Kaywoodie pipes
- Thread starter Etipton
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I just picked up what I believe to be a 1936 Poker. It’s definitely pre-1950’s because it has a 4 hole stinger. I own one from the 80’s as well, with a 3 hole stinger. — Kaywoodies are difficult pipes to accurately date. They’ve been made for so long and have so many shapes. Back in their day, Kaywoodies were considered high end pipes and were the equal to Dunhill. Over time they became a common drug store pipe. But their older pipes are high quality.
As for smoking. The stingers almost force you to sip your pipe. The draw is not as open as some like. But they do smoke very well. I personally enjoy them and will not hesitate to add more.
Super Grain 5102 Poker
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Older Kaywoodies, from around the 1930'-1940's, are fine pipes. I have a number of them, and they are great smokers. Not a whole lot of demand that I've seen for pipes manufactured after the S.M. Frank buyout in 1955.
I used a 13B today and love everything about it. Light weight and smokes easy. What else would you want??
There still being made and smoked today, A lot of folks around New York swear by them.
I have a few from the 50's & 60's that smoke fine. They are still in production today and are good pipes.
Note for the OP — The Kaywoodies in production today have push tenons. The stingers had a very long run. For an idea that never caught fire among the world’s pipe manufacturers, Kaywoodie sure stayed true to their designs.
Kaywoodie has a long and storied history, and many fans on the forum. Do you have pics of your new acquisition?
The older ones have fantastic wood and extremely high quality ebonite. But the stinger is an abomination and a testament to junk science and over engineering.
I do like them. I can insert a pipe cleaner all the way to the ball mid smoke to remove any moisture, just as I do with my filterless pipes.
And the stinger keeps any small pieces of tobacco from reaching my mouth/throat on the draw.
Mine always smoke clean and cool. Good pipes indeed.
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️Yo Eti - Kaywoodies, new and old, are greatly undervalued. I have several dozen and some of them are my best puffers. The stingers in the older pipes don't bother me though I prefer pipes without metal in there. The current production uses very old wood: I was in the Kaywoodie factory for one of the NorthEast Slow Smoke Holiday Parties and there were giant bins of stummels and briars. The handmades by Bill Feuerbach are best buys in the artisan world.
To condense moisture so as to guarantee a gurgle?
Unless you can literally wring water out of the tobacco before smoking it, I've never found that to be an issue...
I've an otherwise beautiful 4 number carburetor (another silly idea) that I rarely smoke. I'll give it another shot.
You could try asking Bill Feuerbach at the company that currently makes Kaywoodies (link below). He knows a lot about Kaywoodie history. He wrote the Kaywoodie article on Pipedia. I also see that he did a PipesMagazine.com radio show interview in 2016. I've sent questions to him in the past and he has been very responsive.