Bought My First McArthur

[captainsousie]

So I've been one that gets interested in an idea of a pipe rather than its general usefulness. I also find certain pipes that I irrationally love and track them down when I can. Hence I ordered (several months ago) 6 maple MM pipes. In the same order I also ordered a McArthur 5* unfinished pipe for fun. I love the thing but it is completely impractical. I mean the bowl is huge, the weight is insane and the thing is impossible to clench. I love it.


The maple pipes are all but one perfect and will be great tasting pipes that can be discarded if the situation demands. This has only happened once and only under duress by police.

Anyway, I'll probably fill it this upcoming weekend and find out if it is worth buying a forever stem to make it worthwhile. The bottom line is this, I know it's impractical but I love the idea and we'll see how it goes in the next few weeks.

 

[coming to_falling too]

I have one of those pipes. They're huge. I have not mustered up the courage to smoke it yet, but if it goes well for you I just might have to.

 

[cshubhra]

Enjoy ? Where is the photo?

 

[captainsousie]

Enjoy ? Where is the photo?

Oh dear, I forgot. No pics, no pipe. On the way.

 

[captainsousie]

Oh dear, I forgot. No pics, no pipe. On the way.

Either my hands are small or it's a biggun... and yes that's an old church pew behind it.

 

[warren]

It'll clinch and should smoke well. You'll need a long nail with a decent sized head though.

 

[mso489]

I have a similarly large freehand (natural finish), and it is not heavy compared to a large briar pipe. I find the deep bowl good for shag cut tobacco like Five Brothers and Semois. It slows the burn somewhat. Never a problem clenching.

 

[Chasing Embers]

View attachment 80418

Either my hands are small or it's a biggun... and yes that's an old church pew behind it.

Thats the 2" deep one. I'd have gone with the taller stack with the 3" deep chamber if I were still buying cobs.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Um...so am I the only one that wants to hear the maple pipe police story? Lol

 

[captainsousie]

Um...so am I the only one that wants to hear the maple pipe police story? Lol

Sadly it's a boring one. Around the beginning of the pandemic, before the lockdown in India but after it started getting serious there, I was going down a back street to one of my favorite places for some chaat. Whenever I went down this street the locals would usually ignore me unless I was smoking my pipe and then they would all smile and greet me as I passed (the liquor store was on the same path so it was a couple times a week). Usually it was a briar or one of my cobs but that day it was my Great Dane Maple with some Carter Hall. About halfway down that street I was stopped by one of the city's finest and asked why I was there. I told him the truth that I was on my way for some chaat and then back home. He questioned me a bit as to why I was there and why I wasn't at home because of the virus. I told him it hadn't spread too far there yet and I wasn't worried. He then tried to tell me that I was not supposed to be out...which was not correct but I respectfully said I would go back home (word to the wise, you don't argue with Indian police). He then started in on my pipe and what I was smoking. He was just sure that it was for smoking something illegal even though it just smelled like tobacco. He wound up giving me a lecture, confiscating the pipe, and sending me back home. Turned out later when talking to some friends that he had been looking for a bit of a bribe and had taken my pipe to spite me since I hadn't figured it out.

 

[karam]

I got the exact same one, bought along with a Dagner Poker straight from MM. The poker gets smoked several times per week, the McArthur gets smoked once a month or so.

Not a bad smoker at all, it's actually great, but so impractical that ends up not being used. I can't clench it because it's too heavy and the its length creates leverage, the acrylic stem is very thin and feels very fragile, the pipe can't sit or stand or fit in my pipe holder, I usually put it in a glass which looks silly, or have to hold it all the time which I don't like to do.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Sadly it's a boring one. Around the beginning of the pandemic, before the lockdown in India but after it started getting serious there, I was going down a back street to one of my favorite places for some chaat. Whenever I went down this street the locals would usually ignore me unless I was smoking my pipe and then they would all smile and greet me as I passed (the liquor store was on the same path so it was a couple times a week). Usually it was a briar or one of my cobs but that day it was my Great Dane Maple with some Carter Hall. About halfway down that street I was stopped by one of the city's finest and asked why I was there. I told him the truth that I was on my way for some chaat and then back home. He questioned me a bit as to why I was there and why I wasn't at home because of the virus. I told him it hadn't spread too far there yet and I wasn't worried. He then tried to tell me that I was not supposed to be out...which was not correct but I respectfully said I would go back home (word to the wise, you don't argue with Indian police). He then started in on my pipe and what I was smoking. He was just sure that it was for smoking something illegal even though it just smelled like tobacco. He wound up giving me a lecture, confiscating the pipe, and sending me back home. Turned out later when talking to some friends that he had been looking for a bit of a bribe and had taken my pipe to spite me since I hadn't figured it out.

I have a similar story involving a bus stop, Argentine police and a laminated photocopy of my passport...but thankfully no lost pipe.

ok, upon retrospect, the story is not even close haha

enjoy your pipe bro. Maybe you could rest in on the pew in front of you

 

[Charlie718]

I ordered the MM Cob MacArthur Natural Straight with the 3” bowl. I can’t wait for it to arrive, supposedly MacArthur smoked a Burley blend with deer tongue lol

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

I have now my second MacArthur 5-star classic bent pipe (3-1/2 inch deep bowl) and I do indeed enjoy it when I've the time for a sit-down smoke (which is most of the time!).

One word of warning, though. When I smoked some goopy Black Cavendish in my first of this pipe, it managed to burn-through the side of the bowl about a third of the way down. Maybe if I take it to the scroll saw and do a creative cut to match the bottom of the burn-through I'll have some kind of usable hybrid pipe.

 

[Chasing Embers]

a Burley blend with deer tongue

Those are great.

 

[Charlie718]

Those are great.

They are, to me Crooner tastes like a walnut vanilla cream shake that was made and stored in a charred oak barrel and some brilliant mind then through in a bunch of hay or peat moss.

 

[mso489]

Yup, the MacArthur is named after General Douglas MacArthur, the famous World War II general who famously said, when being forced out of the Philippine Islands, "We shall return." And later he did lead that re-occupation. He was an officer in World War I, and somewhat notoriously led the Army in a march on his own veterans camped in Washington D.C. campaigning for benefit checks. He often struck quite a pose with his corncob pipe, a folksy touch by a West Point graduate whose wealthy mother had moved to town and maintained a grand residence for her son to visit on his time off, which is a bit different than most West Point cadets. President Harry Truman summarily fired General MacArthur for disobeying his orders, which led to the General's speech to Congress famously declaring that, "Old generals never die; they just fade away." That was after the General had intentionally kept the President waiting for a planned meeting, which Harry properly took as an insult. Douglas was upper crust. Harry was from the show-me state.

 

[Charlie718]

General MacArthur was a brilliant military strategist and was only relieved because he publicly spoke his mind against the limited war strategy used by Truman and latter Johnson. I won’t go into details on the limited war strategy because that would make this post political

 

[warren]

A highly decorated WWI vet, often under fire whom Pershing denied a well deserved CMH because he was an officer. Pershing thought medals were trinkets for enlisted men.

Actualoy twice denied a Medal of honor. The first because his venture didn't occur in a formal war. He stole a train in Mexico. Want more? Research it.

 

[Charlie718]

Two great Generals from the era of America winning and ending wars instead of exasperating them so the Military Complex and the politicians who put there money in the publicly traded stocks of the MilComp can make money at the cost of lives and major inflation of the US Dollar.