Any preference on 9mm pipe filters?

[joeechunn]

I'm about to purchase a stanwell hca churchwarden and I was wondering which kind of filters I should get. Are there some that are better than others? Please help me out!

 

[Doc Manhattan]

I've used a few different kinds, and more or less I haven't been able to tell the difference. The brands smoke pretty much the same, and I don't even taste much difference between the filters that use charcoal and those that use crumbs of meer.

The 9mm Savinelli balsa filters are the only really different ones--they're just like the kind they make in 6mm for many of their pipes. Different shape, different airflow.

 

[Natch]

Agree on the above concerning the charcoal types, go for what ever is cheapest. However, for certain gentle Virginias, I prefer the Savanelli balsa filters. They really just soak up a bit of the condensation. If you run them under hot water right after the pipe cools, I find I can get a couple of uses out of them before I notice a taste difference.

Don't try that with the charcoal ones! But do take them out and let them dry well and again you might get a second use of them. Personal preference dictates whether you use them once or a few times.

Natch

 

[joeechunn]

Ok thanks for the advice guys. Have you guys smoked a stanwell hca?

 

[Natch]

My HCA gets loaded about every other week. Our resident pipe maker, Sasquatch, made me a much larger bowl that takes the same Stanwell 9mm stem, and being larger, I tend to smoke it more. Both great smokers, though. The HCA bowl is just a bit thinner walled than I like and can get a tad hot if I'm not careful (and I'm seldom careful in life!).

Natch

 

[dshpipes]

I've had a few filter pipes, ala Dr. Grabow and Savinelli, and I've got to say that I much prefer unfiltered pipes. Actually, when I'm window shopping the internet (or anywhere else for that matter), I'll gaze at a filter pipe, but won't even consider buying it. IMO, putting anything in the airway restricts airflow and ultimately causes a less rewarding smoke.

That being said, if you buy one and just don't use a filter (or their little adapters) you get a wide open draw which makes smoking your pipe quite pleasurable. You just have to be careful and really sip on them.

 

[Ol'Dawg]

My preference for 9mm paper filters listed in order are:
Big Ben
Sandia--hard to find but almost as good
Vauen
Generic--cheap but not worth the effort

The Savinelli 9mm balsa filters are not bad but aren't as effective as paper filters in reducing moisture.

Jim..my ha'pence

 

[Mikem]

When I use 9mm filters (mainly for some "wet" aromatics) I prefer either the paper or charcoal filters made by Vauen. I hate the balsa filters as they get goopy, messy and everything else I could think bad about them. The problem is trying to find the Vauen filters.

 

[joeechunn]

Oh I actually didn't know you can smoke pipes without the filters in them. I always thought it would be bad for the pipe itself but I'll give it a shot. If that doesn't work out I'll probably just go for the cheapest, non-generic ones.

 

[Natch]

If you don't put anything in the chamber, it will act somewhat like a Kirsten, a large central chamber will drop the pressure and temperature of the smoke and create condensation (which in a Kirsten is a good thing, that's what its design is all about). If you're pipe has some bend to it and you clean it out after each smoke, it shouldn't be a problem.

They also make adapters that are roughly the same size as the 9mm filters, but with a single hole down the middle, about the same diameter as the draft hole is. The effect is pretty much like smoking a non-filter pipe. I've got a couple of those adapters that I don't use. PM me your address and I'll slip one in the mail.

Natch