big change in my preference

[pastorpiper]

Well, I've always been a guy who drifted toward bent pipes....never really tried straight pipes to be honest. Any corn cob (MM) I smoke is always a bent variety. Well.....I think I found my new favorite!
I bought a couple estate pipes from a guy in my town who has a large collection he refurbishes, cleans, and sells. I hadn't really jumped into the briar world because I just didn't think they were for me. And, the Peretti bent apple pipe I have I just haven't bonded with. So, I sort of just stuck to my cobs, and the few bent shaped Mr. Brog pearwoods I have. But still wasn't in love with how the bent Brogs hung either.
Yesterday I bought an estate Lovat pipe (has a shield on it with a lion in center....at least I think it is...darn small) and says selected imported briar on it. I LOVE THAT LOVAT! Holy cow....it feels like it was made for my face. I don't know who made it, and I've been looking online all day to try to get some clues, but it is a traditional Lovat shape with saddle bit, big bowl, and only 5" long. Had an hour long smoke with it today and I nearly fell off the park bench out of total joy and satisfaction. It smoked even better than my cobs, and better than the Brogs. I also purchased a 1960-1970 era Dr. Grabow billard which fits my jaw perfectly. I'm going to smoke that one later tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.
Oh boy.....the briar bug has bitten big time. My plan is to build a rotation of 7 briar pipes. I want to take my time to build the rotation....in meantime I'll use my cobs for now to round it out. Never thought I would have a straight pipe be such a perfect match for me.
So...have you ever had a drastic change in what your prefer, or have you suddenly realized a shape you thought you could never like was actually the perfect shape for you?

And....I'll try to get pictures up of my 2 new pipes as soon as I can (actually.....the picture in my avatar is me smoking the Lovat today!)

 

[jaytex1969]

I had a bit of the opposite revelation when I started.
My "idea" of a pipe was a straight pipe, the classic billiard.
Once I got my first bent pipe, I was amazed at how well it hung clenched, even as a larger pipe. I still enjoy straight pipes but now also enjoy the bent ones.
Here's that pic of pastorpiper after he fell out of the park bench.... :lol:

 

[pianopuffer]

Congrats, I’m a big fan of the Lovat shape, big or small. I’m also in the process of building a seven day set of Lovats.

 

[pastorpiper]

Do you have a favorite maker of the Lovat shape? I wish I knew who made mine.....probably a "second" but man, it smokes great! Has a giant bowl on it too (almost like a pot shape...which is another shape I'm feeling drawn to).

 

[mso489]

We just had a thread on the Lovat shape. Officially, it is a member of the Canadian shape family, so has an extra long shank and short saddle stem and usually a billiard bowl. But this is one shape that has some wide variations, including shorter shanked versions with the saddle stem and bowls of various distinctly non-billiard designs. My one Lovat, so designated by the carver Mogen Johansen of Johs pipes, is a short-shank version. I don't know any one pipe maker who specializes in Lovats but many do them from time to time.

 

[npod]

So...have you ever had a drastic change in what your prefer,

Absolutely. Pipes, makers, shapes, tobaccos, heck even polishing clothes. That’s the beauty of this hobby. You evolve over time.

 

[irishearl]

It's nice to have a variety of straight and bent pipe as I find I go through short periods of time where I'm favoring 1 over the other.

 

[crashthegrey]

This is why you should let your collection be vast and wide. You never know what you will prefer one day. Ha.

 

[azpipe]

Not only do certain shapes call to us but its a magic moment when you find an individual pipe that is a sweet smoker. When everything comes together, the smoking experience is on another level. Enjoy!

 

[lawdawg]

I pretty much agree with you, pastor. I actually prefer the appearance of full-bent pipes, but have discovered (at least in my own experience) that full-bent pipes tend to gurgle easier, and can be harder to pass a pipe cleaner through mid-smoke when needed. Both of these issues, I believe, are caused by the necessity of drilling the small draft hole at an angle in the mortise, which results in more turbulence and encourages condensation. This is obviously not an issue on straight, or half-bent pipes where the draft hole is lined up with, and centered in the mortise. I now find myself preferring half-bent pipes as a good compromise. I also smoke a ton of cobs, and will continue to do so, even as I acquire more nicely-made briar pipes.