To My Fellow Falcon Owners

[Law]

Greetings to all falcon pipe owners,

I have this query about the quality of their briar. I have, so far, completely favored falcons over any other pipe due to their utility and functionality. But I always seem to find their briar “quality” disappointing. I have a meerschaum, a custom morta bowl, and an old briar bowl from the 70’s that I got from eBay new. They all smoke well except their “new” briars. All I get from them is a unuanced flavor, the sort of taste that a fresh pipe still unbroken in has. A flatter than it should be taste. Mind you, I have continuously smoked them for years, and some of them have a good cake in them, but they all seem to not perform as good as regular briar pipes. They smoke good, but never really good or great. They just fall short of every other broken in pipe I have.

I love every single thing about them apart from their briar. I want to love them, but the more I smoke their briar bowls the more I wish I had one of my regular pipes instead.

What are your general consensus on their briar quality so far? Or just your general experience with them?

 

[WVOldFart]

I have two with several bowls. I like that they are light weight, but otherwise I am not overwhelmed. I like bigger bowls, and I like the feel of a regular briar pipe in my hand. I smoke my falcons super slow so not to get hot or get that briar taste you mention. I don't have a meerschaum bowl so I can't comment on it. I am sure that they are loved and have many endearing qualities, but I prefer just a good old briar pipe.

 

[Waning Embers]

No issues here.

 

[PaulRVA]

No issues with any of mine.
If your wanting larger capacity different briar or woods look up
Don Warren Pipes

Don Warren Smokingpipes Tobacco Pipes Smoking Pipes

Don Warren smoking pipes smokingpipes tobacco pipes for Sale

www.dwpipes.com

Or Dwpipes on ebay as well
He produces several bowls to fit Falcons

 

[jpberg]

I’m thinking you just prefer briar.

 

[warren]

My briar bowls give me a perfectly acceptable smoke. No complaints here! If you find them less than acceptable, I'd suggest you...trash them. I won't keep a pipe that doesn't deliver an acceptable experience. No sense beating your head against a wall.

 

[JoeW]

I smoke Falcon briars about 60% of the time, with bowls going back to the 1970s, and I can't say that I've noticed any difference in flavor between the older briar and the newer. Falcons always smoke well for me. As jpberg said, maybe you just prefer your briar pipes.

 

[Waning Embers]

Take the dry rings out or try different fitting placements. Falcon bowls can fit in four different directions.

 

[Law]

No issues with any of mine.
If your wanting larger capacity different briar or woods look up
Don Warren Pipes

Don Warren Smokingpipes Tobacco Pipes Smoking Pipes

Don Warren smoking pipes smokingpipes tobacco pipes for Sale

www.dwpipes.com

Or Dwpipes on ebay as well
He produces several bowls to fit Falcons

Absolutely great mention, I'll check some of his selection. Thank you!

 

[Law]

Take the dry rings out or try different fitting placements. Falcon bowls can fit in four different directions.

View attachment 411016View attachment 411017View attachment 411018View attachment 411019

Thats good advice I'll definitely look into it. Also, that falcon stack bowl has some really nice grain for an inexpensive bowl!

 

[Waning Embers]

Thats good advice I'll definitely look into it. Also, that falcon stack bowl has some really nice grain for an inexpensive bowl!

Got that one when tobaccopipes.com was going out of business. I think it was $7. Love the meerschaum ones too.

 

[huntertrw]

I wonder who turned and who currently turns the bowls for Falcon?

 

[Sgetz]

I have found that removing all remains of stain from base of bowl and connecting chimney using isopropyl greatly improved flavour. And it does linger as its not touching the ember.

 

[The_Non_Compliant_One]

I was looking into pipe stem replacements the other day, and one of the traditional retail stores websites from the ukshowed they still have falcon pipes in stock. Even the bowls.

Did come across an american vender, peretti perhaps.. i cant remember. That has almost every factory falcon bowl style in stock. and priced 30-36$ each.

 

[Morbius]

Greetings to all falcon pipe owners,

I have this query about the quality of their briar. I have, so far, completely favored falcons over any other pipe due to their utility and functionality. But I always seem to find their briar “quality” disappointing. I have a meerschaum, a custom morta bowl, and an old briar bowl from the 70’s that I got from eBay new. They all smoke well except their “new” briars. All I get from them is a unuanced flavor, the sort of taste that a fresh pipe still unbroken in has. A flatter than it should be taste. Mind you, I have continuously smoked them for years, and some of them have a good cake in them, but they all seem to not perform as good as regular briar pipes. They smoke good, but never really good or great. They just fall short of every other broken in pipe I have.

I love every single thing about them apart from their briar. I want to love them, but the more I smoke their briar bowls the more I wish I had one of my regular pipes instead.

What are your general consensus on their briar quality so far? Or just your general experience with them?

I have only recently started to smoke Falcon pipes. I have the straight stem
with 4 bowls ( an Algiers for light English blends, an Apple for Milan Tobacconist's version of Carter Hall, a Bulldog for quick smokes, and a Dublin for Orlik Golden Flakes - the steep sides of the chamber are perfect for the flake).

