I came to French pipes a little late, but have become really fond of mine. These include a Jobey,
a Butz-Chocom, a Chacom, and a Choquin-Comoy. Bear in mind, I am a great fan of English,
Italian, Irish, Danish, and U.S. pipes. What I like about French pipes is that they take industrial
production and add to that some real attention to design, so for a modest price you can get a lot
of zip, but often based on a completely traditional shape. My French pipes have turned out to be
fine smokers and well drilled, with good briar and light weight. My birthday Chacom Exquise in
dark green smokes as well as an Italian pipe I have at more than twice the price. I buy pipes to
smoke them, so I can't call myself a collector.