I started back on the pipe in March of 2010 after a 35 year lay off. I've smoked cigars for twenty years but after encountering too many plugged cigars over the last 2 years and due to the increasing costs of cigars and just plain being burned out on cigars, I decided to try a pipe.

My first pipe was a MM Legend cob and 5 briars (2 Savinellis, a GBD, Weber and a no-name Italian) and 2 meers soon followed--as did another 9 cobs.

I've tried 30-40 blends of pipe tobacco and have pretty much settled on P.S. Luxury Navy Flake, Luxury Twist Flake and Balkan Supreme as my favorites. I also like Escudo and Orlik Golden Slice and, for a change of pace, Walnut, Bald Headed Teacher, McClelland 5110 and Lane BCA.

In my pipe quest, I was looking for a briar that smoked as good as my old GBD of forty years ago. While I enjoyed the briars and meers, after 100's of bowls in them as well as my cobs, I decided I was going to be a cob smoker from now on. While the briars and meers gave a pretty good smoke much of the time, any of my cobs smoked better 100% of the time with my favorite tobaccos. I also found that I prefer the cobs with a natural finish as opposed to the finished MM cobs for quality of smoke.

The advantages of meers and briars over cobs? Better looking and "classier". The disadvantages: cost, hit or miss as to quality of smoke, wet heels, oxidizing stems, gurgle and break-in.

Advantages to cobs: low cost, cool smoke, 25 cent interchangeable replacement stems, no wet heel or gurgle, 5-8 smokes for break-in (so the exposed stem burns away), no anxiety if pipe is destroyed, very light weight (especially important if you're a "clincher") and the cobs give me the best smoke with the my favorite tobaccos.

Some things I've discovered:

I don't like the paper filters so I use a one inch folded section of pipe cleaner stuck in the stem. I use the middle part of used cleaners so the cost is minimal. This makes the draw perfect for me and does collect some tars and moisture. I replace it every smoke.

I like the MM "Danish" bits offered by MM. I put a section of heat shrink tubing on the mouthpiece which increases comfort and is thinner than "softy" rubber bit protectors. Heat shrink also lasts longer and is cheaper than softy bits.

The "nose warmer" Forever Stem from Walker Briar Works is a very comfortable bit and turns any cob, especially the Missouri Pride, into a great clincher. I think the Pride is the best bang for the buck cob pipe and I can get a 60 plus minute smoke with LNF out of them (as I do with my Diplomats).

The natural Freehand is an outstanding smoker (as long as you're sitting in a chair, reading a book. It's certainly too heavy for a clincher.) I regularly get 100-130 minutes smokes out of the Freehand.

There's not too much of a problem with ghosting unless you're a Tambo smoker. That tobacco did ghost one of my cobs for a bit. I can't handle Tambo anymore so that's not a problem. I do have cobs dedicated to VA/Vapers and to English/Balkans, though, just for the heck of it.

Well, that's all I can think of for now.

Here's a picture of my Freehand:

WyoBob (Secure in his "Cobness)

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Thumbs up for the cob here! I like to leave mine on a bookshelf in the garage where I smoke and couldn't leave my meers due to the cold.
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In before Emjaysmash. :-)
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I love my cobs. I keep one or two in the truck and I always had a couple in my go bag for work. No matter where the army took me I had a couple of cobs available for some relaxation. Great post. I never bother with a filter might have to try your pipe cleaner trick.
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Great Post Bob.
Thanks for the tips, shrink wrap and chunk of cleaner to replace filter.
Like you, I'm amazed how consistent cobbs are in quality of the smoke.
My next trip to the store I'm going to look for a couple natural finish cobbs that you mentioned..All of mine are slick and finished.
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The Missouri Prides come in a natural finish. You can order natural finished Diplomats and Freehands directly from MM. You can also specify the Danish stems on any pipe that will accept them from the factory. The stem that came on my Legend had a thinner mouthpiece than the Danish stem that came on some of my Diplomats. I did order a couple of Diplomats that came with a different stem that I didn't like as well so from then on, I specifically ordered Danish stems.

WyoBob
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Great thread Bob!

I have yet to smoke a cob, but will look into getting one soon.
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:-)


lol. Hello, I'm MJ and I'm a Cob-aholic!

Btw, if anyone has a lead on the seven day Cob sets, LMK!
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I'm with youse guys. I like my MM Legends for the good $4.00 pipes they are; I have a couple of vulcanite saddlebit diamond shank Hackert customs that are good-, but longer, smokers; and a secret Santa (elsewhere) sent me a MM Country Gentleman with Walker "Forever" stem that really is superb. They stand up to my best briars.

Cobs? Who knew? In another world I could see owning nothing but.
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I got a Forever stem just this Monday and love it! It's converted me to smoking more of my cobs than my briars! I like being able to pop the bowl off the Forever stem and grab a fresh one. Right now, I have 5, 3 Legends, a Patriot and a Diplomat. The only "loser" is the Patriot, but it's still imminently smokeable -- that paper thin bowl is a bad idea. My favorite is the Diplomat, but the Legends are great too with the Forever stem.

I also put a bit of heat shrink on the Forever stem, so it's comfortably clenchy.

(I'm putting them to work trying out all that flake you sent me, Moo!! :-))
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Welcome aboard freestoke! Glad to have you in the asylum.
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Warning:
If heat shrink tubing is used on stems like these.
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They melt very easily...:-)
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I feel like that comes from personal experience?
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Hey Bob, how's your mailbox situation?...just askin
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:-) :-) :-)
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Thanks! Nice Forum! :-)

Just a note about the heat shrink tubing. The 3M is far superior to the Ideal sold at Lowes. Costs twice as much, but let's face it, it isn't much of an expense either way in the pipe world. I put it on all my pipes for comfort. Much nicer than the huge rubber bits.
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Well, TBone, I think you know how it is, you "wily wabbit":-)

I got back from my trip to Denver to celebrate my twin grandson's 2nd birthday and found something quite unusual in my mailbox. I'm still scratching my head as to why I received such a nice gift.:-) Something that happens when a cigar smoker sneaks over to the pipe forum to commit mayhem? I don't know why but it was certainly a pleasant surprise.

Thanks, TBone.

WyoBob

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Great hit on Bob..TBone :-)

Thats what we need in the pipe forum...More bombage:-)
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I hope that mailbox was properly reinforced. Hits like that can bring about total destruction! Go TBone!
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Picked up a MM from my local B&M last week. A very nice smoke tonight, I must say. Thanks for the heads up on these.
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