From sheer curiosity, I bought a Brylon estate pipe off eBay. With shipping, it cost me less than $25.00 total.
The pipe was in relatively good condition, with minor surface scuffs, and a few scratches. Since the pipe itself was made from a molded, phenolic-like plastic, (not ceramic) sandpaper and some minor buffing restored the pipe into what it was when brand new. I must say the quality control an inspection process must have been excellent. Even under close examination, my Brylon pipe showed little evidence of any parting line where the two halves of the mold came together. Incredible. Today, pick up any molded object and you can see the evidence, and parting lines.... left by the mold.
I loaded my pipe and smoked it like I smoke all my other pipes. The pipe got too hot to hold, and it wasare too heavy to clench. I found myself holding the pipe like as I would a cigarette holder....or a cigar. The pipe also instantly gurgled, and smoked "wet". I'm a careful smoker and I'm mindful NOT to allow saliva to accumulate in my mouth, nor do I allow saliva to go down into my pipe stems. The button, while in my mouth, is in the empty mouth cavity and does not touch saliva. I am also not a clencher -so the pipe is out of my mouth most of the time.
My verdict:
Brylon smokes wet. Wet, and hot. Brylon is heavy. Brylon can be washed, sanded, polished, buffed, like any other inert plastic/phenolic material. Brylon has no chemical or plastic taste that I could dectect, and the Brylon material itself, will not affect tobacco flavors. Comparing it to a gifted corn-cob pipe that I ONCE, and only once, smoked, it has none of the disgusting plastic/shellac aftertaste. That gifted cob went right into the garbage where it belonged....my restored, polished, Brylon-estate- eventually followed the same route. Neither, in my opinion were worth the efforts to unlock their secret virtues. I have smoked Olive wood, Rosewood, and pipes made from Ebony and Bocote. All heavier and more dense than briar, and all smoked just as good. Out of all of them, Brylon was the only pipe that became too hot to hold, and smoked annoyingly wet.
Brylon pipes are cheap. If curious, spend a few bucks and try one out. If you hate it, give it to your enemy.
