Price Check on Aisle 3

[captpat]

I recently found my pipe cleaner stash to be low, in fact, I only had a few packs of BJ Long tapered cleaners on hand. I stopped using BJ Long cleaners some time ago moving to White Elephant. More recent BJ Longs samples exhibited a loss of backbone -- nearly impossible to fish one through a stem. Yesterday's spaghetti noodles would be more suitable.

Off to my favorite online retailer to add some White Elephant pipe cleaners to the next order. Gobsmacked to see that a pack of 100 cleaners was $5.10, twice the price of a pack of BJ Long cleaners. Now IMO White Elephant cleaners are better than BJ Long, but they aren't twice as good, though I do use fewer of the former as they last longer. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much choice when it comes to pipe cleaners. Never thought I'd see the day when a pack of pipe cleaners cost more than $5, does anyone have a good method to recycle used pipe cleaners?

 

[Simplicity]

Tobaccopipes has the White Elephant pipe cleaners for $1.88.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

On things below $100, I tend to not think too deeply on price. I usually just go on eBay or Amazon and look for a whole gross of pipecleaners. I usually end up with BJ Longs or Zens, which I hadn't noticed any change in quality. I may have to more closely examine.

 

[Briar Lee]

Any more I’m awful damned picky about the briar in a pipe I buy, but to clean them eBay is the pipe smoker’s friend:

 

[captpat]

Tobaccopipes has the White Elephant pipe cleaners for $1.88.

View attachment 286559

Woo Hoo

Wonder why the difference in price? Anyway off to TP.

 

[captpat]

Any more I’m awful damned picky about the briar in a pipe I buy, but to clean them eBay is the pipe smoker’s friend:

View attachment 286565

@Briar Lee how do those Zen cleaners hold up, will they make it through a bent stem without folding over?

 

[Sigmund]

Man..that is way higher than the price in Europe. I think Id be buying elsewhere. Maybe someone screwed up the price entry?

 

[EvansFuan]

I've also noticed the quality difference between BJ Long and White Elephant. It’s good that there are still sites where you can find White Elephant 1.88. On recycling, I've had some success gently washing and straightening used ones for less critical cleaning tasks. It's not perfect, but it helps stretch the stash a bit further!

 

[Sigmund]

I just got some vauen. They were about two bucks for 80. They are way better than the cheapo ones I got from Amazon france. The wire is much more stout.

 

[captpat]

As a follow up I purchased some of those Zen cleaners, they are a lot like BJ Longs. Still prefer White Elephant.

 

[DanWil84]

I love White Elephant cleaners, but I think even Estervals (where I normally order them) are cleaning them out, last time paid 3.06 for the light grey carton which is one sale from 3.60

 

[Peter Turbo]

white elephant all day

 

[PaulRVA]

On things below $100, I tend to not think too deeply on price. I usually just go on eBay or Amazon and look for a whole gross of pipecleaners. I usually end up with BJ Longs or Zens, which I hadn't noticed any change in quality. I may have to more closely examine.

This right here
I buy a gross or equivalent $h!t ton of Zen, Mantelo or BJ’s using 5 a day on average.
The BJ’s suck compared to years ago but for the price I deal with it and occasionally toss out an extremely weak cleaner out of every 10 or so.

 

[Briar Lee]

@Briar Lee how do those Zen cleaners hold up, will they make it through a bent stem without folding over?

They are a lot “better” for my use than the traditional white Dill’s pipe cleaner I grew up using.

I’ve never found a bad one. They are slightly tapered, and if the small end won’t go through a bit it needs filed. They keep their shape, and have bristles.

But I use em because they are cheap as any I’ve found, and come in big quantites so I have plenty on hand.

 

[sablebrush52]

I use both White Elephant and B j Longs because they can do different things.
The quality of B J Longs went into the shitter years ago, becoming inconsistent raggedy lint dumpers and a testament to managerial incompetence. But even in their sorry state the tapered bristles still provide useful service.
White Elephant’s quality is far superior, but the girth isn’t quite sufficient to scrub the shank airway as well as the Longs, despite their flaccid wire spines. I use White Elephant bristles for the stem airway where the much softer bristles are perfect for cleaning the stem without scratching it.
As for cleaning and reuse, my time is worth more to me than 5 cents an hour.
For a long term reusable product, buy yourself a couple of shank brushes or a bottle brush set. Cheap, effective and reusable.

 

[Sigmund]

The only time I clean pipe cleaners is when I accidentally leave them out on the terrace. They get rained on. Later I go out and Im like...look, free pipe cleaners!

 

[Sobrbiker]

I’ve noticed that BJ Longs I’ve gotten recently must have an out of adjustment or worn out cutting die-many have a small hook on ends that hang up and/or scratch.
I’ll be trying something different next order.

 

[burleybreath]

A quick flush with warm di-hydrogen monoxide right after smoking might diminish the need for pipe cleaners. I haven't noticed any limpness in Longs, but mine were purchased in bulk quite a while ago. What I hate is having to straighten the ends with pliers, so that they don't scratch going around curves on bents. Longs, as far as I know, are still made about 20 miles from where I am right now. I suppose I could drop by and kick someone's ass. But, you know...the police, courts, and stuff?

 

[kcghost]

Haven't noticed any decline in the B.J. Long's but may not have noticed. I usually by my cleaners at the local B&M that I frequent by the box full. Usually lasts more than a year.

 

[sardonicus87]

I'll second the mention of shank and stem brushes. I only use pipe cleaners for that mid-smoke dry out (if needed), and to run through at the end of the smoke. The BJs do fine I suppose, especially for their price vs others (and certainly better than the Brigham cleaners), but when I need to do an actual cleaning of the pipe, it's the reusable bristle brushes, not pipe cleaners.

I have some long brushes for stems, they're from Neerup, only problem is, the epoxy or whatever on the tips of the wire is too thick to pass through the bit hole on all of my pipes except my one meer, run them in from the tenon all the way up until they stop at the bit, but that's only a minor inconvenience, since the one part they can't go through gets cleaned anyway when cleaning the slit.

Then again though, I only use a maximum bend of 1/4 bent stems.