Gotta make it simple

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by Black Orchid on Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:22 pm

Hi all. It looks like you're going to be getting busy. Here in NY they've hammered us like everywhere else.

I've read some of the topics, but it's still confusing. Basically, I smoke either Basic Lights or Marb Lights.

I need 4 things from you. I'm new to rolling so if you'll give me some recommendations I'd be most appreciative.

1. What tobacco most resembles either Basic or Marb Lights?
2. What tubes should I use?
3. Whats the best rolling machine (not electric) to suit my purposes without putting me in the poorhouse?
4. Where is the best, most economical and easiest place to order the tobacco you recommend to me?

Thanks. This new tax has me frazzled. Any help I can get will help my nerves.

BTW...my kid sister lives in S. Carolina. Are prices there any better than online? If so, do you know where I can call to order my tobacco there or tell her where to go and buy it for me? She is in the Pawley's Island area.

Black Orchid Newbie

Newbie Joined: Apr 01, 2009 Posts: 1

by LostInAZ on Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:54 am

I used to smoke Marlboro lights. I now roll Premeire and its fine, in fact I like it better than Marlboro. I use their tubes, and thier tube injector also, so far just the small ten dollar double one. The small pouch for some reason is not as easy to use as the canned tobacco. After reading people got tax bills from the feds I purchase in stores instead. I dont need any suprises!! I have not tried anything else. The best crank one is at Costco at thier business stores only or listed online at their website.

LostInAZ

Newbie Joined: Mar 19, 2009 Posts: 9 Location: AZ

by Spindisk on Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:31 am

I smoked Marb Lt 100s for 20 years. I started MYO about 6 mos ago, and I've found that D and R's Windsail Platinum and Windsail Silver to be improved replacements for my old Marbs. Smooth flavor, either in a light Top tube or a full flavor Windsail tube.
I also use the Premier Excell tube stuffer. Great little machine that tends to run 25 to 30 bucks depending on where you buy it. I can make a pack of smokes for both me and my wife in about 10 -15 min. The little hand held "stapler" stuffers are worthless unless you're the type who likes to make em as he smokes em. If you want to make 20-40 smokes in advance, get a table top model. Many ex Marb smokers also recomend D and R's Rowland. Haven't tried that one myself, but been thinking about buying a small cup from the web site to try it out.

Spindisk

Newbie Joined: Feb 25, 2009 Posts: 10 Location: Las Vebas, Baby!!

by gilster on Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:39 am

D&R's new pipe tobacco site
http://www.smoke-n-chew.com/

Custom Blend site for Marlboro equivalents
http://www.customblends.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=marlboro

There are other sites out there - the pricing is all over the boards with the new tax increase.

Black Orchid, if your sister lives in SC - have her ship tobacco to you directly - you have a delivery source in her - gift- gift-gift.....

I'm very partial to the Topomatic table top injector - best so far for me - I have all variations of the Supermatic in all types of disrepair condition {I broke them}

My favorite tubes so far are the Zen line - Premiers are junk tubes IMHO and leave stains on your fingers because of the poor design.

I've been MYO for over 3 years now and gave up trying to find a tobacco that would match a certain brand. I did start out and still use American Spirit tobacco - back in the day [last week] the 5.29oz tins cost me $13.00 [$40 a lb] Now they run around $24 a tin [too rich for me] I like 'The Good Stuff' tobacco - back in the day [last week]it was $10/lb - now running around $44 a lb.

I won't be buying tobacco for @ a year - bought $500 worth of tobacco last month that will save me $1000+ for the year.

gilster

Smoking Lobby Sponsor Joined: Apr 19, 2006 Posts: 1212

by Bane on Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:57 pm

I started rolling my own not too long ago and I found that the Gambler brand of tobacco is close to marlboro lights to me. The Tubes you can get come in either light or ful flavor. The full flavors taste a little better then the lights.

You can find a hand roller for around 6-10 bucks and is very easy to use.

Bane

Newbie Joined: Apr 06, 2009 Posts: 2

by Slearwig on Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:32 am

Hey Spindisk, do your Top Light tubes have a sweet talc or soap flavor to them?
I'm trying to find a supplier of tubes that rival ready-made cigarettes in quality, no talc/soap/blah.

Eight years ago I tried Zig-Zag tubes and noticed a heavy dusty lead-like character to them while other tubes back then had the sweet talc taste to them, so I know it's not from the FSC, though those might be increasing Carbon Monoxide levels due to the extra bands of paper. I got a headache from those Zig-Zag tubes eight years ago and went back to ready made, even though I've always found the ZZ rolling papers to be equal to ready made papers.
I wonder what was with those tubes?

Now I'm using the Top-O-Matic and it's great. I like an easy loose draw, so I fill the chamber halfway, just enough, then pull the crank forward until it (almost) clicks at the point just before the machine starts to push out the tobacco. Using more tobacco the crank does click noticeably at this approx. 4 O'Clock position. Then I push the crank to start and repeat to 4 O'Clock several times while watching the chamber push all of the loose tobacco into the roll.
Then I return the crank to start, insert the tube, return the crank to 4 O'Clock and at the click point then move the crank through tube loading with a quick deliberate motion, and this works for me every time when I want an easy draw.

