Probably a dumb question about meerschaum pipes

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
billporter1456

billporter1456

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Can someone explain to me to downside of cheap meerschaums that are NOT made from block meerschaum?
 
the only dumb question is the one not asked!

i do not have a definitive answer to your question, but hopefully someone more schooled than i on the topic can chime in.

cheap meers are usually made from "pressed" or "compressed" meerschaum particles and shards, with a binder used to hold it all together. think: PLYWOOD vs PARTICLE BOARD.

the particle board WILL get the job done, but it suffers from substantial issues if certain things happen that don't impact quality plywood in the same way.

like particle board, i'd assume that pressed meer does a FINE job - until something goes awry. time, heat, water - something.

doody.
 
As above and secondly, they do not color as evenly and nicely as block meers do. I had one many years ago and it smoked hot and really was NOT the same as a carved block meer. They are cheaper for sure and that's the only thing good i would have to say about them :p
 
billporter1456":rs6puhig said:
Can someone explain to me to downside of cheap meerschaums that are NOT made from block meerschaum?
Click to expand...
Pressed meer is usually heavier and it doesn't color well if it colors at all.
 
Doody's posting. :D

You may get an alright smoke out of pressed meer. You might not. It's mostly a coloration concern, and the fact it might not "breathe" like block meerschaum. Some wise folks warned me to check meers of any caliber more for a too-tight draft hole, which will cause more problems on a $40 or a $400 meerschaum pipe alike than the "block" or "pressed" issue. Unless, that is, you get a charge out of suckin' a milkshake through a cocktail straw. To each his own.

8)
 
In addition, pressed meerschaum pipes are much heavier. The particle board vs. plywood comparison is a great analogy. Just like particle board, pressed meer is much heavier based on the materials used as a binder.

Even a briar pipe bowl lined with pressed meer is substantially heavier, and usuallly affects the clenching qualities of said pipe.

The extra you pay for block meerschaum will certainly be worth the investment in the long run.
 
I'm very sure there's some meerschaum-lined briar pipes that smoke great, but they just scream "overengineered" to me. Attempting to be the best of both worlds, but in the end being really terrible at being a meer and being a briar pipe alike. Kind of like when phones eventually all had cameras...they became horrible at making calls and the pictures were always crap.

Somethin' to be said about purebred... :lol: (...even if there's some inbreeding... :cyclops: )

8)
 
Thanks for the information! The coloring of the pipe was not a concern for me, but the weight does matter. I love the lightness of my one "good" meerschaum ($35 eBay estate Peterson). After reading the replies to my original post, I have decided to quit even looking at the cheapo meerschaums and get one of the recognized brands. Thanks again.
 
Yeah, it's worth it to just save up the scratch and find a pipe that's light, drilled properly and will last you a lifetime. IMP is probably my favorite "cost effective" version of a block meer that's drilled and carved nicely. Smokingpipes http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/imp/index.cfm has them frequently.

A Peterson meer is something I'd love to own--$35 is a hell of a price!

8)
 
I'm hit-and-miss with Pete rustication, and that sir, is a beautiful pipe. $36 was certainly a steal.

8)
 
billporter1456":mqochf2n said:
Thanks for the information! The coloring of the pipe was not a concern for me, but the weight does matter. I love the lightness of my one "good" meerschaum ($35 eBay estate Peterson). After reading the replies to my original post, I have decided to quit even looking at the cheapo meerschaums and get one of the recognized brands. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
To add a little bit more to the rest of everyones thoughts (and hopefully not confuse). There are also different types/grades of block Meers too (they are lighter and more porous then "lower" grades which can be heavier and more "dense").

A "good" example of really "high grade" Meers would be from Fikri Baki whose pipes can be found on the best meerschaums site: http://bestmeerschaums.homestead.com/bakipipes.html

Granted the pipes are expensive but they are/could be considered to be carved from the best blocks out there.

With that said, you can also find really good "high end" pipes from companies such as CAO and SMS that can be or are carved/signed by Master carvers as well. The blocks may not be extremely high end but they arent "bad" either.

Please keep in mind that the pipes dont have to be signed to be good either (I have several CAO and SMS pipes that dont have signatures and they smoke great).

I dont have any pipes from IMP, Storient, Altinok, etc so I cant comment on them.

Now, taking into account all that I just wrote...you can find alot of good estate Meers on Ebay from both the mentioned companies and carvers at decent prices as well as new carvers that are starting to emerge on the market. (my best advice is to read the feedback on those first plus look closely at the carvings).

I apologize if this added a little bit of confusion but if you have any questions or need me to help clarify my thought process (Im still on my first cup of coffee LOL) please dot hesitate to ask)

Take care



 
Top