What Makes a Good Pipe?

[Admiral Byrd]

I just bought a lot of 4 no-name briar pipes on eBay. I liked the shape and condition of the pipes and have since cleaned them and smoked a couple of bowls in each pipe (G.L. Pease Westminster) for comparison. They all had a different approach to the tobacco. One of the pipes is a little "acorn" shaped pipe with a small bowl that is just soooo smooth. I hear talk of wood types, wood grain density and direction, bowl size and draft hole. My pipe collection is mostly "shop" pipes. But, going forward. I may start gathering some higher end pipes. I know this is very subjective, but, what do you look for when you buy a pipe? I am hoping to learn some basics in choosing a good pipe. You, know, a GOOD pipe

 

[Chasing Embers]

You, know, a GOOD pipe

Entirely subjective to the smoker, usually 10% equipment and 90% the technique of the smoker. You're in for a lot of trial and error.

Qualities of a Good Beginner Pipe :: Pipe Smoking Basics & Beginner Questions

So what would be the qualities for a good beginner pipe? I ask because I had a person ask me. From what I understand, a pipe with a little thicker walls would be better than thinner walls. Having a bent shank is more comfortable, but really that comes down to preference (from what I...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[brooklynpipeclub]

When I pick a pipe to buy it's largely based on aesthetic. If the shape and finish of the pipe appeal to me I will purchase the pipe, especially if it comes from a reputable maker or brand. That being said, what makes a good pipe in my opinion, assuming it is well made and drilled correctly, is a matter of how it actually performs. I like a pipe that smokes cool and dry, feels comfortable in my hand and mouth and brings out the flavors of the tobacco I'm smoking in it. I've spent good money on higher end pipes that don't smoke as well as some 'lower end' pipes. The thing is, you won't know how 'good' a pipe is until you've smoked it.

 

[Smoked69]

Brooklyn is spot on. Most of my collection are estate buys, primarily Sav's. I buy styles that look and feel good in my hand and go from there. I have some 50+ year olds that smoke far better than some high end ones I have purchased. You can get some great buys for under 50 bucks on the auctions.

 

[bullet08]

Peterson with silver band. Just love their pipes and I do love me some hallmarked silvers. Only purchase pipes online, and have been very lucky. They all smoke great.

 

[johng99]

I too have several estate pipes as I find great values to be had with a bit of work. Lately I have been focusing on older British pipes. I have Charatan, Barling, Comoy, GBD and a few others and would say that I average around $75 each. Some I have paid more, but there are bargains to be had (I got one Barling for postage only - when I inquired about an online post the seller just gave it to me!). Most of these pipes smoke really great. I have really enjoyed the older (family era) Barlings. To me they are cool smoking, and almost a bit sweet/creamy in character. I have heard that they were well engineered so that may be part of it. Anyway, good luck with your search - it's a journey not a destination!

 

[workman]

A pipe that is good for one smoker can be bad for another.
With my limited experience in buying pipes I conclude that buying online is a gamble. So is buying in situ from a tobacconist, but the chance of success is higher, because you have the actual pipe in hand and can inspect the stem and button and see for yourself if it passes a cleaner. The mouthpiece in particular is important.
That being said, I have been consistently satisfied with some brands. Stanwell and Savinelli never let me down, partly because I know what to look for within those brands.
If the pipe is well made, good airflow and reasonable weight, what's most important is how the mouthpiece feels in your mouth and if the stem fits your teeth for clenching, if you clench, which I do all the time.

 

[laniromee]

To me if the fit is good, the airhole drilling is open and meets the bottom of the chamber nicely, the tenon is beveled, stem funneling is decent and the button is thin and rounded, then such pipe is already a best smoker. Some of those are more important than others and you can have a pipe that smokes very good without meeting all the above checklist.

Beyond that, I'm very particular with how the pipe looks too but then I think it's a matter of taste. I myself like classic shapes with textured finishes for the hand.

 

[tenton]

Agree with chasingembers, that it's 10% equipment and 90% technique. That being said, one of the things that culls a pipe for me is a whistling stem. I mean even a cob gets that right. It's amazing to me anyway, the number of $300 to $400 + range online pipes I've sent back because of this. Some might say it doesn't matter, but when I'm paying that price, or any price for that matter, the stems airway needs to be addressed for it to be a keeper for me.

 

[shanez]

As long as a pipe has a good unrestricted draw then the only other requirements are purely aesthetic.

I have too many calabash, reverse calabash, and just plain weird shapes that are never going to pass a cleaner with the stem attached so I don't use it as criteria.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

To me if the fit is good, the airhole drilling is open and meets the bottom of the chamber nicely, the tenon is beveled, stem funneling is decent and the button is thin and rounded, then such pipe is already a best smoker. Some of those are more important than others and you can have a pipe that smokes very good without meeting all the above checklist.

Beyond that, I'm very particular with how the pipe looks too but then I think it's a matter of taste. I myself like classic shapes with textured finishes for the hand.

I'am supporting this opinion, needless to say, If and when I'am buying expensive brand new pipe(200$ and up) I don't want to see any significant factory flaws, sure enough, I can modify and sort out little imperfections but If the pipe has aready high price tag on it ,it an't the customer who's supposed to do any corrections

 

[mso489]

Rather than list attributes, I'd sum it up in one word, convergence. It's a number of characteristics brought together in one pipe, that makes it an especially good smoker for its owner, but maybe/likely not everyone. These various traits have been enumerated, in part, in preceding posts. Both general pipe smoking techniques (as chasing mentioned) and learning the traits of that one pipe are also keys.