As for soapy, talc, dusty tubes, is it maybe the distributor? I've bought tubes from a pseudo-tobacco shop that was blooming with incense and soap scents and I noticed the bouquet permeates the tubes and rolling papers. I don't want alkaline scents in my smoke as it can affect the nicotine strength beyond a normal level leaving an edgy feeling which is not the effect that I expect from clean tobacco.

Slearwig

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: Mar 28, 2009 Posts: 213

by Spindisk on Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:11 am

Slearwig, I've never had a problem with Top Light tubes. I get mine from one of the Amer-Indian tribal stores in Nevada, and they sell nothing but tobacco and smoking accesories. No incense, bongs, hookahs, etc. Only smell in there is tobacco and people.
I've tried Zig Zag tubes, and wasn't really impressed. May have been old stock, though.

Premier tubes are the only ones I have tried that are just garbage in my opinion. My wife and I notice an almost bleach like chemical taste in them.

Order online if you can't find a local tobacco shop. All these smoke shops opening in Vegas are little more than bong and crack pipe shops that sell cigarettes to legitimize themselves. I appreciate a good hookah as much as the next guy, but the incense smell is way too overpowering in those stores.

Spindisk

Newbie Joined: Feb 25, 2009 Posts: 10 Location: Las Vebas, Baby!!

by Lynda F on Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:27 am

Spindisk wrote:

Premier tubes are the only ones I have tried that are just garbage in my opinion. My wife and I notice an almost bleach like chemical taste in them.

Interesting, as I only use premier tubes and haven't noticed that. But then I use the light tubes so maybe that's the difference?

Spindisk wrote:

All these smoke shops opening in Vegas are little more than bong and crack pipe shops that sell cigarettes to legitimize themselves.

The tobacco/smoke shops here in Phoenix are the same way. They sell lots of ready made cigarettes but their selection of rolling tobacco is extremely limited and usually brands I don't care for.

Lynda F

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: May 02, 2007 Posts: 501 Location: Phoenix, AZ

by Slearwig on Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:22 pm

I haven't tried the Premier tubes yet. How many times have you tried them?
The Premier rolling papers packed in with the Premier pouch are clean, so maybe the store or distributor got crazy with the janitorial duties? There used to be a local market down the street that didn't know how to use detergents around their food stocks and the meat and cereal always tasted like detergents because the fumes or mop swiching was getting into their products.

Around Los Angeles many smaller merchants and distributors use bleach because it repels cockroaches. The cockroaches are attracted to tobacco, so maybe that was it.

I try sniffing the box of tubes before buying so I don't get last night's floor mop or the incense factory in a cigarette, but with limited selection, it's tough. I had half a box of Top Light tubes, but they smell of incence/soap and Old Dutch Cleanser and I've been getting sick with those, so yesterday I bought two boxes of same but from a different store. I couldn't smell talc in these boxes, but the surrounding tobacco-only smell of this excellent store was masking the tubes, because when I got home, the talc soap is definitely in the papers again.
I then discovered that the boxes have a $1.00 coupon for tubes which expired in August 2008, and so did the box with the Dutch Cleanser, so I'm thinking two different stores 18 miles apart with the same distributor.

About local availability, I have been dogged by trying to find a decent brick and mortar RYO shop. In the 1970's during the organic movement, and in years before that, there were many
custom RYO shops (and wine/beer making shops) in Los Angeles where you could custom blend from fresh bulk tobaccos, but these days the wine/beer shops are gone and anymore the tobacco shops listed by Google and phone books are head shops only, ready-made only, dinky Marlboro-Only closets or RYO "Arnold's Carpet" if you've ever seen that t.v. ad many years ago.

Just last week in trying to find a local supplier of Golden Harvest, I found a shop with two bags of 6 Oz. GH Full Flavor on the barren shelf. He had two bags of Midnight Special, a couple boxes of Gambler and two cans of Top FF. I used to buy ready mades from this store eight years ago and in those days it was full of products with several floor bins full of twofers and threefers offers. On Tuesday when I asked the clerk if they would be restocking Golden Harvest soon, he said he didn't know because the boss won't be in until next Monday.

I miss the custom shops of old, though I never used them then. Shoot me!
The new shops with the businessmen for the most part have no sense of service. In the old days a shop might go as far as making a run to their distributor the same day and back within an hour and no matter what wouldn't be caught dead running out of stock, and then call you when they restocked within that hour.

Most of these new shops, I call and ask what they have and they can't tell me anything.
Then I get the soap tubes.

Slearwig

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: Mar 28, 2009 Posts: 213

by Lynda F on Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:06 pm

I've used mostly premier tubes since I started making my own 3 years ago. I've tried Zen tubes (don't like those) and top tubes (they're pretty good) and gambler tubes (don't like either).

I just like the premier most.

Lynda F

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: May 02, 2007 Posts: 501 Location: Phoenix, AZ

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