I have been becoming more attuned to the importance of the pipe stem as of late. There is no question that in my early smoking days I noticed when a stem was not comfortable, but it was not that obvious when it was comfortable. Today, I truly appreciate the pleasures of a comfortable stem.
There are a couple key components when it comes to the comfort of the pipe stem. Material, overall thickness and the size of bit are obvious, but I find the width to play a vary important role as well. To narrow, the pipe does not feel secure in the mouth. To wide on the other hand and the pipe is too intrusive, does not settle between the teeth. Also, seeing as how every persons mouth is different, I can only imagine the difficulty pipe makers face in constructing a good mouth piece.
Personally, I love the saddle stem, not too picky on the material. I find they tend to work well with my clench, keeping my lips and teeth along the same plane. I also appreciate the drastic indent / transition when the stem meets the shank of a saddle bit. I find this to be comfortable and oddly inviting while smoking.
What are all of your experiences with pipe stems? How important are they when purchasing a new pipe (in your eyes)? Which would you consider to be your favorite styles; saddle, tapered, fishtail, army mount, P-Lip? What is your favorite material; would it be vulcanite or ebonite, acrylic or lucite, amber or horn, bakelite or wood?
There are a couple key components when it comes to the comfort of the pipe stem. Material, overall thickness and the size of bit are obvious, but I find the width to play a vary important role as well. To narrow, the pipe does not feel secure in the mouth. To wide on the other hand and the pipe is too intrusive, does not settle between the teeth. Also, seeing as how every persons mouth is different, I can only imagine the difficulty pipe makers face in constructing a good mouth piece.
Personally, I love the saddle stem, not too picky on the material. I find they tend to work well with my clench, keeping my lips and teeth along the same plane. I also appreciate the drastic indent / transition when the stem meets the shank of a saddle bit. I find this to be comfortable and oddly inviting while smoking.
What are all of your experiences with pipe stems? How important are they when purchasing a new pipe (in your eyes)? Which would you consider to be your favorite styles; saddle, tapered, fishtail, army mount, P-Lip? What is your favorite material; would it be vulcanite or ebonite, acrylic or lucite, amber or horn, bakelite or wood?