I will want to pick up one of the economy Savinelli's online or maybe even a clean estate Sav or similar from eBay. But I will list some of my top contenders and welcome any feedback anyone would like to share with me. I will also say that I am barely employed at the moment (trying to start a small business) so my budget is extremely limited and I may have to wait and save before I have all I need to enjoy my first real bowl. I am fully aware of the corn cob suggestions and may get a couple just to be able to have an econo rotation, but that would be strictly out of frugal necessity and practicality as they are not really my style. So please omit any corn cob suggestions as I am pretty focused on briars. Here are the current pipes that catch my eye around $60 or less. They are sorted somewhat by preference.
- Savinelli Duca Carlo Bent Billiard, Brandy or Pot (For an econo line, I have heard these are good smokers.)

- Savinelli Florence Smooth Bent 602, 607, 611, 622, 626 or 628

- Savinelli Trevi Liscia 602

- Morino by Savinelli Smooth Bent Apple
- Brigham _23 or _84 (What can I say, I am a good Canadian kid and gather that Brigham's are good smokers?)
- Bjarne Viking Classic Smooth or Polished Bent Acorns, Apples, Billiards, Dublin or Eggs
- Viking Viking Matte Bent 4, 18 or 21 (Apparently Viking is made by a former Bjarne master carver and the quality is supposed to be equivalent to a Bjarne.)

- Viking Viking Smooth Bent 5

- Viking Viking Polished Bent 1 or 9

- Viking Viking Houston Bent 16

- Viking Viking Skagen Virgin 14 or 21
- Tsuge Super Smooth Bent Billiard or Brandy (These pipes look really nice for $50 but I have not found many mentions of them or reviews.)
- Chacom Luxor Smooth Bent [various shapes] (Cheap price on this one, curious about quality/)
- BC Bistro Smooth Bent 132
- Kriswill Smooth Bent Walnut Volcano
- Vuillard Smooth Matte Bent 42, 43, 184 or 867 (I haven't heard a lot about this brand, but they look decent.)
- Vauen Basic Smooth Bent 1500, 3500-1, 3500-4 or 3500-5 (I also found a Vauen Starter Kit that contains this pipe and tools for about $70. I am not that interested in a typical filter pipe but figure that being German, they should be quality.)
- Dr. Grabow Smooth Bent Full Bent, Royal Duke 1 or Savoy (I'm not real hot on these pipes as I have a hard time telling whether they are real or synthetic, but they are cheap and I have read that some find them good value).
If anyone recognizes one or two on my list that are exceptional value or quality for the dollar, please let me know. I had to actually make an excel sheet with 91 different pipes to narrow it down to a somewhat manageable list.
Thanks everyone.

 

[chakaraka]

Thanks guys. I guess my nearly week long browsing obsession has paid off in some good research and short-listing.
:D
I am pretty partial to the value of the Tsuge too rothnh. I am just curious if anyone owns one and can speak for some of the attributes that you can't tell from a picture. I also want to ensure that my 1st one is a good all around pipe of normal size etc. Additions thereafter, I can go for more variety.

 

[ghost]

Hey Chakaraka, welcome aboard and cheers from Ottawa! I'll defer to Roth's advice on the Tsuge deal, but I will say you also can't go wrong with a Brigham. I have several, and they are all great pipes. It's not just a Canuck thing. ::

 

[crpntr1]

Welcome to the forums

you've got a good list..IMHO the Sav 606 is one of my very favorite shapes

 

[tbradsim1]

Tsuge all the way, I have 3 and they are good pipes. The old cajun

 

[chakaraka]

Well thanks so much for the feedback. I feel a little more comfortable deviating from my Savinelli selections in favour of the Tsuge now. It will be a bit of a wait, but it looks like I can have it for $56 shipped. Can any fellow Canadians can tell me if I should expect to have to pay duty on this USPS shipped purchase? I already know about the tobacco limits for duties but was unsure whether I should expect to pay this on pipes and accessories.

 

[phred]

I had to actually make an excel sheet with 91 different pipes to narrow it down to a somewhat manageable list.

Oh, good - it's not just me, then... :D
I've had good luck with my Bjarne Viking Classics (all two of them), though if you search around on this board, you'll find a couple of folks who have had different experiences. The early days of PAD can be overwhelming - I happened upon #1 in a local B&M, then picked up #2 on a whim when one of the site sponsors got a shipment in. Pipe #3 is going to be a full-gonzo spreadsheet festival, though, I think - if for no other reason than my 'allowance' is booked for the next couple of weeks for other things.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[jah76]

Welcome aboard!
FYI on most filter pipes, you can pull out the filter and it will smoke just fine.
If you end up going the estate route, check out MKELAW pipes on the left. I know lots of folks have had good luck over there. Also I've dealt with Marty Pulver before, (Pulver's Briar?) and he likes to hide some good buys on his page. I have never dealt with Viking Pipe Club of St. Louis, but some folks have had good dealings with them too. Same goes for James Island Piper.
Ebay is great, but sometimes you might not get that good of a look or incorrect information about a pipe. These estate guys tend to have good reps and working knowledge.
Hope you enjoy your new hobby!

