Big Returns From Small Pipes

[ofafeather]

Smoked one of the smaller Dunhills I mentioned. Probably group 3 billiard but walls are thin. Smoke very well with Royal Yacht. Going to try the other one today. It is also probably a group 3 but the walls are a bit thicker. I love apple, author, Rhodesian, diplomat and Prince shapes but don’t smoke the smaller ones much.

 

[JLD66]

I like smaller bowls and have many of them. Size 2 pipes are magical for me because I clench 95% of the time and they are just more comfortable for me. I have a pipe hanging from my mouth pretty much all day. Thickness of the walls is of no concern to me as I smoke very slow and rarely ever get a pipe hot. I do smoke flakes and plugs a lot so a small bowl can last quite a while.

 

[edger]

Try a Falcon with Bantam sized Dublin or Bulldog. I can get an hour long smoke with dry but still leathery flakes.

 

[seanv]

Small pipes are my usual preference. I do catch myself smoking a bit too hard at times but it is a reminder to slow it down

 

[anotherbob]

the wall thickness might be a big thing. My small pipe smokes incredibly cool even when I am not paying attention and just start puffing away (if the conversation gets interesting or the person talking is interesting in some way) and man it's got thick walls. The walls are thicker then the chamber really. It's the Tsuge Metal Blowfish and it's a great tiny smoker. Seriously if I started this journey over again with what I know I might just buy five of those things load them up and chain smoke them.

 

[mso489]

I can't explain it, but I have several small pipes with measurably thin bowl walls that do not convey that heat. Examples would be a Kaywoodie straight blast billiard and a Johs smooth straight billiard. I'm not sure if it is the shaping on these bowls or the quality of the briar, but they remain entirely cool enough to the touch with all blends. I have a Scott Klein prince that is extra small and it too remains only slightly warm. Likewise, these pipes will give a medium length smoke with no problem. This puzzles me, but I am glad it is so.

 

[STP]

You’re suppose to draw a pipe like sipping from a straw... this, and “advance breathing technique” tutorials are available on YouTube, which might help keeping them cooler.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

One of my pipes that I use most often is a pencil shank by Tom Eltang. Dublin style bowl. I suppose it is around a "group 2" or "group 1" size. Maybe between the two groups.

It lasts about a half hour, on average and it smokes very cool to my tastes. Perhaps the extended shank helps with this, but I'm not sure. The bowl stays cool/warm to the touch, but never hot.

I'm guessing similarly sized pipes will have similar results. No need to go get an Eltang, though the engineering on those pipes is fantastic.

Just hunt a similar shape/size. Excellent smokers if you don't want to spend an hour or more with your pipe. I don't think they smoke any different from my larger pipes, except time spent burning.

 

[TinCup]

I've just received a small pocket Butz Choquin 102P that I've only had a couple of bowls from so far, 28mm bowl with 16mm bore so its the smallest pipe I have and the wall definitely gets 'warm' quickly if I smoke as I like to and I need to slow it down... but the payback is a lovely little 20-30 min go anywhere pipe

(file pic)

 

[edger]

I have a Carey MI Featherlite pot that has a small chamber, very thick walls, that smokes very cool and dry. I don’t know if they are still on offer.

 

[laniromee]

I'm on the small bowl camp. In my experience smaller bowls smoke cooler, stay lit better and last longer (in proportion) than regular bowls or larger. I struggle with diameters of 20mm or larger.

To me, the ideal bowl is around 18mm wide and around 35mm deep.