Finding Your "Perfect Pipe" - Have You? Are You Looking For it?

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pruss

Lifer
Feb 6, 2013
3,558
370
Mytown
November marks the one year anniversary since I returned to Pipedom. In the last eleven months I've had close to 100 pipes come in and out of my Pipe Cave. Many were here for a short time for rehabilitation and socialization, and then went to their forever homes (sheesh, I feel like I'm running a Pipe Rescue Centre).
During that time, and through my increasing exposure to other pipe fanatics here, and in person, I've come to discover that many pipers have a "type". Sometimes that type is explicit and consistent; sometimes that type is more fluid and amorphous whether defined by whimsy or exploration.
I'm in the latter camp now. There are some pipe shapes which I am more drawn to than others, but none that I feel I must have above all others. I love the egg and the cutty, I am coming around to blasted billiards/Canadians/lumberman, and I have yet to find a freehand that draws me in... but I'm still exploring.
So I ask you... Have you found your "type" your "perfect pipe"? If so, "What is it?" If not, "Are you even looking for it, or is the perfect pipe the one you're in love with right now?"
Have a lovely evening friends.
-- Pat

 

petes03

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
6,212
10,653
The Hills of Tennessee
I wouldn't say I have ever found the perfect pipe, but there are some that come close. The one shape I have the most of is Peterson's "03", which is a full bent apple, I have 6 of that one shape. All together, I have about 9 bent apples. I also like Dublins, straight and bent, and billiards. Although I only have 2, I really like the bulldog shape, straight and bent, as well.

 

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
No I am not yet looking for the perfect pipe. for the foreseeable future I'm stocking up on tobacco and I have a sufficient stable of smokers. If I think I see a good deal I snatch it up.
However, I know my GBD and my Castello are out there. Waiting.

 

4dotsasieni

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 6, 2013
756
6
Well, I'd say I've found the perfect shape for me in my dotage: an author, or stubby pot, or whatever you want to call it. Preferably black sandblast. And, among those, I've found what so far seems to be the most perfect of its category: the Rattray's "Butcher's Boy" (pics below) which came with both the usual stubby and a longer, semi-churchwarden stem. So far, my favourite pipe (at least of my newer ones).
286u9ol.jpg

20kp4io.jpg


 

skapunk1

Can't Leave
Feb 20, 2013
495
1
So far, my Peterson Aran 06 for my coin cut VaPers, and my square bowl Perker Goldenbowl group 4 for flakes.
I'm sure, or at least hoping i'll add to this list of favorites...

 
Aug 1, 2012
4,587
5,131
So far my "perfect" shape is actually a handfull of shapes but I will buy outside of these when the pipe suits my fancy. The Rhodesian and the Canadian/lumberman/lovat tend to be the ones I am focused on and I have found fantastic examples in all of them. I still prefer a good smooth but I am starting to appreciate a good rustication or blast.

 
Jan 8, 2013
7,493
733
I'm not sure what my perfect pipe is... I love the way my Peterson feels in my hand. It's a good solid feel. It is one of my favorites, and is probably my best smoker. However I drool over my Nordings...
Perhaps your perfect pipe is the one you have at the moment, when you're really just enjoying everything about the pipe and the smoke. I suppose it could be any pipe I own on any given day.

 

shaintiques

Lifer
Jul 13, 2011
3,615
227
Georgia
I have a number of perfect pipes, all feel good in the hand, and all smoke wonderfully no matter what tobacco I put into them. They are each unique, but most are bent, I prefer a bent as they are better for clenching.

 

brdavidson

Lifer
Dec 30, 2012
2,017
5
Its funny, I have a definitive shape that I'm drawn to, a straight Dublin or billiard in about a group 3 size. I don't care about the finish, it can be smooth or sandblasted as long as it meets my criteria. That being said, my favourite pipe out of the 38 I currently own is my Brigham Chinook 426 which is listed as a quarter bent saucer on Brigham 's website.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
One of the things I like most about pipe smoking and collecting is the variety of shapes, sizes, textures, etc. Still, there are a couple of pipes I have that are almost perfect. One is the pipe Ryan Alden (Lonestar) made for me.
Here's how I know it's almost perfect for the place it has in my collection. Just today I saw on Scandpipes an S. Bang apple with boxwood shank that I love. And six months ago I would have bought it in a heart-beat -- it's a smooth Bang for less than $600 in one of the shapes I had been looking for. But having Ryan's pipe, I don't need this particular Bang. The hole in my collection that called for a fat apple or billiard with a boxwood shank treatment is already filled.
Here's the Bang:

