What's Your Best Smoker?

[doctorthoss]

My question is: What is you best smoking briar? Not the most expensive, most visually appealing, most collectible, etc. I'm interested only in those pieces of briar that surpass all others in their smoking qualities. I'm especially curious about whether our answers shed any light on that tired old question about whether cheap pipes smoke as well as high-end artisan briars.
This question occurred to me today because I'm bidding on a Dr. Grabow Collector 2003. I seem to be the only bidder on it thus far, which I find a little surprising. I've been smoking pipes for over two decades now and have smoked Dunhills, Ardors, Savenellis, Stanwell, Boswells, Petersons, Nordings, and a whole slew of cheaper brands. I lean strongly toward the side of the argument that the cheaper pipes often smoke as good or better than the more expensive ones. For instance, I think I might be the only guy in American who actually collects Gatlinburlier house pipes from the 80s and 90s. Why? They are AWESOME smokers. But, curiously enough, the best line of briars I've ever encountered were the Grabow Collector series from 2002 (straight stem) and 2003 (bent stem). For some bizarre reason, this line of Grabows -- and only this line -- had something really special going for it. They are black sandblasts with brass bands around the stems, and the only explanation I can come up with is that the batch of briar used for them was exceptionally good. They break in quickly and bring out the absolute best smokes from most types of tobacco. Only Vas and Va/Pers don't seem to smoke well in them. English, Balkan, burleys, Lakelands/aros -- all do crazy well in them. Inexplicable? Probably.
So, anyhow, what are your experiences with this question?
Also, here's a link to one of the Grabows I'm talking about. if anyone knows anything about this line, let me know!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-NICE-DR-GRABOW-COLLECTOR-2003-SMOKING-TOBACCO-ESTATE-PIPE-/271342335660

 

[escioe]

My steadiest smoker over the years has been a Comoy 64, a small sandblasted billiard. But most of my pipes smoke something well. I just got a Comoy 182, a giant saddle billiard in pebble grain, and it smokes really well so far.

 

[oldredbeard]

Doc, I have 2 of the 2003 collector pipes you are bidding on. And you are right my friend, they smoke fantastic. If I didn't already have them you might have some other competition on that one. I also have a pipe stamped Monti Carlo that is what we call a magic pipe, it doesn't matter what blend you put in it, it smoke wonderfully. Like you I have smoked many more expensive brands, and find my less expensive pipes to smoke just as well with the right blends.

 

[billypm]

I've got two little Hardcastles, both smooth, one a Liverpool and the other an apple. Both acquired a tad beat-up as estates, both unsurpassed in smoking quality. I've got a GBD New Standard and a rusticated Sasieni, billiards both, that are close seconds.

 

[jgriff]

A month ago, I would have agreed with you and said a cheap Weber Blackthorn Lovat was my best smoker despite the price. However, I've recently acquired a patent-era Dunhill 114 that was refurbished at Walker Pipe Repair and it's easily my best smoker. The weight, draw, and stem comfort are perfect.

 

[mso489]

I have 46 pipes, and on a given day, with a specific tobacco, most of them qualify for that sense

that they are the best smoker I have. Sometimes I'll pack larger tobacco pieces in a too-small or

too-narrow bowl, or make some other tactical error, but that same pipe, properly matched and

packed, will be the best in the world to me. This runs the gambit from extra large to Group 1,

from full bent, through all permutations, to absolutely straight stemmed. From just broken in to

38 years old. All finishes and shapes, and various different nations of manufacture. None of these

are shoot-the-moon expensive. The most expensive were bought at deep discount. I attribute this

wide feeling of success to not be perfectionistic, culling pipes that don't work for me, and spending

significant energy on shopping pipes and getting a lot of my money, and also paying attention to

the psychological factors in enjoying a pipe, proper frame of mind, thought to selecting tobacco,

and keeping the pipes clean and appetizing.

 

[kashmir]

My best smokers tend to be the ones I reach for most. Which, over the past five years or so, have tended to be group 3 and 4 sized straight billiards. Blasts and smooths.

 

[salewis]

I would say that my Claudio Cavicchi pipes are consistently my favorite smokes followed very closely by my Rad Davis'.

