Castleford 5 Piece Multi-Fit Tobacco Pipe Reamer Tool

Several prior reviews have noted that the handle is plastic and tends to break. Yes, the handle is rather light. There are many pipe reaming tools on the market. This one has consistently rated among the highest. It's best used as a precision reamer with moderately caked bowls, gently turning the attached tools slowly to remove excess carbon. In this fashion the Castleford is very efficient and easy to use. If a bowl is heavily caked/restricted, I'd recommend carefully using a sharp knife or the Senior reamer to remove the heavier buildup first. My Castleford arrived on time. The individual tools "fit" range varies from loose to snug, None of them stick as some have noted. As for breakage of the handle, if your applying enough force to break the handle, you are using the Castleford incorrectly, in my opinion. Use this reamer gently and you'll like the results.

Worked for the first pipe I worked on to clean, but broke by the second pipe. Not a durable product.

Works great. Not sure why I didn't buy one of these first. Many other reamers I have tried don't work well- or at all, with a narrow diameter bowl. I have yet to find a pipe in my collection (30+) that this doesn't fit. If the plastic handle is flexing a lot during use you're doing something wrong and run the risk of breaking it. Be gentle. If there is an abundance of cake to remove you may need to start with the smallest 'bit' and work your way up. Go slow with minimal pressure and you will end up with a great result- just be careful not to remove ALL of the bowl cake we work so hard to achieve in the first place...

Great reamer. Strong bits.... but the handle sucks. Breaks almost immediately. You can use a wrench, but why can't they make a metal handle?

Simply amazing tool. Does exactly what it's intended to do. Even though it may look cheaply made with the plastic handle, the cutter blade is very sturdy. Removes the cake easily. Would certainly recommend it to my fellow pipe smokers.

I've had this set for over a year now. Although I have several reamers of different styles and price points this one is the one I use the most. The four cutting heads cover almost every possible bowl size; if you have a conical bowl you have to carefully use multiple bits or you will need a different "BUttoner-style" reamer. And even with "normal" bowls you may have to work up in sizes but that is normal. The cutting heads (or bits) do a really good job of leaving the cake nice and even, all the way to the bottom of the bowl. And I have had no issue with the handle as of yet; if the handle is straining to cut you probably have the wrong size bit in it and/or need to do a bit of careful reaming with a dullish knife to get the bit to fit properly. I would and have highly recommend this set. If you can afford only one reamer, this is the one to go with (it is also fairly easy to learn to use right). If you have many different bowl shapes and sizes (or restore many estate pipes) you will likely need to add more tools to your arsenal but this is the one to start with for sure.

Worked for a while, but once I got some resistance the handle broke very easily. The plastic is brittle. I opted for these over an adjustable metal tool and now regret that decision. Luckily I was able to utilize some vice grip pliers attached to the bits to finish the job.

I have several pipes I rotate every third day. I have been using a knife as a ream for quite some time now. I finally broke down and purchased these. I am very pleased at their proportions and initial quality. The reamers dressed up my bowls very nicely. I think that for the price they are a good buy. We will see how long the sharp edges last before I must sharpen them. My impression is that they will give me good service.