Anyone Own A Hector Wiebe Radiator Pipe?

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May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
I just placed my order today for the tall bent stem. It's going to be here on Monday. I still haven't decided on the bowl I want, but I reckon just hoping Morgan puts out some radiator bowls soon.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
I emailed Morgan Pipes about the availability of their Bones Radiator bowls and he got right back to me saying he had some and was probably going to put them up today. If I was a newsletter subscriber, I'd get the email notification, and I subscribed and literally about 15 minutes ago I got the email, so the Bones Radiator pipes are back in stock and you buy the frame and bowl or just the bowl. Just picked mine up, so I should be up and running with my new radiator by sometime next week!

 

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,892
8,965
Hey, carolinachuchwarden, any reports on how you’re liking your Weibe after living with it for awhile?

I’ve been eyeing these things for quite some time now and am curious how you are liking yours.
 

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,892
8,965
Did we lose CCW in the transition? Anyway, I pulled the trigger on one of these and can't wait to try it out. The reviews are pretty positive and I'm in the right frame of mind to try something funky, so ... we shall see. Since they are so funky looking anyway, I figured what the hell, and ordered the super loopy purple and black model, lol. Hey, if you're gonna smoke a funky looking pipe why not pull out all the stops and roll with it, right??
 

Casual

Lifer
Oct 3, 2019
2,577
9,420
NL, CA
I keep looking at these but the money would go a long way on briar pipes that I find more aesthetically pleasing.

I look forward to a review.
 

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,892
8,965
Just finishing my 4th smoke in the new Wiebe. It's okay. Too soon for a thorough review but here are my thoughts so far:

It's funky.
Easy to clench - very light for the apparent size as it looks bigger than it really is.
Easy to clean.
Seems well constructed and the materials are good quality.
It's funky.
It's fairly pricey and the bowls aren't cheap - unlike a Falcon - if that's a motivation for you to buy one.
Changing bowls is dead simple. (Did I mention, not cheap?)
The bowl selection (shape and finish) is limited.
I keep wanting to dump the ash at the halfway point and that doesn't work unless you want to remove the bowl.
You can fairly easily remove the bowl. If you remember.... Messy if you don't remember in time.
There's a slightly flat metallic taste - might be from the stem or frame. Time will tell. (I've read this criticism before about Falcon's - I should get mine in the post within the next week, so I can directly compare.) Meh, not a huge deal.
There's a slight new wood taste still - almost certainly from the lack of seasoning in the bowl and to be expected.
Can't really say the tobaccos "sing" in this pipe. Yet. Time will tell. Have to assume it might improve with some age and proper bowl seasoning.
It's funky.
Seems like it might make a good flake pipe since the tall bowl is well suited to it.
Smokes cool, but not necessarily cooler than the Canadians that I typically use for flakes.
Gurgles a bit, however it's easy to puff back through the stem and the moisture drops into the reservoir easily. (This might diminish as the bowl gets seasoned and I learn the best cadence for the pipe.)
It's rather strange to hold. Not bad, but if you don't clench full-time it takes some getting used to.
Conversely it stands well if you want to set it down, but then you notice how funky it is and you pick it up again.
It's funky.

It will be interesting to see how it seasons and ultimately if it's worth the money. It's okay I guess. Outstanding would be better. I don't regret the purchase but I don't think it's any better than a vintage Dunhill estate that I paid roughly the same price for. Not sure if I'd recommend it or not. If you're interested in something funky it might be worth it just to satisfy your own curiosity. If you're not that curious you might like a traditional pipe better.

Anyway, there's my 2 cents worth.
 
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Casual

Lifer
Oct 3, 2019
2,577
9,420
NL, CA
Thanks for the review. It’s the gurgling that’s gets me. I read it in most reviews. If the chamber design doesn’t get enough moisture out of the smoke so that the stem stays dry, what’s the point of it?
 

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,892
8,965
I think I’ve found the niche for this pipe: Gawith flakes.

Gawith is famous for moist tobacco that’s hard to keep lit unless allowed to dry out and my idea for this pipe was precisely this purpose.

So far it’s the only thing that has made this pipe shine. I tried dropping a pipe cleaner ring in the radiator like a Falcon dry ring and that eliminated the gurgling and the smoke is cool and dry. To be fair the gurgling never got into the stem but still, it was annoying.

The deep bowl and long stem provides a nice cool smoke.

Still not entirely convinced it was worth the cost but I do think I’m going to keep it and it will have a place in the rotation. Frankly, I’m loving the Falcon and my briars much better, but this is okay. Just a freaky looking bloody expensive okay.

Still, can’t say it isn’t doing a nice job on this SG flake, because I’m enjoying it just fine. ?
 
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