 

[petes03]

+1 mso489, for the most part!
As for Dr. G's, I only have two of them, a Belvedere and a Royalton. The Belvedere is ok, but the Royalton is on par with pipes costing several times it's purchase price.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I have to agree that pipes pedigree or cost is of little consequence to me in determining whether a pipe is a good smoker. I don't have too many what you would call high grade pipes anymore., and when I did, I didn't find that they smoked better than any other pipe. My favorites at this time are a GBD Fantasy in a prince shape that is a wonderful smoker no matter what I feed it. Another fave is an old Comoy's Old Bruyere bent billiard, that smokes really well and has a very comfortable bit. Lastly, a surprise to me, is one of those old funky carved Duncan Hill Aerospheres in a pot shape that cost me all of $1.25 that has a large bowl and smokes really well and cool too.

All I know is that I look forward to trying other old pipes whether cheap or more expensive, as it's all good fun!

 

[philobeddoe]

I have an old Peterson Mark Twain from the 80's, that smokes as well as or better than any other pipe I have ever owned. I have had pipes that cost much more and that were handmade by master artisans, but that pipe has some kind of magic to it, it must be that perfect piece of briar, that was cut on just the right day, during a full moon by a beautiful virgin who was clad in white sheer silk.....or, I just got real lucky!

 

[vigil]

I just can't pick one. My Falcons are good consistent smokers. Spool bowl being the best. A Comoy Blue Riband Billiard has been in my rotation for a decade now. And, just picked up a Viking 80 (pre Bjarne) that really takes well to aros.
Basically, all cheap straight billiards.

 

[cigrmaster]

My best smoking pipes are my artisan made pipes and they smoke significantly better than any of my factory pipes except my lone Castelllo. I have 31 artisan made pipes with 18 of them being made by Rad Davis. I have 4 from Brian Ruthenberg, 2 from Bruce Weaver and one each by Stephen Downie, Scott Thile, Mike Butera, Jody Davis, Tonni Nielsen, Steve Morrissete and a new Trevor Talbert that I have yet to smoke. The Castello smokes as good as the artisan pipes but the stem is made of acrylic so it is not as comfortable.
I used to smoke pipes from factories like Dunhill, Ashton, Ferndown, lane era Charatan, Upshall, GBD, Sasieni, Ardor, Caminetto( Ascorti/Radice Era), Radice, Viprati, Castello, Ser Jacobo, Savinelli, Don Carlos, Mastro de Paja, Winslow,Nording,Jensen, Peretti. I smoked artisan pipes from Former( Hans Nielsen), Rainer Barbi, Kurt Balleby, Peter Matzhold and Tom Spanu. I have owned 2 Meers, one a CAO the other and SMS. I have smoked my share of quality pipes over the years, with many being what some would consider high line pipes but none that would be considered ultra high line such as a Jess Chonowitsch or Lars Ivarsson or a Bo Nordh.
I can say with no reservations that the American Artisan pipes that I am buying now are the best smokers I have ever bought. The reason I say this is that the smoking properties are second to none. These pipes smoke drier than any pipes I used to own, they smoke cool, they are light and the stem work is outstanding which makes the smoking experience that much better. But most importantly, these pipes make my flakes taste great which is the main reason we buy pipes, to make our tobacco taste great.
In the past, I was focused on looks and grain and smoking properties took a back seat. Until I smoked my first Rad I did not know that a pipe never needed a pipe cleaner in the humidity of Florida. I got used to having to use one or two or three per bowl to soak up excess moisture. Even my best pipe a Former would need a cleaner when I was smoking outside in the humidity. Until my first Rad, I never knew that a stem could be so comfortable and easy to clench even though I had owned multiple pipes from Former and Rainer Barbi whose pipes cost 2-3 times the price of a Rad. I did learn that certain artisans are so much better than others just as certain factories are much better than others. I learned that paying attention to size and shape and weight makes a big difference to which type of tobacco you plan on smoking in a certain pipe. I have gone through multiple stages in my pipe collecting career. At one time I was obsessed with trying to get great smoking pipes for less than 75.00. I bought Lane Era Charatans, Winslows, GBD, Sasieni,Savinelli, Upshall, Peretti and out of all of those pipes, only a couple of Savinelli's, an Upshall and my Peretti were good smokers. The others were decent smokers, but I ended up either selling them all or giving them away. And none of them were any where near the same league as my artisan pipes I now own.
The most important thing I have learned in my latest stage of pipe collecting is that the smoking properties is the most important thing to consider when I buy a new or estate pipe. I think about how well will the pipe smoke my flakes and how comfortable it will be to clench while smoking. I learned the hard way that I cannot smoke grain and I cannot smoke looks. Yes a pipe has to catch my eye, but it is not the most important aspect.
I have a price threshold that I am very strict about not going over as I feel I can get great smoking pipes for the prices I want to pay. I would much rather have 30 great smoking artisan pipes over 75 decent smoking factory pipes. I had to learn that quality is more important to me than quantity. I used to be the other way where quantity was more important to me.
Now in regards to the OP's original question about my best smokers, I have to say that I do not have just one. I have so many that are equal in smoking properties like most of my Rad's. My Ruthenbergs smoking wise are right up there with my Rads but his stem work is a notch below, same thing with my Weavers. My Downie smokes as good as any pipe I own and his stem work is right up there with my Rad's. My Thile smokes as good as any pipe in my collection and his stem work is great. My Butera smokes incredible but his stem work is not Rad. My Jody Davis is as good as any pipe I own. My Tonni Nielsen is a great pipe but I consider it a notch below my Rad's as the stem work is not as good. I think that many of us make the same mistakes when we fist get into pipes, we go for looks over function, we do not understand what makes a great smoking pipe, we don't understand that certain pipes go better with certain tobacco's and we tend to think that quantity over quality is something to aspire to, when the exact opposite is where many of us eventually end up. It is difficult in the beginning to understand why a certain pipe smokes better than another. It is hard to know why we like a straight pipe over a bent or why a certain shape calls us. I think all new smokers should go easy with pipe buying in the beginning because your tastes will most likely change the longer you smoke, I now that was the case for me. It took me a dozen years to finally get a good handle on what I like in a pipe.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