 

[chakaraka]

Thanks again for all the feedback and friendliness. I was aware that filter pipes are often smoked with the filter removed. But at the same time have read that inconsistent bore diameter or variations can cause issues with being a moisture trap and gurgling.
Okay so I went to my second B&M today, an hour long drive in the opposite direction and was equally underwhelmed. There was some selection on tobacco, but even Captain Black White went for $29 a pouch. They did have some decent pipe selection, but the pricing was out of my budget (and for lesser pipes in most cases). Even their basket pipes started at $45. I had planned to snag a czech tool, some Captain Black White, some pipe cleaners and a corncob, if I could do so for under $50. But they only had the wood MM's and mini MM ones there. So between the lack of corncob selection and crazy prices on basic tobacco, I kept my money in my pocket.
I wish we could bring more tobacco across the border than 200g. I have seen some amazingly priced samplers or even larger econo priced bags of tobacco online, but they are all closer to the 1 lb mark. I guess I will save my pennies and order things in small shipments to hopefully avoid import duties. I have found some great deals, just not all from the same store unfortunately.
I have also been watching estate pipes on eBay and elsewhere because on my budget, that is really the only place I will be able to afford to build a rotation or be able to dedicate a pipe to a certain blend. I am eager to get "my feet wet" but don't want to spend my limited budget on false economy purchases.

 

[chakaraka]

Actually yes, the USPS or "super express" shipping both draw less customs attention than other options, especially worse is UPS who charges very arbitrary and inflated border brokerage fees. I avoid UPS because they make shipping charges too high typically to make it worthwhile. Most of the main online vendors seem to ship with USPS as their econo option. I guess I am just thorough and like to do all my research and avoid surprises.

 

[chakaraka]

So I am still saving up for a nice briar, should I enjoy the pipe as much as I expect. But tonight I was down in a major city and just managed to hit a chain B&M half an hour before closing. For the $50 I had for just a pipe, I was able to get a MM Legend Bent, a pouch of Captain Black White, a czech tool, some pipe cleaners and some matches. Yep B&M prices are high in Canada, but I couldn't wait to give it a shot. I will be ordering the rest of my pipes and tobacco online now, once PAD and TAD are in the budget. I really would like to try some of the popular blends, but there is such scarce selection at most B&M's around me.

 

[cigrmaster]

chakaraka, welcome to the site. If old cajun says the Tsuge is a good smoker, then you can bank on it. He has forgotten more about pipes than most of us have learned. For ordering tobacco most of the Canadians I know use 4noggins, his prices are great and he ships to Canada.

 

[chakaraka]

Thanks for the tips cigrmaster and 4noggins is just one of the many sites I have been browsing regularly. I have been reading a lot of posts here too and noted that old cajun is a major contributor here and a veteran with a lot of great info to share.
So I have had a few bowls now with mixed results. For some reason by second one was the best so far. I guess the learning curve is steep at first, but I am reading a lot and watching videos on YouTube, so it should start coming together gradually. I can't wait to try another tobacco, but it will have to wait until I can place an order and wait for it to finally arrive. So many choices and such individual differing preferences. I am not sure that I know where to start, but I will begin assembling a "short-list" of possibilities.
Here is what $50 gets you in BC, Canada:

Here is another shot with some tobacco drying for later:

Now to get some extra cash together so I can order that Tsuge and around 4 cans of tobacco ( 4x as much for $5 less than what I paid for one pouch of CBW).
:P

 

[rmbittner]

chakaraka:

( 4x as much for $5 less than what I paid for one pouch of CBW).

Just a note: I know that sometimes pipe-tobacco prices can seem high. And I also realize that cost is relative; a $10 tin is prohibitively expensive if you don't have $10. But I look at pipe smoking as the most economical form of smoking there is. I compare it to cigars. To get a fine quality cigar that will last 40 minutes or more, you need to spend at least $6 or $7, often twice that. To get a comparable-quality tobacco -- a high-end blend, that is -- you might spend $12-15 a tin, depending on where you live and how you're taxed. But for that price you will likely get 18-20 40-minute smokes! Even if you spent $15 for a 2oz. tin, your per-bowl cost is only .75.
This math comes in handy, too, when I've justified to myself why it makes sense to spend $50 on an aged tin of tobacco. It's easily worth $2.50/bowl to me to try something long discontinued or aged longer than I'd be able to accomplish in my lifetime.
I know, I know: My math completely disregards the cost of the pipe(s). But when a quality pipe will last you a lifetime, I figure it can only add a few pennies per bowl to the whole equation. (I'll also say that math is not my strong suit. But this is good enough to convince myself that I'm actually saving money with every bowl I smoke! ) I mean, if you smoked the same pipe three times a week, every week, for 20 years, even a $200 pipe would only add .07 per bowl to the total. Trust me, these figures are handy when you're looking at adding to your collection!
Bob

 

[rmbittner]

With cigars, we're left with a butt, some ashes and a memory.

And sometimes I think that's okay. For instance, I'm never going to forget the first Cuban cigar I tasted: It was a Romeo y Julieta Churchill that delivered an initial flavor unlike any other cigar I've ever had. And the two subsequent Cubans I had had the exact same nuances. But those flavor memories are definitely tied to a specific moment in time and a specific place. They are wonderful memories, but they are only memories.
But a pipe. . . Well, a pipe is a lifelong companion, and that's an entirely different thing altogether.
Bob

 

[chakaraka]

Good points both of you. I know there is some economy still in this hobby. I was not necessarily disappointed with my purchase. I just found it an interesting comparison to what you would get for the same dollars online. I too have smoked cigars, both cheap and expensive and do enjoy them to some extent, just not enough to buy them often myself. The good ones have always been gifts. After less than half a dozen smokes from my new pipe, I am having mixed results, but similar enjoyment to a cigar. I am very intrigued with how different I will feel once I have had the opportunity to try some varied blends (or even some other decent OTC's too). Thanks for the feedback.