How to Buy a New Grabow

[canucklehead]

I currently have three half full Medico pipes to smoke, leftovers from the day's adventures driving around with my wife. One has an English, which my wife didn't like because Latakia "smells like old men," so I was smoking GLP Cairo, but that made her want to smoke cigarettes (she quit a decade or so ago), so I switched to an aro, which I barely got lit by the time we were home.

 

[OverMountain]

I am just over the hill from the factory. They will bring multiple copies of the shape you are looking out front to the lobby for review before purchase. You can message me if I can be of assistance. Grabow is a trip back in time and they really want to make it right as a proud, made in the USA brand.

 

[Briar Lee]

I hate to sound like I was bad mouthing.. That's not my intention.

I just can't figure out why they didn't make the damned tenon out of plastic!

On my deck is a fifties or sixties Dr G Grand Duke that I bought NOS about thirty years ago at the Lead Mine General Store.

The tenon and mortise are exact knock offs of the Lee system, only there’s a hole big enough for the 6mm standard pipe filter.

Grabow used to make excellent, none better, state of the art Lee type factory pipes.

Even over at Lee, before they died they switched to the less expensive Kaywoodie mortise, then a regular push stem, then the doors closed.

That split aluminum tenon arrived at Grabow to replace the Lee type screw stem, maybe fifty years ago?

If you only had one Grabow and cleaned it once a week when you changed filters it might last a year or so, which is the average lifespan of a one pipe and smoke it until it dies and buy another Grabow market that Grabow sells to.

 

[mso489]

OverMountain, interesting to know you are our man in Sparta, North Carolina, or near there. I've always had a good feeling about my Dr. Grabow pipes, like they are made by people who enjoy both the making and the smoking of tobacco pipes. Though they are a small outfit, I believe at this point they are either the largest, or one of the few largest U.S. makers of factory made briar pipes in terms of volume. In recent years, they experienced an earthquake that put production down for a short time, but they bounced right back, I believe. For folks not familiar, Sparta, N.C., is up near the Virginia border in the western part of North Carolina.

I think the Kaywoodie/Medico/Yello-Bole outfit is the close contender in U.S. factory briar pipes.

 

[PipeIT]

@Richmond B. Funkenhouser I didn’t see Cup O’ Joes mentioned.

Dr. Grabow Pipes - CupOJoes.com

www.cupojoes.com

They show individual pics of the pipes, which makes it seem like, that’s the pipe you get.

 

[PipeIT]

@Richmond B. Funkenhouser not to go off topic here, do you smoke Kaywoodie pipes?

Greywoodie would be a nice place for them, where I’d assume, you can see what you’ll get before hand.

Greywoodie, Your Kaywoodie Provider

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greywoodie.com

 

[Briar Lee]

The Cup O Joes ad says that Grabow employs 62 people and makes 250,000 to 350,000 pipes a year.

That makes them the largest briar pipe maker in the USA and still yet, a small business.

At an average of $30 wholesale 300,000 pipes means only 9 million a year, and 62 employees means a payroll of maybe 3 million. They have about ten bucks per pipe in labor costs.

You probably buy your groceries at a larger business:

—-

Revenue. The average grocery store is a large supermarket. It averages about 45,000 square feet and brings in about $14 million a year, which comes out to about $500 per square foot of sales industry-wide. The industry as a whole earns about $400 billion yearly.

—-
Because of RYO users switching to cheap pipe tobacco it’s hard to know the number of real pipe smokers like us in the USA.

20-Year Trends in Tobacco Sales and Self-Reported Tobacco Use in the United States, 2000–2020

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. PCD provides an open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to...

www.cdc.gov

We ought to all buy a Grabow to help them out in Sparta.

The briar market would be slim if Grabow didn’t buy over three hundred thousand blocks year to sustain it.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

@Richmond B. Funkenhouser I didn’t see Cup O’ Joes mentioned.

Dr. Grabow Pipes - CupOJoes.com

www.cupojoes.com

They show individual pics of the pipes, which makes it seem like, that’s the pipe you get.

They have a similar disclaimer.. Says the bowl shape and finish may vary.

I've used Cup O Joes in the past and I've had no problems. Good place to shop, but not for a new Grabow.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Sometimes this forum pisses me off with members badmouthing pipes that are affordable for those of us with limited resources.

Only bad mouthing bad QC. They used to put out consecutively great pipes. This is the second pipe I ever bought back in '91 for $17 and has survived cullings of artisan pieces, Castellos, Dunhills, etc. Back then, the tenons didn't damage the mortices.

 

[Chasing Embers]

They have a similar disclaimer.. Says the bowl shape and finish may vary.

I've used Cup O Joes in the past and I've had no problems. Good place to shop, but not for a new Grabow.

Cigarette stores around here carry Grabows on a peg board.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Here's a picture of the real Dr. Grabow. The man, the myth, the legend..

View attachment 161611

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Cigarette stores around here carry Grabows on a peg board.

From what I've heard from you over the years Kentucky must be one of the best places for tobacco in the country.

Here on the AL/GA line, really the only place to find a pipe would be Walgreen's.. but they seem to have gotten rid of what they had. There are a couple of grocery stores with some dusty tubs of Captain black, but that's it.

Like I've said before, I've never seen a pipe smoker in real life. Must be a regional thing.

