Dr. Grabow Pipe Reviews

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1. Straight, Smooth Royalton:
The Royalton line is the current “high-end” from Dr. Grabow, coming out in 1988. They are available in a variety of straight and quarter bent shapes (I also own a rustic ¼ bent), and all have the same amber swirled acrylic stems. They range from the low $30s to around $40. This particular one is great because of the thick bowl walls and good capacity. The chamber is 7/8” x 1 3/8” and easily holds a 45 minute smoke. It is drilled nicely, feeds a pipe cleaner easily, and the tenon fits almost perfectly flush with the shank (there is a hair’s width gap). It is a push tenon that will accept a standard 6mm filter. I would class these in the same ranks as a La Rocca or Baraccini pipe. It is solid American craftsmanship that will last you for decades.

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2. The Big Pipe:
This baby is only available in straight shapes, but can be had in either rusticated or smooth finishes in a couple stains. The design was introduced in 1991 and is still sold today- one will set you back around $40-$43. As the name implies, this is a large pipe. The chamber is 15/16” in diameter and 1 ¾” deep- providing an hour to 75 minutes of smoking pleasure. The bowl walls are thick and the pipe stays cool even for such a long period of smoking. When I first bought the pipe I worried that it was drilled a little low, but I came to realize it only appears that way because of how deep the chamber is. It uses a standard push tenon that fits perfectly into the shank with no daylight gaps. The sheer size of the pipe makes it a less than ideal clincher, but if you’re looking for something to smoke for the entire first half of a football game, or through a few chapters of your favorite book, I recommend these.

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3. Straight, Smooth Starfire
The Starfire line debuted in 1956, selling for $3.50. The line disappeared sometime in the 1970s, just prior to the period where Lane owned Dr. Grabow. I picked this one up on Ebay for around $20, in great condition. Starfires were available in straight, partial-bent, and full bent shapes throughout the years they were on the market. They took advantage of the patented Adjustomatic stem design that Dr. Grabow made famous. It was a threaded aluminum tenon that never completely snugged down in the shank. This allowed you to tighten it, but then continue turning it clockwise to align the stem perfectly every time. This came in handy because over time other threaded stems would become crooked if tightened properly, but adjustomatics work perfect decades later. I think the burl on these is very attractive, and they are lightweight and make great clinchers. The bowl walls are moderately thick, and it holds about a 45 minute smoke in a 13/16“ x 1¼” chamber. It’s one of my favorite Grabows.

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4. Half and Half
I had not heard of these when I came across this one of Ebay. I got it for less than $15, unsmoked. The line was apparently introduced in 1991, and disappeared not too long afterwards. It has an acrylic stem with push tenon that fits snuggly, but leaves a slight gap on the underside. The burl is interesting, but the stain is only okay. It has a surprisingly deep bowl (1 ¾”), but is only average diameter (13/16”). I can smoke it at a reasonable pace for around an hour. It is drilled a little low, but it feeds a cleaner well and doesn’t gurgle. Overall, it isn’t my best Grabow by far, but it’s better than any $15 basket pipe I’ve seen :)

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5. Golden Duke
This line is still available, and come in a variety of straight and ¼ bent finishes. The average price is somewhere in the mind-upper $20s. When they first came out in 1964, they came with the adjustomatic stems. At some point (I’m not sure when), they moved to an aluminum push tenon at the end of an acrylic stem. Mine fits beautifully into the shank. I like the walnutish color of the stain used on many of these, and the ¼ bent is one of my favorite shapes. The walls of the bowl are a little on the thinner side, but the chamber itself is small (13/16” x 1”) It is lightweight and clenches well- making this one of my favorite pipes for the car. It is drilled high enough and a pipe cleaner passes easily. The only complaint I have is the way the bowl can get on the hot side if you smoke too quickly. They’re still a good deal for the price point.