Choosing A pipe

Budget is an obvious consideration. Spend enough to be sure you are getting a pipe which will smoke nicely and give you some aesthetic pleasure as well, but don’t spend more than you are willing to ‘park’ in case (for some crazy and unfathomable reason) you decide that pipe smoking isn’t for you. Avoid the very cheapest wooden pipes, for example unbranded Chinese made pieces. There are enough good pipes out there from well-established (mainly European) makers which won’t break the bank.

Does more expensive = better smoking performance?

Not necessarily!  How well a pipe smokes is down to a combination of factors:  The type and quality of raw materials used, the proportions of the pipe, the drilling of the draught hole and air passages, the design of the mouthpiece.  Some of these produce nuanced differences, some are dramatic.  If we consider briar pipes, it is fair to expect a $100 pipe to smoke better than a $20 pipe and it really should.  Once you are spending more than $60 you can expect to get good quality briar, from a functional viewpoint.  Above this price the cosmetic quality of the briar will improve i.e. fewer or no cosmetic blemishes needing filled, and nicer grain patterns.  Filler is used by pipemakers to improve the aesthetics where minor imperfections show in the wood through sand pits for example. Done professionally this has no impact on the smoking quality or lifespan of the pipe.  However many collectors do aim to own at least some higher end pipes with natural grain as close to perfection as possible. 

Some of the factors affecting pipe prices have absolutely nothing to do with smoking performance, for example silver embellishments, which are ultimately mainly decorative.  It is also fair to observe that some brands carry a premium price tag, reflecting a very high quality of product, but also due to their enduring company history and desirability, the most notable example being the famous Dunhill.  Whilst there is no doubt that a Dunhill pipe represents the pinnacle of quality for a factory made piece, there is no shortage of debate as to whether they smoke 3 times better than a Peterson or Savinelli, given that they average at over 3 times the price point.  In truth, they do not, but smoking pleasure does not only derive from the 'mechanics' of what you are holding. There is a peculiar satisfaction in owning a piece from one of the iconic manufacturers, carrying with it a long history of tradition and excellence. That of course carries its own price tag.  When it comes to choosing a manufacturer, you have a huge choice of both factory and artisan made pipes.  We have an overview of the differences here: Artisan Vs Factory Made Pipes.  You can read more about quality versus price in our detailed article here.

Unless you have very deep pockets, or you are certain that pipe smoking is something you’ll stick with long-term, you might not want to rush into a high value piece as your starting point. Most seasoned pipe smokers recommend that the initiate starts with a low to medium priced ($50-$100) briar pipe from one of the well known brands in the case of a briar pipe. These companies benefit from economies of scale and good quality control standards which mean you’ll generally get a well finished and quality pipe for a moderate cost. Brands such as Savinelli and Peterson largely represent the ‘middle ground’ in terms of high volume production manufacturers with broad price ranges and many loyal followers, though both also offer some relatively high end pieces for the connoisseur. At a lower price point brands such as Rossi, Parker, and Molina can offer great choices.  Another great option for a beginner is a corn cob pipe (section below).

Another consideration, and one well worth thinking about is Estate pipes i.e. pre-owned pipes. There are many good websites dedicated to these, some specialising in pre-owned collectible pieces commanding very high prices, but also many offering a wide range of low and medium priced pipes. Our Pipe Club of India member, Simon Lewis, offers affordable restored estate pipes from his workshop in the Pyrenees.  The advantage with an Estate pipe is that you well get a good pipe for your money (compared to brand new pricing) and you also have the option to resell it later on with little or no financial loss. If you do opt for the Estate pipe route try to find a vendor selling properly cleaned and refurbished pipes, rather than picking up something you find on eBay which may have been lurking in a dirty drawer for ten years without a clean. Of course it’s up to you but our advice would be to source something you can immediately smoke and enjoy without having to give it a deep clean. In the future, once your eye for pipes develops, you may well enjoy searching out estate pipe bargains. There are often some treasures to be found in flea markets and antique stores and occasionally we hear stories of someone turning up a vintage Dunhill or Sasieni at a market for $10 when it could be worth $300 to a collector.  

The pros and cons of filters in tobacco pipes is a frequent discussion point in virtually all pipe forums and groups. Some rate filter pipes as providing a cleaner and drier smoke. On the other hand, others feel that filters remove some of the flavour and create excessive resistance to the draw.   Debate is only further fuelled by the fact that there are various types of filter available, not only in terms of material but also in diameter and design.

There are a couple of reasons to employ a filter in a tobacco pipe. One is to hopefully reduce the level of potentially harmful substances reaching the smoker, the other is to create a cooler and drier smoke as the filter provides a physical barrier to the vapour.

The most commonly used filters are 6mm and 9mm inserts which sit in the stem of the pipe, where it meets the shank. Most brands are made of paper and plastic and contain activated charcoal to filter excess moisture and tars from the smoke. Many report that this does result in a smoother drier smoke but the majority opinion notes that it does somewhat diminish the flavour of the smoke.  A well regarded option is Savinelli's balsa wood filters. These are inserted in the same way as the charcoal filters but do seem to offer less draw resistance and have no negative effect on flavour.  They are however more targeted at moisture reduction and capture of some excess tars, rather than the more comprehensive filtering achieved by the charcoal versions.

So what of unfiltered pipes? Well, these would fall into a couple of categories worth noting, and there are some performance differences in terms of achieving a cool, dry smoke.  What we can call 'standard anatomy' pipes where there are no specifically designed moisture capture systems, and then a range of pipes employing different design solutions to capture moisture and provide a drier smoke.  Of the latter the best known proponent would be the patented Peterson System.  This offers pipes with special drilling that creates a moisture capture chamber that the smoke must pass through before reaching the mouthpiece.  This encourages condensation of moisture, resulting in a drier smoke.  Calabash and reverse calabash pipes operate in a similar fashion, but have a much more pronounced secondary chamber to encourage condensation. 

How cool and dry a pipe smokes is not just a function of having a filter or not.  As noted above there are some specific pipe designs intended to reduce moisture and prolong the smoke's travel to the mouthpiece, resulting in a cool and dry experience.  Pipes without any such features can of course also provide an excellent smoking experience, if properly designed and made.  The angles and diameter of drilling are critical to performance, so a well made pipe is a good starting point to achieve a satisfying result. You will also find that pipes offering a longer stem will tend to produce a cooler and drier smoking experience, as the greater distance travelled by the smoke encourages cooling of the smoke and greater condensation of excess moisture.  This is a defining attribute of the long-stemmed churchwarden design.

We won't seek to give a definitive answer on the question of filters or moisture capture designs. Some tobacco pipe smokers swear by tham, others swear at them!  Opinions are indeed very much divided, so our only advice can be to find what works for you through trial and error. However as a beginner, we don't want your first buying decision to be an error, so we again highly recommend that you choose a pipe from a well known manufacturer.  A well made non-filter pipe is an easy starting point as you have one less consumable to consider, and with a little basic smoking technique you should be able to achieve a great smoking experience.