Ok, Got a Few Replacements...

[boudreaux]

Received my MM in the mail very quickly. Will be good to use to try different blends that many of you have suggested.
Bought a nice looking Savinelli Toscana Billiard. Stem looks like it needs some polishing - not as shiny as I see in photos from the Savinelli site. Nice mix of mostly straight grain with a little birdseye on the bottom.
Looking forward to this. Do Savinellis take as long as you've said Petersons do to break in? Hopefully, the photo comes through with my localhost reference...

 

[teufelhund]

All briars require a break in if they are new to develop the carbon cake. Cobs are good to go out of the box in my opinion as well as clays and meers.

 

[homeatsea]

I just came in from a bowl of Dunhill Flake in my Sav Churchwarden. My new favorite tobacco and pipe.

 

[cigrmaster]

Nice looking Savinelli, congrats. The only new Sav I broke in was the first pipe I ever bought and I do not remember if it was difficult to break in. Back then I probably wouldn't have even known anyways. From what I hear, Sav's are not difficult to break in as compared to Petersons.

 

[boudreaux]

On a roll here. Just bought a Ben Wade (circa Preben Holm days) free form that looks like one of my old missing PHs and a new Peterson. Might have tried a p-lip just to see if I liked it, but the one with a p-lip stem was a smaller bowl and about $30 more. Why? I have no idea, but I went with the fishtail billiard.
Five'll getcha ten that now that I bought an estate Ben Wade, I'll find all of my old pipes. Well, things could be worse. I could be blowing it all in Vegas or at the track. :rofl:
Now awaiting some of my mail-ordered baccas to arrive. The local B&M did not have Mac B Navy Flake that was recommended to me, but they did have Dunhill Flake. Not sure if I'm ready for that yet. Remember smoking some Mac Baren Symphony and several other tin blends by them, but don't remember whether I liked them. But then, that was a 20-something year old palate and now I'm an old goat palate looking for some relaxing fun. 8)

 

[boudreaux]

Thanks for the insights, rothnh. I may just head back over there tomorrow and sample my first taste of flake.

 

[boudreaux]

Was just reading the "Which flake to try first?" thread, roth, and while DF has a solid following, the number of differing opinions can leave a head spinning. LOL

 

[boudreaux]

Smoking the new Sav Toscano right now. What a wonderful smoke! Nice draw, no gurgles as I had with my first bowl in a new Peterson, although that was Dunhill Flake and this is Molto Dolce - maybe the different cut and prep?
Anyway, I saw one thing after the first couple of draws - instant yellow/green oxidation. Yikes! Never saw it form that fast in all the pipes I've owned. Ordered a few things to help with the problem last night.
Noticed that the Savinelli bowl did not heat up like the Peterson did. Again, maybe the cut and the tobacco. Will try some MD in the Peterson and my 2 others during the next few bowls to see the results.
Enjoying this! ::

 

[lordofthepiperings]

My four Savinellis did break in a bit faster than my Petersons. Three Savs were bare briar and one wasn't.

 

[boudreaux]

Rubber or lucite? How could I tell? It was rather "dull looking" when I bought it, but I noticed that the underside of the stem remained shiny black where they'd put a yellow price sticker. Would that be a clue to the material?

 

[jah76]

Sounds like Vulcanite. The sticker could have kept it protected.
Congrats on your new pipes. Pics!