Thinking of a meer

[maboman]

Hi guys..

Well It's time to get a new pipe...I have my eyes on a few briars around the net but since I have 3 that I regularly smoke and am happy with...I was thinking of buying a good quality meerschaum instead.

I've never smoked one and am kind of itching to give one a try. Anyone please jump in and give thoughts (good or bad) as to how they smoke etc etc.

I like the idea of having a pipe that I can smoke anything out of with no ghost...even though Im not too worried about that anymore.

I look forward to reading your thoughts!

Maboman

[afilter]

Good lord man what are you thinking about...Get one ASAP

All kidding aside I love my meers. I have 3 (2 I plan on keeping, one to gift). When you decide on what style you like an couple of things to consider:

-Meers not only do not ghost (mostly) but they smoke cooler and can be smoked multiple times in a day without the long rest period like a briar.

- Meers change color over time (very cool) if properly handled. Just make sure you handle with clean hands and do not get it too hot (aka puff like crazy) as they have a thin wax coating which can melt. Never use a torch (good advice for any pipe) as I learned the hard way.

- Meers can be a bit more delicate if dropped, so maybe not the best work/travel pipe if you do that. Most do come with a nice case for this purpose.

With all that said the Meer I currently smoke survived 7 months in Afghanistan. The stem had to be repaired a few times and is now longer removable (need to shop around for a new stem/tenion).

Overall they are great smokers. Buying online is OK( I did), but you want to make sure it is properly drilled which can only really be done in person. If purchasing in person I would ask to run a pipe cleaner through it as I initially had a bit of an issue with the alignment where the cleaner would hang up.

I will have to get an after shot, but here is what the Meer I currently smoke looked like when I first bought it.



I paid $37 on e-bay and have seen Servi-Meers retail for as much as
$200. I have seen other post with good resultsfrom this site:

AND Meerschaum Pipes (www.meerschaum.com)

The other two Meers I have, but have not smoked yet were bought for me by Turkish officers who i worked with and came straight from Turkey when they went home on leave. How cool it that.

[AcworthAl]

I have one meerschaum, would not buy another. The clay pipes smoke better, much better than my meerschaum

[afilter]

Originally Posted by AcworthAl

I have one meerschaum, would not buy another. The clay pipes smoke better, much better than my meerschaum

I have been meaning to try one of these as well. What do you have?

[sounds7]

One Meer here as well. I am going to buy another some time but this one is going to be well colored before I start a second.

[Rmac58]

Look around and get a quality pipe, make it's block instead of pressed.

[Twiggz]

I read a pressed meer wont color at all. So block is the only way to go.

I also remember reading that there was an artist that used a special wax coating to help it color faster... Ill have to thumb through that book again and see if I can find it.

I think I'll own a Meer one of these days. I just need to find a design I like, for a price I like even more. If its too expensive, I'd rather spend it on a nice Briar But thats just me.

[afilter]

Originally Posted by Twiggz

I read a pressed meer wont color at all. So block is the only way to go.

I also remember reading that there was an artist that used a special wax coating to help it color faster... Ill have to thumb through that book again and see if I can find it.

I think I'll own a Meer one of these days. I just need to find a design I like, for a price I like even more. If its too expensive, I'd rather spend it on a nice Briar But thats just me.

I hear ya, I have seen nice Meers in the $40-60 range. I like the more unique ones, really do not like the face designs.

[maboman]

Thanks for the replies guys. I went ahead and bought this on ebay. IMP Meershaum from Turkey. This is my first international order and I hope that there are no problems or looooong delivery times.

I also bought the Boswell bing...needless to say my pipe buying is done for awhile

Maboman

[maboman]

Err Boswell bing

[Twiggz]

Originally Posted by maboman

...needless to say my pipe buying is done for awhile

I think I've said that after every time I buy a new pipe

[drastic_quench]

I too was thinking of buying my first meer. If I do, I'm going with IMP all the way. Supposedly the other companies have threaded screw in stems, and IMP has a unique (to meers) push style that's just like a briar. Also, I've heard their drilling is consistently excellent, where others can be iffy.

[DSturg369]

1 Meer here also, it was gifted by a fellow smoker and long-time BB friend. I've dedicated it as my month of December Pipe, for both Christmas and my birthday. It smoked great and I'm hoping to add others to my collection as soon as financially possible.