Briar Quality and Weight. An Interesting Argument

[gervais]

So it has been discussed before here in the past, and that is the argument of briar weight and quality. Many people believe that in a pile of briar pipes of the same dimensions, the lightest one is more than likely the best quality briar of the batch. I was doing a little reading and thought I'd post this little blurb written by R.D Feild, pipe importer and distributor. He believes quite the opposite, and I'm interested to know what the folks here believe. Here it is:

It has been said that lightness in a pipe equals perfection. Many pipemakers strive for lightness in their product, and many pipe smokers feel that a heavy pipe is a bad pipe. I do not agree. Besides the obvious facets that may make for a heavy pipe (size, shape, wall-thickness, etc.) it is important to note that there are two types of briar burls from which pipes are made. One comes from the male plant and is tall, rather thin, and light. The other, coming from the female plant, is short, round, and more dense (this type of burl is invariably the one used in photographs of "100 year, old briar root'. Each burl has its attributes. For, those who wish a light pipe and do not smoke "hot" the briar from the male plant is excellent. but the briar from the female plant is made to order for those who smoke a "hot" pipe and who tend to have pipes burn out. Being more dense this briar is harder to destroy with heat. There are also those (perhaps many more than have admitted so) who like the "heft" of a heavy pipe.

Source:

What Makes a Good Briar Pipe - Pipedia

pipedia.org

 

[kcghost]

I think that you are possibly over thinking the whole deal. But if it adds to your enjoyment of the pipe then I say go for it.

 

[cigrmaster]

For my tastes anything under 40 grams is too light. I like a certain thickness I want my walls to be and I don't ever settle for a pipe with thin walls. I have pipes with thick walls that weight very little considering. My preferred weight for a pipe is 40-55 grams. I can go over the 55 depending on balance and if the pipe has a bend. I clench most all of the time and I have enough jaw muscle that 55 doesn't bother me. Around 60 and over I will hold my pipe.
I had a thin walled Belge made by Rad Davis and I had to change my smoking cadence to get a cool smoke out of it. I don't change my cadence for any pipe so I sold it.

 

[gervais]

I think that you are possibly over thinking the whole deal. But if it adds to your enjoyment of the pipe then I say go for it.

Lol, I like to over-research the things I'm into. Definately guilty of that

 

[cigrmaster]

Here is an example of a thick walled pipe of mine that has thick walls but only weighs around 40 grams. It is a Rad Davis.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The article suggest that heavier, denser briar "may" not be as likely to burn out, but he doesn't offer a reason, nor any further details.

I think that the argument revolves around this notion of quality, which may be different, pending on how one defines quality.

In ceramics and glassware, the notion of quality is to show the expertise of the artist to push the medium to it's limits and still maintain a look of stregnth. For examples when judging a piece of stemware as in wine glasses, one looks for size with minimal of weight, showing the the maker "pushed" the medium to it's limits. However, someone wanting a wine glass for use by a swimming pool or at the ballpark may want weight to offset any bumps or spills destroying the glass. But, the lighter weight adds to the experience of drinking the wine. A delicate glass, capturing the aroma notes as you bring it to your face to sip. A stem to hold that separates the warmth of your hand from offsetting the perfect temperature of the wine, and the lightness of air that adds to the aesthetic of the wine.

In a piece of jewelry as in a ring, weight adds to the quality. Because the specific gravity of sterling is much less that gold, and gold is still not as heavy as platinum, weight adds to the quality of the ring.

If your eyes meet a classically styled, proportioned, and sized pipe, but when you pick it up, it seems heavier than you expected, how does that affect your judgment of the pipe? For me it would disconcerting. Maybe because I clench, and having a pipe that is lightest on my teeth, so that the pipe just disappears as I smoke. It becomes a part of me. I don't have issues or ever, ever worry about my pipes burning out, so a heavier pipe has no appeal. And, the price of dense briar is of no concern to me, so it does not give me an appreciation for weight in that regard.

But, maybe to someone who is just starting or has no control over cadence, weight would be a quality plus. Maybe to someone who tosses their pipes into a toolbox might want density to protect the pipe from damage from ware and tear.

For me, I want the elegance that comes from lightness for some of my smokes. And, I do have some that seem heavier that I will use when mowing the yard or doing tractor work. So, quality for me varies for it's use. I also have light and heavy wine glasses for different uses also.

So, the quality of weight varies to function for me.

