Resurrecting this thread.
I received an H. Weibe/Chris Morgan collaboration radiator as a secret Santa gift this past Christmas. This particular pipe is a sort of poker. Short straight stem. I have been pleasantly surprised by its smoking characteristics. Effectively, it’s a reverse calabash with a metal secondary chamber directly below the bowl and a shank which enters that secondary chamber well above its base. The draft hole is located at the dead center of the bottom of the tobacco chamber. While in a conventional pipe, a draft hole in that location could be a prescription for a wet smoke, due to the secondary chamber below which collects moisture, the location turns out to be beneficial. The ember is perfectly centered, resulting is a very even burn. It smokes cool and dry, with an open draw. Should the draft hole become clogged, the bowl is removable mid-smoke and can be cleared with a pipe cleaner. Compared to the standard H. Weibe Radiator offerings, this Morgan Bones version is an excellent value and I like the look of the white acrylic mouthpiece and the Morgan Bones bowl.
My one complaint would be that it’s surprisingly heavy while clenching. There’s extra briar to accomodate the threads and the metal base is itself fairly beefy. I am tempted to be the crazy looking full bent frame, which would, I’m certain, feel lighter while clenching. This has become my favorite travel pipe, along with a Ropp Stout Bulldog. It feels bulletproof. Yesterday, it tumbled a couple feet from a windowsill to a concrete patio when my daughter’s mostly blind Border Collie knocked of off when I went inside briefly. It was unscathed. The bowl is starting to color nicely. Really, it’s rather handsome in a moderistic sort of way.
It has proven an excellent flake pipe for me. My standard crowd-friendly travel tobacco, Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake, burns brilliantly in it. Of course, it’s a great benefit to be able to rinse the frame in water with absolutely no worries. For those who advocate the hot water rinse in briars, this is no big deal, but for those who fear it or are on the fence, this removes all doubts.
As an aside, I also received a Morgan Flapjack at the same time. It’s an anodized aluminum recreation of the Wunup Baccyflap. At first, I was disappointed in it. In partiucular, I found that the cover was very difficult to remove. However, with use, the cover now fits perfectly and removes easily. It’s definitely superior to a tobacco pouch, but I prefer storing flakes over ribbon, if for no other reason than it holds more tobacco in flake form.