Found My Favorite Two Billiards...

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agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,413
In the sticks in Mississippi
I know that the billiard threads appear on here from time to time, but recently I've been going through my rather large rotation, and I find that I come back to these two billiards quite often. I really like the simple shape of billiard pipes, and a well made one is just one of my favorite smokes.

You've probably seen these pipes posted here before, but yesterday I had some MacBaren Latikia Flake in my Craig Cooper, and it just works so well. One of those great smokes that happens from time to time.

Tonight I was smoking some SG Bothy Flake in my kind of obscure Irish BPL Abbey and again it was just so perfect. I don't know why I like these two pipes so much, but they just do the trick for me with the English type blends. Even my old cobbled up Dunhill Tanshell doesn't do as well.

Now I know that these pipes are a little out of the norm as far as brands go, but I'm sure you have your own favorites too.

So let's hear what your favorite Billiards are and why...
Cooper Billiard

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BPL Billiard

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aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
My favorite billiard is one that I found unsmoked at a Goodwill store while searching for a pipe rack. It was in a ziplock baggie with a Czech tool that was old enough it was marked "Made in Czechoslovakia" instead of "Czech Republic". There were several pipe cleaners in the bag that actually disintegrated when I handled them. The bowl is .70 diameter by about 1 1/2" deep, and it measures 5 3/4" long. The only marking was "FRANCE" on the bottom of the shank near the stem. It smokes like a dream, and for six years has been one of my go-to pipes. Imagine my surprise when I recently ordered one of the Bruyere St. Claude Extra billiards from Smokingpipes.com. They are identical! The only difference is the stamping, and the fact that the Goodwill pipe was $5, and the BSC was $50!

 

jkrug

Lifer
Jan 23, 2015
2,867
8
I don't have to many billiards but my favourite one right now is a Peterson Aran #6 billiard. It is one of only two estate pipes that I own. I really like everything about this pipe. It is just the right size and feels so good in hand. It is a great looking pipe with plenty of birdseye to look at and it has a very generous chamber size. I've come to really enjoy smoking this pipe and it's one that I find myself reaching for often. This is a pipe that "speaks to me" as they say. :puffy:

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Hard to choose one, but a few favorites include a BC blast straight, a Iwan Ries smooth straight (Benton), a Luciano straight blast, a Savenelli unfinished straight about forty years old, a hand-carved rusticated straight J. Perry, and a Chacom smooth straight green stain. But there are others. The fundamental aspect of the shape always pleases me, with nearly any blend but especially English.

 

lostandfound

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 30, 2011
924
44
My absolute favorite is a saddle bit Dr. Grabow Grand Duke I bought about three years ago. If my memory serves me well, it's the pipe (in my rotation), I've had the longest. The stem split length-wise about a year ago, and I've fixed it with super glue twice now. It delivers a phenomenal smoke every time. Beat-to-hell and back stem and all. My other favorite is a semi-recent addition. It's an old, paneled, Medical VFQ. I've seen modern versions of these which are apparently Brylon, but mine is briar for sure. Out of all my pipes, the button on this is the best. The stem is soft, and looks like Cumberland. I want to say it IS Cumberland, but it might not be, so I won't.
...Something tells me that back in the day, pipe manufacturers like Medico and Dr. Grabow, actually took pride in their pipes- pipe stems included.

 

haebar

Can't Leave
Nov 10, 2014
348
6,244
East Tennessee
My favorite smoker is a Captain Black billiard; it is the one I go to most often. Not quite sure why I grab for it. Probably because I completely refinished it with micro-mesh sanding pads and have a sense of pride in it. Once I had a smooth Ser Jacopo billiard that I loved smoking. Haven't been able to find it in recent years, I must have it well-hidden.

 
Mar 30, 2014
2,853
78
wv
Good looking pipes. Billiards and Canadians are my favorite shapes. There's just something about the graceful classic shape of a billiard.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
The Billiard has always been one of my favorite shapes. To my eye, the Billiard says this is what a pipe is suppoed to look like. I love the classic lines and I currently have 9 in my collection and that is not counting the 3 Lovats I also own. All of my Billiards are flake smoking machines and all are group 4-5 with 2 small 6's. Here are a couple of my favorites.
Rad Davis



Michael Parks



 

pepesdad1

Lifer
Feb 28, 2013
1,023
675
I have six billiards that I smoke daily, 3 Comoys (1960's), a Yello Bole Canadian, a GBD Canadian Virgin, and a Medico Gold Crest. All are great smokers.

 

gregprince

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 29, 2014
276
0
Gotta love a good billiard and all their related shapes. I must have about twenty.

 

johnnyreb

Lifer
Aug 21, 2014
1,961
612
One of my favorite billiards feels like a lowly stepchild because it gets no respect from anyone but me. It is stamped Ben Rodgers which was a pipe shop in NYC. Not much else is known about the shop or who could have made this pipe. It smokes great and I love it because it is a tall chimney, double stack.

I won't even take it out of rotation long enough to polish the stem...no respect, I tell ya!

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