Multiplying Pipes

[mso489]

Hemingway said of cats -- and Hemingway loved cats and perhaps treated them much better than his wives

and other people in general -- "One cat leads to another." This seems to be strikingly true of pipes. I owned

five or six pipes, or maybe four or five, for many years, and smoked them on and off. But once I had a dozen,

I needed twenty, and once I had twenty ... you get the idea. What is the potato chip quality of pipes? Why do

we tend to want more than we need for a rotation, even an expansive rotation? You would think we would be like

the grouchy old rich guy who, when asked by a young supplicant where he got his ties responded brusquely,

"I already have my ties." We already have our pipes, but we all fancy another, from time to time. Why?

What's your theory?

 

[uberam3rica]

Many hobbies and interests go this way. Piercings and tattoos are like this as well. I don't know why, but they do.

 

[oklansas]

They are just so pretty to look at...
Seriously though, because they are the perfect mix of art, woodworking manliness, hobby enthusiasm, and aquisition catharsis in one handy package.

 

[brdavidson]

Women have shoes, real men have pipes! Some may call it retail therapy, I'm inclined to agree with Roth, sometimes they just speak to us.

 

[kashmir]

I think its called PAD.

 

[zekest]

Because today it is not "in" to accept responsibility for oneself, we pipe smokers can blame it on "enablers". People who run great company's and web stores that make it easy to find a pipe that we simply must have and enjoy. I see a pipe, maybe it is new, maybe it is a lovingly restored estate pipe, a Canadian, Dublin, or rusticated bent that is unlike anything I currently have within eyesight, and with a few clicks of my keyboard and mouse, the person in the "Brown Truck of Happiness" brings it to me. Its not my fault, I was tempted with the eye candy! I have a disease, and it is called PAD.

 

[jndyer]

A few months ago I would have laughed at this post. I would have been asking myself, "Who needs more than a handful?" Now I have twenty pipes and am always looking, dreaming, planning and scheming about how to acquire just a few more so that I have all that I need. PAD is a fun and chronic illness.

 

[kashmir]

If money were no object, I'd have hundreds more. LOL!

 

[nsfisher]

My Wife has purses and jackets. She cooks for a Nursing Home, works 2 on 2 off over a two week period. Therefore, she actually needs about 3-8 uniforms, right? Well she has over 40 and still buys more when the mood strikes her.

 

[wyfbane]

There are times since march where I was getting 5 pipes a week. My record is 22 pipes in one week...
It is an addiction. And it isnt pretty.
But my pipes are. Lol

 

[javajunkie]

The cynic in me says it is a greed-driven materialistic impulse to HAVE, to aquire and posess. The optimist says it is an innate response to beauty, and a search for perfection, even if it is in a sensory experience. The realist says they're small, and I still have some room left. o)

 

[foggymountain]

For about 40 years I had maybe 10-12 pipes. I smoked them each every day or two. As the number began to dwindle, because of loss and theft, I meant to get more, but didn't see any I liked. I was too busy to even think much about them. I knew if I got more they would get drier and smoke better. Then I got a computer and discovered they could be bought online. And the selection was large. So I got a few more. The smoking experience improved the more pipes I got, because a dry pipe smokes better. The more pipes I had, the better the smokes were. so I kept getting more. When I retired I had time to smoke more, so I needed more pipes. I do not consider this a disorder. Now I have about 140, including the meerschaums & cobs.I don't consider that too many, but about the right amount. I have stopped buying pipes because I have enough. If I see one I like, I ignore it because I don't need it. What is the big problem? My wife understands that I am spending my money, not hers. She has a good job so I am not depriving her of anything. I don't make fun of her because she has far more $500 handbags than she needs. She likes them, so if she wants them she gets them. Why not? It is her money. I am sure that if I were the only earner I would have less pipes, if she were, there would be less handbags. So it seems to me that the solution is to put your wife to work.

 

[numbersix]

The smoking experience improved the more pipes I got, because a dry pipe smokes better.

This is a genuine reason and makes a huge difference in the quality of smoke. The longer the rest, the better the smoke.
The other issue (for me and I am sure others) is that one's taste changes. I find in the short time I've been smoking my tastes have changed a lot, pipes, shapes, finishes that I used to dislike I now look for in a pipe!

So it seems to me that the solution is to put your wife to work.

lol!

 

[boudreaux]

@foggy - I loved the way you built that case for buying more pipes, then sneaked in that conclusion at the end.

:rofl:

 

[phred]

My wife occasionally twits me for the amount of tobacco I've acquired in just 6 months (although it's not entirely my fault - looking at you, patiobum... :lol, but I just point out the number of bags/boxes of tea that we've got cluttering up the pantry.
One of my other hobbies is bicycling, where it's common knowledge that the proper number of bikes to own is N+1, where N= the number of bikes you currently own. :mrgreen:

 

[numbersix]

common knowledge that the proper number of bikes to own is N+1, where N= the number of bikes you currently own.

:rofl:

 

[jah76]

I will say, all of my pipes have their own personality and traits that fit alongside my own. (same with tobacco) They share my experiences.
Same can't be said for a lot of material things in my life. I'm the guy with 10 identical black shirts and 10 identical pairs of chinos.
Great topic.

 

[cigrmaster]

I like to buy pipes, it is fun searching for them, thinking about them, and finally acquiring them. My goal is to have about 40 or so pipes that are all incredible smoking machines. I like to rest my pipes so they deliver the optimum smoking experience. I want every pipe in my collection to never need a pipe cleaner to soak up excess moisture, so far I have 25 of those. I want every pipe in my collection to be the right size,shape and weight, I do not want any pipes that I feel I have to smoke because it is there. I want to look forward to smoking everyone. I want every pipe to have a great comfortable stem that fits my teeth perfectly. My tastes have changed since last August so I have pipes in the collection that do not fit the above criteria, they need to go and then I will replace them with my version of the perfect pipe. I believe that when one works and takes care of their responsibilities, they are entitled to buy whatever gives them enjoyment, pipes gives me enjoyment so I buy them and I apologize to no one.

 

[foggymountain]

Harris: That is exactly what I did. Any pipe I did not like smoking was sold.