Pipes

For those that don't know me in meatspace, I smoke a pipe. I generally smoke about 4-5 times a day, and it was originally to wean myself off cigars, which I used to wean myself off cigarettes. I know, I know, it's bad for me, but smoking a small bowl of pipe tobacco 4-5 times daily is a lot better than smoking a pack and a half of Camels, I'd bet. It's a vice I can't shake, and I've come to terms with that. Also, pipe tobacco runs me about $10/week, as opposed to $50/week when I was smoking cigarettes. That helps.

Anyway, I have some nice pipes, but I generally use a Dr. Grabow 'Duke' as an everyday pipe. I take care of it, and change it's filter and clean it about once a day. Problem is, I generally get about 6 months from a pipe before it's no longer useable. Sometimes the bit cracks (twice, now), but most often the metal collar that holds the filter and connects the stem to the bowl gives way. It slides out of the stem, and becomes lodged in the bowl. I've had this happen a half-dozen times. Twice, I've gone back to the place I bought it from, and they've replaced the pipe for me.

This time, though, the bowl cracked. Now, yes, I'm a daily smoker, so I put more miles on a pipe than a typical user, but, hell, these Grabows are plagued with problems. Is it too much to expect 2 years from a $30 pipe? Now, I like the way Grabow pipes smoke, and I like a changeable filter system, and I LOVE the 'Duke' pipe grabow makes. It's a straight stem with a small bowl that smokes for 15-20 minutes. In function, it's the perfect pipe for me. I just wish they'd hold up longer.