Bent or Straight Stem?

[obc83]

Usually prefer straight, but I'm starting to bend.

 

[Dr. Internet]

I have about 35 pipes. Two are straight, the rest are bent. Most of them are Peterson system pipes. Some have said not to buy them, but they work great. The key is to keep them clean. If you just want a cheap, throwaway, go for the Missouri Meerschaum. There are several vids on youtube that show how to clean a system pipe. I spend a lot of time reading and at the computer and find the bent is much easier to just let hang in my mouth whilst I type or read.

 

[PaulDM]

I have come to prefer longer straight pipes. Less likely to get smoke in the eyes, which I do find to be an occasional problem with shorter bent pipes. Canadian has become my favorite shape.

 

[Snook]

I prefer straight if only for the fact that I can always get a pipe cleaner all the way through stem and shank. Bent stems are hit or miss in this regard.

 

[Frog Snacks]

I have come to prefer longer straight pipes. Less likely to get smoke in the eyes, which I do find to be an occasional problem with shorter bent pipes. Canadian has become my favorite shape.

As a Canadian I really want my next pipe to be a Canadian, I love the look of them, the more wood the better I think. I imagine they probably smoke cooler and dryer because of the extra shank length is that truenin your experience with them?

 

[Peterson314]

As long as my pipe has a stem, I can make do.

 

[warren]

Some my pipes gurgle but, smoke great. I'm not grasping the problem with a gurgling pipe. Well, other than some have a personal dislike about such. Which, with pipes being so personal, I quite understand. For me though? Not an acute problem.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

All things being equal physics would say there is a better draw with a straight pipe and stem. But I agree with you all it, it doesn't make a difference with a good pipe.

Why would physics dictate that?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I wouldn’t challenge anyone’s personal experiences.

I’m smoking a bent pipe right now that is basically smoking itself. Some aren’t as good. I have straight pipes that are as good and some that aren’t.

Too many variables, IMO.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Having said that, the majority of mine are bent in various ways, but my preference isn’t tied to any general notion of how they draw.

 

[HRPufnstuf]

I have owned both straight and bent-stemmed pipes. I agree with several other comments that straight stems often seem to get in the way. I only have one pipe with a heavy bend, a Savinelli Sistina. The rest are what I consider a casual bend, 1/4 to 1/2. They are easier to clench and the pipes look relaxed, a straight pipe always seems formal. Your personal style is the real determinant here.

 

[Lucashly]

Why would physics dictate that?

Has to do with vector forces.

 

[LeafErikson]

str8

 

[UB 40]

A bend pipe will never be a sitter. I often put a pipe down and i am always glad to have some straight pipes that are perfectly balanced to put them on a desk for a rest.

 

[Oddball]

I am 50/50 on bent vs straight. I always choose my pipe based on the following factors

1. What am I doing while smoking
2. Where am I doing it.
3. What am I smoking in it.
4. (and it's a distant 4 but if I am honest with myself, I must add it) How'm I lookin' with it hanging out my mouth.

I get gurgle with most and run a pipe cleaner through most during the smoke. Like relighting more than once, it's all shame free...

 

[sardonicus87]

I find no difference in actual smoking based on bent vs straight (like how hard it is to draw, gurgle, etc). I prefer slight bends though purely for aesthetics, don't like full bent. Gurgle doesn't happen often for me despite rarely drying tobacco before loading it, and when it does, I just run a pipe cleaner in and that gets rid of the gurgle.

But, I do find a slight bend more comfortable even though I am a holder rather than a clencher. When holding the bowl below mouth level, the button and hole point straight in the mouth as opposed to at the roof of the mouth (like when dangling a straight). So, I guess there's that one difference to me.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Either/or for me.
If the shape is appealing, then that's it. Oh, helps if the pipe's a good smoker too.

 

[FLDRD]

A bend pipe will never be a sitter. I often put a pipe down and i am always glad to have some straight pipes that are perfectly balanced to put them on a desk for a rest.

Lots of bent pipes are sitters. Here's a Peterson 306
I have a Hungarian that sits
Etc.

 

[Cloozoe]

A bend pipe will never be a sitter.

I have one pipe that's an exception to that: a Jopp with a wide shank. It's not only a sitter but a rocker.

 

[Chasing Embers]

A bend pipe will never be a sitter.

Many of my bents easily sit.