>>836038I'd recommend they look into used, aka "estate" pipes if they want an inexpensive briar that smokes really well.
With pipe smoking in decline for the last 50 years and older pipe smokers leaving the scene, deals on used pipes abound. They're at thrift shops, flea markets, antique stores, Craigslist and eBay, and they're cheap.
Pic related is probably my best smoking pipe. It's a GBD Sauvage series pipe in a bulldog shape, and the draw is so open and easy it practically smokes itself. It probably sold for $60 30 years ago; I got it for $15 on eBay with shipping, about half of the price of a drugstore Dr Grabow briar. It was grimy, but a couple of damp paper towels cleaned it up nicely as you can see.
If you go this route, spend $10 on a couple packs of pipe cleaners (both plain and bristled), a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol, and a roll of paper towels, then go to town cleaning it. Use paper towels moistened with water to clean any grime off of the outside and tzhe rim. Soak the pipe cleaners in the alcohol and start working inside the removable bit and the stem of the pipe. I've had pipes so clogged with tar and junk that the first 20 pipe cleaners came out black before transitioning to dark brown (incidentally those turned out to be some of my best pipes-the meerschaum I posted above was that dirty, and it is fantastic now).
Look for the premium brands of the past and don't be afraid to buy it if it looks a little beat up. Think about it: if someone used it A LOT, that means it smokes well, and you can haggle the seller down a little on condition.
Most of the pipes you find will be at least decent. Some better brands to look out for for are Kaywoodie, GBD, Comoy, Chacom, Marxman, Butz Choquin, Stanwell, Savinelli, Sasieni, Pioneer, Manxman, Alpha and Castello. At the top of the line are Dunhill and Peterson, but that's getting into collector grade stuff and you generally won't be able to find great deals there.
