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hawke

Lifer
Feb 1, 2014
1,346
4
Augusta, Ga
Kind of a pole here. I am starting to lean more toward a opened easy draw. What are youre preferences gang?

Do you lean more to:

Full and open

or

Small tight draw

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
A tight draw leads to too many problems for me, but I do like some resistance.

Wide open draws give me the impression of thinness in the smoke volume, and I don't find that too satisfying.

Maybe my preferences were influenced by my first pipes -- just drug store Medicos, and later, Danish free hands from Tinderbox.

These days, I favor mid-range Italian pipes: Ser Jacopo, Rinaldo, Radice, L'Anatra, and Savinelli -- and their draws are intermediate.

 

hawke

Lifer
Feb 1, 2014
1,346
4
Augusta, Ga
I just opened up a very small 4 1/2" WDC Wellington (Peterson system copy p-lip) smoker. It really improved the way it smokes to me.

 

dottiewarden

Lifer
Mar 25, 2014
3,053
57
Toronto
Your ideal draw is a key factor in enjoyable pipe smoking. And although I have learned to pack a pipe pretty well, my concern is the pipe itself. You can sometimes make a certain adjustment to the draw through packing, but a too narrow or too wide bore is something worth checking before purchasing. My smallest pipe has a narrow bore and my largest has a wide bore, my médium size pipe has the ideal bore.
It would seem logocal that bore size and pipe size is related, but I don't have enough experience to say.
A moderate draw is the way to go for me, but if I like the pipe I'll still smoke it!

 

dread

Lifer
Jun 19, 2013
1,617
9
I prefer open. Smaller draws lead to needing to work the smoke too much.

 

ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
2,912
9,175
81
Cheshire, CT
Open, open, open. The draw is free, the tobacco burns better, and the pipe stays cleaner. I can pack my Pipe very well so that it will have just the right amount amount of resistance when I draw on it, thank you very much. I don't need the architecture of a narrow airway to force the issue.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
It depends on the effect the draw has on the smoke and the flavor. In most cases, if I just take the filter

out of a filter pipe, for a very open draw, I get a lot of air with the smoke, and that dilutes the flavor and

also gives little control on the intake of smoke. But a restricted draw just makes it difficult to get much

smoke or keep the pipe going or get much flavor. Some wide open draw pipes do well; they can smoke

a little fast, but they can give an ample flavor and sufficient control. Some fairly narrow airways still give

plenty of smoke and provide an enjoyable experience. So there seem to be various factors at work, including

bowl size and shape, the quality of drilling, the smoothness of the joint between the shank and the stem,

among others. If I had to sum it up as an averaged characteristic, I seem to get the best smoking from

pipes that are medium open, not unimpeded airflow, but ample.

 

philobeddoe

Lifer
Oct 31, 2011
7,403
11,569
East Indiana
Wide open, I'm sure there is such a thing a too much draw, but I've yet to find one. A pipe with a tight draw tends to burn hotter for me and I hate a hot pipe.

 

pipejunky

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 16, 2014
210
2
Depending on the pipe and once i find the way it likes to be packed it doesn't matter to me. If i like the pipe I'm going to try to make it work. If for some reason I can't well I'll open it up some and see if it helps. If its a no go I'll chuck it. I don't believe in selling a headache pipe.

 

zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
If you start with a tight draw, it will only get worse after smoking a few bowls....If the draw is open, you can always restrict the flow by tamping the tobacco tighter.

 

goldsm

Can't Leave
Dec 10, 2013
430
1
To me...

For Loose Aromatics : wide open

Loose English/Balkan : medium open

Cake or Flake : tight open
For Loose or medium packing : tight or medium open

Tight packing : wide open
But I do prefer open.

 

dryseason91

Can't Leave
Oct 10, 2013
373
5
Dublin, Ireland
I recently dropped a big money-bomb on a meerschaum and I was disappointed to find it had a comparatively restrictive draw. (The aesthetic of this pipe is lovely, but I have to admit that the mechanics aren't the best.) BUT, have gotten to know how to get the best out of the pipe, I find that the restricted draw has a pleasant "concentrating" effect: the smoke feels that bit richer and the flavours somehow cleaner. The restricted draw really makes you slow down, as any overly compensatory puffing will just scald the tobacco.

 
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