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Dr. Grabow pipes

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  • Gotcha. I've been wanting a new pipe that accommodates filters (mine are cheap ones) and have been eyeing a couple Savinelli pipes but can't pull the trigger on a $100 pipe right now so have been looking at the Grabow. Should I just wait til I can get a Savinelli?
  • KA9FFJKA9FFJ Master
    edited January 2021
    @zamboknee
    Don't laugh when I tell you this, but if your wanting to "jump in", get yourself a good Missouri Meerschaum Cob. 
    They're great starter pipes.
    You can begin enjoying blends now without breaking the bank.
    Meanwhile save your money for a more expensive pipe that strikes your fancy.
    @thebadgerpiper pretty well knows cobs (I only have 2), and he can probably steer you in the right direction.
    As far as what pipe you eventually settle on, that will have to be a personal decision.
    Pipes are like cars, different makes, models, sizes, shapes, etc. The pipes you purchase need to right for YOU.

    By the way, most MM Cobs are filtered...
  • @zamboknee
    I agree with @KA9FFJ, cobs are cheap workhorses. I'd recommend starting with 4 or 5 in some combination of Prides, Legends or Washingtons in any combination. I'd also recommend reading the Corn Cob Primer on Pipepedia.com. The gist of it is toss the filter, pack looser than you think you should and keep them clean. The pipes will average $5 each and I suggest smoothing the sides of the stem with a fine fingernail file or dremel tool along with the end of the stem to remove the seam.
  • edited January 2021
    @zamboknee
         I have several “Estate” Dr. Grabow pipes that are nice pipes, although most are kinda small and I don’t particularly like the paper filters.  I smoke my MM cobs without the filters. I do use balsa and carbon filters occasionally in pipes that accept them.
         If you are not completely disgusted with “estate” pipes, Savinelli’s of all types are on the EBay or at SmokingPipes.com at greatly reduced prices.  All of my Savinelli pipes so far are good smokers, and most are excellent.  SmokingPipes.com do a very good job of cleaning...not excellent, but very good.  Some EBay pipes are nice and clean inside and out, and some only on the outside to make them “shiny”.  You have to take your chances and look them over with a discerning eye, and always be prepared to clean/sterilize them to your satisfaction.  I can say, as far as filters go, Savinelli balsa filters work well without muting the tobacco flavors too much...it’s still not the same as without a filter though.  Carbon filters work well too, but they mute the flavors even more.  Brigham’s “Rock Maple” inserts (not a filter) work well to remove moisture without muting flavors, but their pipe shape selection is limited, and I have a Klondike that smokes hot as hell for some reason, my Mountaineer is ok though...go figure?  At least this is my experience with filters.
  • I agree with @KA9FFJ that cobs are the way to go. You can go the Grabow or Kaywoodie route if you wish, and certainly those pipes have their fans. I've never owned a Dr. Grabow pipe, and while some swear by them, I wouldn't recommend them. Kaywoodies aren't bad, I own two, but they see less action than my other pipes. I find they produce a weird taste to the smoke, which I don't get from my other briars, or even my cobs with the cheap stems. I'd say pick up a Legend, a Twain, or a Country Gentleman and you'll be good. 

    Do save up for a Savinelli, though, as they'll never let you down. I suggest keeping an eye on ebay foe a good estate. Sure, you might get into a bidding war over some of them, but I can assure you that you can get one at a still cheaper cost than a new Savinelli. All my Savs are estates, and they're worth it. 


