[Donkey85]

I beg to differ on the fact that a $30 pipe smokes as well as a $600 pipe. On briar pipes the pipes that cost more are made from much higher quality briar. They tend to smoke much cooler. A dr. graybo(sp) from walgreens wont smoke nearly as nice as a bently which wont smoke nearly as nice as a Former (also know by the carver's name, Hans Nielsen). Also you will notice a very differnt smoking experience between different shapes of pipes.

There are also pipes made of meerschaum. These are my personal favorite. It is impossible to "burn them out" which is a result of smoking to fast. They also have a much cooler smoke. They tend to have a much sweeter taste than a briar pipe. The pipes start off white but after smoking them they darken in shades of brown. When buying a meerschaum spend the extra money for an masters piece (one that is signed). The carving and meerschaum quality is much higher.

There are also calabash and clay pipes. I have never smoked any of these so i will not comment on them.

Just a random thought that i dont know where to put. Dont waste your time/money going out of your way to buy a new pipe and have an amber stem. To get a new one made is $100/inch(i checked this out 2 years ago so prices may have changed). Some estate pipes have amber stems but be careful buying a pipe just because it has an amber stem because you are going to be pissed if you manage to break it.

As far as my favorite tobaccos:

for a mild smoke: Sable
for a medium smoke: black cavendish and cumberland gap(i have this in my pouch right now it is my personal favorite. I have a pound of this sitting in my humidor)
for a smoke to put you on your ass: Mastro de Paja, or "the rope" (this stuff seriously comes in a braided rope that you have to cut up)

Also david get your self a churchwarden or a clay and some virginia tobacco and have fun.

Shaundeeb- i personally dont switch out tobaccos that often, at least on the same pipe. I think the first smoke when you switch tobaccos in the pipe sucks so i dont do it. If you want to try a bunch of tobaccos smoke a pouch then switch. Also I cant stress eneough how important it is to clean your pipes (lol). Just running a pipe cleaner through it after you smoke makes worlds of difference.

I hope this helped.
happy smoking