What Kind of Wood is Dr. Grabow Made Of??
- Thread starter taztime
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Dr. Grabow's were some of my first pipes. Most had a fill here or there but are decent pipes for very little investment. They are made out of briar, although it is not necessarily the higher quality of briar seen in more expensive pipes. Welcome to the forums!
Grabows are briar and they are OK pipes. Not the best, not the worst, and far from the most expensive. Most of us have one, or two; some have many. I have one in my meager collection, it smokes just fine and I smoke it at least once a week. It was the first pipe I ever purchased, over 35 years ago, and I'm still using it.
I have a few Grabows for when I am not smoking my cobs, good inexpensive pipe. Also another choice would be a Mr. Brog, I have a pearwood Churchwarden of theirs that I really like. Also they are a site sponsor.
The wood is briar, and all Grabows take a 6mm filter, but that's normally an option. They are not artisan quality,
but they smoke well; and they have been popular for many decades -- a testament to their serviceability.
It is probably a good idea to buy one as an entry level piece. Later, you can use it when you feel that a
more expensive pipe would be jeopardized by damage or loss.
In July, 2013, about the time PipesAndCigars.com will have hopefully gotten their house in order, they will have
a Baraccini pipe promotion. These are in the Grabow price range, and P&C will throw in a 1.5oz. tin of Hearth & Home
tobacco as a little bonus.
P&C occasionally has a 3 pipe for $60 deal -- pipes which, I'm guessing are at the Grabow quality level.
Cup O'Joes has some nice looking entry level briar at the Grabow price point also.
but they smoke well; and they have been popular for many decades -- a testament to their serviceability.
It is probably a good idea to buy one as an entry level piece. Later, you can use it when you feel that a
more expensive pipe would be jeopardized by damage or loss.
In July, 2013, about the time PipesAndCigars.com will have hopefully gotten their house in order, they will have
a Baraccini pipe promotion. These are in the Grabow price range, and P&C will throw in a 1.5oz. tin of Hearth & Home
tobacco as a little bonus.
P&C occasionally has a 3 pipe for $60 deal -- pipes which, I'm guessing are at the Grabow quality level.
Cup O'Joes has some nice looking entry level briar at the Grabow price point also.
The Dr. Grabow Royalton series was their top of the line, and there may be a few left on Amazon. I have a Dr.G Royalton, a Starfire, and a Viscount from the 80's. They are all fine pipes. That being said, the conventional wisdom is to buy the best pipe you can afford.
+1 Mr. Brog. I have two, a churchwarden with a cool spiral stem, and their number 43 model. Both of them are great smokers, better than some of my more expensive pipes. I particularly like them (as well as my cobs) because I'm not afraid to smoke the heck out of them without worry about mistreating a more expensive pipe.
... Taztime 
taz, welcome to the site. I say go for the gusto, here is a pipe that I think would be perfect for you.
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/rasmussen/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=123010
Seriously though, I think you should spend a little extra and listen to bigvan, if he says Parker is a great bang for the buck, I would listen to him. He knows pipes.
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/rasmussen/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=123010
Seriously though, I think you should spend a little extra and listen to bigvan, if he says Parker is a great bang for the buck, I would listen to him. He knows pipes.
I have 2 Parker's, they are both very old, only thing that I can fault them on is that they are on the small size, other than that fine smokers.
I have a Dr. Grabow Royalton bulldog and like it a lot. However, for a first briar pipe, you might want to
circumvent the whole filter issue; Grabow's are filter pipes. I'd recommend you start with an inexpensive
Savenelli. The best selection of Savenellli's economy pipes is at cupojoes.com. Many Savenelli's have
balsa filters, but in economy pipes, a number do not, like their unfinished pipes. These look a little raw
and pinewood like, but they soon darken and look like real pipes. Or you can get a Savenelli with finish for
as little as $39, with the option of using it with an adaptor and no filter. Other good starter pipes, without
filters, are at iwanries.com; go to Iwan Ries Exclusives. They run from about $36 to $55. Any of these,
including the Grabow, you won't go far wrong. I think the Dr. Grabow Royalton is a high quality pipe for
the price, nicely shaped and well crafted. I'd recommend any of these to anyone who wants a good pipe for
travel, fishing, or hauling around, not just new smokers.
circumvent the whole filter issue; Grabow's are filter pipes. I'd recommend you start with an inexpensive
Savenelli. The best selection of Savenellli's economy pipes is at cupojoes.com. Many Savenelli's have
balsa filters, but in economy pipes, a number do not, like their unfinished pipes. These look a little raw
and pinewood like, but they soon darken and look like real pipes. Or you can get a Savenelli with finish for
as little as $39, with the option of using it with an adaptor and no filter. Other good starter pipes, without
filters, are at iwanries.com; go to Iwan Ries Exclusives. They run from about $36 to $55. Any of these,
including the Grabow, you won't go far wrong. I think the Dr. Grabow Royalton is a high quality pipe for
the price, nicely shaped and well crafted. I'd recommend any of these to anyone who wants a good pipe for
travel, fishing, or hauling around, not just new smokers.
I've got a couple Starfires that I rather like, but they're old. We're talking as early as they were made to maybe the '60s. But for what it's worth, both have pretty nice grain and smoke as well as most of my other pipes, save the Peterson, Wellington and 1930s Kaywoodie.
And yes, buy the best you can afford. But some cheaper pipes are good for rounding out a rotation.
Note-If you can find a Starfire, they are NOT filter pipes, only ones I know of that Grabow has made. They are "adjustomatic" and have stingers, like Kaywoodies, but the stingers are removable.
And yes, buy the best you can afford. But some cheaper pipes are good for rounding out a rotation.
Note-If you can find a Starfire, they are NOT filter pipes, only ones I know of that Grabow has made. They are "adjustomatic" and have stingers, like Kaywoodies, but the stingers are removable.
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