New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fart

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Subvet642

Hi James, I'm kinda anal like that, too. I've only bought estate pipes that have been reasonably serviced; you know, bowl reamed, everything cleaned up a bit. I, of course, do my own cleaning, too.

Mark, thanks for the links! And thanks for the good advice from Brian and the Rev, too. I'm not too worried about smoking too fast, see, I smoke a lot of small ring CC's so I tend to smoke slowly, anyway. Hopefully, the Chacoms won't give me too much trouble. I hear that they're pretty cool smokers and the smallish bowl sizes suit me as well. Besides, they make such pretty pipes.

Here is something to consider, since you already like estate pipes. Certain pipe brands really hold value well, usually 50% of new pipe prices. It is why I buy estate pipes. You get a pipe for about 50% of the new price at the time of purchase... as the price of the new pipes in that brand rises, so does the price of the estates of that brand. I have purchased an estate pipe for $50 which I sold about 15 years later for $110.

You are also right, they come cleaned and ready to smoke, and you usually do not have to struggle through the break in period.

Brands I have found easy to break in: Castello, Radice, Don Carlos, Lee von Erck, Cobs. Stanwell, Savinelli, Meerschaums

Brands I have found hard to break in: Peterson, Dunhill, Chacom, Butz-Choquin

Brands that were all over the map in regard to breaking in are plethora!

Peace of the Lord be with you.