 

[anotherbob]

all a great pipe can do is make you have to work less to get a great smoke. A bad pipe can ruin any smoke. That's about the long and short of it. Oh and it seems like the curse of pipe smoking is that most of our rules turn out to be speculation and not facts.

 

[saltedplug]

I just bought a lot of 4 no-name briar pipes on eBay. I liked the shape and condition of the pipes and have since cleaned them and smoked a couple of bowls in each pipe (G.L. Pease Westminster) for comparison. They all had a different approach to the tobacco. One of the pipes is a little "acorn" shaped pipe with a small bowl that is just soooo smooth. I hear talk of wood types, wood grain density and direction, bowl size and draft hole. My pipe collection is mostly "shop" pipes. But, going forward. I may start gathering some higher end pipes. I know this is very subjective, but, what do you look for when you buy a pipe? I am hoping to learn some basics in choosing a good pipe. You, know, a GOOD pipe

"Wood types, wood grain density and direction" are all irrelevant, as is bowl geometry, etc ., etc . The forums are full of this rubbish. If a pipe smokes well and you like it, that's the end of the matter, because although what criteria you find valid are known to you, your subjective experience cannot be communicated to others and are thus unreliable. Pipe smoking is almost entirely subjective.

To me if the fit is good, the airhole drilling is open and meets the bottom of the chamber nicely, the tenon is beveled, stem funneling is decent and the button is thin and rounded, then such pipe is already a best smoker. Some of those are more important than others and you can have a pipe that smokes very good without meeting all the above checklist.

The best post in the thread.

Agree with chasingembers, that it's 10% equipment and 90% technique.

No one seems to listen to this. It's always this pipe. . . .oh!!, and this pipe. . .oh!!. Following this principle we could drop any mention of pipe quality because in the end technique wins over all.

Pipes can be very expensive, but after spending a lot of money trying to replicate others' claims that thus and such a pipe delivers an extraordinary smoke, that Castellos are sublime as are the pipes of Bill "Ashton" Taylor, S. Bang, Fritz Becker, Will Purdy (a Greg Pease recommend), and on and on and on. In my opinion, it all bs. I never found smoking magic in any of the 150 pipes I smoked. It's all recycled forum ignorance and makes me very irritated, having induced me and many others to spend money we didn't have on smoking instruments that never delivered.

I like the descriptions of the pipes smokingpipes sells. I learn more about the design. But the learned phrasing and diction always overstate the pipes' value, and just in case you missed the point, sometimes outright tell you to buy the pipe. It's sales hoorah, and it disgusts me.

The pipes are not at fault. The criteria above withstanding, pipes are just pipes.

 

[warren]

MSO (and others) has the right idea in my opinion.

For me, a pipe which "fits" my eye, fits well in the fist, hangs well from my mouth, smokes great with each bowl (after nearly 60 years very rarely am the cause of a poor smoke), maybe has a bit of silver, and has been well constructed. My rotation contains only pipes which meet all of my criteria. Any of which did not meet my specs have long since resided in the local landfill. It's been at least five years since a pipe, in a shop, has caught my eye. I prefer "conservative" shapes, brier or meerschaum.

Cobs, as I consider them to be "disposables", only have to deliver nicotine on the river or out in the bush when working. They're light so, they are nearly always comfortable in the mouth, light and forget. They generally assault my eye, but do what they are designed to do cheaply and well. Very utilitarian! I can appreciate that. I did affect a MacArthur back when I was young, thought it made a proper impression. I was the impressionable one! It's around somewhere in the house. I look at it now and then simply to stay as humble as I am these days. What was I thinking?

 

[Guppy]

If it's drilled correctly, almost anything is smokable. The condition of some estates I've restored leaves even this in question. The rest is what you enjoy, and be prepared for that to change over time as your tastes evolve.

 

[petes03]

I have pipes ranging from Dr. Grabow and Yello Bole to Dunhill, Caminetto and artisan made. I have a Dr. Grabow Royalton that I wouldn’t dream of letting go. It smokes as well as any of my high end pipes. I also have mid range pipes that smoke extremely well, and a few that tend to gather dust due to being sub-par smokers. I do believe that a great deal of a “good smoke” has to do with the smoker, but some pipes just seem to have a certain magic about them. Some say that older pipes smoke better, mainly due to the quality of briar that was used way back when. I believe there is some truth to that, but not entirely. I have a very old Black Prince (Barling sub-brand) which is probably one of my best smokers, and I also have an old Charatan’s Make that is not so stellar. The drilling is good on the Charatan, but it’s smoking characteristics are lacking substantially.
Also, some pipes don’t really hit their stride until they’ve been extensively broken in, whereas some smoke great from the first bowl. It’s really hard to pin down the voodoo that’s going on sometimes. Generally, most pipes smoke acceptably, even some with sub-par drilling. But every once in a while the stars align, whether for good or bad.

 

[mikethompson]

I know this is very subjective, but, what do you look for when you buy a pipe? I am hoping to learn some basics in choosing a good pipe. You, know, a GOOD pipe

One of the most subjective questions in the pipe smoking world!

A good pipe is honestly whatever you want it to be. Does it appeal to you visually? Does it smoke well for you?

 

[briarbuck]

If you offered me the perfect pipe and then said it's for 5$, I probably would pass because it's too cheap to possibly be any good.

 

[anotherbob]

Some say that older pipes smoke better, mainly due to the quality of briar that was used way back when.

I wonder. People said the same things about old guitars how much better they were. Turned out that it was sort of true, but had to do with the wood changing do to age. Same thing supposedly applies to the Stradivarius. Maybe there is something to that or maybe not when looking at pipes.