I thought I’d document one of my less traditional pipes that may be of interest to the pipe-smoking community here. It’s a mid-to-late 1950s Medico Double-Dri pipe I received from my dad. I haven’t found much information about this pipe on-line so I thought this site would be as good as place as any to post some details.
It was Medico’s version of a system pipe, designed to remove moisture from the tobacco smoke. To do this, it had an aluminum condenser built into the nylon base along with a moisture trap. It also used the Medico paper filters. Those were the two drying systems giving the pipe its Double-Dri moniker. I rarely bother with the paper filters as the pipe smokes just fine without them. A removable briar bowl with three airholes is used to hold the tobacco. Here are the components.
When I got the pipe, it was obvious dad had used it as a work pipe until it got so clogged up and dirty it couldn’t be lit. It even had some old cherry aromatic tobacco still stuffed in the bowl. No air would pass through the pipe when I got it so I left it as it was for years. I finally got around to putting it in smoking order six years ago. The clean-up was daunting!
Once cleaned up, it proved to be a fun little pipe. It reminds me of the pipe that used to come with Mr. Potato Head, back when kid’s toys still included such things. But those days ended long ago. Below is a picture of President Regan’s Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, receiving a ceremonial pipe when the beloved toy gave up smoking in the 1980s.
The chamber is only 11/16s” of an inch in diameter (just under 3/4s”) and 7/8s” of an inch deep. It’s a convenient pipe when a long smoking session isn’t appropriate. With three airholes, a tight pack is possible, and impressivly long smokes are possible. The rest of the dimensions are: Weight, one ounce; Length, six inches; Bowl Height, 1.8 inches; Bowl Diameter, 1.2 inches.
I will note that both the plastic base and briar bowl are stamped with an “M,” which I assume means medium. I have seen pictures on-line with an “L” stamp and that pipe looked like it had a larger bowl. I doubt there was ever a small version but it’s possible; it certainly would have had a miniscule chamber if it was ever made.
A couple of refurbishments of a similar pipe are documented here:
Medico’s Answer to the Falcon – The Double-Dri - https://dadspipes.com/2015/10/30/1041/
Medico Double-Dri System Pipes – rebornpipes - https://rebornpipes.com/tag/medico-double-dri-system-pipes/
The articles contain a lot of details and pictures of an add from a 1955 Popular Mechanics magazine listing the pipe for $2.50 – about $30.00 in today’s dollars.
So that’s my write-up on this post-war, baby-boom era budget pipe. Medico probably saw the popularity of the other brands’ pipes with removable bowls and didn’t want to be left out. I like this pipe a lot based on its light weight and non-oxidizing nylon stem, but it smokes no differently to me than any other pipe. It does take a bit more effort to clean.
If anyone has any insight on this particular model, please feel free to post it here. Thanks for reading!
It was Medico’s version of a system pipe, designed to remove moisture from the tobacco smoke. To do this, it had an aluminum condenser built into the nylon base along with a moisture trap. It also used the Medico paper filters. Those were the two drying systems giving the pipe its Double-Dri moniker. I rarely bother with the paper filters as the pipe smokes just fine without them. A removable briar bowl with three airholes is used to hold the tobacco. Here are the components.
When I got the pipe, it was obvious dad had used it as a work pipe until it got so clogged up and dirty it couldn’t be lit. It even had some old cherry aromatic tobacco still stuffed in the bowl. No air would pass through the pipe when I got it so I left it as it was for years. I finally got around to putting it in smoking order six years ago. The clean-up was daunting!
Once cleaned up, it proved to be a fun little pipe. It reminds me of the pipe that used to come with Mr. Potato Head, back when kid’s toys still included such things. But those days ended long ago. Below is a picture of President Regan’s Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, receiving a ceremonial pipe when the beloved toy gave up smoking in the 1980s.
The chamber is only 11/16s” of an inch in diameter (just under 3/4s”) and 7/8s” of an inch deep. It’s a convenient pipe when a long smoking session isn’t appropriate. With three airholes, a tight pack is possible, and impressivly long smokes are possible. The rest of the dimensions are: Weight, one ounce; Length, six inches; Bowl Height, 1.8 inches; Bowl Diameter, 1.2 inches.
I will note that both the plastic base and briar bowl are stamped with an “M,” which I assume means medium. I have seen pictures on-line with an “L” stamp and that pipe looked like it had a larger bowl. I doubt there was ever a small version but it’s possible; it certainly would have had a miniscule chamber if it was ever made.
A couple of refurbishments of a similar pipe are documented here:
Medico’s Answer to the Falcon – The Double-Dri - https://dadspipes.com/2015/10/30/1041/
Medico Double-Dri System Pipes – rebornpipes - https://rebornpipes.com/tag/medico-double-dri-system-pipes/
The articles contain a lot of details and pictures of an add from a 1955 Popular Mechanics magazine listing the pipe for $2.50 – about $30.00 in today’s dollars.
So that’s my write-up on this post-war, baby-boom era budget pipe. Medico probably saw the popularity of the other brands’ pipes with removable bowls and didn’t want to be left out. I like this pipe a lot based on its light weight and non-oxidizing nylon stem, but it smokes no differently to me than any other pipe. It does take a bit more effort to clean.
If anyone has any insight on this particular model, please feel free to post it here. Thanks for reading!
