Yes absolutely. 

The sandblasted pipes are made in particular situations of the surface of the briar, that is when the just turned sketch presents some cracks (superficial cracks that among other things are more frequent on the flamed sketches).

The quality of the sanded pipe is certainly superior to that of a smoothed grouted pipe, also because the processing is carried out by removing, with sandblasting, the soft parts of the wood. If there were some woodwork in the wood this would make it even more evident.

This is a difficult process for which special machinery and special skills are required. If the vein of the briar is not beautiful, the sanded pipe is not beautiful to look at and you prefer to make it rustic.

Sanded pipes are especially appreciated by experienced smokers. In fact, in addition to the advantages of freshness of smoke thanks to the greater cooling surface, there is a briar pipe selected especially for hardness (and therefore duration) at competitive prices.