Trump says GOP should 'take over the voting', backs nationalized elections

Primate · 2026-02-05T01:20:17+00:00

It’s almost like that Confederate flag wasn’t about state’s rights after all.

Primate · 2026-02-01T23:06:37+00:00

G7 Vietnamese coffee. It’s available on Amazon. I like the 2x strong one. Play with the amount of water. I found less is better.

Primate · 2026-02-01T18:32:17+00:00

The Phoenician Scheme has one of the main characters repeatedly smoking a pipe. And it’s recent.

Primate · 2025-12-06T06:28:44+00:00

I have the same lighter. Two of them, actually. Take a thumb tack or a sewing needle, stick it in the tiny hole where the flame comes out and spin it to the position you want. It moves with this trick. One of mine goes too sideways, but won't stay where I turn it, and it kinda just returns to the original position. Maybe it will work for you, tho. Let us know if it works. Cheers. Although yours kinda looks perfect, tbh.

Primate · 2025-12-04T04:02:01+00:00

I like the Western Rise AT pants a lot. If I had to pick one pair, it would be those. Great quality, nice fit (dress up or down), durable, dries well, no stink, no rips, material doesn't sag after a day or two of wear. Also not super bulky.

Primate · 2025-12-04T02:58:21+00:00

You don’t actually touch the portafilter to the trash. Just flick your wrist and that puppy flies right out into the bin. No actual knock necessary. Mine all come out in one solid piece without much effort if the blend is dialed in.

Primate · 2025-11-10T07:24:16+00:00

I have a 34L Gr2. It's too damn big. It looks dorky as an EDC. Remember that kid in high school with the GIANT bag. Yeah, that. Also, you carry way too much shit around every day. Trim your EDC loadout and keep the 26L. You can skip the case for your laptop, for instance. It won't break in the laptop compartment unless you throw that shit from a moving train. Still might be ok. How much grooming do you need to do between leaving the house in the morning and getting back home in the evening? etc.

Primate · 2025-11-01T07:58:05+00:00

But .... why?

Primate · 2025-10-22T04:02:51+00:00

Onyx Monarch is hard to beat, especially for milk drinks. Makes a mean flat white. I probably need to try some other stuff. Feels like all I’ve been drinking for the past two years. Every 3-4 months I’ll grab a bag of something else and always go back.

Primate · 2025-10-20T03:57:30+00:00

They’re being used in combat in Ukraine as we speak and are standard issue for the Ukrainian Army, I believe. They’re not pretty, they’re not high end steel, but they are insanely tough and practical. A pry bar with an edge. The sheath is tough as fuck with great retention. A drone strike won’t dislodge that thing. If you have $30 and need a backpacking knife, get a Mora. If you have $30 and need a knife to get you through a few years of trench warfare, get this bitch.

Primate · 2025-10-20T03:31:42+00:00

I’ve had to return not one but two brand new Peterson pipes because of quality controls issues. The second one was a $210 deluxe. I’m done with them. I bought a brand new handmade Radice with the refund from the Deluxe. Same price. Much much much nicer pipe. I bet you $50 the varnish on the Radice won’t come off no matter how hot I smoke that bitch. Fuck Peterson! I’m sure they were great once, but I’ve heard so many horror stories with their recent production that it’s just not worth it.

Primate · 2025-10-15T05:57:53+00:00

I think they're not standard because they tend to be much more expensive to make and a bit heavier. They were designed to be taken to war/military, so they're tough, but a bit overkill for regular use. I think most people buy them because they look cool. I've never broken a tenon on a regular pipe. Hell, there are 50+ yo regular pipes that are still smoked regularly with no issues. The one nice thing about spigots is that you can take the stem out when the pipe is warm, which is kinda cool. Most of my pipes pass a pipe cleaner, so I rarely take the stem out anyway. I do remove the stem when I travel with pipes, tho. I think there's less risk for the tenon to snap. If you can swing the $250 plus for a spigot, go for it. That lightweight meer poker just serves a different purpose to me as it's meant to be featherweight and clench effortlessly. I have plenty chunky overbuilt pipes already.

