Thoughts On The Dr. Grabow Omega?

[wolfman9]

I’ve been considering a Dr. Grabow Omega, based on that I really like the look of that style pipe, and it being reasonably priced.

I’m still fairly new to pipe smoking, but have bought a couple pipes already, my current favorite being a rather heavy no name German basket pipe with a full bent stem.

Are the Omegas a good choice, and something I should expect to be happy with long term, or should I stay away from the Dr. Grabows?

Also, what is the stem made of on the current Omegas? Vulcanite? Plastic?
Any other suggestions of similar pipes with the military bit and a bent stem would also be much appreciated, just bear in mind that I’m on a limited budget, else I probably would be considering a Peterson instead.
Thanks.

 

[mso489]

I like the looks of the Omega a lot. However, I am partial to the Royalton series for its acrylic stems. The Dr. Grabow non-acrylic stems, some sort of plastic, seem to be pretty durable, but I like acrylic or Vulcanite for a permanent stem that rarely needs replacing. The Royalton costs just three or four dollars more, if that. I use Savinelli adaptors in my Dr. Grabow's to make them non-filter pipes, and I especially like the bulldog version of the Royalton for its careful shaping that looks quite artisan-like to me, some of those old timers on the Dr. Grabow line, in Sparta N.C., I think.

 

[ashdigger]

Can't speak to current Omegas, but I own an Omega I purchased new in 2011 (my second pipe) and it's a great smoker. It even suffered through my learning phase. Toss the filters and you'll really enjoy it. Btw, my Omega has an Acrylic stem.

 

[aldecaker]

I personally like Grabows, but they are certainly not the beauty or quality that they were in decades past. The stems are made of a plastic that actually works very well; it is not as hard as lucite, but not as soft as vulcanite. What it is is very comfortable on the teeth and completely maintenance-free.
When you buy an Omega, what you are actually getting is a Dr. Grabow Savoy with different styling. It looks like a P-Lip, but it is not. The hole is not angled upward at all. It looks like a military stem, but it is not. It is a standard Grabow aluminum tenon that accommodates a 6mm filter. They work very well with Savinelli balsa filters, or with no filter installed at all.
They are as good as any other Grabow, which I find to be a perfectly serviceable pipe and own several of.

 

[aldecaker]

Ash, your Omega has an acrylic stem? I didn't know they even made those for Omegas. I've only seen them in that wonky yellow color for the Royalton line.

 

[ashdigger]

I'll check my Omega. I'm pretty sure its acrylic,but whatever it is it has held up. If its plastic, it's still smokes just fine.

 

[wolfman9]

That’s interesting, I was under the impression that the Omega was a true military bit, not just styled to resemble one......

Anyone else care to weigh in on that aspect?

 

[aldecaker]

I could be wrong, but as far as I know, Omegas haven't been made with the true military bit for many years now. I, too am interested in hearing from someone who has a newer model.

 

[blackadderlxx]

I had one that a gave away to a friend that was just starting out. I liked it ok, but I preferred the Stanwell Brush finish pipes at that price point. (On sale)

 

[saltedplug]

I couldn't get myself to buy inexpensive pipes, having fallen to the wisdom of the forums that more expensive pipes were better and really the only pipes worth owning. So I did spend more, more in the way of Ashton or estate Castellos, not Chonowitsch, not Joura. But even though I spent more and enjoyed the artistry of these pipes, the realization settled in on me that these pipes didn't smoke better than cobs.
I was very disappointed in this and wondered what I was missing. Surely all these guys with years more experienced hadn't been cooing about nothing. But I came to think they they didn't have the truth of the matter. I should have smoked a few Grabows.

 

[upnorth1]

I have a couple of older Grabows and I find them to be great smokers. You can grab Grabow estates on eBay at very reasonable prices.

 

[mso489]

saltedplug, I catch your drift. I have mostly mid-range and quite a few moderately priced pipes including MM cobs and Dr. Grabow and others of that ilk. I have a few higher end pipes, at least some that would go for hundreds at full-price. For folks with some discretionary spending for these, I think there is real pleasure in combining the enjoyment of a pipe with an object of exquisite craftsmanship, a piece of art in many cases. If you shop carefully, you can get the best of smokes out of some not expensive pipes, if you study pipes and shop carefully, without a doubt. The extra aspect of superb hand-made pipes is an added pleasure, but not necessarily an enhancement of the smoking experience.

 

[ray47]

I purchased 2 Omegas a few years back and the tenons broke off after less then a month and I didn't remove the stems while they were hot. I had the stems replaced with acrylic stems and their now fine. As far as how they smoke, they handle burley blends and aromatics like a pipe costing much more.

 

[wolfman9]

I ended up picking up an Omega at one of the local shops, got a nicely rusticated one.

Thoughts to follow once I get to smoke it a few times, but so far I like it, smaller pipe than I initially thought it was, but the bowl is deep.

Regarding the military bit, it is one to my eye, with a metal mount and tapered stem that wedges into it securely, I’m not an expert though, so it may not be one by strict definition.

 

[wolfman9]

 

[aldecaker]

Looks like a military mount to me. I have avoided buying one for years because I was told all the new ones come with the regular Grabow aluminum tenon, and I have tons of those already. What is the stem material? The same guy told me it was the same ABS-type plastic they use on the other Grabows. Is it?

 

[wolfman9]

It seems to be some sort of hard plastic to me, doesn’t feel overly cheap though, if I really end up liking this pipe, I may see about getting a vulcanite or acrylic stem made for it.

 

[ashdigger]

Okay, I checked my Omega, it's either hard plastic or acrylic. Honesty I can't tell the difference. But I know it's actually a great smoker. It has a military mount. My only other Grabow that was purchased at around the same time has that metal tenon and that pipe is a piece of garbage. I only keep it around because it's the 3rd pipe I ever purchased. It lives in a drawer somewhere.

 

[Chasing Embers]

An Omega was the first pipe I bought back in '91. A really good smoker though I wish they were available with a fish tail stem.

 

[seanv]

Nice pipe wolfman. Keep us updated on how it smokes. I’ve been eyeing up an Omega on eBay for restoration purposes,