All the secrets of Terminus pipes

Briar pipe never stopped to propose new designs and filtering systems over these last decades, and many innovations were created. The main goal is always to please pipe smokers by proposing tasteful pipes to smoke while proposing something different...

You may have seen the pipes that could be fitted with a cartridge of aromas, a pipe designed to evacuate any excess of humidity, or a special pipe with a "double draft". Today, we present you another French creation that is worth seeing: Terminus pipes. If you like pipe gadgets, you will be delighted by this pipe!

Pipe smoking is not over thanks to Terminus pipes!

Terminus pipes were born in Saint-Claude (Jura, France). At the beginning, the factory "Grandclément & Gauteron" only produced a few pipes. This new design was actually patented under the name of "Terminus System". Nowadays, Terminus pipes are true collector's items since the production of these models was stopped many years ago... It is therefore very difficult to find unsmoked Terminus pipes (unless if you come at La Pipe Rit!).

Before getting into the (very interesting) details of the inside of a Terminus pipe, here is what the brand that manufactured these pipes used to say to promote them:

Why does the medical profession agrees that it is best to smoke the pipe compared to cigars or cigarettes? Because "the more the stem of the pipe allows the smoke to cool down and to let the harmful substances settle in the stem, the more the pipe is a less harmful way to smoke."

Extract from the book "Hygiène, santé, économie" of the Doctor Lorin, Army Physician.

We can therefore understand the idea of the Terminus pipe: proposing a pipe better for health.

Get your Terminus pipe

The patented Terminus system:

Now, let's have a closer look at the inside of a Terminus pipe. What is the secret of this pipe meant to reduce harmful substances?

Terminus pipes are designed to "condense" the smoke. The longer the way between the tobacco chamber and the mouth is for the smoke, the more the smoke will have time to cool down and lose some of its harmful substances. The smoke should therefore be even more pleasant in the mouth...

This is actually a very surprising point of view. Nowadays, a lot of smokers are looking for pipes in which the smoke easily flows to avoid humidity. This is why so many pipes can nowadays be equipped with 9mm filters. The latter will prevent humidity to settle in the shank and the stem, and will also absorb harmful substances.

Bastien, La Pipe Rit

A very special design:

The first thing that you will notice on a Terminus pipe is that the drilling hole of the shank is wide. You will find a tube in the middle. Next to this tube (on both sides), one (or even two) other drilling holes will let you see the bottom of the tobacco chamber. The stem is also equipped with a smaller tube that comes in the tube of the shank when the pipe is reassembled.

The mortise is very wide, and the briar of the shank is therefore rather thin. Most Terminus pipes thus have a band that strengthens the shank. Moreover, they have most of the time a horn stem (and sometimes ebonite).

Jean, La Pipe Rit

Depending on the model, you will find two different designs. The tube in the shank is sometimes made with metal, and sometimes carved in the briar. It is therefore possible to find both, even if they are becoming more and more rare.

Jean, La Pipe Rit

The smoke flow:

This zigzagging system is a real maze. The smoke leaves the tobacco chamber (F) by the drilling hole(s) (A). It then enters the settling chamber (C) and continues its way in the shank (O). Harmful substances can settle in the settling chamber (C). The smoke can now go into the tube of the shank (T) and then in the stem before it ends up in the mouth of the smoker.

The Terminus System can look like the Peterson System in the way that it allows the smoke to cool down and get smoother. However, Peterson pipes are easier to maintain. Cleaning a Terminus pipe requires a lot of patience and pipe cleaners!

Claire, La Pipe Rit

A very rare double drilling hole:

Almost all the Terminus pipes were designed with two drilling holes. You will therefore have a duct on each side of the shank that leads to the bottom of the bowl. This double pipe draft can sometimes be found on the stem of some pipes (like in Design Berlin pipes for example), but it is very difficult to find it in the shank of the pipe. In the pictures that you can find below, we can see the inside of a Terminus pipe.