Looking for 'economical' pipes - and a blasphemy ...

[mayhem]

You talking about Falcon metal pipes? They do gurgle because of condensation building up in the metal part of the pipe, but that is all about cooling down the smoke. They are well built, pretty cheap($50 new probably), and can take a real beating. If you only want to buy one pipe, a Falcon is tough to beat.

Don't overlook the Falcons. I worked through estate pipes, then a couple new (inexpensive) briars, and finally a couple better, more expensive new briars, all with varying degrees of success. I just picked up my first Falcon - I wish I'd bought it long ago. It's the coolest smoking, best tasting pipe I own.

 

[allawd]

Haven't tried this myself, but here's my idea. If you have a decent cheap pipe that has mechanical problems, ship it off to a pipe repair shop to get the airway fixed and a new stem. I've read Norwood's Pipe Repair will do jobs like that for <$30.

The other brand to look at is Parker. Owned by Dunhill, some say they are seconds, but I suspect most are just their own production. The briar on the ones I got were nice, and they smoke decent. I found prices shipped from UK are cheaper than the US prices. I ordered 3 for around $35 each after international shipping cost.

 

[JCinPA]

I'm good for a while, I think. These are all good ideas, by the way!

I have 3-4 briars being sent from Philly that I've had for years. I got that unsmoked estate from eBay, I have my Country Gentleman, and I just ordered 3 more cobs from MM along with a dozen replacement stems. I loved the 'Forever' stems, but decided to hold off on that for a bit. At 50 cents per, the stems are certainly disposable IMO.

I also ordered more tobacco and a bottle of stem oil. I should be good to go for a couple months at this point!

 

[Kentos]

This isn't a daily smoker, but I like for those contempative smokes, or for when reading LOTRs outside

 

[JCinPA]

Wow! I have never seen a churchwarden cob before now! Reading LOTR! Funny!