What Kind of Pipes do you Like and Why?

[milk]

There was a time I much liked Italian pipes but not so much anymore. I mostly like English and Americana - recently the early Kaywoodies. Early Kaywoodies seem like a mixture of extremely high quality and hardscrabble prewar American life. Plus, they’re still kind of cheap.
Anyway, there are so many different styles. I admire them. I’d never buy a Mummert but I sure do admire them and I’ll sit and look at his pipes.
What kind of pipes do you like and why? Or are you an omni-piper?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I like ones you put tobacco in and smoke. I like a variety of briar, Rubio, Howell, Alden, Cermak and Rad Davis Artisans. I also like Meer and Clay.

 

[milk]

I like ones you put tobacco in and smoke. I like a variety of briar, Rubio, Howell, Alden, Cermak and Rad Davis Artisans. I also like Meer and Clay.

It seems like there are a few people here who sort of specialize. But I wonder if most people like to appreciate different sorts of beauty. And if you have the money, it’s nice to have a variety of styles on hand to admire.

 

[warren99]

I have an eclectic collection of around 140 pipes--more from Italians than anything else, followed by Danes, English, Americans, Germans and sundry other nationalities. My favorite carvers would include Tao, Rolando Negoita, Karlheinz Joura, Former, Bang and Paolo Becker... and yes, I have two Werner Mummerts--unique shapes. indeed, that smoke very well. I'm particularly partial to Dublin and Brandy shaped bowls.

 

[hyhachi]

I mostly like billiards it seems.

 

[OzPiper]

Old (antique, preferably) Britwoods in the main
I have over 40 Bulldogs. and probably a similar number (have not counted for a long while) of straight and bent billiards
I like shapes like cuttys/Belges, Prince, apples, brandy and eggs
Love some Danish, but not a fan of plateau-topped freehands
Some Italians, but (IMO) the majority have inelegant and disproportionate lines (eg Castello Shape 55) or trying too hard to be individual/different or simply "weird".
I dislike anything clunky and over-large.
And Hungarians and Charatan "countryman".
And most pipes labelled "Unique"

Yes, I know - BORING

 

[kcghost]

When I started in pipes, I like half-bent billiards or apples. The for a while I was into Vesz raindrops. For the last ten years i Have been in eighth bent authors and princes.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I think,that classic timeless design appeals better to me ,so to say medium sized long stem billiard and canadian shapes

 

[warren]

I like pipes which catch and hold my eye, always bent to some degree and classically shaped. Brand and country of origin are immaterial. To be purchased, such pipes must meet other criteria. I haven't purchased a new pipe in many moons.

 

[tobakenist]

I am a wet smoker so mainly smoke Peterson Systems and have collected a fair few over fifty years of pipe smoking, I have have a Savinelli dry system that I like a lot and have a collection of Freehand pipes but rarely smoke them.

 

[milk]

These answers are truly interesting. I haven’t heard about this before, these different collections and why people have them the way they do. My own tastes sort of changed. If I had more money, I’d probably buy antiques rather than new creations. But I’d probably throw in something new just to be supportive. Well, I don’t have money…

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I "collect" early American pipes, KB&B, WDC, Kaywoodies, R.B.C., Premiers, Reiss Premiers, C.P.F., etc. I also collect Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrocks since they were made specifically for the American market.

But I also have a lot of Scottie Peirsel, Radice, new Peterson, modern Kaywoodie Handmades, Quinton Wells, meerscuam (new and very old), GBD (old), Comoy (old), and piles of cobs spanning 100 years of MM production. I guess If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say I most like pipes with a hole at each end. One to stuff with plant matter and and set on fire and one to stick in my mouth. I'm usually pretty chuffed if those two holes are connected.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I like mm hardwoods and cobs.
They don't slip out of my clench. The materials are absorbent, and that improves the smoke in humid weather. The stems are easy to replace, though mine rarely if ever need replacing. They're cheap, and rugged, so it's no big deal if I lose or break one--though again I rarely do.

If I really want to taste every nuance of a tobacco, I use a clay.

 

[Pipeoff]

I like straight smooth well grained pipes. Not hung up on any one maker. One of my older Kaywoodies smoked as well as any Dunhill I have owned.. My pace of smoking works well with a thick wall, not much of clencher so added weight is not a problem. The same tobac in different pipes of the same maker also varies.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

With only a very few exceptions, I mostly like pipes that are bent.

Edit: FWIW, the majority are Petersons, but the rest are commissions, ancient Britwood, Nording Hunters, misc. other stuff that was cheap and caught my eye, a couple of Meers and one Dunhill. And a partridge . . . well, you know.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

This is interesting. I was smoking my pipe as I walked back out to my truck from the grocers one day a few years ago, and another, younger pipesmoker saw me, I guess thinking "wow, another pipesmoker," and he started following me asking me... "what sort of pipes do you like? " At the time, I thought it was a very strange question, requiring a lot of talking. Things that ran through my mind, were, does he mean what style pipes, what makers, what brands; I wasn't sure how to respond.

I started collecting dublins, long and lanky, pencil thin shanks were what appealed to me most. Maybe a slight bend, but definitely full bends did not appeal to me. And, then Skip at the Briary started gifting me with these really old bulldogs, and he let me peruse the historical ads, and brochures he had, which led me to researching bulldogs. At the same time I started collecting them. They are a fascinating and very unique pipe shape. So, I have more than 50 dublins, and more than 50 bulldogs.

