Have We Reached 'Peak Pipe'?

[mikethompson]

I'm always looking on eBay for vintage pipes. I love the different ways they used to 'improve' upon a pipe, from carberetors, stingers, various filters, stem shapes, etc.

But have we seen the end of that now? Has the market basically accepted what a pipe is and we are now just talking about different shapes and finishes?

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Since I am new to pipes, I've been studying eBay also. I learn much this way. For me, most of the pipe I see are of no intertest, but I might discover some information that is useful.

For me, some pipe shapes are just more easy to hold. And, this determines what I would purchase. I am probably wrong, but I doubt a freehand custom is going to smoke any better than an old Kaywoodie if the user does not know what they are doing. I guess the adage that you can't buy a better golf score applies to pipes.

 

[ofafeather]

It seems the innovation is more at the artisan level than the factory. The one I can think of is magnetic stems.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

An ongoing concern that I have considered is not knowing what ingredients being heated up and down am I bringing into my mouth. We put much trust in pipe makers and pipe restorers. Most of us would not consider putting polishes and glues in our mouths, but we smoke things that we have no idea what's been done.

 

[kurtbob]

My option is, those things were more gimmicky mods to try and improve sales and address general pipe problems like gurgling, tongue bite etc . Most pipes that are properly drilled and smoked in an optimal fashion don’t need those things to make a smoke enjoyable.......just my humble opinion ?

 

[Casual]

The intense competition among well-capitalized companies will not come again. There is competition among artisans, but not so much on an industrial scale. There are unlikely to be teams of competing engineers testing different airway technologies for a drier smoke.

The same thing has happened with fountain pens: there is competition between small artisans, but no one will make a snorkel pen again, which requires an industrial scale.

So we get different shapes and finishes, and some modern materials like polyester. There’s money in the beauty of pipes in this smaller, partly collector market. But there’s no money in technological innovation in pipes.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've been working on an idea for a scuba pipe, so that I can still smoke while swimming underwater.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

The intense competition among well-capitalized companies will not come again. There is competition among artisans, but not so much on an industrial scale. There are unlikely to be teams of competing engineers testing different airway technologies for a drier smoke.

The same thing has happened with fountain pens: there is competition between small artisans, but no one will make a snorkel pen again, which requires an industrial scale.

So we get different shapes and finishes, and some modern materials like polyester. There’s money in the beauty of pipes in this smaller, partly collector market. But there’s no money in technological innovation in pipes.

Thing is, the lever fill worked just fine.

 

[pauls456]

If we use the analogy of 'peak oil', it would be the number of pipes being produced, rather than innovations in smoking technology. In that sense, we are obviously well past the peak, and will continue to decline.

In terms of style, there is still room for innovation, but the potential choices are diminished. For example, Wolfgang Becker's Wasp shape could be seen as a recent stylistic innovation.

In terms of design innovations that do not necessarily improve the smoking experience, an example would be the use of rare earth magnets to affix stem to shank, or bowl to stummel.

For materials innovation, not much. Magnets. The decorative use of Ivorite, and more recently Juma.

Smoking innovation technology: We are essentially done. The only recent innovation I can think of at the moment is the 'invention' of the reverse calabash- admittedly not a great example.

 

[cigrmaster]

I've been working on an idea for a scuba pipe, so that I can still smoke while swimming underwater.

That would be the coolest thing ever. I am a certified diver and have been to some of the best dive sites in the world. If I could smoke my pipe, that means I could also smoke other things. My only problem is getting back in the boat.

 

[cigrmaster]

On topic I only watch the highline and artisan made pipes. I see many artisans with larger inventories than they would like. I think the market for expensive artisan pipes(500 and up )is slowing down.

 

[kcghost]

I imagine there are things out that can be modified, it is just a matter of finding the person to do it.

 

[sablebrush52]

I'm always looking on eBay for vintage pipes. I love the different ways they used to 'improve' upon a pipe, from carberetors, stingers, various filters, stem shapes, etc.