  • @Ron191;
    I couldn't agree more!
  • Monk70Monk70 Enthusiast
    I purchased a set of 4 Free hand Dr. Grabows that were brand new from eBay about 3 years ago for $12. They are the only Grawbows I have and they smoke fine but I think if I had a Grabow and a Cob on the table I would reach for the Cob. Outside of the good deal I got for that set when it comes to dollar and value I would lean toward the Cobs. Especially if I was just getting a taste for the hobby and was uncertain. The dollar just goes further with a Cob and so does the flavor. Just my few cents.
    ⚓️
  • I must say, that my Dr. Grabow pipes all give me a first-rate smoke.  Most of them are estate pipes.  They clean up well and withstand the test of time!  I have about 6 Dr. Grabows and the same number of cobs.  These are my daily smokers.  I have several Kaywoodies but do not smoke them as often.  I buy some of my pipes on eBay (from a small number of certain sellers) and I have found several "No Name" pipes that are attractive, smoke well, and hold up well.  For the record, I do own Petersons, Stanwells, Hilsons, etc all fine pipes, but I am not sure I get any more pleasure out of them than I do the cheaper ones
  • I have quite a few vintage Dr. Grabow pipes, but rarely smoke any.  I just don’t like them aesthetically.  I will pick up and smoke a vintage Yello-Bole first.  Interestingly, even though Yello-Bole are Kaywoodie seconds, I like my Yello-Bole’s better.  Maybe it’s because I have more Yello-Bole’s.  I admit, I have waaayyy too many pipes, and the first brands I plan to liquidate are my Kaywoodie’s, Dr. Grabow’s, Weber’s, and maybe LH Stern’s, even before some of my lesser known brands.
  • I remember when Yellow-Boles and Dr. Grabow’s were cheap drugstore pipes, with Kaywoodies being only a bit better.
  • Another vote for corn cob pipes here. That aside, I have several Dr. Grabow pipes and all are pretty good smokers.
  • I have a Linkman's Holly Court Special.

    It was what Dr. Grabow was before they changed the name to Dr. Grabow in the early 1930s. The company was originally M. Linkman & Co., a pipe company that was co-founded by Louis Lineman and August Fisher in 1898. Linkman is credited with coming up with the idea of "pre-smoked pipes" and later asked a friend, Dr. Paul Grabow if he could use his names on the pipes. By the mid-1940s, all the pipes were branded as Dr. Grabow.
  • I know the Willard pipes are connected, but how I don't know. Was Willard a line of the Linkmans Pipes era? Or . . . ? ? ?
  • I have an old MLC (Mary Linkman Company) “The Nuvo” zulu.  It has a single silver colored dot on the stem.  It’s still in great shape after all these years too.
  • The only thing I know is that a product that has withstood the test of time, is still in production, and continues to sell must have something going for it. I seriously doubt that if Dr. Grabow pipes were inferior or troublesome smokers they would have disappeared from the market a long time ago. Dr. Grabow has found their nitch as a reasonably priced pipe for both the novice smoker just getting into the hobby as well as the budget conscious codger. 
  • I have several Dr. Grabow Pipes. They are all good smokers. I really like them, second only to Savinelli. I will admit that some of my Savinelli Pipes are not that great.
  • vtgrad2003vtgrad2003 Master
    edited September 2021
    Living not far from Sparta, NC...the town where my wife's parents eloped and one we visit frequently for lunch while on our excursions along the Parkway, for all they produce and worldwide recognition of their brand, and myself a satisfied consumer of their brand, I must say that if there ever were a manufacturing opportunity for the Appalachian/Blue Ridge region outside of furniture, something like pipe making would be it--it has certainly withstood the test of time (so far anyway). 
  • I have always found Grabows to be reliable work horse pipes. The only issue I have ever had them has been on deep cleanings with some that were estate pipes. When I am restoring I do a 30 minute soak of the stem in Everclear. I have about 2 a year that the stem will soften so much that the stem becomes unusable. Always assumed it was just irregular vulcanite quality over the decades. 😀
  • edited September 2021
    @addamsruspipe
    Some of those stems are not vulcanite, those would be the ones that alcohol destroys.  They are probably Bakelite.  Also, just in case you are not aware…do not soak an acrylic stem in alcohol either.  Actually, try not to use any alcohol on acrylic.  Everclear at 190 proof 95% alcohol will “haze” and soften acrylic and down right melt Bakelite and its’ ilk.  I think some Dr. Grabow pipes have other types of stem materials that don’t do well in high proof alcohol.
  • The nice thing about Dr. Grabow pipes is that they will replace stems at a reasonable cost. If memory serves, about $17.00.
  • A few years ago, another pipe forum had their POY (Pipe of the Year)  with the pipe being a Dr Grabow. This is not the only Grabow that I own. But there are also other considerations. I am friends with several guys that make pipes. I have purchased multiple pipes from them. This is not just a "I need a cheap pipe". I also want to support the masters and those who are trying to increase their skill.
  • I have a reworked full bent Dr. Grabow that is really a good smoker...
  • @Neoshaone @KA9FFJ
    I don't think I've ever owned a Grabow that didn't smoke well, they really are great pipes--a blue collar man's pipe.
  • In fact my very first pipe was given to me by a neighbor and it was a dr. I still have it and smoke it from time to time. Always puts me in a nostalgic mood.  
  • I collected several of the colored bowls. Blue green orange yellow white 
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