Went down today and got me one of the new Kirstens! The one finish I don't own is the brass stem. The new "brass" is sort of a matte gilt, almost a powdercoat finish, which is not at all bad, but not to my taste (I still want a brasstone model, preferably an Esquire!)
Instead, I got a black Designer, pedestal valve, with the white-wisp black stem. I saw a new rusticated, matte-black Mandarin bowl I loved on one of the pipes that was already assembled and sold; while digging through their new bowls for something similar, Stacy handed me an odd one: a slightly shiny sandblast Brandy with a smooth rim which she said was a sort of accident. It was made too large, just barely small enough to fit on a Designer body. One-of-a-kind, black, one of my two favorite shapes-- that's for me!
For those wondering, the current shapes/sizes are:
Straight - I'm not sure, didn't check
Quarter-bent - Horizon (small), Regent (large), Cavalier (medium) may or may not return*
Full-bent - Designer (large)
* Japanese buyers love the Cavalier, she says, so it might come back
Radiator finishes are black (slightly glossy on straight and maybe quarter-bent, definitely matte on full-bent), brasstone (matte gilt), and silver (most are the traditional satin silver, with some being a bit more metallic).
Stem colors are bronze pearl, gloss black, and gloss black with white wispy threads.
I didn't check all prices, but Designers with pedestal valves, any finish, are about $190 with briar bowl and $250 with meerschaum. Meerschaum bowls are being made in Turkey, and they look great; I spoke with the US-side importer. They had a narrow shape, something like an older Kirsten Billiard but taller and a bit wider, and a typically-Kirsten wide, squat rhodesian-like bulldog. I saw billiards in smooth, lattice, and a smooth finish with a grid of small dimples. Bulldogs were in smooth or bottom-half lattice. Lattice is large, deep teardrop shapes with a fine circle pattern background.
They still have lots of vintage briar bowls of all sorts, and vintage unwaxed meerschaum ones cut by Gene Kirsten, many in the 'staghorn' carved look. I saw lots of new briar bowls, including some new taller, thinner bulldog/mandarin types, some smooth bulldogs in a medium color (no bowl coating!) and some bulldogs with all-over or lower-half sandblast. They also have some of those freehand briar bowls, I think the carver's name is Don Warren, sort of tulip-shaped.
Indeed, Kirsten is back on track, and the stuff is sure spiffy.