Spigots started appealing to me as a metalsmith, and I have been collecting them and bamboos also.

I am partial to the Scandinavian designs, but Italian designs also appeal to me. I really like the classical shapes of English designs as well, but my god they are over priced. I don't like anything factory produced in America. And, I prefer artisan made over any factory pipes.
I have a few German pipes, but they are older and looked more Scandinavian than German. Overall, I do not prefer German.

The pipes that I have the most of are older Belgian made Hilsons. I don't really care for the ones made after the Texas Billionaire revived the brand. They are another thing that I think should have just died.

All in all, I just buy what appeals to me, and I have way more than I can ever smoke. I have wall mounted racks that hold 100 pipes, and a drawer I stick the ones that either just don't appeal to me, are broken, or are to precious to me to smoke. I also have racks in my studio, by my seat in the living room, and bowls of pipes just setting on tables in my tobacco room. I have no idea how many I have now. I just visit pipes shops and buy one as my fee to smoke, and always buy a pipe when I go to the Briary, of which I don't visit very much these days. I also am always looking to buy more of my favorite style Hilsons, and I search the internet every day to buy another if I can find them. I know, why buy more of the same pipe? Well, they have pencil thin shanks, and break easily, so if I can get about 100 more of this same exact pipe, I can just snap them and throw them in a drawer and still have that same pipe to keep smoking. I really like the pipe, and buying a new one is cheaper than getting someone to make a new stem. Besides, all of the stems fit each other on these pipes, so I can keep the same stummel going for years with fresh stems.

See^ This is why I couldn't answer that question quickly in a parking low, with a bag of ice that I needed to get home and in a cooler. I could keep writing about what types of pipes that I like. I haven't even mentioned the pipes that I also make for myself.

 

[PipesAndPips]

I started out with a Peterson Donegal Rocky 01 bent pot and a Savinelli Trevi 602 bent billiard. I was drawn to the classic shapes and the look and feel of the rustication. Over the years I've added more classic shapes from different makers in different finishes. I've also added cobs and one traditional Nording/4th Gen freehand. Sometimes I feel like looking at the grain of a nicely carved smooth finish. Other times I feel like grabbing onto a nice craggy Sea Rock. Sometimes I want a bigger bowl and sometimes less big (but never small). I'm not interested in the more radical artsy shapes (blowfish, etc) nor adornments (bamboo knuckles, etc). All my pipes are briar except for the MM cobs. So I guess it comes down to variety of look and feel within a framework.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I like all sorts of pipes for all sorts of reasons. Most often, it has to do with a visual aesthetic that I find pleasing, whether it is the visual line and grace of the shape, or its grain—I love Birdseye, especially, and appreciate straight grain as well; I lean towards smooth pipes, but rustication, sandblast, stain (or lack thereof), and colour play roles in my choices. History appeals to me—I enjoy older pipes for this reason. The type of wood, metal, plastic, clay, or rubber a pipe is made of come into play. If a pipe is unique, or if it’s classic, can be a factor. Certain brands and their subsidiaries might be a reason why a pipe makes the cut. With regard to figural pipes, very often anatomical correctness, or accuracy of likeness might contribute to why I gravitate towards a pipe. Who bought, gave, or made me a pipe is a consideration. The size of the chamber makes a difference; I prefer larger chambers for a long, relaxing smoke, but tiny pipes appeal to me for tasting blend components. How a pipe feels in my hand may be why I like a pipe.

I could see buying a Werner Mummert pipe because it’s playful and weird, but can’t imagine getting a later period Anne Julie because they’re incredibly ugly to my eye—even then, it might be fun to have something so horrible in the collection because of the novelty, but I’d much prefer a beautiful, graceful early one by her. Different strokes for different folks, eh?

 

[tklee]

I like billiard, bulldog, lovat, poker..... But I have apple and pot too. Most of my pipes are bent, I prefer bent than straight pipes. Don't have any specific brand. Any brands as long as it catches my eyes. Most of the time, I bought a specific brand was because of curiosity.

I still like briar more than other material. But I have five corn cobs I like cobs is because how it smokes, not because of how it looks. I like briar is because of its wood grain. And, most of the aged estate pipes that I can afford are briars. Been thinking to get some olive pipe, because of its grain. But no action yet. Will get it one day.

 

[UncleRasta]

While I enjoy looking at the many stunning pipes I see in the WAYS thread and elsewhere daily, I am not that discerning about my collection. I get along best with straight billiards, particularly those with a saddle stem. Early on, MM cobs and Rossi's were what I bought. Lately, I have picked up a Briarworks pipe, a Barling, and a few Savinellis. I will pick up another Briarworks or two. I very much like their Devil Anse pipes. My pipes are essentially workhorses though I have my eye on a couple of dressier pipes for when I might attend a posh function. Budget is also a significant consideration. It was only late last year that I spent (just) over $100 on an individual pipe. I don't think I will go over $250 anytime soon. I am particularly drawn to the Savinelli Punto Oro line within that range. I am almost at the point where I have two rotations of workhorse pipes. I plan on being a little more selective going forward. There are some Stanwells and Castellos that are in my aspirational pipe category, and I may develop the patience and monetary discipline to save up for those.