Bowl Discussion: Thick, Thin, Tall, Short, etc... and Why

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hawke

Lifer
Feb 1, 2014
1,346
4
Augusta, Ga
I think I like a bowl a little on the thick side but tall and slender chamber. Even a little too small for my little finger to get into fully. Seems to fit my style of smoking maybe.
But I was wondering what the experienced pipers found best suited them or a particular cut in tobacco being ribbon cut, rubbed out or folded flake.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
I prefer a thick bowl wall, such as a bulldog or Rhodesian. Just a little insurance in case you puff too hard or come up against a particularly hot-smoking blend. If my index finger just fits, it's the perfect diameter. I do prefer a smaller diameter, deeper bowl for smoking intact flakes, but you can't always find that in combination with a thick bowl wall. Sometimes it's a tradeoff.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Wider inside diameter for more complex blends, often a pot, author, prince; taller narrower bowls for non-aro burleys and Virginias; smaller pipes for flakes and plugs which burn longer. On the face of it, I like thicker walled bowls for insulation and heft, but they add weight, so sometimes it is a choice; also, some thin bowls don't heat up much, and even those that do sometimes can be handled well holding a cooler part of the bowl or the stem. Sometimes when you want to clench, a light pipe is preferable. On the other hand, some thick walled pipes are very light. So you have to select and adapt, and that's part of the enjoyment. The tradeoff aldecaker mentioned.

 
Jan 8, 2013
1,189
3
Being a clencher, I tend to prefer thinner walls, ie lighter pipes. I find that tall bowls work particularly well for flakes and straight VAs. I have a Hilson chimney, very light and thin, nice tall bowl, average diameter, that I usually only smoke FVF in. It is truly a match made in heaven.

 

dottiewarden

Lifer
Mar 25, 2014
3,053
57
Toronto
Part of the enjoyment of this hobby is matching a blend with a pipe. Whenever I get a new blend I run it through a variety of pipes until I find its perfect match. However, I have found some blends that smoke well in any pipe, such as EMP, and some pipes that will smoke anything well, such as my trusty Chacom Salsa Canadian.
Variety is the spice of life - so get your PAD on!

 

blueeyedogre

Lifer
Oct 17, 2013
1,552
30
I was all about the thick walls and now as my smoking has evolved I find that most of my pipes are thinner walled. 1/8" or so seems to be right in my wheelhouse for perfect clenching.

 
Jan 8, 2013
1,189
3
A caveat to my earlier comment...
I pulled out my Rattray's Chubby Jackie this morning and loaded it up with Nightcap. Being stubby,the weight of the thicker walls balances out and it still clenches well and doesn't get hot. So I suppose my prefence is variant and somewhat dependent on what tobacco I am smoking.

 

aggravatedfarmer

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 9, 2015
865
3
I think it all depends on the tobacco and the preference of the hand that holds the pipe!
Blends with a higher moisture content I prefer a larger bowl. Lower moisture content use a narrow, taller bowl.

 
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