I don’t use filters. Until last year I had only smoked a Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipe with a filter in it, and to be fair, I didn’t realize there was a filter in it at the time until I couldn’t draw through the pipe anymore and took the stem off to figure out why. That was a long, long time ago. 

Last year I bought a Stanwell estate pipe and the seller included filters with it. I got curious and tried one out. It was interesting. I got flavors/aromas from the tobacco in a very different way than without a filter which was a little enjoyable, but I quickly found the smoke to be far less satisfying. I tried it with filters twice and decided it wasn’t for me. I was left feeling that if I used a filter with a very mild tobacco, I could probably just not bother to load and light the pipe but just draw air through it and have the same experience 🙂

I used to use filters at the very beginning, it smoothed the strong latakia flavor. nowadays i dont see point do use anymore. the charcoal filters are the best in this case.

something people call filters but i dont agree is the savineli wood stick used to prevent humidity. this one worth to keep in hand.

the papers filters used in corn cobs are ok, i always use when the cobs arrive but as soon they get dirty i remove and i dont use a new one. they work as well as the savineli filters, helps with humidity. 

to be honest, all filters tend to soften the flavor which is not what we are looking for in the most part of time.

so for me, no filters.

I like them...9mm charcol.  I have plenty of pipes that are non filtered but I enjoy the dry and cool smoke they produce.  There are a few blends that I think lose something but not many.  I even double up and sometimes use Meer chips in the bottom of the pipe too.  It helps air circulation.  Also I tend to like the top half of a smoke best so this way there is no bottom of the bowl muddiness.  Its worth experimenting to find what you like best.  Over time it changes too.

An FYI.  I find 9mm filters are only good for 2 smokes despite marketing that says 3 or 4.  Its best to take them out of your pipe when you are done so they and your pipe can dry.

They are okay if my tongue is bitten from the previous day, but overall I am not a fan. They take too much of the flavour out of the tobacco. I also hate how most pipes at B&Ms nowadays have the 9mm filter slot. It's a pain to clean if you aren't using the filter. 

My Savinelli pipes don't have filters, and I do hate drawing in tobacco pieces from them. No big deal but I still hate that. My Cobs have balsa filters but as stated before they just absorb moisture. My one pipe with a 9mm charcoal seems fine to me. Sometimes I forget to put the filter in and I don't notice any real difference.

Most of my pipes have no filters. I have 2 Savinelli that use filters. I tried carbon filters and I don´t like the way they soften the tobacco flavor. I use the Savinelli Balsa filters that do not interfere with tobacco flavor and just absorb excessive moisture. I change them every 3 smokes, if not they transfer unpleasant smell. I have used and adapter to smoke these pipes with no filter, but the adapter burns in the first or second smoke, making it unusable again. Not to mention the horrible smell of burnt plastic.

I use filters but not all the time. 

To be honest, I can't tell much of a difference in the tobacco flavors unless I'm using a charcoal filter. Those tone everything down.

I've found I prefer smoking Virginias with a charcoal filter as the tobacco doesn't scorch my mouth.

I've used in my non-filter pipes Nordling Keystones, White Elephant meerschaum granules, and Denicool Crystals. IMO, only the Denicool Crystals actually work to filter the smoke.

I have a few filter pipes. My favorite is a Ropp Buis large Diplomat. It takes a 9mm filter and I just love the pipe. I enjoy the softer smoke that the pipe and filter provide. For me, the Savinelli balsa filters sometimes taste like wood. I use them, but prefer a charcoal filter or no filter.

All in all, I don't mind a filter at all. Took me 50 years to try filters. Now I wish I would have used them earlier.

I do not use filters. They seem like an anoyance to me. Some friends only use filters and love them. As with most things pipe related, it comes down to- Do it if you like it, dont if you dont. Both answers are correct. Smoke the way that makes you happy!

As others have said, it’s best to experiment with different types of filter, in different pipes, with different tobacco. Bear in mind, there are other factors that come into play too, such as the condition of your tongue, what you’ve recently eaten and how you smoke the pipe in question.

I use different filters approximately two thirds of the time. White Elephant Supermix 9mm, more often than not. Though, I occasionally use others (see pic).

Filters are problem solvers. I use them sometimes. Should you use them? That depends on your pipes, your technique, and your preferences.

