Forever Stems Vulcanite vs Lucite

[techie]

I am planning to acquire a Forever Stems replacement for my new MM Country Gentleman, as I don't like at all the thin plastic stem. I have a Charles Towne that came with a much nicer acrylic stem.
If I am understanding this, a vulcanite stem is a hardened rubber, and the lucite is an acrylic, correct?
I'd appreciate some feedback from those who have used the Forever Stems on their cob.
Thanks!

 

[seacaptain]

You are correct. Most people here probably prefer the softer vulcanite but I personally like acrylic since it's virtually maintenance free. Vulcanite can get pretty dirty/hazy in a short amount of time and requires regular polishing.

 

[techie]

Well, that's certainly a consideration. What does one have to do to polish a vulcanite stem?

 

[highwaycobbery]

There are a lot of different ways, myself, I use a magic eraser. Works like....well,magic.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If it's already oxidation free, toothpaste.

 

[checotah]

I do not care for Vulcanite because they are a bit of a bother and I detest the sulfur taste if not properly cleaned. Most of my pipes that came with them now sport acrylic. I am admittedly one who enjoys the smoking, not the ritual cleaning, but, then, I am a codger.

 

[mso489]

I like Vulcanite on my heavier briar pipes because it feels softer on my teeth. It requires upkeep, but I polish all my pipes after each bowl. Acrylic on light weight pipes feels fine and is easy to maintain. The Forever stems I bought, under the old management, were all acrylic. You could order them shortened from their specified lengths. They convert a filter cob to a non-filter, which is okay with me. I too found the soft plastic stock stems too soft. I chew them up pretty fast. So I really like the Forever acrylic stems, and with light weight pipes like cobs, they are ideal. They make MM cobs permanent pipes, not disposable, as they so richly deserve. Also, some of the colorful and swirl patterns give MM cobs real panache. I really like that extra visual appeal.

 

[crashthegrey]

Correct. Get the vulcanite and thank me later. Lol. No, all personal preference. As a clencher, I prefer ebonite and vulcanite.

 

[bnichols23]

As a general rule I prefer lucite. But given that it's me.....

 

[scooterdoo]

I'm a huge fan of vulcanite. That's not to say I can't smoke lucite, or don't appreciate it minimal/non-existent maintenance, just that I definitely prefer vulcanite. The touch, the feel, the clench -- it's just fantastic.

 

[weezell]

As a general rule I prefer lucite. But given that it's me.....

Sums it up for me...

 

[techie]

I ended up going with the lucite for now. I didn't realize one of my pipes does have a vulcanite stem, and I really don't feel that much of a difference.

 

[bnichols23]

Thanks, weez. I think.... (And yeah, I know what you actually meant. )

 

[mso489]

With a heavier pipe, Vulcanite every time. With lighter weight pipes, a flip of the coin for me, but it's nice not to have to polish away oxidation.

 

[prndl]

Lucite, here.
With my teeth, vulcanite quickly looks like the neck bone from the preacher's Sunday dinner that's been tossed out on the front porch and the dogs have gnawed on since Monday.

 

[scooterdoo]

With my teeth, vulcanite quickly looks like the neck bone from the preacher's Sunday dinner that's been tossed out on the front porch and the dogs have gnawed on since Monday.

I hear this quite a bit. Maybe, I'm just a nervous nelly, but even when I "bite" or clench my pipes I'm quite gentle.

 

[bnichols23]

prndl, you & Jay have a pipe way with words like Hemingway. :mrgreen:

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Nah, Hemingway would use simpler words and less words per sentence. He always reads like it was written for a third grader, but don't get me wrong... I love the works of Hemingway. It is just the style of moving from newspapers to books.

 

[crashthegrey]

With my teeth, vulcanite quickly looks like the neck bone from the preacher's Sunday dinner that's been tossed out on the front porch and the dogs have gnawed on since Monday.

This always blows my mind. I clench vulcanite all day long and have minor dents where my teeth like to go. It's actually more comfortable, the pipe falls into place. I've only seen this level of destruction on plastic stems like cobs typically have. I really don't know how guys eat their stems, but I can assure you I have never had a problem with vulcanite. I often wonder if they had plastic and not vulcanite.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Some guys just have more stress in their life than me. I never really make any marks on any of my clenchers either. I have a friend who has constantly chewed pencils down to the graphite. He is a designer now, and I still find him chewing a #2 down to it's skeletal darkness.