Straight Pipe Smokers

tony767 · Mar 8, 2018

As a noob, I've been partial to bent pipe shapes , however I've read where some experienced smokers have gravitated to straight pipes even though they started with bent shapes.
I like to be able to clench easily and also have a good view of the bowl as I light it, but my question is what is it about straight pipe smokers that make them prefer straight pipes?
I've bee considering my first straight pipe purchase, but hesitant to pul. The trigger....

anthonyrosenthal74 · Mar 8, 2018

but my question is what is it about straight pipe smokers that make them prefer straight pipes?

Simplicity, for some. Straight pipes tend to have less issues with passing a pipe cleaner as some bents do. Some just prefer the look of them over bents. There's variety among pipesmokers just as in everything else. Personally, I usually prefer quarter to half bent pipes. But I love the look of some straight billiards.. the Peterson 106 and 107 for example, I find to be a great looking pipe. Don't beat yourself up over it. If you like the look of the pipe you're considering, then go ahead and pull the trigger on it. I was hesitant to buy my first straight as well... felt like I was betraying myself in some way, as ridiculous as that sounds. But I was glad I did it when the pipe arrived. Nothing wrong with branching out and trying new shapes. One of the joys of this pastime/hobby/lifestyle/whateveryouwannacallit is the variety in everything about it. Embrace it and enjoy it.

curl · Mar 8, 2018

I like classic pipe shapes, and a lot of those shapes are straight.

I like the Stanwell 32 bulldog, andI like Canadian and Lumbermen pipes.

However, as a practical matter bent pipes work better for me cause I’m a clencher. Fortunately, there are plenty of classic bent shapes.

lasttango · Mar 8, 2018

I'm kind of the opposite. I prefer straight pipes or slightly bent pipes. I find them much easier to smoke, clench and keep lit. I love the look of bent pipes, but I just never end up lighting them.

lazar · Mar 8, 2018

This place is pretty inclusive - straight, bent, and bi pipe smokers are all welcome. 8)

workman · Mar 8, 2018

Straight pipes seem simpler and easyer to handle and that's what I use for work. Bents have a more contemplative quality and work great for sitting and smoking heavyer blends that require some caution. This is just how I feel and there is nothing rational about it. And I am not rigorous about this.

workman · Mar 8, 2018

I guess that would make me bi-curious...

Chasing Embers · Mar 8, 2018

Had to check my pipe closet for this one. Out of all my pipes I have three straights. They are the least smoked out of the bunch. The remaining ones are all 1/4 bent.

Strike Anywhere · Mar 8, 2018

For me, it’s mechanics first, looks second. I’ve found straight or very slightly bent pipes tend to have better mechanics and smoke drier as a result. Second, I just prefer the straight, clean, classic lines and shapes. It’s totally in my head, but I associate straight pipes with a well-dressed clean shaven man from the 50’s and bent pipes make me think of an old man with a scruffy beard...perhaps a little portly...like Santa. LOL

newbroom · Mar 8, 2018

You really should have a variety. Keeps it interesting and you can find great performers in every shape.

A straight pipe clenches just fine, especially if it has a comfortable stem and is lightweight.

A straight pipe can be easier to pass a cleaner, as bents do have that curve to negotiate.

I am smoking what I consider to be a 1/2 bent in my avatar. I guess I fit the stereotype?

mawnansmiff · Mar 8, 2018

"Bents have a more contemplative quality..."
Workman, would you care to expand upon that sentence?
BTW I thought of you last evening while watching a documentary that included a piece about the cliff egg collectors on the Faroe Islands......looked proper scary.
Regards,
Jay.

cosmicfolklore · Mar 8, 2018

As a young man of the 80's with it's dress for success mentality, I always found power in perception with the long, wide ties. You'd never find me in a turtleneck or deep V-neck. Same with pipes, mostly straight, a little dangle, forward cant, ready for action, but friendly. My wife looses all interest if I whip out my flaccid, bent pipes. But, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Speak softly, and carry a big stick. And, all of that. : puffy

:
Smoke what you like, like what you smoke, and... sometimes it is our mother's fault, ha ha.

workman · Mar 8, 2018

Jay: I can try. It is a visual thing. I think a straight pipe, esp. if not to short, looks dynamic. I am thinking of traditional shapes here. When I think of WWI soldiers in action or early expeditions to the poles, i imagine these guys with straight billiards clenched firmly while firing or whipping at the sleighhounds.

With bents, I see my maternal grandfather in his favourite chair late in the evening savouring a pipe after a hard day´s work. He was a blacksmith of the old school with hammers and anvil and a furnace in the workshop. He was also a kind and thoughtful man, well read, and when he was smoking, he was not to be disturbed. He smoked bent pipes.

So it´s a personal mishmash of emotional memories and aesthetics, and those impressions somehow translate into how I feel, when I´m smoking. Am I making sense?

About the egg collectors. They were literally living on the edge here back in the days. They collected eggs and caught bird hanging in those lines. They rowed out on the open seas in tiny boats to fish and they hunted whales in those same boats. Life was hard and dangerous here. I am going to try it one day, for the experience of it, but you can only be good at something like that if you´ve grown up with it, so I will probably only do it once. I might need a diaper LOL.

tony767 · Mar 8, 2018

You guys (and gals) are great. Thanks for the insight and, as always, a good laugh!
Tony

hoosierpipeguy · Mar 8, 2018

You should get what appeals to you. I like straight to 1/2 bent but all my pipes have to rally pass a pipe cleaner. That is a primary criteria.

thesmokindragon · Mar 8, 2018

I just took an inventory, ugh - about three dozen in my collection at this time and I have a 50/50 with bent/slight bent to straight - I like to mix it up

mso489 · Mar 8, 2018

I have quite a few (too many?) of each, and I have never thought of it as an issue. My first pipe was a Tinderbox bet pot, a really nice house pipe with a somewhat rare shape, probably a Chacom. I like straight pipes, especially billiards, for their simplicity of design. But bent are good clenchers and interesting looking, often. I'm glad I'm not stuck on that aspect of design, bent or straight, though I probably have other biases if I thought about it.

jpmcwjr · Mar 8, 2018

I like to be able to clench easily and also have a good view of the bowl as I light it, but my question is what is it about straight pipe smokers that make them prefer straight pipes?

I am a straight man who enjoys all manner of shapes in his pipes except most free form pipes. When I pick up a pipe to load, it could be straight, full bent or in between. And there's nothing wrong with any of the above approaches....

jazz · Mar 8, 2018

I started out preferring bents and bents of all types. My first was a 1/4 bent and if I'm truthful I bought my first straight almost reluctantly but after a while, I realised they were more pleasurable to smoke. They just seem to have fewer issues in the gurgle/wetness department and are often easier to clean. I now prefer straights for almost all reasons including aesthetic, feel in the hand and I prefer them even though I'm a clencher and because of that I like a light pipe.

panamacharlie · Mar 8, 2018

I have always preferred bents. The curve distributes weight better, making them more comfortable to clench. With a straight pipe, sometimes nasty tasting liquid comes down the stem into my mouth. I found my ideal pipe thanks to a post on this site, it was this one. I liked it so much I finally found a second one.

It is a Savinelli 2614 Dry System. Light weight, never gurgles, and smokes anything I load in it. I never need to use a pipe cleaner mid smoke. I generally use it without a filter.

Straight Pipe Smokers

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