Never used filters, to make a citation of an italian famous author on pipe smoking: "Whenever I find a filter in a new pipe I take it out and throw it away with contempt".

🤣

My own two bits:

I’ve had good smokes and bad smokes and great smokes. Like all of us do.

All of my great smokes, though, have been in a filtered pipe with a filter in place. To my style a filter is proving to improve mediocre tobaccos that I don’t care for when unfiltered, and they cool tobaccos that get too hot otherwise.  

Keep in mind though, that since I used filters from the beginning, I now feel that my unfiltered pipes draw far too much because that’s the result of my habits.

Not to mention, the appearance and condition of the filter when I remove it makes me feel that a filter is a really good idea… 🤢 

I do use filters in pipes that are set up for them (a few of my cobs and a handful of older mass-market estate pipes, all taking the 6mm Dr. Grabow paper filters, which I use once and toss).

I have just a few large-bowled briars that take 9mm filters, and I so I keep some filters on-hand for those, though I rarely find myself smoking those particular pipes. I tried installing an adapter into one of them and cracked the shank in the process, so I was really bummed about that. If only I had left well enough alone!

I smoked a filtered cob (MM Country Gentleman) without using the filter once, and felt that the draw was too loose, it made the pipe smoke much hotter than normal. I may get a few of those balsa wood inserts and give that a try sometime, see if that moderates the draw.

I am really indifferent to whether or not it's a filtered pipe. But when I make my pilgrimage down to Missouri Meerschaum in a few weeks, I suspect I'll gravitate toward the non-filtered lines, mainly because I'll be roadtripping and not needing filters means one less piece of kit I'll have to pack.

I use filters most of the time because it helps me to not get tongue bite. Or if not tongue bite, at least "tongue tingle". But I think the smoke tastes nicer without the filter.

I realise the conventional wisdom is that tongue bite is caused by smoking too fast and too hot. And I do believe that is often the case. But I'm not sure it's always the case. I smoke really quite slowly and gently and I get the "tongue tingles" (without a filter) even then. I have heard that a large component of tongue bite is genetic and chemical and has to do with your mouth and saliva and a heap of other stuff, that some people can smoke goop like a steam train and not got tongue bite and others get bitten even gently sipping on Latakia. And I'm inclined to think there's at least a bit of truth in that, just from personal experience. 

Other times I think it's a bulls--t excuse for people who haven't learned to smoke their pipe properly. So maybe the truth is that I'm smoking my pipe badly and just don't even realise it. That's possible too. But when I watch other guys smoke their pipe, I always feel like I'm taking it slower and gentler and blowing less plumes of smoke than them. But maybe I'm kidding myself. I dunno. 

Regardless, a filter simply goes a long way in helping me not get my mouth in an uncomfortable state. If "bite" is not the right word, then maybe "dried out" or "fuzzy and tingling".

Posted by: VeeDubya

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...conventional wisdom is that tongue bite is caused by smoking too fast and too hot. And I do believe that is often the case. But I'm not sure it's always the case.

Very good point! I totally missed this important aspect in my "problem solver" post above.

Aside from PH (acid vs alkali), which I have read can cause sensations on the front of the tongue when too acidic, and in the back of the throat when too alkaline, I, too, have noticed a "chemical" aspect to tongue bite above and beyond the temperature aspect. I always assumed it was because burning at higher temperatures can also change the smoke/steam to include some harsher and more bitter chemicals. It never occurred to me until reading your experiences (and those of @Erik) that some people have a mouth/saliva chemistry that just doesn't get along with some of the compounds ALWAYS PRESENT in some (or maybe all?) blends.

That is definitely a great reason to always use filters. You're definitely the only one who gets a vote! It's your mouth! 🙃 🤣 

As @Ted has mentioned elsewhere, (I can't find the post just now), his dentist cured his occasional tongue bite by knocking down oral bacterial flora. Any more info on that, @Ted?

I tend to use 9mm filters in the pipes that call for them but only as a way to soak up the moisture. I do find they restrict the flow a bit even when they're new, and especially when used, so there's a bit of an internal debate about whether I should continue.

The little wood inserts that come with the Savinelli's work wonderfully and since my garage is basically a woodshop I think that might be the way forward for me.