Howdy ya'll! I just started smoking pipes about a month ago and currently have a few Missouri Meerschaum cobs and their ozark mountain. They are all enjoyable smokes but I'd like to take a step up. I'm looking to get my hands on a savinelli which seem to be awesome for their price range and am very excited about it, however I hear just about any pipe within a beginners price range has a fill or two. Having never seen a fill in person, what should I be looking for? Is it blatantly obvious to see or will i need to search for it? I'm not overly concerned with fills as I see pipes as a tool more than a fashion statement. On that note, briar is "fireproof" to an extent and i know its bound to happen at one point or another but I'd really like to keep my rim(s) in good shape, does briar behave differently to a flame as opposed to a cob or maple (what the ozark mountain is made of)? Thank you all for dealing with my newbie questions, although I'm sure more are to come. I've been perusing the forum a lot lately and everyone seems to really nice and helpful so I figured I'd turn to you all. Thanks again!

Usually can't go wrong with Savinelli, Peterson or Stanwell for a good pipe at a good price. Fills can be very obvious or hardly detectable, when they are obvious I stay away from them but if I had to pull out a magnifying glass to find them I wouldn't care. Unless of course I was buying a high end pipe. Also fills aren't much of an issue with rusticated or sandblasted pipes.

As to keeping the rims clean I would suggest always filling your pipes a little below the top and many guys use a coating of bee's wax to keep them from darkening. Just be careful not to let the flame touch the rim and clean off the rim after every smoke with a little saliva and a cloth. That's usually enough.

Wow, that was a speedy reply, thanks! That is a good point about the sand blasted and rusticated pipes, as that is what I'm looking at, their Saturnia series. Anyone have one of these? I also have my eye on an Aldo Velani, I saw a thread or two on them with the search function but I wasn't able to find much else on google and the whole internet for that matter. Anyone have an Aldo Velani or know someone who does and care to comment about it? I'd greatly appreciate it, they seem to have some lovely pipes for the money aesthetically at least. Lastly I have not completely ruled out an estate pipe, I know its not much different from silverware at a restaurant, but I still have a mental block on them for the moment, more of a speed bump really. I'm sure as I grow as a BoB I'll dive in but for now I'd like to get my feet on the ground and have something "of my own."

My first "real" briar pipe was a Savinelli Duca Carlo 9 and, although it designated to aromatics which I rarely smoke nowadays, I really enjoy that pipe. It smokes great. I'm assuming your planning on purchasing your pipe online here but one option is to contact the online store and request they send you one with little or no fills. I know at least smokingpipes.com will do this for you if they have multiples in stock.

To be honest I have never bought a new pipe. Of course I am a new smoker as well so I cannot justify the outlay of money for a new pipe. The other thing is I have a very expensive eye, and as I browse new pipes I try not to look at the price but only the style. It seems the more I become attracted to a pipe the higher the price seems to be

I really like my estate pipes and I have some very nice one too (imho anyway) All are fine smokers having being broken in and most have over 30-50 years of age on them too. I feel too that I have a connection to the person who once owned these pipes and really seem to enjoy smoking them knowing this.

Maybe it is because I am umm... thrifty and I am happy I have acquired a nice stable of fine smokers for such little money. I dont know. I do know that I will keep digging in them dusty antique stores though

Good luck to you and your new pipe venture

Estates are the way to go if on a budget and starting out. Fills are mostly cosmetic, shouldn't affect smoking quality.

Welcome to BoB! You can't really go wrong with a Sav as your first pipe. I would go for one with a rusticated finish, personally.

My first sav was a rusticated 625 Roma and I really love it, the way it smokes is excellent, prob my best smoker. I would not worry too much about fills for your first pipe.

Check out Savinelli's student range, pipe comes complete in pouch with tamper, tool, etc, great value for money!

Hey guys, just an update here; last night i decided to pull the trigger. I ended up ordering not one, but two pipes off cupojoes last night. A Savinelli and a Stanwell, both bulldogs. I've been doing my reading and saw if you're going to order a pipe online these were both good bets, plus cupojoes return policy sweetened the deal, so if I need to return 'em I'll still have time to turn around and get myself a little something for Christmas!

Good choices! My Savinelli is just a tobacco burning machine! Good advice from the other guys about keeping your rims clean, and take it easy on those new pipes till they're broken in some.

nice! make sure you post some pics. i have an estate stanwell canadian and love it. you should have a great time!!! now, what to smoke in them????

Haha, good question. Yesterday at my local tobacconist I got some of my current aromatic Lane 1Q and decided to try my hand at some english. I picked up an ounce of the dunhill mixture 965. I found it to be very enjoyable and not at all daunting like some make latakia sound. It was very smooth and leathery as it smelled. I think my next order of business is to try some of Boswell's blends!

Something else to consider. Several makers do Christmas pipes this time of year. I have been looking at Mark Tinsky's. Mark makes a nice pipe that smokes well for a fair price. If it's something in your budget, you might give one of his a try.

My first good pipe was a Savinelli Roma 313 Prince. I paid in the range of $80 for it at a local B&M. I probably smoke it more often than I do any pipe that I have. I have it dedicated to VaPers, and it always offers a great smoke.