new pipe to new smoker

I would avoid Chinese pipes. All of the ones I see on the bay are junk. I am happy to give you my two cents on any pm link you send.

How much you want to spend and how patient you are will determine what you get from ebay. Some great listings every week are bargains if you spend some time looking and have played the game for awhile.

Stick with cobs. Best deal in the house, dime a dozen, smoke sweet, die easy after an eternity of baccy bliss.

Not all Chinese pipes are junk, though certainly many are at best suspicious. However, there are folks who specialize in pipe making, even in China lol, that can be trusted (at leaat as much as some other nonchinese pipe companies).

PS As you are new to wise pipe choices, for now I would stick with American, European etc. pipe makers and companies.

Problem with 3d printing pipes isn't the shape but the material. I'm certain you could print technically perfectly-shaped pipes, but they'd smoke terribly and probably toxicly (is that a word? Is now.) 3d printers all use various kinds of composite or plastic materials that are malleable when warm. You can see the problem with trying to use such an object to hold a fire . Plus, a good-smoking pipe must be absorbent, to soak up the moisture generated by burning the tobacco (plus the tar and other nastiness). A 3d printed pipe would be entirely non-absorbent, which means 100% of this stuff (plus chemicals from melting plastic) would go into your mouth. I can only imagine how bad it would taste.

Cobs are great, because a corncob is absorbent, so you get a dry flavorful smoke. Briar is great because it's tougher, still absorbent enough, and gives an experience some prefer in terms of holding warm, nicely grained wood. But it gets tricky here; because quality of wood and quality of workmanship can affect how well a briar smokes, whereas any cob is pretty well guaranteed to smoke well. A good briar does NOT have to be expensive, don't get me wrong... you just have to know a little bit about what to look for. Others much more knowledgeable than me can fill in the details; all I know is lighter wood is usually better (for comfort but also because it indicates more seasoned wood) with drilling that looks halfway straight.

You can learn a lot from hanging around here, but the only true test of a pipe is smoking it. There is also the matter of technique, even a great pipe will smoke poorly given the opportunity and bad technique. As with many things, there is a wide price point range for good smoking briar pipes. You can get a great pipe for $20 on eBay, or you can spend hundreds or more on a great smoking artisan pipe.
What I’ve learned about estate pipes, eBay or otherwise, is that condition is everything. You can resurrect most any pipe that has good bones and only needs a good cleaning. If the stem is chewed up, the shank cracked, or the bowl nearly burned through, move along. There is nearly an endless supply of decent briars on eBay and from other sellers. My best advice is to start with a reconditioned pipe and then go from there as you learn what you are looking for.
Good luck!

The "cheap pipe" question comes up enough on Reddit that I have a big copy/paste to address it. Before lighting me up, please bear in mind this is targeted at reddit users who tend to be young, poor, and have no idea what they want.

I am pasting old content, meant for another audience! for this audience, you are free to disagree, and I hope you indicate all the places my old copy/paste isn't relevant.

But the original poster of this thread asked for an inexpensive briar pipe, and I have an easily re-formatted post, and i'mma put it here just in case it helps.


The "cheap pipe" question comes up enough that I have a big old copy/paste to address it.

In your price bracket, you're going to be looking at mass-produced "factory" pipes rather than handmades. And that's not a bad place to be!

We live in a golden age for properly-made, attractive pipes at low prices.


Under $30:

* Medico ($23.50, shipped to your door!)
* Yello Bole

Under $50:

* Barracini
* Dr Grabow
* Savinelli Series III
* Rossi
* Morgan (Bones)
* Bruyere Ste Claude
* Kaywoodie

Under $100:

* Ropp
* Savinelli
* Molina
* Nording
* Eriksen
* Briarworks
* Chacom
* Butz Chocquin
* Stanwell
* Vauen

Most of the pipes made today are less than a hundred dollars. Most of them are very fine pipes!

Just buy something you like the feel of in your hand, from a reputable pipe manufacturer, and you'll do just fine.

_Personally_, speaking only to my own taste in pipes, I think the best bang for your buck is a modern-production Kaywoodie, or the classic French brands (Ropp, Chacom, BC). High quality briar and classic Anglo-French design, sold at the lowest possible prices.

But you really can't go wrong. _Everybody_ is making great pipes at lower prices than ever before.

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Short version: If you have a local brick and mortar, pick a pipe that feels good in your hand, from a reputable pipemaker, and just, well, go with it.


I second (or third) the Morgan Bones for a new briar. They are solid smokers and inexpensive. I have four, three I smoke regularly and one I’m thinking about staining, just for fun.

Morgan Bones is a great option, or for a bit more, check out the unfinished Savinellis at thepipenook.com. A 320 KS is the next on my list.

I started with filtered pipes and have moved to no filter. If in down, get a pipe with a filter. You can always get an adapter to replace the filter if you want.

For me, the filter helps stop the pipe from gurgling as it stops my drool from sliding into the bowl. I don't notice any other difference. However, many filters restrict the draw too much for me, but even when I smoke without the filter, any moisture collects in the filter chamber and do there's still no gurgle.

If you want to try a briar and are willing to look at estate pies, Pipestud (Steve Fallon) is a solid seller.


www.ebay.com/str/pipestudsconsignmentpipeshop