I have some italian briar coming in in the next few weeks, and when it gets here I wanted to start using ebonite for my stems (I have just been using acrylic and abs with the cheaper briar that I had initially bought). However, it seems that its not too easy to find briar here in the US. I did just notice that PME got some briar and cumberland in though, so I was wondering if anyone has had experience using this? Is it good quality or should I keep looking until I can find something else elsewhere?
How much are you looking for? If you're going to place a large-ish order, you might want to just go direct to the manufacturer. You get the best prices that way.
PME have a very good reputation with the pipemaking community. They are one of the few suppliers in the States that stock Cumberland and seem to have an exclusive on Algerian briar.