Newb

onestrangeone

I have been considering trying a pipe and I have been eyeing the Stanwell pipe kit. Is this a good start up for a beginner? It looks to have everything I would need, is it alright to smoke these blends out of the same pipe? I would appreciate any advice before I pull the trigger.

christian1971

From my experience, which isnt that long, I would start with a corn cob pipe. Get several of them. One for different types of tobacco. They are cheap and work good imo. Once you get the hang of puffing etc. and are still enjoying the hobby, then I would move towards a "better" pipe. I have enjoyed my corn cobs very much! Im sure someone with more experience will chime in. Have fun!!!

J.S.

The Stanwell kit looks like a very good deal. Many like to start with cobs, I did not and I don't use them either. Not that they are bad. They are cheap but they must be replaced often. I have several cheap briars @ the 50-60 range and they work great. I also have a meer. That aside, the 965 and Ashton blend can be smoked in the pipe. I would not mix English and aromatic tobacco in the same pipe. So here just adding a cob to the kit would work great. Problem solved and you have a very good quality pipe to start with.

J.S.

Almost forgot, you might want to pick up some extra cleaners, you will go through a lot of them.

jsnake

Corncobs are a great start but a nice budget pipe can be great too. Be sure to have filters if needed or wanted, pipe cleaners, and a pipe tool. All the supplies are cheap. Most B&M's will let you smoke a bowl of what they have open or in bulk so you can see what you like before you commit. Try some different things out. I always thought pipes were an old man thing and once I tried one I was in love. If you like it and decide to stick with it then you can start looking at investing in some nice pipes.

Marker

onestrangeone

So I decided to go cheap, ordered some cobs and Sutliff variety tins to see if I can get the hang of it.

mgk2020

Cobs are a good way to start for all the reasons previously mentioned and Sutliff tobacco is what I started with also and can be okay, but my suggestion is to spend the extra couple of dollars on some higher priced tobaccos. In my estimation, it's worth it. I recommend McClelland, especially the Frogmortons. My only other piece of advice is to get a variety. Don't shy away from anything. Get aros, non-aros, flakes, ribbon cut, different types of tobacco (burley, latakia, drama, etc.). I say this because they can be very different and I originally stuck to "good intro/beginner" blends when I started and didn't really enjoy it until I tried the others. It's true some tobaccos are difficult without proper technique, and so on, but you can come back to them. You really won't get a good sense of all that's available without trying a lot.

onestrangeone

Smoked three bowls over the weekend, Sutliff R-Blend good flavor and aroma some bite tho I may have been puffing to hard/much I'm not sure, first time ever.

dr_frankenstein56

onestrangeone

costadelrica

like cristian said i think that starting with a corn cob pipe is the best way to know world of pipes because it's more esthetic and aromatic tooo

onestrangeone

So, I've been at this about three months now I have a few briars (mostly cheap) and several cobs, I am starting to get a feel for how to load and smoke as well as what I tend to like for flavor and strength. How can I tell if a new pipe is going to smoke well? One of my briars smokes well no matter how I pack it, as long as it's not to tight it will burn all the way to ash with maybe one relight, this is the Stanwell. one of the cheap briars does almost as well as long as I pack it carefully, then I have one that requires constant attention and relights I have tried several different methods of packing and it doesn't seem to make much difference, I'm guessing that different pipes require different styles of packing? what is it in the chamber that I am looking for?

dr_frankenstein56

Amos Umwhat

J.S.

J.S.

dr_frankenstein56

J.S.

Glad I could help! I hope you have a chance to enjoy DB soon. All this pipe talk will have me out later for a bowl or two.

dr_frankenstein56

J.S.

onestrangeone

I've been looking at a lot of higher end pipes lately. I found a Tim West that I'm drawn to, I can't seem to stop looking at it, thinking about it, wanting it. Does anyone know anything about these? This would be a fairly extravagant purchase for me. I don't mind spending the money but at the same time I don't want to be disappointed.

J.S.

Tim West's pipes are very well made. You would not be disappointed with the purchase. They are all handmade and he is a master maker. I don't know what your price range is but some of his work starts around $250 and goes up from there. All are good quality the higher price is often do to the time and work put into it but he makes some really great smoking and great looking pipes.

ejgorman

This thread has been extremely helpful. Personally, I only have one briar atm (Brigham Klondike saucer) and I got it cheap. I have yet to smoke out of it though. I've stuck to my corn cobs while I learn the ropes. Plus, I'm not entirely sure if I should reserve a briar until I've found a blend I like or just keep one for aromatics, one for Lat blends, etc. For whatever reason, I'm drawn to churchwardens. I can't help but think they're a pain in the behind to keep clean though.

J.S.

You are on a good path. To start with as you will get only a few good briars I would do as you are thinking one for each genre of tobacco. As you find specific blends that you are going to cellar and have explored them for some time you might reserve one (or more) for each of those blends exclusively. I have two churchwardens. They are just as easy to clean as a standard pipe. You just have to buy the pipe cleaners designed for them. I use the bristled for daily cleaning. When it comes time to do a fuller cleaning I use the extra think standard version as it seems to fill the draw hole better. I just let the alcohol cleaner sit in the stem for a while and absorb the tar, etc. and then take it out run a dry one through and repeat until the wet one comes out clean.

dr_frankenstein56

onestrangeone

J.S.

Break in should not be too much of an issue. You should be able to find several resources in a Google search to help there. Some come already seasoned and not break in is really needed. Either way just go slow keep the temp of the pipe low and you will be fine.

J.S.

Hmm. . . . How do you know when you have got it down enough to try a good pipe? Well, if you have not burned a hole (or made the briar soft in a place or two in the chamber) and you have been at it for a while than I would say you are good to go. If however, you are going through cobs or cheap briar I would wait. Cobs treated properly will last a very long time so burnouts there would also be a concern.

dr_frankenstein56

J.S.

There are tons of pipes out there that are .75 or bigger in your price range. Typically, Danish, Italian, German makers are more likely to make them than English and others although that is just a general rule. I know Peterson makes several lines that have pipes in this range and several American makers do too. When I think a large pipes names like JOHS, Nording (especially the free hand series) and Savineli (check out the Hercules line) all come to mind and all make lines that are well within your price range.