 

[mso489]

I have several pipes with thin walls that smoke completely cool. I appreciate a certain light weight aspect in a pipe so it doesn't leverage against my teeth an jaw that much, though I have a few heavier ones I enjoy too. I'm skeptical of the carvers who mostly do 2.5 ounces and up, thinking they might be angling to get a higher price by the pound as it were. Obviously, Castello thinks the U.S. pipe smokers prefer the heavier pipes; their brand in Europe offers many lighter weight pipes. Mostly I like 1.6 ounces and lower, but a few heavyweights are good to have, especially if they have chambers to match.

 

[sablebrush52]

It's an interesting hypothesis. So light briar = male, heavy briar = female. What about medium weight briar? Gender fluid?

 

[gervais]

It's an interesting hypothesis. So light briar = male, heavy briar = female. What about medium weight briar? Gender fluid?

These days, you might actually be correct!

 

[sasquatch]

I'm not sure where the tracking on this would come from - I'm not a botanist, but in talking to briar cutters, they don't mark plants as male or female in the processing, they cut them up, grade them, boil them, etc and sell them. I've had a few very dense pieces of briar, and a few unusually light ones, but I'd have no idea how you could tie that back to male vs female plants.

The lightest pieces I've had also had wider ring-growth, I assume a faster growing plant, be it male or female.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I’ve never played a heavy acoustic guitar that had what I was after.

 

[sasquatch]

I’ve never played a heavy acoustic guitar that had what I was after.

Try an old Guild. Opposite of the lightly built Martins for feel, but they sure sound good.

 

[SBC]

I'm in no position to confirm or deny the hypothesis about denser briar being more flame retardant, but I will just say, for whatever it's worth, that that strikes me as extremely plausible.

As for personal preference in weight, I rarely clench and prefer to palm a hefty pipe.

I enjoy my small, light pipes, very much.
I'm just saying that there's an additional sort of satisfaction in propping up a large, weighty bowl, while reading in the evening.

 

[fireground_piper]

The last few weeks I have been smoking a pretty thin walled pipe almost exclusively and haven’t had any catastrophic effects. At the thinnest point it’s 4mm and the thickest is only 9mm near the bottom. It’s also rusticated so there’s some spots that are probably closer to only 3mm thin.

Smokes fine, been smoking VA and vapers in it and it weighs 32grams if I recall.

I tend to believe it’s more operator impacted than anything else at this time.

 

[Waning Embers]

Actually couldn't care less. As long as the pipe isn't a bulldog or a rhodesian and has no white dot on the stem and has a nice ring blast or has nice accents, weight is a non-issue.

 

[Waning Embers]

The last few weeks I have been smoking a pretty thin walled pipe almost exclusively and haven’t had any catastrophic effects.

With know how, thin walled pipes can easily be smoked without them overheating.?

 

[Johnny_Pipecleaner]

I always assumed heavier briar was so because it hadn't been cured/dried long enough to get more of the moisture out. This is a complete assumption though, based on no actual experience in the art.

That being said, your post reminded me of a line from the movie Snatch regarding the weight of a pistol.

 

[Grangerous]

Making my lightweight, cool smokin Cobs sound like Dunhill WhiteSpots.

All of my pipes identify as male though. I asked.

 

[wayneteipen]

I don't know anything about male and female trees; but he may be on to something with weight and density. I imagine, if it's true that weight and density are related, a tree that grows very slowly would likely produce a more dense burl while a tree that grows faster would likely be less dense. As sasquatch mentioned, the growth rate can be estimated by how wide the growth rings are. Consider that it is possible that a more dense wood has tighter/smaller pores and therefor less air. It stands to reason that a heavier, more dense wood would be more impervious to heat but may be less adept at managing moisture due to the less porous nature of the wood. It also stands to reason transversely that a lighter, less dense wood would be less heat resistant but more adept at managing moisture due to a more porous nature. How well a pipe smokes is often heavily affected by how well it manages the moisture byproduct of tobacco combustion and; therefor, may contribute to the belief or experience that lighter pipes smoke "better." It's a valid argument that those who tend to smoke their pipe hotter would get a better experience from a heavier more dense pipe.

 

[wayneteipen]

I always assumed heavier briar was so because it hadn't been cured/dried long enough to get more of the moisture out. This is a complete assumption though, based on no actual experience in the art.

That being said, your post reminded me of a line from the movie Snatch regarding the weight of a pistol.
View attachment 107978

This is actually quite true as well. "Wet" briar is heavier. However, a pipe made with wet briar will eventually dry out over a relatively short time and settle to the atmospheric humidity of the environment in which it is kept.