How much does a pipe cost?

The answer to this question can be easy... and complicated. You will actually find pipes that go from 15€ to 15 000€. To be more specific, the choice of a pipe may depend on your budget, your expectations as well as your personal taste.

What you will find in this blog article:

1. Why should you buy a pipe of great quality?
2. What are the criterias to be considered?
3. Which pipes could be recommended?

A beginner may not want to spend a lot of money, but he or she however deserves to find the best quality/price ratio models. On the contrary, a specialist or collector will be more ready to choose an expensive handmade pipe of his favorite craftsman. It is however necessary not to get pipes under a specific amount not to be disappointed.

1. Why should you buy a pipe of great quality?

There are many pipes, so how can you know which pipe is good quality? According to us, a pipe of great quality is a pipe:

• made in a briar old enough so that the wood is dense and can face the heat during the combustion.
• with a briar that has been heated ("cooked") and then dried so that wood tannin is removed and the briar is lightweight.
• easy to disassemble but strong.
• whose stem matches with the overall silhouette of the pipe. Whether it is made by machines or by hand, the stem is an important part of the pipe, and it is not to be ignored.

Pipes of great quality will start at around 50 to 60€. At this price, you will not find a pipe with beautiful flames and/or birdseyes, but the wood should not have big imperfections and will be perfect for you.

2. What are the criterias to be considered?

Not to regret your choice, it is advised to think about a few things before deciding.

With or without a filter, and which one?

Metal filters, 9mm active charcoal or meerschaum filters, balsa filters, paper filters... During the long history of pipes, manufacturers innovated to propose efficient systems or originals. Some smokers will prefer smoking without any filter at all whereas others will only smoke pipes that can be equipped with 9mm filters.

9mm active charcoal filters are actually the most efficient. They will absorb most of tha harmful substances while reducing humidity. Many smokers who did not smoke with a filter or used a metal filter nowadays smoke with active charcoal filter since the latter are very efficient and allow a smoother smoke.

You want to know more about pipe filters? Do not hesitate to have a look at our blog article "The different kinds of filters available"!

Philippe, La Pipe Rit

What about the stem?

The stem is as important as the briar part of the pipe. First of all, and depending on the length of the pipe, some models will be easier to carry than others. Smokers who smoke outside or move a lot will most of the time prefer short pipes because they can be easily carried in a pocket. On the contrary, smokers who prefer to smoke at home will choose long pipes. The latter allow a smoother and cooler smoke in the mouth. Depending on what you do and where you are, you may therefore prefer to smoke a short or a long pipe.

There are many materials for pipe stems, and here are the most common:

• Ebonite: souple and very soft to the touch, it is a very comfortable material that should however be regularly maintained.
• Acrylic: a little bit harder under the tooth, but it keeps its color. Pipes equipped with an acrylic stem are most of the time slightly more expensive than those with an ebonite stem.

To maintain the stem of your pipes as it should, do not hesitate to have a look at our blog article "Pipe stems: how to choose and maintain them" that will explain you everything that you have to know about pipe stems.

Bastien, La Pipe Rit

What about the finish?

You will also find different finishes for pipes:

• Natural: as the name suggests, the wood is left natural. Soft to the touch, it will slightly change of color over the uses.
• Waxed: depending on the type of wax used, the wood will be more or less dark but stays soft to the touch.
• Lacquered: a lacquer covers the wood, and you can not see the grain of the latter. Almost all colored pipes have this finish.
• Sandblasted/rusticated: instead of adding something to the wood... it is removed. Sanblasting will remove the softest parts of the wood, whereas rustication depends on the resukt that the craftsman wants to have.

As you will have understood, natural pipes will be those with the most beautiful grain. Why covering a flamed pipe with a lacquer? The latter does not mean that it has been used on a pipe of poor quality, but that the grain of the wood has nothing particular. Did you know that actually only 3 to 5% of the pipes manufactured have flames?

To know everything about the different finishes of pipes as well as manufacturing secrets, here is a blog article that will tell you everything: "The different finishes of a briar pipe".

Bastien, La Pipe Rit

How to choose a pipe?

3. Which pipes could be recommended?

Here is a small list of pipes that we propose you depending on your budget:

Pipes under 70€:

Pipes under 90€:

At this price, you will find a lot of models available.

Straight classic Saint Claude pipe (79€)

Straight Eole Dune pipe (89€)

Pipes under 160€:

You will find here true gems, sometimes manufactured by famous brands, or with a beautiful grain of the wood.

As you will have understood, the price range is wide! Each smoker can therefore choose a model depending on what he or she is looking for and their budget.

Get the pipe of your dreams