2496.jpg

Here's the Alden:

alden-billiard-001-600x400.jpg

They're not exactly the same, and the Bang in some respects is certainly a better pipe in terms of grain and in terms of fit-and-finish (e.g. the boxwood shank treatment on the Bang fits seamlessly with the briar), but Ryan's pipe looks great, smokes like a champ and the stem is near perfect. For me, it does everything I want it to and I plan to keep it forever.
I won't say I've found a "perfect" pipe, but almost.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
So I ask you... Have you found your "type" your "perfect pipe"? If so, "What is it?" If not, "Are you even looking for it, or is the perfect pipe the one you're in love with right now?"
I have been acquiring a lot of perfect pipes that I am in love with over the last year plus. I have found that the following shapes( Dublins, Apples, Rhodesians, Billiards, Lovats and Brandy's) bent and straight from certain artisans in group 4-5 sizes are perfect for smoking my flakes. They are great for clenching, incredible smokers, i.e cool and dry and bring out the best flavors of my preferred blends. It has taken a number of years before I figured out exactly what I like in a pipe and how a pipe will alter the flavor of the tobacco I smoke.

 

voorhees

Lifer
May 30, 2012
3,834
937
Gonadistan
I only have about 5 pipes I really enjoy smoking, my number 1 is my Meer. I smoke it more than any other. Then goes my Comoy/Edward/Neerup/Kaywoodie the others get rotated out about every other week. I still have not smoked the Growley pipe I won. Saving it for the holidays.

 

blueeyedogre

Lifer
Oct 17, 2013
1,552
30
The newest pipe is always my favorite..... until the next one arrives. lol But in seriousness I have always been a Peterson fan and my Tankard smooth is my go to pipe. I have a Peterson Canadian on order and I'm betting it will replace the Tankard as "The One".

 

pruss

Lifer
Feb 6, 2013
3,558
370
Mytown
I'm still working out the shape(s) which work best for me. I would have to say that I am still firmly in my experimentation phase. The pipes I reach for most often right now are between 5" and 6" long, are group 1 - group 3 in size, and are straight to 1/4 bent. These pipes also tend to be on the lighter side, all coming in under 40g.
In general, I prefer smooth pipes, but have recently fallen in love with blasts which are reminiscent of Dunhill's shell blast.
It is really interesting to read how each of you approach your collecting, and your pipe accumulation.
Thanks for sharing those insights and stories.
-- Pat

 

msandoval858

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
954
3
Austin, TX
I try to appreciate each pipe that I add to my collection for it's own unique characteristics. The shape, finish/grain, weight, the way it clenches comfortably, etc.
I like variety too much to every settle on one.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I've bought some excellent pipes in the last four (or so) years, but I find that some of my oldest pipes provide

some of the most "sublime" smokes. They are more than broken in. That have a mellowness that comes from

the aging of the briar and the continued use. I'm looking forward to this kind of an experience from some of

the pipes I have bought recently that are excellent but don't yet have that nuance that comes with use.

 

ghost

Lifer
May 17, 2012
2,001
4
I have all shapes and sizes in my collection, but upon thinking of it, I tend to prefer bulldogs or rhodesians as far as the shapes go.

 

latbomber

Part of the Furniture Now
May 10, 2013
570
4
In the summer my perfect pipe is a $10 Van Roy from the 1940s that I use to smoke only Dunhill flake, it has a tight draw and is a straight pipe but for some reason fits hot weather nicely. For the other 95% of the time when I am in Latakia land, my best is a Peterson POTY 2011. It is bent (huge requirement for me) also rusticated (also important) and has a great open draw. The only thing stopping it from being perfect is that the bowl is sometimes too small.

 

piperl12

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 7, 2012
970
4
Wow that's tough but I find myself reaching for some version of a bent bulldog or half bent rodesion. Don't thing that is spelled correctly in fact my white whale was a brigham 7 dot quarter bent rhodesion. I left it in a tackle box in a boat that I sold and have searched for one ever since. Nice and light with a great grain.

 

pruss

Lifer
Feb 6, 2013
3,558
370
Mytown
Don't thing that is spelled correctly in fact my white whale was a brigham 7 dot quarter bent rhodesion.
Oh man... that stinks. At least I know what to keep my eyes peeled for. Piperl12, you're way to close for us not to smoke a bowl together at some point. I've seen lots of Brighams and Trypis pipes locally, but never a 7 and only rarely a bulldog or Rhodesian. But I'll keep looking.
-- Pat

 
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