Will do. Closest to a well stocked shop nearby is The Cigar Club on Prien between Enterprise & 5th Avenue. They sell scads of sticks, but only 18 bulk pipe baccy's. Most of them are aromatics that I'm learning to avoid. Their selection of pipes is all Top Shelf pieces. They are the guys that might be talked into selling basket pipes. In their lounge are a couple tables stacked high in empty cigar boxes. One free with any purchase.
Chris you need to make a family visit next weekend and the meet me at The Briary’s annual pipe event Feb 10. I didn’t find out until a few days ago, or I would have let you know earlier.
What Chris said on price. As you get under $35 or so, the more pronounced the flaw and/or the bowls get smaller, sometimes much smaller. A draft hole really needs to be right at the bottom, but can be slightly off center. I won The Briary’s slow smoking contest a couple of years ago with a Briary branded counter pipe, a medium sized straight billiard with the draft hole at the bottom but off center. I paid $40 for it. A putty fill doesn’t necessarily affect smoking qualities, as long as it isn’t too large, or there are a number of them. Crack lines are more serious, and sometimes they aren’t noticeable at first glance. My Charatan second has an obvious putty fill, as well as a straight bulldog counter pipe. They are great smokers. Good drilling is more likely with a straight, with regard not only to hole location in the bowl, but also with hole alignment from shank to stem. Most lower priced bents draft holes never align properly between shank and stem. This condition often leads to wet smoking, or gurgle. To test this, with pipe assembled, try passing a pipe cleaner into the bit and see if it will come out in the bowl. In lower priced bents, that will rarely happen. My old Charatan second will do that, as well as pipes like Cavicchis, higher end pipes which are renowned for their engineering. Because of the easier drilling in straights, in lower priced pipes, even name brands, I now prefer straights or at most half bents. A good pipe shop will have no problem allowing you to try passing a cleaner through a pipe you are contemplating purchasing.
The "kicking the tires" version of car shopping as applied to pipes. I'll remember next time I'm looking at basket, counter, or even estate pipes.
I will try that with my Gasparini briar that gurgles with Escudo... Funny thing is that it only does that with Escudo.
Thank you Chris. I found it at a Thrift Store. They have several on display every time I visit. Ought to ride by there soon! Considering the Basket Pipe (or lack there of) discussion it's one of my better shopping locations.
