Are Cobs really better than Briars?

[The Pirate]

A tip on cob maint. In addition to regular cleaning, I will set mine out on the patio in the AZ sun every couple weeks. It dries them out and helps remove the sour taste that many of us experience.
Ken

[billhud]

Originally Posted by Will_S

No snob about it.

Your words, "corn cobs on the other hand have their proper use as a complement to outhouses" say otherwise.

For around 20$ you can get a nice estate gbd or whatever on ebay that will smoke great from the start and provide you with a lifetime of service.

Or you can buy a cob that'll smoke cooler, smoother, drier from the get go and be lighter to boot.

Or you can get a cob that will smoke like crap the first several bowls at least and that you will eventually throw away.

Patience is a virtue. Perhaps you should stay away from new briars too. If you can't handle the extremely short break in period for a cob, you'll not be able to handle the break in for a briar.

Economically and in every other sense, including the smoking pleasure provided, cobs cant even hold a candle to briar.

Many disagree.

But if you like them, please go ahead and smoke them, it helps hold down the price of briar for those who know better.

And apparently for those who don't know better too.

I have Stanwells, Mastro de Pajas, Nordings, Savenellis, et al, and still smoke from Missouri Meerscaum more often than not. There's a reason for that, and that's the quality of the smoking.

[IHT]

[SIZE="1"]in a moderator-like tone:[/SIZE]
difference of opinion is good, gives us something to talk about/discuss.

i'm no saint of civility (my record on keeping things civil is full of potholes), but let's try to keep the "" and "elitist" attitudes (both pro-briar and pro-cob) that's taken over the rest of the board out of the pipe forums.

donkey shorts,
IHT in mod mode (the way i prefer not to post)

[Bruce]

Funny thread!
It's the "reverse snobbery" that cracks me up.

[[OT] Loki]

I like both

































and my butt itches

[smokehouse]

I like Clays

[IHT]

Originally Posted by [OT] Loki

I like both

































and my butt itches

funny, since i made mention of keeping the pipe forum NOT like the rest of the forum (cake - butt itching - banter - wild monkeys - useless posts).
but that's the only reason. there's no need for "butt itching" posts down here, though.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by smokehouse

I like Clays

Meerschaum all the way!!

I actually don't own a meer, but I thought it should be represented too.

[JacksonCognac]

Jesus this has been quite the topic today! Heated cob discussion... as a cob smoker I gotta toss in my 2 cents.


I have a couple of cheap briars and my cobs smoke way better. I attribute this mainly to the monster draft hole. They flow way more air and it leaves me with a more satisfying smoke. I won't say that cobs are "better" then briars but they certainly have their merits.

That said you need to take care of cobs a little differently to keep them smoking fresh. I clean out the bowl after each smoke with a paper towel, use pipe cleaners liberally, and let them air out before putting them away (I don't leave the pipe cleaner in the stem). Occasionally I'll do my regular cleaning with some alcohol and sometimes I'll sand the bowl.

I've found the cobs to darken over time, perhaps they act like meerschaums... I think this is why it's important to minimize the amount of gunk / cake left in the bowl.

My main complaint with the cob is the diameter of the bowl, even having sanded out my largest cob's bowl it is still barely over the 3/4" mark. This makes for around a 45 minute smoke, which isn't bad... but when I hear people talking about smoking a bowl for over an hour up to an hour and a half... I often wonder how that would be.

But for now I don't see myself getting any briars. After I'm out of school I may invest in some quality wood but then again... mb I wont.

[ShaulWolf]

I remember smoking my dad's cob a couple years ago before he lost it in the move. Smoked really cool and smooth. Matter of fact, cooler and smoother than the briar he gave me that I smoke now. However, I've gotten to know my briar pipe better now, and it smokes just as well as my dad's old cob. To me they both did an excellent job, and I'm not going to say one was better over the other. With some patience they both smoked great. The only deciding factor in me wanting another briar is looks, which is purely subjective. Same goes for what you describe as "better"; purely subjective.

[solafid3]

The ones I smoke the most are non-aro's with dedicated briars cause well, that's what IHT told me to do way back yonder, lol.

When I'm sitting around staring at the sky... I smoke cobs, because as slow as I smoke my briars, there's no way I'm going to be looking up with a briar in my mouth.

When I smoke aros, I have my meerschaums.

I would like to have a clay someday...

so basically, if I could put tobaccoo in it, I'll smoke in it regardless of material.

[RichieR]

Originally Posted by smokehouse

I like Clays

LOL.

We never hear about the hardcore clay promoters. I'd love to get my hands on a clay, and see what that's like.

I suppose I'm responsible for all the raunchiness going on in this thread....but I think there has been some good discussion here.

My Escudo coin goes straight into my MM legend cob, and I highly recommend that ya'll give that a try, if you have not done so, yet....and tell me what you think.

But, maybe those expensive pipes handle Escudo well, but my briars that do not go over $70 will not do it for me.

Right now, I'm smoking some Old Gowrie in my fairly new Peterson Irish Army 160, and I'm not complaining. They work well with each other.

But, I see what the fanatic cob smokers are saying. Those MM cobs are quite special. My smoking of briars and cobs gets split about 50/50.

Love those cobs.

[bigkev77]

For me, being a newb, I have had to limit my cob use. After i smoke a cob, then move onto a briar i have a horrible smoke. I don't believe that the cobs "smoke better" just that they are almost dummy proof. I can puff away like an old steam engine and still have a good smoke. I feel the briar requires more technique. The cob in a sence makes me lazy. So, i am not smoking the cob and am concentrating on the brier to improve my smoking ablility.

Just my newb opinion, take it for what it's worth

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by wharfrathoss

i enjoy both my cobs & briars equally-each have their pros & cons-one thing that i was taught (that i found to be true) was that if you clean a cob like you would a briar, it treats you a lot better in return-just because a cob is inexpensive doesn't mean it should be treated as a throwaway pipe IMHO-many people also seem to prefer burley blends in a cob, i couldn't understand what the fuss was about till i tried it, then i got it-the 2 complement each other in a way that briar doesn't-i've been smoking my cobs pretty heavily for about 6 months & have no complaints-i use a cleaner on the stem & wipe the bowl after every smoke, and clean w/alcohol once a week (stem/shank)-when i first get them i carve away most of the stem extending into the bowl w/an xacto knife, then use a torch to char what's left, takes care of the "burnt wood" taste

Here is some excellent advice.

Now, to answer the question... What is good for you is good. Period. Did you buy the Bo Nordh to impress someone - hope you married them. If you didn't, then you bought it for the wrong reason. Unless, you really like the way it looks and enjoy the smoke you get out of it.

I have had cheap briars and expensive (for me, that's $200) briars - that smoked like a dog turd. I have had cheap briars and expensiver briars that I would never, ever, ever exchange for a cob.

Of course, you catch me out in the stream fishing, and you may very well find me with some G&H Louisiana Flake in a cob.

Cobs definitely have their place, love trying out new tobaccos in them. Love 'em for garden work and fishing. Prefer them for my aromatic moments. Good for burleys (if you like that sort of thing).

PERSONALLY - As me -- for getting the most out of a VA or a VaPer, my two preferred styles, they do not hold a match to a properly seasoned and caked briar.

Now again, that is something that is up to the individual smoker. But it isn't something we're going to get hashed out in a debate.

If you think a briar is the best smoker, go to it. If you groove to an olive wood, a cherry wood, or a meerschaum - cool - light 'er up and go.

Read my sig line - it applies to pipes, the tobacco that goes in them, and to cigars.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by RichieR

but I think there has been some good discussion here.

indeed.