Pipe Woods-Rosewood or Maple

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scipiosmoke

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I am just starting out with pipes and am quite content with my corn cob for now, however, I wanted to check out one of those cheap machine made wood pipes just for fun because it honestly can't hurt with how cheap they are. At the very least I get a new decoration! The company I'm looking at doesn't offer Briar but instead offers Walnut and Rosewood for the same price. The information I got online really didn't point one direction or the other. All I found out was that walnut has more of a nutty flavor and rosewood is more "tangy" (idk how that's possible). Also walnut has "rather large pores that allows tobacco juices to reach the exterior fairly rapid". I was wondering if any of you guys have more experience and know which wood holds up better or would be a better choice for other reasons.

Thanks!

 
I'd stick with a nice briar pipe. I think the experience with briar would be better then the exotic woods. My 2 cents.


Rodney
 
The problem is I'm a poor college student. Come summer when I can work more I'll go briar but in the meantime I'd like to at least try a cheaper wood one even if I might burn through the bowl in a month. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
Neither, go briar or go bust.

A viking would run you about 50, while a basket pipe can be had for 25 or so. I have never seen a wooden non briar pipe hold up to the punishment.
 
Literally can't afford that right now with other expenses but they look nice. Found one I liked (#13) for $45. Definitely on the list for when I get a briar. Thanks! Maybe I'll stick to corn cobs for now. Just for curiosity sake though has anyone smoked these woods?
 
I know one of you old timers have a grabow collecting dust you can send off to this poor fella. personally I only collect semi high end briars and only have two beater/travel pipes I dont care much about, one for virginias and one for english.
 
That's very kind but I'll think I'll manage with the corn cobs. Tobacco tastes good in them and that's what matters. :)
 
Thats the right attitude. Don't think that us brothers are discouraging you from entering the hobby at any level... I think we are more concerned that your first experience with a non briar wood pipe may turn you off from pipe smoking. Corn cob is a better way to go, should last you till you have the finances to explore other options. Since the cob is untreated, it is unlikely that shellac or varnish would affect your experience.
 
Nothing wrong with corn cobs. But if you want to try a "wood" pipe go with briar. 25 dollars can get you some decent pipes especially used...the other stuff will probably be very cheaply made compared to almost any decent brair. If you want a second pipe just buy another cob. They work well. Honestly, and everyone here can disagree (and while I love my brairs) corn cobs are just so low fuss and tend to do so well, you don't have to think that you are missing out on some great smoke just cuz you are using dried corn to smoke it in. Its like beer. You keep hearing about this incredible beer (say some Trappist beer) and you get all amped up...you go spend 10 dollars or more for the stuff and then you try it. And sure its good, but its not so good that it changes your whole world-view (well, maybe Duvel will do that)...in the end beer is just that---beer. In the end a good smoking pipe is just that...a good smoking pipe....no biggies.
 
Missouri Meerschaum makes some wood pipes that are priced quite similar to their cobs. Not the greatest wood pipe, but probably the best you will get without going to briar. Not indestructible by any means, but I doubt you'd wear one out before saving up enough money for a couple of good briar pipes.

Nothing at all wrong with cobs. 1/2 the pipes in my stash are from Missouri. :)
 
I had one of these Missouri Meerschaum Ozark Mountain pipes a while ago: http://www.rollyourown.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=120&products_id=622

Can't remember where I got it. Might have been Frenchy.

Anyway, for a while I actually preferred it over my cobs on days when I was out and about and didn't want to take a briar. There were a few blends it smoked really well. I have not been able to find a straight answer on exactly what kind of wood it is, but maple or birch seem like the most likely candidates. I still have it somewhere....just not sure where :lol:

At one point the stem came loose from the bowl, I just glued it back on and kept on truckin'. I would say it was about as durable as a cob.
 
"honestly can't hurt with how cheap they are"

This is wrong. Rosewood for example contains all kinds of toxic oils, as many exotic woods do. Heating them up and sucking them in is a stupid plan.

 
Hey, I took up pipe smoking about when I started college. Was often well below the poverty line but always had a couple briar pipes. You can find a Czech briar like the ones I smoke, for example, for under $35 and they smoke finer than you might think. That is, once you know how to pick them. Buying a new pipe is sort of a science as well as a sensual experience.

My two pipes from my college days were Dr. Grabows, the more expensive one was $23, the cheaper was $17. Given the hard plastic stems, these are better to avoid, but great as a last resort because of their consistent workmanship. Still not cheap enough? Cut down on the food habit and sell some plasma, anybody can afford a briar pipe is my point.

Having said all that, and like some others have said, a cob is a fine smoke as well.
 
FWIW, keep smoking the cobs until you can buy a decent briar. Just my 2 cents.
 
Due to the high number of pipes for sale at any given time on EBAY, it's not unusual for decent, older briar pipes to go for $9.99-$19.99, which is not too bad.
 
What's funny is that 'Years from now, when looking back, among your collection of fine briars - you'll stil have a couple of cobs because of how they smoke, and how they perform on humid days with moist tobacco'.

What i'm saying is - nothing wrong with Cobs. Most of the brothers here have/still have/have always had cobs - and always will.

Can't beat 'em for the price and they do smoke really well.

The MM wood pipes (Maple or Cherry finish) are ok, just be careful when breaking them in - not to get them too hot until a good cake is formed. Then they are pretty good for the price.
 
Sasquatch, where did you get this negative info about rosewood pipes? Weber and Herment both endorse them, and I have never heard that they are toxic in any way.
 
funny enough, I have been smoking pipes off and on for 30+ years and just recently tried a corn cob pipe. I have to say, it is an amazing pipe, especially for the price. Also if you can try ebay, you can find some good pipes for a decent price.

*edited cause my keyboard is acting up*
 
Bud Savoie":st8gom8h said:
Sasquatch, where did you get this negative info about rosewood pipes? Weber and Herment both endorse them, and I have never heard that they are toxic in any way.
Click to expand...
I'm a woodworker by trade. There are a lots of woods out there that anyone who has experienced working with them for a day knows that they leave your sinuses irritated, and in many cases, are allergic sensitizers which eventually trigger allergic or even anaphylactic reactions. This occurs with prolonged exposure or simply with multiple exposures over time.

Pretty often such woods are the oily, dense hardwoods we get from Africa, but lots of them are more mundane - I have a fairly serious reaction to Butternut, for example. If I get a Butternut sliver my hand goes numb.


So. There's charts around, here's one for example, that list toxicity in woods by reactive type and by amount, http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

Rosewood scores pretty heavily. It's full of oils and esters that you just don't want to handle much. So... we make a pipe out of these woods, treat them like "ordinary pipe wood" (which by the way is boiled to remove resins in the first place), and what happens - my argument is that you are heating up volatile oils and pulling them into your mouth/sinuses repeatedly. I think it's a stupid thing to do. The argument that people who use these woods will offer is that they've "never noticed anything" and that's not good enough for me. I know too many woodworkers who can't touch certain woods to think that these are good woods to make pipes out of.

Just my .02.
 
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