What kind of pipes can you get from a drug store?

[tomboo]

Just another continuation of my drug store questions haha. What drug store pipe is the best?

 

[ace57]

I would have to say Dr. Grabo i

 

[johnnyrebel]

The two drug store pipes im familiar with is Dr.Grabow and Missouri Meerschaum. Both being nice pipes for the money. Their may be more than these, but again these are the only brands that im aware of that i've seen and used.

 

[docrx]

Kaywoodies and Medicos are often also found in drug stores, and Yello Boles. Oh i forgot the pipe bubble toys.

 

[portascat]

the "filter" in "filter pipe" is completely optional. Most Drug Store MM's are also "filter pipes".

 

[colorduke]

The only pipes i have seen recently are dr grabows.

 

[portascat]

I see grabows, only.
Dukes almost always.

 

[drumbumb83]

I guess you get what you pay for with the Dr. Grabo pipes. Or I guess it's possible I just picked the wrong one off the shelf at the grocery store. The stem leaks at the joint, the bit is far from center and the draft hole is off to the side and two thirds from the top. It's still a working pipe though and provide a dry smoke.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You did a necro-bump. Is anyone on this thread still with us?

Maybe you should have started a new thread to bash your Grabow. FWIW, you probably did just get a bad one. I have a couple. They work well, but I don't smoke them often because I'm just not crazy about the way they look.

 

[aldecaker]

Yep. I have over a dozen Grabows that are just fine, but wound up with one Savoy that was totally off on every metric you could possibly use to judge a pipe.

 

[deathmetal]

For a new pipe smoker, I'd recommend the cobs
Grabows are good however. The stems are some kind of weak plastic and the filters are irritating but for the price/availability they're a great starter pipe or daily kickaround smoker.

 

[warren]

Ryan: Two of those flaws were obvious. Why did you purchase such a poorly constructed tool? Last one in the display?

 

[aldecaker]

One problem with selecting a "good" Grabow is inherent in their packaging. You are not able to pull the stem off to see how centered the drilling is in the shank. Even with a small Maglite like the one I usually have with me, it is very difficult to see into the bowl to gauge quality of the drilling. The "blister pack" is usually scratched all to hell, and generally reflects more light than it passes when using a flashlight. In addition, unless you are purchasing a very, very small-bowled Grabow, it will not flip over in the package, so you can only see one side of the pipe. I have learned (yes, the hard way) to open the package as soon as I have paid for the pipe, right there in the store. I then give it a good inspection with the flashlight, and if there are any problems, I return it immediately. By the way, Grabows with no filter installed will indeed leak moisture if they are smoked wet. A light application of beeswax on the face of the shank (or smoking drier) will cure this.

 

[huntertrw]

"What kind of pipes can you get from a drug store?"
Hummm...drugstore pipes?

 

[mso489]

Many drugstores in many areas have dropped pipes altogether, and pipe tobacco. The Grabow and MM answers still apply where they are sold. Why don't the smoke shop chains sell factory pipes and an array of pipe tobacco, beyond three or four brands of bag tobacco and maybe a tub brand or two. If drugstores don't feel they can sell them, why not these tobacco retailers. That's their business.

 

[erichbaumer]

I really like my two Grabow Starfires.

 

[deathmetal]

Drugstores are more like convenience stores now.

 

[erichbaumer]

I suppose I should qualify my statement. Both of my Grabows are from the 60s or 70s, and they have Vulcanite stems. Even some nice grain. So they are probably an entirely different animal from the pipes one finds in drug stores or on the "cheap" rack at B&Ms today.

 

[mso489]

You can use Savinelli 6 mm no-filter adaptors in Dr. Grabows and they work great. They are less than a dollar apiece from smokingpipes.com and others. This gives you a little tighter draw, no moisture leakage, and pipe cleaners pass through if the pipe ordinarily permits that (not all bent pipes do). I think they are sold in packs of five, and they work on Savs, Dr. Grabow, Medico, MM cob filter pipes, and any other pipe that takes a 6 mm filter.

 

[deathmetal]

The 6mm adapter did not fit in my Grabow, but maybe I'm not shoving it in hard enough...