I'm not to worried about it. You can't even get estate briars and sometime cobs for that price. Plus I still have my storient meer which I have been grabbing more and more.
yeah I just don't quite have the knowledge for that right now. Have you seen the meers that look like lighthouses? They usually have a metal cap on them.
I've had a well-smoked Peterson meer since 1972. After each day's smoke, I clean it in the same way as my briars. Alcohol, using a shank brush and bristled pipe cleaner on the inside followed by a generous salting of the bowl...extra virgin olive oil on the outside, nicely buffed. It looks and smokes like a dream.