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Bead lines, that little groove that runs around the outside circumference of the bowl of many, but not all, bulldog and Rhodesian shaped pipes, is one of the brilliant touches in pipe design. What's interesting to me is that it brings most pipes into sharper focus and gives them a balance and presence they wouldn't have otherwise. Also, it can be varied slightly; some bead lines actually are beaded with little even circles or links in the groove. What is more interesting to me is that sometimes leaving bead lines off gives a pipe a shapeless, unfinished or saggy look, but on some pipes, leaving it off is a smart enhancement. My own pipe that benefits from no bead line is my Dr. Grabow Royalton bulldog which has a fabulous shape, really subtle and intricate if you stop to study it, and the lack of bead line gives it extra elegance and stature. It's one of the priciest looking low priced pipes I know. So how do you think about bead lines on your bulldogs and Rhody's?
