There’s nothing like a boxed set to get the PAD juices flowing and this looked to be a great one. This is a 1960’s vintage UNSMOKED Kaywoodie Matched Grain Five-Day set in a leather-bound case. In my stepdad’s day when most pipe smokers had a handful of well-seasoned Grabows, Medicos, or no-names, Kaywoodies were the Cadillac of pipes; the upper-echelon generally reserved for special occasions. If you routinely smoked Kaywoodies, you’ve arrived! My stepdad could only dream of a set like this.
Before acquiring this set my only experience with production Kaywoodies was a straight billiard with faux amber Bakelite stem with inlaid black cloverleaf made between 1929 and 1931. My other Kaywoodies are of the handmade variety by Bill Feurbach, a different animal entirely. Those are large freehands that look nothing like the classic Kaywoodies of yore.
The pipes have threaded stems that house the patented Kaywoodie Drinkless condenser or stinger. I’ve never been a fan of stingers. They usually prevent a pipe cleaner from reaching the bowl and are generally more trouble than they’re worth. At least the Kaywoodie version allows you to easily unscrew the stem in mid smoke.
The grain and finish on these Kaywoodies are beautiful. A deep reddish-walnut reminiscent of the stain Peterson uses for their Sherlock Holmes pipes. The stems are immaculate with zero oxidation. As these are all straight or ¼ bent, I wonder if K B & B made a similar set of Kaywoodie bents?
(Photos by Jason Bard)
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Before acquiring this set my only experience with production Kaywoodies was a straight billiard with faux amber Bakelite stem with inlaid black cloverleaf made between 1929 and 1931. My other Kaywoodies are of the handmade variety by Bill Feurbach, a different animal entirely. Those are large freehands that look nothing like the classic Kaywoodies of yore.
The pipes have threaded stems that house the patented Kaywoodie Drinkless condenser or stinger. I’ve never been a fan of stingers. They usually prevent a pipe cleaner from reaching the bowl and are generally more trouble than they’re worth. At least the Kaywoodie version allows you to easily unscrew the stem in mid smoke.
The grain and finish on these Kaywoodies are beautiful. A deep reddish-walnut reminiscent of the stain Peterson uses for their Sherlock Holmes pipes. The stems are immaculate with zero oxidation. As these are all straight or ¼ bent, I wonder if K B & B made a similar set of Kaywoodie bents?
(Photos by Jason Bard)
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