Lighest Pipe in Your Stable (By Weight)

guhrillastile · Nov 23, 2013

I have been rigorously trying to whittle down my herd. It's completely overgrown. I got down to a rotation of 36, then an auxiliary 24 split between the oddball shaped danish, meer, or figural etc.
It's been agony to get this far. And I'm going to force another 15 out... Or decide on another 36 spot rack and build a new cabinet and let it be a monster it wants to be.
I selected by favor. Just my own. I picked baskets and ditched beauties in some cases. Brands and shapes and conditions that made no rhyme or reason to anyone else. I picked them because I liked them. Shape, feel, look, and of course most importantly by smoking enjoyment.
This agonizing selection process got me really analytical in approach to WHY I have in some cases several duplicates of some selections, then cherry picking only 1 or sometimes 2 of a particular style that I have multiples of in my racks. Discovering the folly of buying a pipe because its similar to one I really enjoy... Only to realize it gets a fraction of the use of the one I was thinking I would be emulating it..
Subtle differences that probably only me as the smoker would know. But it was an eye opener for my own tastes. What I THINK I like, and what I ACTUALLY smoke and enjoy most once I grouped them and went to refining the whittling process further.
Weight. I have commented and engaged in many conversations here and at clubs and shops how I can't enjoy a thick heavy pipe. As a treat, or while curled around a fire or club setting definately. But in normal day to day with my morning tea/coffee? In my shop while working? While out fishing? Or nearly ANY other time outside a social relaxed setting I just tend to avoid the heavier pipes in my rotation.
This revelation of the significance in personal smoking preference lead me to go ahead and start weighing some of them.
My fav smokers are all lightweights. It's shocking to me how much I avoid the heavier ones. I have rambled but before I go to far into my own analysis and breakdown, I would appeal to the community to see if anyone has had revelations regarding weight as such a standout factor.
Thanks for reading. Sorry if I'm so long winded but I encourage opinions. It's really got me curious as to tastes/habits of others.

papipeguy · Nov 23, 2013

My Brigham Country Club is very light, to my hand. It weighs about 38 grams.

shutterbug · Nov 23, 2013

Weight is a huge factor that plays in my decision on choosing which pipe to smoke for the moment. Heavier ones are for when I know I'm not going anywhere, and no mobility will be involved: as you said, campfire pipes (Heaviest pipe Ardor 87.8g). This weight concept however, also works in reverse: the lighter the pipe for me, may not necessarily mean that it becomes the go-to pipe. For example, my lightest pipe is a Tsuge Blowfish coming in at 22.68g, but is probably my least smoked pipe. Because of the lower weight, it often means that it relatively a smaller bowl.

So really, the 'mid-sized, light enough to be clenched, but feels good in your hand' pipe is always the go-to pipe. To me, it's around 50g and it's a perfect medium between light and heavy, clenchable and holdable.
Shutterbug

philobeddoe · Nov 23, 2013

I have a Winslow billiard that weighs 21 grams, it's about a group 3 in size, I can hardly tell I'm smoking it, it just kind of floats there. The older and more experienced of a smoker I become, the weight of a pipe has become a bigger concern for me. I rarely purchase a pipe over 50 grams anymore and I really try to keep it under 40 grams, I find that I just enjoy the smoke more, with a lighter pipe.

kashmir · Nov 23, 2013

I also prefer lighter pipes. Anything under 40g. Like group 3 and 4s. I clench pipe for a good part of the day, and my favorites are in the 20 to 30g gram. Billards mostly.

brdavidson · Nov 23, 2013

If the pipe is straight it needs to be around 30gm, a bent I will go up to 50gm but no higher.

jgriff · Nov 23, 2013

I find my favorites tend to be some factor of light weight with a larger bowl size. My lightest at 22g is a King's Cross Featherweight but I rarely smoke it since the bowl is barely a Group 1.. However, I find myself grabbing pipes that are more like 24g (Dunhill Group 2 Billard) or 29g (Weber Lovat) due to the combination of larger bowl with light weight. I looked at my inventory and though I have a number of bigger pipes, I realized that I rarely smoke anything over 42g. (Maybe it's time to move that 122g Meerschaum, I wondered why it wasn't coloring much....)