 

[Chasing Embers]

From what I've heard from you over the years Kentucky must be one of the best places for tobacco in the country.

It's very tobacco friendly.

Like I've said before, I've never seen a pipe smoker in real life.

The only ones I've met personally are B&M owners and the guys I've taught at work.

 

[Chasing Embers]

pipes that are affordable for those of us with limited

Ever tried a Molina?

Molina Tobacco Pipes For Sale | TobaccoPipes.com

See our selection of Molina tobacco pipes, ranging from the Barasso to the Oro and even the Spigot and order yours today at TobaccoPipes.com.

www.tobaccopipes.com

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

It's very tobacco friendly.



The only ones I've met personally are B&M owners and the guys I've taught at work.

GA did have really low tobacco taxes, and they still have cheaper smokes than AL, by a buck fifty a pack.

Our prices are starting to catch up.. as we are starting to be overtaken I'm afraid. A couple years ago the price of dip doubled overnight.. Not chew, but only dip. Who knows what kind of wacky laws they're ramming through up in Atlanta.

 

[Chasing Embers]

GA did have really low tobacco taxes, and they still have cheaper smokes than AL, by a buck fifty a pack.

Our prices are starting to catch up.. as we are starting to be overtaken I'm afraid. A couple years ago the price of dip doubled overnight.. Not chew, but only dip. Who knows what kind of wacky laws they're ramming through up in Atlanta.

Yeah they jacked up dip here too. Went from $2.89 a can to $5.67 on Kodiak overnight.

 

[grimpuffer]

From what I've heard from you over the years Kentucky must be one of the best places for tobacco in the country.

Here on the AL/GA line, really the only place to find a pipe would be Walgreen's.. but they seem to have gotten rid of what they had. There are a couple of grocery stores with some dusty tubs of Captain black, but that's it.

Like I've said before, I've never seen a pipe smoker in real life. Must be a regional thing.

Not sure whereabouts you are in the state, as I am close to the AL line myself, but I still see the occasional pipes in Walgreens here and also Piggly Wiggly and Ingles grocery stores.

 

[Briar Lee]

Missouri has a Republican Governor who owns a farm near Humansville and a Republican super majority in the legislature.

I’m not making this up, a few years ago the evangelicals managed to put something about how Jesus Christ was a great historical influence on early Missouri on an actual ballot, and I’m pleased to say Jesus won almost 90% of the vote that election. Makes you wonder about the other 11%

Now with all those born again Christians stacked double deep in Jefferson City, you might think they’d wage war against sin, and you’d be wrong.

Missouri has, by far, the lowest cigarette and tobacco and gasoline taxes in the United States and likely all of worldwide Christian civilization.

Gasoline in suburban St Louis is $3.25 a gallon and 24/7 cigarettes less than $2 a pack.

Every convenience store doubles as a package liquor store, and at our local one they offer synthetic marijuana gummy bears behind a glass case just high enough for little kids to say Mama can I have a gummy bear? They are only $19 a package!

Missouri is the most alcohol, tobacco, and firearms friendly spot in the entire world.

This November we’ll get legalized recreational marijuana, by ballot initiative.

We’ve had legalized lotteries and river boat casinos sitting in moats for about thirty years.

Missouri is one big Sodom and Gomorrah, except all the girls who need abortions travel to Kansas, and have for fifty years.

Why is that?

In the entire world, Missouri has more DIFFERENT SECTS of Christians than any other place.

OzarksWatch - https://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow50315.htm

I’ve read there are over 9,000 different denominations of Christians within an hour’s drive of Springfield, which is the buckle of the Bible Belt.

We are the most cult friendly spot on the globe.

RLDS members openly practice polygamy a few miles from my home South of Bug Tussle and Amish drive their buggies by the Mormons and wave at each other.

Every student in the Humansville school system is on free, not reduced price, but free lunches, and free breakfasts and free take home “buddy packs”.

I can smoke my pipe just about anywhere except an indoors sit down restaurant in big cities.

The waitress will bring an ashtray.


Missourians are tolerant.

This is because when Missouri first settled, we had a law that all Section 16 lands were reserved for the public schools. There are 36 one mile square sections in one township. A township is six miles square. The school was in the middle.

The largest landowner usually had lots of say about the school.

He couldn’t build a Christian Church on school lands, by law. That school had to be open to all the freeborn children.

For about two centuries Missouri schoolchildren have went to one school during the week and many churches on Sunday, and it was by intelligent design.

There’s been a Cyrstal Quade schoolmarm molding young minds since 1821.

Representative Crystal Quade

house.mo.gov

 

[edger]

Ever tried a Molina?

Molina Tobacco Pipes For Sale | TobaccoPipes.com

See our selection of Molina tobacco pipes, ranging from the Barasso to the Oro and even the Spigot and order yours today at TobaccoPipes.com.

www.tobaccopipes.com

No. But I’ll take a look. Thanks.

 

[Briar Lee]

The best smooth Royalton costs $60 on Amazon.

Dr. Grabow Pipe - Royalton https://a.co/d/1dgt5eG

They are made by 62 South Carolinians.

They won’t work for lower wages than you would, in South Carolina, doing the same work.

If Dr. Grabow ever closes, then we loose the choice to buy American factory briar pipes.