Filters - Do they really do anything?

[BostonMark]

I have two filter pipes, a Medico Corn Cob and a Sanda Briarwood, both of which I use for aromatics. I just got in from my night's smoke, and completed my little experiment. The last two nights, I smoked the same blend in two different pipes, one filtered and one not, and in the same pipe with and without the filter. The only difference I can sense is the the filter cools the smoke marginally, but not even that noticeably. The medico filter is supposed to lower the nicotine level and the tar level before the smoke hits my palate, but I really can't see any difference. Does anyone have any experience with this or any evidence either way?

I'm not worried about the tar or the nicotine, I just don't think the Medico filter is really doing anything except for acting just like a screen - making sure no little pieces of carbon are sucked up into my mouth.

Any thoughts?

-Mark

[solafid3]

i always took em out, never did anything to me.

[mr.c]

I had a savinelli with the balsa system. I thought it worked very good on aromatics. A cool dry smoke everytime. the balsa insert was always sopping wet at the end of a smoke.

[dls]

In my experience (which is admittedly very limited, mainly to cobs) with filtered pipes, all they do is foul up the flavor after a while. It seems like the filter gets old and stale after only a few smokes, so I always just took them out of the cobs.

[fireman43]

I'm just getting started, but the first thing I did after I noticed my Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipe had a paper filter was take it out and toss it. It seems like more trouble than it's worth in the long run IMO.

[uncballzer]

I had the exact same question coming to mind; thank you for asking. This helped me also as a n00b pipe smoker (although I'm getting to like it just as much if not more than my cigars!! uh oh!!!)

[Cheeto]

I just don't think filters are worth the trouble, they have to be replaced pretty regularly and from my personal experience can mess with the draw of the pipe.

[DubintheDam]

This is a subject, that is close to my heart and I'm somewhat passionate about. Firstly I dislike this random "filters are not for real pipe smokers" thing. They have advantages and disadvantages, which are according to the type of filters they are and the pipe and baccy smoked.

IMHO savinelli balsa filters 9mm are the best. These absorb a lot of mositure whilst still maintaining much of the flavours. Paper and paper/charcoal filters take out more of the nicotine/taste and you often have to draw hard on the pipe. This can be good if you want less nicotine and/or your pipe has a large opening into the bowl.

I find the great advantage of filters is that they can vastly IMPROVE the taste of SOME baccy's. For example, I like Peterson's Deluxe Mix, but it can have a soapy taste, as many sweet aro's do. I find a Balsa filter takes away most of this soapy taste and leaves me with a very nice sweet vanilla based smoke. Likewise they can often take the sting and bitterness out of many hot smoking young VA's.

Filters can also reduce the gunk, so cleaning is not such a messy job and can be discarded and replaced with an adapter instead.

One thing often said by some 'pipe snobs" (we all know one), is that as you do not inhale there is no health advantage with filters. I say 'if you smoke, some small amount of smoke will be inhaled', also one of the common health disadvantages of pipe smoking is mouth/throat cancers, research does suggest filters 'MAY' help reduced these risks.

Some suggest that you can use a filter 2-3 times, yes you can, but I would recommend changing after every smoke.

Some suggest top pipe makers do not make filter pipes, NOT TRUE, many leading names do (including Dunhill).

There are many disadvantages to filters, like; you separate stem from pipe after every smoke to remove the filter, it just takes out too much taste, it is extra cost, it is extra hassle, you can't stick a pipe cleaner all the way down to mop up the wet.

To conclude, these days we find it hard to believe that people used to smoke non-filter cigarettes, today in Germany it is very difficult to buy non-filter pipes and they make some bloody fine pipes (Design Berlin). Lets keep an open mind to this subject as with any subject. For me I like Balsa 9mm with my stingy VA's and my wet soapy aro's, but you know pipe smoking, that could change but change is good and always unstoppable.

http://www.cupojoes.com/images/savinelli/s_balsa9.jpg

[dogsplayinpoker]

I have used the Sav filters and liked them. My only problem is that I prefer a more open draw and filters impede this. Also, I am just too damn lazy to keep up with re-ordering.

[SAjunidog]

I can't talk on these balsa filters as I've never seen them, but I do have a few pipes that use the cheap-o paper/cotton medico filters. Personally I dislike them, as I find that they impede the draw significantly, and can make the smoke fairly nasty. The latter is probably my fault, as I tend to be stingy and change the filter out very rarely, if you did it every 2-3 smokes you should be fine (probably only 1-2 with a larger bowl, but my filtereds all have small ~1/2" bowls).

I do find that the significantly reduce the nic-hit from a drag, which I personally hate, since I like the occasional blast of nicotine. If you don't want the nic then they do that quite well, but given the effect on taste and the way they impede the draw I'd say just don't inhale at all if you really don't want the nic (the nocotine I get from smoking without inhaling is so minimal I can't really see the point of trying to filter it out).

One thing I will give filters is that they are good for keeping ash out of your mouth. That is, however, a bit of a self fulfiling prophecy, since the only reason ash can get through a pipe is if its got the cavernous stem built for a filter. Even then its not a huge deal, I just don't tamp as much near the end of a bowl and even wthout a filter ash doesn't really get through.

[Arizona]

"In my experience (which is admittedly very limited, mainly to cobs) with filtered pipes, all they do is foul up the flavor after a while. It seems like the filter gets old and stale after only a few smokes, so I always just took them out of the cobs."

Precisely...

TOSS IT IN THE TRASH and clean your pipe like you would normally. The filter is worthless and just COLLECTS tars, moisture, etc and fouls up the taste of your smoke as it builds up. A properly maintained pipe has none of these problems...