But have we seen the end of that now? Has the market basically accepted what a pipe is and we are now just talking about different shapes and finishes?

To some extent, everything tried after the major development of briar wood as a material for making smoking pipes is iterative.

Experimentation continues. Just a few years ago the reverse calabash arrived on the scene and created quite a stir, as well as a lot of butt ugly pipes that look like they suffer from goiter. Carvers continue to explore the best way to engineer the internals. Scottie Piersel's steel lined shank inserts into an inverse tenon offer an uninterrupted airway from the chamber to the slot, removing any chance for turbulence, while adding considerable strength to the shank and easy maintenance.

An ongoing concern that I have considered is not knowing what ingredients being heated up and down am I bringing into my mouth. We put much trust in pipe makers and pipe restorers. Most of us would not consider putting polishes and glues in our mouths, but we smoke things that we have no idea what's been done.

You're sucking in carcinogenic byproducts of the combustion of tobacco and what worries you is the polish?

 

[Casual]

Thing is, the lever fill worked just fine.

You esterbrook people are everywhere, under every rock! Wiping off your nibs after a fill, like a barbarian! The snorkel was the Concorde of pens.

(To be serious all these sac-based pens are leaks in waiting. I am big on Japanese stoppered eyedropper fillers.)

 

[Casual]

You're sucking in carcinogenic byproducts of the combustion of tobacco and what worries you is the polish?

You must know that there are plenty of things worse than tobacco smoke you could put in there, or use as a finish, so this question astounds me.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

You esterbrook people are everywhere, under every rock! Wiping off your nibs after a fill, like a barbarian! The snorkel was the Concorde of pens.

(To be serious all these sac-based pens are leaks in waiting. I am big on Japanese stoppered eyedropper fillers.)

I’ve restored a couple of dozen pens. Replaced sacs and I jbars. No leaking

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

To some extent, everything tried after the major development of briar wood as a material for making smoking pipes is iterative.

Experimentation continues. Just a few years ago the reverse calabash arrived on the scene and created quite a stir, as well as a lot of butt ugly pipes that look like they suffer from goiter. Carvers continue to explore the best way to engineer the internals. Scottie Piersel's steel lined shank inserts into an inverse tenon offer an uninterrupted airway from the chamber to the slot, removing any chance for turbulence, while adding considerable strength to the shank and easy maintenance.


You're sucking in carcinogenic byproducts of the combustion of tobacco and what worries you is the polish?

Yes, and your post not withstanding, I still don’t want to smoke elmers glue or carnuba wax.

 

[sablebrush52]

You must know that there are plenty of things worse than tobacco smoke you could put in there, or use as a finish, so this question astounds me.

Yes there are, but that doesn't affect the carcinogenic properties of tobacco, and that's going to be 99.9% of what goes down that airway. Polish and stain are usually on the outside of the pipe (unless it's a Peterson) and carnauba wax is non toxic. Even simichrome polish is non toxic. When it comes to it, how do you know what's in your tobacco? Are you aware just how much toxic crap blenders added, things like belladonna? And you're astounded? I'm astounded that you're astounded.

 

[sablebrush52]

Yes, and your post not withstanding, I still don’t want to smoke elmers glue or carnuba wax.

Neither would I, but both of those are non toxic.

 

[mso489]

Oh no, I think pipe makers are still tweaking the designs and aspects of pipes though not in as overheated a way as the days of carburetors, stingers, and such. That was the golden age of pipe sales, and the competition for that very large market was fierce. But stones, moisture rings, maple inserts, and multiple filter systems show that the yin to grab the customer base still rings true. I think some of the zany designer pipes from Mummert and Ser Jacopo show a different approach to the same inclination. As long as pipes are made for sale, by factories or artisans, there will be modifications to lure the pipe smoker. We won't mention the microphone pipe by White Spot; there's no explaining that, but it is covered in another thread.