My other 3 pipes are a meerschaum bent Bulldog, a Rossi 673 Antico Rustico, and an MM Boone. The meerschaum is non filtered and gives me the most vibrant and robust flavors of all of my pipes. The briar and the Boone are both 6 mm pipes. I found that I don't particularly care for that type of a pipe, But if you put a Savinelli balsa wood filter in them they smoke reasonably well. The meerschaum gives me just the taste of the tobacco. The briar gives me the taste of both the tobacco and the briarwood. The corncob gives me the taste of the tobacco and some of the corn.

I say all this because I think the Falcon bowls don't really give me all that briar taste that I get from my Rossi. It seems somewhat muted. Of course that may be because the smoke is not traveling through a briar shank.

Even so the Falcons are still my favorite pipe to smoke on a daily basis. (The meerschaum is my Sunday treat.) They are super easy to clean and they require very little maintenance. They are not fragile, and they eliminate wet smoking issues. My only issue with them is the garbage that they coat the inside of the chamber with. It makes breaking them in a real chore.

 

[The_Non_Compliant_One]

I have only recently started to smoke Falcon pipes. I have the straight stem
with 4 bowls ( an Algiers for light English blends, an Apple for Milan Tobacconist's version of Carter Hall, a Bulldog for quick smokes, and a Dublin for Orlik Golden Flakes - the steep sides of the chamber are perfect for the flake).

My other 3 pipes are a meerschaum bent Bulldog, a Rossi 673 Antico Rustico, and an MM Boone. The meerschaum is non filtered and gives me the most vibrant and robust flavors of all of my pipes. The briar and the Boone are both 6 mm pipes. I found that I don't particularly care for that type of a pipe, But if you put a Savinelli balsa wood filter in them they smoke reasonably well. The meerschaum gives me just the taste of the tobacco. The briar gives me the taste of both the tobacco and the briarwood. The corncob gives me the taste of the tobacco and some of the corn.

I say all this because I think the Falcon bowls don't really give me all that briar taste that I get from my Rossi. It seems somewhat muted. Of course that may be because the smoke is not traveling through a briar shank.

Even so the Falcons are still my favorite pipe to smoke on a daily basis. (The meerschaum is my Sunday treat.) They are super easy to clean and they require very little maintenance. They are not fragile, and they eliminate wet smoking issues. My only issue with them is the garbage that they coat the inside of the chamber with. It makes breaking them in a real chore.

An over night bath in pure alcohol solves most of that coating.

 

[Law]

I have only recently started to smoke Falcon pipes. I have the straight stem
with 4 bowls ( an Algiers for light English blends, an Apple for Milan Tobacconist's version of Carter Hall, a Bulldog for quick smokes, and a Dublin for Orlik Golden Flakes - the steep sides of the chamber are perfect for the flake).

My other 3 pipes are a meerschaum bent Bulldog, a Rossi 673 Antico Rustico, and an MM Boone. The meerschaum is non filtered and gives me the most vibrant and robust flavors of all of my pipes. The briar and the Boone are both 6 mm pipes. I found that I don't particularly care for that type of a pipe, But if you put a Savinelli balsa wood filter in them they smoke reasonably well. The meerschaum gives me just the taste of the tobacco. The briar gives me the taste of both the tobacco and the briarwood. The corncob gives me the taste of the tobacco and some of the corn.

I say all this because I think the Falcon bowls don't really give me all that briar taste that I get from my Rossi. It seems somewhat muted. Of course that may be because the smoke is not traveling through a briar shank.

Even so the Falcons are still my favorite pipe to smoke on a daily basis. (The meerschaum is my Sunday treat.) They are super easy to clean and they require very little maintenance. They are not fragile, and they eliminate wet smoking issues. My only issue with them is the garbage that they coat the inside of the chamber with. It makes breaking them in a real chore.

I full heartedly agree with this description. The "Full" briar pipes give the tobacco the "warmth" or roundness of flavor and depth I sometimes seek and enjoy in certain blends especially in a more nuanced blends/tobacco's such as virginia's. The briar pipes really round the flavors and gives it some depth that intermingle well with some blends. Falcons feel more straightforward, and I would say definitively not as nuanced as a briar pipe. I noticed it also could be from the moisture reservoir saps all the body or moisture from it, making the smoke feel steadfast and straightforward rather than dynamic or having some depth. I'll keep experimenting, but falcons are really good pipes for what they are. For travel or when preferring a care-free smoke, and not liking corncobs outside of burleys, I wouldn't find a better alternative than falcons. Utility wise, they are the best pipes out there in my opinion.

 

[edger]

Falcons Forever!! I’ve been smoking them since 1972 and all my subsequent bowls smoke beautifully.

 

[Morbius]

An over night bath in pure alcohol solves most of that coating.

How do I do that without getting the alcohol all over the outside of the bowl?

 

[OzPiper]

How do I do that without getting the alcohol all over the outside of the bowl?

Stuff the bowl with cotton balls.
Carefully drip in alcohol, taking care not to get any alcohol on the outside as it will strip the stain