Are You More a "Pipe Guy" or A "Tobacco Guy"?

[Chasing Embers]

We're off topic but there's something to chime in to. Don't look at my picture, the beard's gone for almost a year now. A friend who's also a pipe smoker chewed my ears off to try shaving with a safety razor after I mentioned I was getting bad irritation around the neck and Adam's apple. I thought it's somewhat of a meme, pipe smoking and "old school" shaving, so I ignored it for a bit and then on a whim bought a bog standard Wilkinson and some blades from the supermarket.

Fast forward 6 months, I now got a Razorock SLOC, 200 feather blades and 5 bars of the soap @chasingembers noted. Getting great shaves every time, close and no irritation. Also as you say, after the initial investment the whole thing is dirt cheap. Having said that, there's a whole subculture associated with wet shaving, a rabbit hole likely as deep as pipe smoking or any other hobby (sorry chassing!) if you get hooked up on trying soaps, preshaves, oils, blades, brushes etc etc but (famous last words), I doubt I'll fall into it.

Once I got my Holy Grail razor, the Merkur 11C open comb, my razor buying was done. All I shave with now are it with Feather blades, a 200 year old straight razor, and Mitchell's Wool Fat soap with an Omega 63171 Stripey brush.

 

[Jerry144]

my older brother's (@Jerry144) POS rejects

Hey only part of them were POS rejects! Ungrateful...always been ungrateful....

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Astra are as sharp as Feather, but more comfortable. I get 100 at a time and share with my son in law who uses the 1956 red tip Super Speed I gifted him.

 

[Jerry144]

Not sure I fall into either camp...

I am fighting PAD; I am enjoying working on old pipes. But what I really like is smoking - even though I am not great at pulling out subtleties from tobaccos. Frankly I have never been good at that through years of cigars either, so I may never develop the kind of palate that I know some have. But I figure that I am enjoying it my way, and learning a lot (mostly from guys here - for which I am grateful - unlike my brother).

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I’ll stop after this, but I started a thread on the GEM Micromatic on B&B named Micromatic Monday to highlight this wonderful shaving instrument and the coated blades that are readily available.

 

[skeeter456]

Tobacco, i have like maybe only 8 or 9 pipes. Tobacco tins i couldn't even remember my last count

 

[Peter - CCB]

I’ve been smoking pipes a couple years now but went off the deep end. Went from 5 pipes a year ago to over 200. I restore a lot, make some and sell some. It’s bittersweet but the more pipes I’ve bought, the less excitement I get over a new pipe. Nothing like when I had 10-12. I’ll have 5 pipes come in on one day and they’re really nice, cool pipes and just put them away. What does it for me the most is when a tobacco just hits all the right spots on that particular bowl. If the pipe is right for it, it’s even better. I’m still a newbie for sure so I’m starting to rotate my original line up and clean up, sell some that weren’t for me and keep some I planned to restore and sell. (Started restoring just because I wanted to learn and then Covid... lots of free time.... don’t have room for a lathe at this house or Id make them mostly) so with that rambling done... I’ve been thinking of this lately anyway... i love pipes but it’s always going to come down to that tobacco taste. I just had a great bowl of Rouxgaroux in a cheaper Butz Choquin that was amazing. Earlier I smoked a $300 pipe that was pretty but not memorable for me. Pipes are fun. Tobacco is fun and tastes yummy.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Probably more of a pipe guy but this ought to change,,,

 

[metarzan]

Well I guess if I grabbed tobaccos and started loading each blend in a different pipe, pretty sure I would run out of pipes before tobaccos... Also I think I have more money in tobacco than pipes so I guess I'm a tobacco guy? TAD delivery today. PAD remains in wishlist.

 

[anotherbob]

We're off topic but there's something to chime in to. Don't look at my picture, the beard's gone for almost a year now. A friend who's also a pipe smoker chewed my ears off to try shaving with a safety razor after I mentioned I was getting bad irritation around the neck and Adam's apple. I thought it's somewhat of a meme, pipe smoking and "old school" shaving, so I ignored it for a bit and then on a whim bought a bog standard Wilkinson and some blades from the supermarket.

Fast forward 6 months, I now got a Razorock SLOC, 200 feather blades and 5 bars of the soap @chasingembers noted. Getting great shaves every time, close and no irritation. Also as you say, after the initial investment the whole thing is dirt cheap. Having said that, there's a whole subculture associated with wet shaving, a rabbit hole likely as deep as pipe smoking or any other hobby (sorry chassing!) if you get hooked up on trying soaps, preshaves, oils, blades, brushes etc etc but (famous last words), I doubt I'll fall into it.

I never understood the joining a group to talk about that stuff. I guess lots of people feel the same way about pipes

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I never understood the joining a group to talk about that stuff. I guess lots of people feel the same way about pipes

It was bad enough watching someone shave and then I discover there videos of people smoking a pipe...LOL!!

 

[Tar Wheel]

I’m all about tobacco at this point in time. You guys have turned me in to Chicken Little and I’m cellaring like a madman before the sky falls. I’m trying to use the rationale that it will never be cheaper or more available....... yeah, that’s what I keep telling myself ?

 

[anotherbob]

It was bad enough watching someone shave and then I discover there videos of people smoking a pipe...LOL!!

I did watch a few videos of people shaving. Well bits of it. Mainly just to make sure I was at least somewhat getting it right with the safety razor. Horrible thing though is it turned out to be the easiest way to shave I've come across. Oh you might get a minor but decent gash... Oh the horror a super clean super superficial slash that will heal before you go to bed (oh no the horror of it) and that's the worst part everything else about it is a million times easier.

 

[huckleberry]

I can usually go into a Pipe and Tobacco shop and not come out with a pipe, but the chances of me coming out with no tobacco are pretty slim.
I venture to say I am a Tobacco Man.....Most of the time.....but I do have my moments...lol

 

[Jerry144]

I’ve been smoking pipes a couple years now but went off the deep end.

Ha! Seems like this is easy to do... We need a forum called 'PAD Support Group"

 

[OlJawBone]

a tobacco guy. the pipes are pretty I suppose, but I'd rather have a big grip of fresh tobac than an expensive pipe

 

[krizzose]

I’m all about tobacco at this point in time. You guys have turned me in to Chicken Little and I’m cellaring like a madman before the sky falls. I’m trying to use the rationale that it will never be cheaper or more available....... yeah, that’s what I keep telling myself ?

I think that's the most logical mindset right now, assuming you still haven't met your cellaring goal. The pipes aren't going anywhere, but the tobacco blends very well could be sooner than you think.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Pipes are permanent, tobacco is transient.

If my cellar burned up by means other than my smoking through it, and the only tobacco available to me was something like Carter Hall that I had to buy in a face to face transaction, that was priced at or higher than real RYO that is taxed to the moon, I would still enjoy smoking my pipes.