In the past I've always been a cigar guy but recently I've been trying out the pipe rout a bit which has proved to work out pretty well so far.
Taking advice from you guys I picked up two Cob pipes one filtered one non...and four pack of tobacco from the Gatlinburlier.
I've got to say...it been an easy transition so far with the Cob pipes proving to be easy learners and the Cades Cove Cavendish and Mellow Moonshine great tobacco!
So far no mouth burn and very little problem keeping'em (pipes) burning.
So here's my thing, my brother who has been a pipe guy for several years demands that I get a "real" pipe ( not sure I could find one that smokes better truth be known)
In the process of pipe shopping I thought I would try out a few new tobacco selections.
I've been checking out the following sight quite a bit and wonder what advice some of you old hands might have on pipe and tobacco selections.

Pipes and stuff

Keeping in a $100/160 budget what would be some of yall's selections?
Do the longer stem Churchwarden style pipes smoke as well as the shorter stem pipes...some of them kind of look cool.
The following are a few I kind of like the looks of.
#1
#2
#2 1/2
on the higher end
#4
#5
#6

or should I stick with my Cobs and just buy more ammo from AIm Surplus?

Go for a standard sized Peterson.  Great pipes.  If you want a less expensive option give David P. Ehrlich a call ((617) 227-1720) and get one of their Ehrlich briars.  For the $ you'd be hard pressed to find something better.  Jim will be able to help you find a style you like over the phone, as long as they have them in stock.  Also, get some of their tobacco too, their Judges Mixture, black and gold and DPE are my favorites.
Skip the Meerschaum and Churchwarden pipes, they look cool but are IMO bothersome to smoke and takes away from the experience.

I've got a church warden I don't smoke it much.  Due to it's length.  Most of mine have a bend were I can hold it in my mouth and it's back side rest on my chin.  I'm not much on the rustic but #1 caught my eye.    I got my last pipe from here http://sherlocks-haven.com/index.html they are estate pipes,but he cleans them up were you can't tell they have been smoked.

Ive ben smoking a pipe for less than 3 months but from lurking on lots of pipe sites here is what ive gleaned.

Cobs tend to be the best smokers and even people with many expensive briars keep a few cobs around. The people who really seem to bash them are new briar smokers or those who have an intermediate of time in the hobby. Most FOG's sing their praises. That being said..they arent very attractive and I dont know that id show up in public puffing on one. Personally, im not going to go out and spend $160 on something that does the same job that something for $10 does just as well. YMMV,

There are plenty of sites that carry every type you can imagine, cant help your decision any there.

Tobacco? Well my suggestion wheather its cigars or pipes is just get out there and try everything then see what sticks with you. When you get some favorites, then you can start laying it in in bulk. Ive got around 20 different tobaccos open ranging from straight virginias, english blends, aromatics, burleys, cakes, rolls, flakes, ribbons, etc.
And tastes change so if you dont care for something right now put it back. You may decide you like it better.

One thing Ill have to admit is that most FOG's reccomendations on most aromatic/flavored/infused tobacco is dead on. Inferior quality and a huge letdown.  Do they smell great while burning? Yup! But to me, the taste ranges from boring to downright horrible (eating cigarette ash horrible).

ETA: Taste is subjective and id discourage you from going with something based on a sole review unless yall tend to like the same things. Do yourself and bookmark www.tobaccoreviews.com. If your curious as to what alot of different people think about a blend...go look it up. Its saved me from wasting alot of time and money.

ETA ETA: on Churchwardens. The general consensus is that they are a novelty item and not very functional. Their success can be almost wholly attributed to ties with LOTR. The biggest drawback besides the price and limited availability is that they tend to have very small bowls resulting in reduced burn time. Its more of a bragging/show piece than a real smoker from what ive seen.

I just got back into the hobby.  I have a few estate pipes that I got on fleabay and did some minor cleaning(everything except buffing them).  A guy on there named ShinyPipes has some really nice refurbished estate pipes.  I have a couple that I really like, and have dedicated them to certain tobacco's and such.  I have no problem bringing a Cob out in public either...in fact for the price and the accidents happen rule, they are my choice for daytime smoking.  I tend to like either no filter cob or using Savinelli balsa filters.

I also picked up a couple churchwardens for a good price and enjoy smoking them.  They are nice for TV time.  If you need both hands for reading or internet, not the ideal pipe.  I don't usually try for long smoking sessions.  I like the 20 minute range, so small bowls are fine for me.  Although one of these days I WILL have a Calabash.

I would have no problem with a Meerschaum either.  I think they have there place...for me it would probably be a more elegant aromatic dedicated pipe for around the house.  And might be a good choice if you want to smoke different blends out of one pipe.

+1 on Tobacco Reviews.  Most of the stuff I have are the higher reviewed/rated stuff.  I'm sure there are lower rated stuff that is just as good.  But if its able to be found and has a good rating, its worth giving a shot.  I actually like English/Balkan blends a lot(Gordon Pym, Penzance, want to try some Squadron Leader), still trying to find aromatic's that I like.

Overall I wouldn't set a price on one pipe to start with.  Get a cob or two and start tasting tobacco's...then you can pick a pipe.  I don't know any pipe smoker that smokes all kinds of tobacco's out of one pipe.  Most have at least 7 pipe's; just comes with the territory.