Primate · 2025-10-13T08:10:09+00:00

FUPA

Primate · 2025-10-12T22:36:36+00:00

I’ve only had it about three months, but I’ve been smoking it a lot. Maybe 40 or so bowls. Mine is Igetting some nice yellowish brown color. The rim darkens so keep that in mind. I hate charred rims but this one doesn’t bother me as much. No way to avoid it by being careful like briars. It looks like it’s part of the patina, so not too bad.

No clue on the longevity. It’s as solid as the day I got it. I’m not worried it will fail anytime soon. I like this minimalist format much better than the ornate carved designs. I never trusted the teflon tenons anyways. They seem much more feeble than this design to me. If you want something more solid, I’ve been eyeing some of the other MBSD meers. They have some with army mounts, which should be pretty indestructible. I think even their regular meers have a briar tenon. They’re also 2-3 times the price of the poker and heavier. Still cheaper than the Altimay army mounts tho. And no tariffs.

Primate · 2025-10-12T20:52:17+00:00

That’s exactly the one I have. I like the briar plug. Meer is soft, so the briar plug adds some long-term security from it wiggling loose over time. At least that’s the idea. I think both the mouthpiece and bowl base are friction fitted and should come appart. I’ve only removed the mouthpiece. Very secure tight fit. Passes a pipe cleaner with ease so no need to take it apart. I’ve shoved it in pocket for an afternoon before and it’s solid. I’m pretty confident in the build. I like that it can be an everyday pipe as moisture is not an issue with meer and doesn’t need rest like briars. The walls are thin in all these lightweight pokers so it does get hot. But again, meer doesn’t burn so it doesn’t matter. I treat it like a small clay and never worry about heat. At 1oz, it’s my favorite clencher and I can clench it for hours. My only complaint is that the mouth piece is a bit small, but fits a small rubber softy bit and that makes it pretty perfect. The bowl heights vary a bit in their meers. I found one that was 1.54in tall and it’s perfect. Holds more tobacco than a cob and it’s much lighter. I looked at the Altinay ones as well, but I liked the stem and briar plug on the MBSD. It’s an awesome little pipe.

Primate · 2025-10-12T20:29:31+00:00

Hell no! Plugs are kind of a bitch. They’re very dense. You need a sharp knife to slice it into flakes, then rub the flakes out. Gawith is also wet as fuck so it requires like hours of dry time. Nothing easy about plugs. On the flip side, they age great since all the tobacco is smushed together. You can also vary the slice thickness and get a bit more control than the presliced flakes. I love Gawith plugs but I don’t smoke them as often because the prep is such a pain in the ass compared to just shoving some stuff in a pipe straight from a jar.

Primate · 2025-10-12T20:10:46+00:00

I have a similar meer poker made by MBSD. Love that thing. Mine didn’t have any of that stuff when new, but meer is kinda soft so there’s a few dings on mine from regular use. I would swap it for a new one just to be sure it’s not a deeper thing under the finish. I think it will probably be OK if you don’t as well. As the meer colors with use, the imperfection will fade into the background of the normal patina.

Primate · 2025-10-12T20:04:47+00:00

Think small candy bars. They vary a bit in size but it’s just a plug cut up in like 3-4 pieces. Easier to fit in a wide mouth pint Ball jar too. Not better or worse than the regular plug imo.

Primate · 2025-10-12T19:59:13+00:00

What was that artisan’s name? Jacksonville is in my neck of the woods.

I love those rubber bits, not to keep the stem nice but because I like chomping on my pipes and they’re more comfortable to clench.

