How Do You Like French Pipes?

mso489 · Jun 19, 2013

In terms of attention and comment, French pipes tend to sit in the shadow of the more

famous nationalities of pipe makers -- England, Italy, Denmark, and Ireland. Perhaps France sits with

the U.S. and Germany in having certain areas of expertise, the U.S. for cobs, Germany

for precision 9mm filter pipes. I've had several French pipes, a Chalcom that was drilled

too narrowly and had to be traded off; a fine little no-name apple in dull walnut that I

finally sent to a friend to boost his modest collection, and a Jobey, that started out

serviceable but keeps getting better. What's your experience with French made pipes?
In limiting the U.S. to cobs, I'm not trying to "dis" American pipe carvers; they are up

there with the best, but I think they distinguish themselves more than bringing glory

to U.S. pipe making in general. That's another discussion.

foggymountain · Jun 19, 2013

I was in a town on the Cote D'Azur named Cogolin, in 1972. It was a very small town with 4 pipeshops. Obviously they used local briar. Being a young fanatic, I examined every pipe in every store, and picked out the best. It was a bent plateau freehand shaped with French Curves, and a beauty. The brand was Corrieu. I smoked it frequently until about 2 years ago, when the shank cracked & a piece broke off and the pipe became useless. The shank was too thin, and because of the complex shape the center of the bowl was too thin also. But the pipe smoked very well and was aesthetically magnificent. I still have it. Too beautiful to discard. I looked up Cogolin recently and saw no mention of pipeshops. It had become the site of some very expensive condos, probably for wealthy retirees.

soggycitybob · Jun 19, 2013

I'm very impressed with Butz-Choquin both in design and smokeability. It's one of my favorites in my collection. indeed I think the French makers are often overlooked.

latbomber · Jun 20, 2013

+1 on Butz Choquin, great quality and price.

gwtwdbss · Jun 20, 2013

I only have one. It's a french GBD Paired with a SD(Smokin Dragon) Tamper.
It smokes that good.I could never sell it. I like it, a lot!

simnettpratt · Jun 20, 2013

Perhaps my favorite pipe is my tiny little Butz Choquin short straight billiard. The proportions are perfect, the grain is beautiful and it's easy to clean. Always smokes well. Was smoking PS Luxury Navy Flake in it when I opened this thread. When buying a new pipe, BC is one of the first makers I look to, if not the first.
@gw - Amazing job SD did on matching that tamper to your pipe. Both grain and color; gorgeous. I've also never seen that sort of curvy poker shape before. Definitely both keepers

foggymountain · Jun 20, 2013

This is the Corrieu I mentioned above.

oklansas · Jun 20, 2013

I've been staring lustfully at french pipes for some time. Certainly, my next pipe will be either a Butz-Choquin or a Chacom. They just look so good, also, Chacom makes the only Acorn shape I really like.

ciderguy · Jun 20, 2013

Ropp was a French company and they produced great and affordable pipes. Their specialty was the cherrywood and many fine examples can be found for reasonable prices on the estate market.

thesmokindragon · Jun 20, 2013

I too really enjoyed how the BCs smoked...really nice. The only

problem I had was that the model I bought was a churhwarden

with a dual stem combination. I had been smoking with short

stem and when I went to try the churchwarden stem it would

just fall out of the mortis , probably because they didn't have

an extension material (if you notice the Stanwell's HCAs

use a metal extension for this reason I'm sure)

eaglerico · Jun 20, 2013

I really like french pipes. I am working on a 7 day set of Chacoms and have a BC as well. They all smoke great. At least the ones I have smoked. I still haven't smoked my 2013 POY. I am breaking in 3 or 4 new pipes at the moment and just can;t bring my self to light it up yet.
Four of my 5. The POY is the one on top. oklansas...notice the 2 acorns. lol

This is the newest Chacom addition. It is rubber coated.

And this is my Butz. Not sure if the rustication was factory or done by Shiny pipes to cover some flaws. I wont buy from them again but the pipe smokes great. In the pic it is sitting on my Chacom bag because until I get two more Chacom it is part of the French Connection set. lol

papipeguy · Jun 20, 2013

St. Claude, France boasts many pipe manufacturers who have been there for many yaers. I have a couple of BC's and a few other French made pipes. They are generally very affordable and decent smokers. I think the BC's are on a near par level with the less expensive Savinellis so I would not shy away from them at all.

smokeybear · Jun 20, 2013

Haven't owned a french pipe but judging from what ive seen here i will very soon.

lordofthepiperings · Jun 20, 2013

I only have one, it's a Butz-Choquin D'accord 1304 3/4 bent billiard. It took a while to get a good cake going and get a cooler smoke, but once it did it's been a gem. I've dedicated it to cherry flavored blends since they tend to ghost.

irwinmetro · Jun 20, 2013

The pipe in my avatar is a BC, and it's my go to favorite. It's also the first pipe I've owned. Great smoker.

phred · Jun 20, 2013

Dang, Foggy - that's a gorgeous pipe. Shame about the shank...

thesmokindragon · Jun 20, 2013

This one has my PAD Beast Attn...oh boy...feel a Pre-PAD attack coming on now :twisted:

shaintiques · Jun 20, 2013

Ive got a little BC and it is a great smoker

foggymountain · Jun 20, 2013

Phred: Aint it? Have you seen the French cars from the 1930s? Delahaye was one of the brands. They looked a lot like this extraordinary corpse of a pipe. I was an amateur draughtsman as a 12 year old. There was a plastic template called a French Curve, used to get perfect curves in mechanical drawings. The pipe and the old French cars had those kind of shapes. Very archetypally French. Today all cars look alike. Back then you could tell what country a car came from without reading the name.

4dotsasieni · Jun 20, 2013

I have several Butz-Choquins, Chacoms, and Gefapips from years past, and they all still smoke great. For those of you who think they don't own a French pipe, bear in mind that several of the nominally "English" pipes are actually made in France: GBD's, Rattray's, Comoy's, to name a few.
Anyone know if Gefapip is still around? When I bought it, I assumed from the name that it was Dutch, but no, it's made in St-Claude, and, i think, used to be sold in Tinder Box stores.

How Do You Like French Pipes?

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