Corncob makes a fine, cool-smoking pipe. I like the standard paper filter, and you can discard it if you don't. Unplastered, rough-surfaced models like this one are cooler to hold than the more-common plastered-and-lacquered ones. Smoking qualities are similar. Cob bowls are a little smaller than briar. Theoretically and probably, they won't last through as many thousands of smokes as a briar. I couldn't say. Alas, workmanship and finish are 'way down from a generation ago. On my "bent" model, instead of a graceful curve, the stem has a single, sharp bend that wouldn't let a pipe cleaner through easily. Compared with a 25-year-old similar Missouri Meerschaum I own, the current model lacks the gracefully curving stem, the sanding and slight plaster fill where the wooden shank enters the cob bowl, the graceful chamfering at the top of the bowl, and the corn-like pattern applied to the shank (which does help, aesthetically). I don't mind the painted metal band that takes the place of the brass band where shank meets stem. No problems with fit there, BTW. In short, an aesthetic underachiever that makes you appreciate (by their absence) craftsmanship and attention to detail. And it's not the craftsmen's fault if the company decides to do without their services. That said, the pipe works as well as ever; the smoking qualities are as fine as ever; and the price is very low. The nylon (?) bit is comfortable. If you care only about smoking qualities, this pipe is a winner. Myself, I'd gladly pay another $1 for better finish and a nicely curved stem. If I could split stars, I'd award this one 3.5.