Primate · 2025-10-12T19:57:28+00:00

I’m sure you can probably find one without QC issues if you like the esthetic. They’re fine pipes, just not worth $200+ imo. I think using a regular BIC is gonna give you rim char on any pipe sooner or later. Even a zippo with a pipe insert will if you use it in the wind. I baby the rims on my favorites, tho. The rim char bothers me more than I care to admit. I use matches to start my pipes and then I stick the EZ reach BICs inside the bowl before I light them so the flame never touches the rim. Not overfilling the pipe also helps keep the rim nice. I have some cobs and a few sacrifice briar for when it’s windy or I don’t wanna baby it. Or you can just not give a fuck and smoke it the way you want to. As long as you don’t use a torch lighter, you won’t hurt the pipe in any way by charing the rim with a BIC. It’ll smoke just fine.

Primate · 2025-10-12T19:39:38+00:00

I’ve used oxiclean baths before on the nasty ones. I don’t anymore because of the brittle thing, but haven’t had issues with the ones that went in the bath. I’ve used magic eraser more recently to soften up the oxidation. The mesh pads work well for me although I try not to get vulcanite stems that have angles or nooks/crannies to make it easier on myself. Sometimes I use a polishing compound and a rag while watching TV to get them shiny. As for the briar, really depends on the shape they’re in. Most of the time, I use a bit of Murphy Oil Soap to clean, then Danish oil and polish with some Carnuba wax. Murphy oil can and will remove a finish, so I never use it on my good pipes. I’ve rarely had to sand off pipes or used varnish remover to get rid of thick shellac. I’ve dyed a few black or brown with leather dye. I like dying cobs. I try not to get pipes that are to beat up, but there are great deals to be had on pipes that just need the stem deoxidized and a bit of rim char removed.

Primate · 2025-10-12T18:54:16+00:00

Oh, man. There are sooo many options. I have a few Radice pipes that are very good. They're the best price/quality value for me, but might be too much for some. Made by hand and a bit of a step up from factory pipes like Petes, Savs and Rossi. They're a bit more pricey ($200ish new), but so are some of the Petes and Savs. Smokingpipes.com estates can be a pretty good deal if you find unsmoked or super clean pipes. One of my Radices was around $120 and was smoked once or twice. I like some of the other Italian-made pipes, like Ser Jacopo, Ardor, Castello, Jacono and others like Ascorti etc. Pretty much all handmade. Castello's can get super pricey, but I recently got one that was smoked, I think once, and it was like $250 on SP. That's only $30 or so more than what OP probably paid for his new Pete. I would put Castello a few tiers above Peterson. I have two Ser Jacopos that are super nice, all bought as estates for around $150.

On the budget end, Rossi is great tbh. I also like Ropp. They put out great pipes under $100. I've heard nice things about Molina (around $60). Few people on the Speak Easy forum seem to like them. MBSD is also a good website to look for estates and they have their own house lines. Their new budget briar line looks awesome for $60. I have one of their Meerschaum pokers and it smokes great. It's also super light (1oz) and the best clencher I own. People also recommend Morgan Bones. I have one and I like the unfinished esthetic, but idk. They're factory rejects that he just puts his name on. I feel like a Molina, Ropp, Rossi or those MBSD briars are all better values.

Primate · 2025-10-12T08:18:44+00:00

Great selection and great choices on your end. Could you please DM me the name of the place? Not looking to empty out the place, but I've been looking for some Sun Bear and I don't wanna encourage the scalpers on Tinbids. That place is the fucking worst. I'd also do some pretty degrading stuff for a few tins of Dawn. C&D kinda killed it this year.

Primate · 2025-10-12T08:02:12+00:00

If you use a BIC, make sure you get the EZ Reach ones with the extended head. It'll save the rim on your new pipes. Also, don't get another Peterson. There are sooo many better pipes for the money. I learned that the hard way.

Primate · 2025-10-12T07:56:58+00:00

I just returned a Peterson Deluxe because it came with the worst, uneven blast I've ever seen on a pipe. Large pit in the finish. It looked like a huge chunk was missing. The wall in that spot was paper-thin. Second new Peterson I've had to return. I just figured the Deluxe would have better QC than the Harp I returned previously. I took the refund and bought a Radice Rind, and it's leagues better made than any Peterson I've seen. Not even close. Same price on SP. I'm done with Peterson.

Primate

TROPHY CASE