If this is your first pipe: a plain spoon pipe. Nothing to learn, nothing to assemble, and cheap enough to replace the first time you drop it.
If harshness is the problem: freezable glycerin. Keep it in the freezer between uses. It does more for a cough than any filter or screen will.
If it is going outside or traveling: silicone, not glass. It takes a bag, a pocket and a drop. Glass in a festival crowd is a decision you only make once.
On the carb hole: cover it while you light, release it to clear. New pipe smokers miss this and then wonder why the pipe stays full and the hit tastes stale.
On cleaning: isopropyl and coarse salt in a sealed bag. Shake, rinse, dry completely. Clear glass tells you when it is time. Colored and ceramic pieces do not, so put those on a schedule.
If it is a gift: buy for the shelf, not the specs. Every pipe here works. Only some of them get left out where people can see them.