guhrillastile · Nov 23, 2013

Yeah, bingo Kashmir. I notice my love affair for the look of a 1/4 bent custom gives way to my lighter billiards when I scrutinize who's doing the work on my daily duty.
Nothin better than a thick and stout Freehand or a prided custom around the mantle with two hours worth of something rich and toasty. But daily puffing is pretty dramatically the opposite side of spectrum for which I grab with mornin newspaper.
Would almost lament "glad I'm not crazy"... But I know better. It's a site full of enablers so ill rephrase it to "glad I'm not the only crazy one" lol

mrenglish · Nov 23, 2013

I tend to stick with pipes that are 45g or lighter. I have a couple bents in the 50's, but they are well balanced so the weight is not noticeable. Most of my bowls are in the group 3-5 range but I've been on the search for the largest bowls I can find that still meet the weight criteria. No easy feat. I've been into nosewarmers lately and its amazing how heavy they can be. Seems almost counter intuitive. Most of my pipes are billiards, Dublin's, apples and a few pots with straight pipes being 90% of my collection of 47 pipes.

durham270 · Nov 23, 2013

This little King's Cross Featherweight bulldog made by Savinelli which weighs about 0.80 oz. would be my lightest pipe.

mso489 · Nov 23, 2013

My Peterson Group 1 rusticated straight Belgique at .60 oz. (This pipe can be seen at smokingpipes.com.)

It happens to be packed and waiting with G.L. Pease Triple Play cut with a little Lane's Burley Without Bite.

This was my enlightenment from Forums members fishnbanjo and others that really small pipes deliver

a good smoke and are not novelties or toys.

cigrmaster · Nov 23, 2013

The weight of a pipe is a huge factor in determining if it is something I will buy. My lightest pipe is my Steve Morrissete Dublin at 37 grams and my heaviest is my Brian Ruthenberg bent Apple at 63 grams. The Ruthenberg is bent enough and balanced so well with a great stem that it is still a pleasure to clench. All of my pipes except one Rad( group 6 and 60 grams) are group 4-5 and weigh between 37 and 58 grams, with 80% being 40-50. I have found for me a pipe can be too light as it can smoke hot if it is not paid attention to. I like to light my pipe and smoke, I do not enjoy having to pay attention to how I am smoking and with the pipes I have, none smoke hot for me. I did own a Rad Belge that only weighed 28 grams and for me to get it to smoke cool, I had to pay attention the entire time I was smoking it and that is not how I smoke. It was a great pipe with a great stem for the right person, just wasn't me. Now I make sure the pipe has walls that are thick enough and so far 37 grams is the lightest in my collection.
My lightest pipe at 37 grams group 4.

My heaviest at 63 grams group 5.

peckinpahhombre · Nov 23, 2013

It is well known that, as far as pipe weight goes, there are two categories:
1. Pipes that are less than 50g -----> These are called "Ladies' Pipes"
2. Pipes that are 50g or more -----> These are called "Men's Pipes"

tbradsim1 · Nov 23, 2013

B3B09814-12C1-45F8-9932-7B3641D6DA16-18414-00002701C3ADB10C_zpsc15d9cd4.jpg

A Real Mans Pipe.

martiniman · Nov 23, 2013

Bradley, what happened?

Your pipes all swollen up!

fnord · Nov 23, 2013

Bradley:
That club in your meat-hook would be classified as a lethal weapon in most states.
Fnord

mrjerke · Nov 23, 2013

Jeepers Bradley, you could cook a small pizza on top of that thing.
My lightest will be my new Stanwell Featherweight that's on the way. Should be around an ounce.

cigrmaster · Nov 23, 2013

Bradley, every time I see that pipe I am awed. That is not a manly pipe that is a Sasquatch pipe. You left manly behind about 250 grams ago.

tarak · Nov 23, 2013

1.3 oz. looking for something under announce though.

rigmedic1 · Nov 23, 2013

This is a Stanwell Featherweight Bamboo, a group 2 bowl size, and weighs practically nothing.

I prefer a group 3 or 4 bowl size, but this smaller bowl allows me to enjoy those nicotine monsters in moderation.

Currently, I am smoking G.L.Pease Cairo in this beauty.

Lighest Pipe in Your Stable (By Weight)

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Can't Leave

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Can't Leave

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

(Bailey's Briar)

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer