It is necessary to understand that the problem of pipe choice is complex enough to be completely shone in one short article. Therefore, I will mention here only high lights which will help the beginner (and not only the beginner) more consciously approach to the decision of this question.

The pipe purchase provides preliminary definition for itself some its characteristics, such as: the company of the manufacturer, appearance (the size, the form, a method of an external covering, presence or absence of the carbonation), design (with the filter or without, if with the filter, than what kind of) etc. Without accurate understanding of these questions the going to the shop will end only with empty staring on the sites, giving amateurish questions to sellers (which in the majority are guided in it even worse than those who ask them for advice) and the casual purchase which chance to appear successful is similar to a prize in a lottery. This article is devoted to give an explanation of these questions. So, we will begin one after another.

The choice of manufacturer company. If the company is «with a name», whether means it, that its production is obviously qualitative and it is possible to get a pipe without looking at it? Half-and-half. If we speak about the companies of the higher class (a pipe in cost above $300.00), their production is really without lacks. For example, Dunhill uses by pipe manufacture more than ninety various operations, each of which is carefully supervised (the necessity of the maintenance of the whole army of inspectors naturally affects final cost of a product). As the result, a final stage reaches not more than 2 % of the preparations which have arrived to the processing. In these pipes there are no lacks; neither external, nor hidden (in addition they widely use a X-ray and ultrasound for revealing of the latent defects in material structure). But it is absolutely other picture in the world of pipe manufacturers of middle class (the production below $300.00). It is necessary to inspect such pipes carefully at purchase directly in shop as more than 90 % from them, as a rule, include one or another kinds of defects. Mark Tinsky writes about it (the American pipe master well known in the world) in the article «Whatever happened to the middle ground writes?": "I remember, when the average production of company GBD was decent pipes. They had quite a reasonable price, including the pipes of the best series of this company - Virgin and Unique». Somewhere in the eightieth this production has turned to dust, for fun. In certain cases it came up that there were more putty, than directly heather. It has happened because GBD has decided not to rise costs on the production, and instead of it to lower requirements to quality, in the same way, as it have made the majority of the companies of middle class, such as Stanwell, Savinelli, Comoy, Peterson and others. When they saw that buyers simply do not wish to pay more money for production of former quality, they have simply lowered the standards (it means the quality standards – A.Z.) ». It is accurately noticed. Not to add, not to take away! Morals – by the pipe purchase of the company of middle class it is necessary to pay attention not at the name of the company, but to own preferences in appearance of a pipe.

Speaking about the pipe form the practice shows that direct pipes are more approached for smoking in stationary conditions, than bents which are most adapted for smoking that is called "on the move". The size of a pipe is the subjective concept, but it is better for beginner to start from the average size (numbers 3-4 in the scale of Dunhill Company sizes). The carbonization is certainly the plus as promotes faster formation of a deposit and provides initial protection of a pipe against open fire. If to speak about coverings the most suitable (in middle class pipes) is the shell. The matter is that in middle class pipes are used inexpensive sorts of heather with that or other quantity of inclusions (traces from grains of sand, courses of insects etc.), which are puttied in the process of manufacture and become in some time brightly visible on a smooth surface of a pipe (the heather darkens in some time, and color of the putty remains former) and simply seriously spoil its appearance. And, naturally, by no means to get the varnished pipes (they are good just for furniture but to achieve in them normal smoking is impossible as the pipe "does not breathe"). At least, if it would be desirable by all means the smooth pipe, it is necessary to choose pipes with wax coverings (they have a pleasant matte shine).

Speaking about filters, first of all, it is necessary to ask a question – «And for what it is necessary?» . As it is known filters have several designs – coal (most widespread), balsa (the Savinelli system use balsa wood), condensative (for condensation on their surfaces of a moisture and tobacco oils, so-called "coolers") and paper (basically applied in corn pipes). I will try shortly to consider in this paragraph "pro and contra" problems of filter applications. I will start from the end. Paper filters as a matter of fact filter nothing, and serve as original addition to corn pipes, a main destination of these "filters" is to support internal diameter of the smoke channel that is difficult enough to achieve other ways to this design of pipes (corn quickly burns through).

"Coolers" are also not filters (in strict understanding of this word), their main destination is to promote reduction of subsidence of tobacco oils by internal surfaces of the smoke channel (for what they have been designed) in practice is not reached (in exchange we receive hemorrhoids of additional necessity of "cooler" cleaning), therefore it is better not to use at all. There remain coal and balsa filters. The supporters of filters draw a certain parallel with a difference of cigarettes smoking of with the filter and without, asserting that filter use is less dangerous for the health. It does not correspond to the facts. The smoking of a pipe itself, from all known directions of tobacco usage by the respiratory way (snuff tobacco, pipes, cigars and cigarettes), is the most safe, more safe is only snuff tobacco (no, if desired it is possible to poison yourself with pure oxygen, here it is meant that pipe is smoked not in draft and as it has to be, using a method of cold smoking). I do not say that to lower the nicotine content in a smoke, and thus not to lose nuances of tobacco taste (that is inevitably at the use of any filters, especially coal) it is much easier to use tobacco mixes with low level of nicotine.

The other so-called "plus" of filters usage is often provided as a protection against tongue burn by the surpluses of a tobacco liquid (so-called «goo») therefore it is much easier for the beginner to join pipe smoking directly from the start. In my opinion, it’s not the plus, and a huge minus and it means, that the pipe smoking is the original art. It needs to be studied.

The skilled smokers do not burn their tongue and the surpluses of moisture in their pipes are not formed at usage of certain skills – cold smoking. This term itself designates slow smoking of a pipe (practically on the verge of its attenuation) with tasting a full taste spectrum of tobacco mix (which is possible only on a phase of decaying, instead of inflaming tobacco) to achieve it in a pipe with filters it is simply impossible, as aerodynamics of the internal channel of a pipe brakes.

If the beginner starts to smoke a pipe with the filter it simply does not have possibility of certain skills development of smoking, he is doomed on hot smoking, only to support unattenuation of a pipe (there is no natural draught in it as in the furnace, for passing through a filter hindrance needs the certain, constant effort).

Besides all above-stated filters have very strong minus, expressed that in the process of smoking they collect in themselves different "dirt", and at the moment of pipe cooling (a pipe cannot be assorted before its full cooling) they safely return all this "dirt" to a pipe (by that moment when you have taken out the fulfilled filter, the considerable part of a moisture from it was already absorbed by a heather because of absence of natural ventilation in the channel when the considerable part of this moisture simply evaporates in the cooling pipe).

In summary directly about the technique of pipe checking at the moment of its purchase, recognizing that all information resulted above is acquired. The single problem of checking of the pleasant pipe is resulted to its inspection on internal aerodynamics. For this purpose first of all we pay attention to an exhaust outlet of the channel in pipe and bowl. It should be or strictly at level of a bowl bottom, or not higher than 1.5-2mm from it. Then we check coincidence of smoke channels in shank and a pipe holder. For this purpose it is used a brush which is thrust through a holder mouthpiece for all length up to its occurrence in a pipe bowl (if a pipe is with filter, the filter is naturally preliminary taken out). If the brush does not pass through it, it is possible to consider this pipe as a bad job. If this operation has crowned success, we pass to a final stage of aerodynamic checking.

In pipes with the filter we insert preliminary the filter and try to soak up the air sharply through a holder. We pay attention to a sound (naturally indoors there should be relative, but silence). It should be either the absence of sound, or low (as «from a bucket») sound, how to pull air from dry cocktail duct placed preliminary in an empty glass.

If in the sound there are high-pitch tones (some whistling) it designates that in the channel there is a turbulence of air and this pipe is observed will be constantly smoked damp, in this case, it is better not to buy this pipe.