All mine are fantastic smokers. If I had to give the nod to just one producer, I would say Michael Parks. He makes fantastically engineered pipes.

 

[klause]

A WW2 era squat faceted bulldog. Cost me a Euro. Nothing I have comes close to this pipe (and I have a couple of lovelies in my collection).

 

[sablebrush52]

All of the pipes in my collection are great smokers. If a pipe fails to please, it gets to find a new home. Of the Barlings that comprise the largest group, some just seem to smoke beautifully without any help from me. My favorites are a '40's era bent, a huge Quaint pot, two apples, one of them a 1962 Barling's Make, my 1908 calabash, my 1907 bulldog with sterling windcap, a post transition "Presentation" grade that was hand carved, and a 1916 YOW billiard that looks very like a Dunhill LB.

As for artisan pipes, my Talbert Ligne Bretagne pipes are all super smokers, the Lee Von Erck pipes are amongst the sweetest smokers, and the Tony Fillenwarth pipes are very open sweet smokers as well, just a tad large and heavy for constant use. All of my Comoy's are also great smokers. Along with the more lofty items, my humble Ehrlich billiard holds its own with any of them.

The best smoker is the one that I choose on any given day.

 

[pitchfork]

I'm of a similar mind to Harris on this. I'd say my best smokers are my hand-made pipes by Alexander Ponomarchuk, Andrew Marks and Ryan Alden, plus a handful of my Elliott Nachwalter pipes. One of my Stanwells, a featherweight poker, is also outstanding, but the stem is acrylic.
Still, in the spirit of the OP, this French Rhodesian gets along great with English blends. It's not at all "properly engineered." In fact, the tenon-mortise gap is so big, and the tenon so fat, that it almost works like a reverse-calabash pipe. I ALWAYS get a cool smoke with no gurgle -- ever. And it really brings out the best in Latakia blends like EMP and Chelsea Morning.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I have to say my Peterson St. Patty's Day 2013 XL90 is my best smoker. Lately it has smoked like a champ every smoke. My other pipes seem to be smoking pretty good lately too though. I may have to start recording my smokes so I can look back at each pipe and see how each one performed with the same amount of uses.

 

[igloo]

A little Cockney of London it is magic briar ,followed by a pre number Gepetto .

 

[gentlemanjerry]

My Savinelli straights - I think it's due to the 6mm balsa inserts - makes for a cool smoke!