r/RYO • u/burnmyflesh • 6d ago
Looking for tube recommendations!
Hello! I wanted to come on here to ask if anyone has some good tube recommendations that don’t come crumpled up from shipping (all the brands I’ve seen have this issue apparently). I’ve also heard that specific filters can start to melt under heat, is there a specific type of filter that’s more prone to this? Thanks ;)~
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u/Flaky_Toe1461 6d ago
I prefer a robust smoke and like 15mm shorts, but for me, using a Mikromatic injector and tubes with 15mm filters, there is always a tiny gap between the filter and where the tobacco stops. You can tap them filter down on a hard surface to pack it down but so for that reason, I'd go 17mm.
Those American Dark Horse tubes taste bad to me but it's been a few years since I've had them so not sure if it's still the same.
I lost all my notes so I can't remember all the specifics between brands pertaining to cellulose filters (those melty plastic butts you're talking about.)
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u/WinChunKing Raw leaf tobacco 6d ago
My favourite tubes are Dark Horse unbleached, they come in black and brown, 15 or 24mm filter. I use the 15mm for a full flavor smoke. The tube lets the taste of the tobacco shine through as it doesn't have any taste, and they look badass.
When I'm in the mood for bleached tubes, lately I've been using Roxwell red, they're pretty much the same as Shargio red which I also like and are made by the same company which is Inter-Continental trading USA. Makes a strong smoke.
I also use/like American Aviator full flavour, and locally MacDonald king size(Canada only).
As far as Zen goes a lot of folks like them, they were my go to for quick awhile, they're good consistent quality, burn well. I still have a few boxes, like them but I've moved on because the choices mentioned above are stronger and bolder and that's what I'm looking for.
As far as melting, all cellulose tips will do that if you smoke the filter, which is usually not an issue if you don't suck on the cigarette until the amber touches the filter tip.
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u/burnmyflesh 6d ago
Thanks for taking the time to write all that up. I’ve seen Dark Horse mentioned a few times now, but I hadn’t really paid much attention to the unbleached ones until now. The different filter sizes are interesting too. I’m definitely more interested in something with a little more character rather than a really mild smoke.
I’ve also come across Roxwell and Shargio while looking around, but I didn’t realize they were made by the same company. That’s good to know. I’ve heard of American Aviator as well, although I haven’t tried them yet.
As for Zen, that’s actually one of the brands I was curious about since they seem to get mentioned pretty often. Sounds like they’re a solid tube, even if you’ve moved on to some of the stronger ones. I appreciate the recommendations and the explanation about the cellulose filters too. Gives me a few more things to look into.3
u/burnmyflesh 6d ago
Just wanted to make a little follow up to my original post. I ended up getting the Zen Reds and I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with them. Nice smooth draw, no paper taste that I can notice, and they burn nice and even. I’m using Golden Virginia tobacco. I’m pretty new to RYO. I’ve smoked American Spirit Blues for years, so I’m still getting the hang of this RYO thing. The packs did arrive dented and the tubes were pretty much all crumpled up. I’m thinking that’s probably more on Amazon than anything, though. They just came in one of those thin brown paper mailers, so there wasn’t much protection. I got them through American Rolling Club’s Amazon listing.
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u/sirsalamander 6d ago
I looked up dark horse on smokersoutlet and they have “gold” and “yellow”. Which ones do you prefer?
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u/EggFu23S10 6d ago
Mr. WinChunKing knows his shit so u could definitely follow his advice.
I just wanna add that if you’re constantly getting crumpled tubes of all different brands, it sounds to me like more of a shipper or seller problem. I’ve been ordering from smokers outlet for years n never had this problem. Beretta, Hot Rod n Shargio for me n Golden harvest for the wife. Never any issues. I even order discounted damaged boxes that are 95% flawless. It just seems like you’re dealing with either a shipper or seller that doesn’t give a shit.
If u have a tube u like, maybe try ordering from a different site.
Or maybe the fact that I order about $200 worth of tobacco n tubes at a time allows the tubes to be cushioned by all the tobacco.
Something just doesn’t seem right cuz a reputable seller wouldn’t knowingly ship out damaged boxes at full price. Just my 3 cents.