Opinions on Churchwarden pipes...

[artificialme]

First time I got curious to pipe smoking, looking at someone smoking a churchwarden seems so satisfying. But, because of budget problem, I can't get it until now. Still looking for one though. Maybe MM Wizard will be bought for a few next month :D

 

[oldtoby]

I purchased a Savinelli Gandalf (before they were renamed "Quandale due to copyright laws, I suppose).
I enjoy it from time to time, but wouldn't want one any longer than that. Great reading pipe. Driving with said pipe, not so good. :wink:

 

[milehighpiper]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on it. I find them to be elegant pipes and in theory, they seem to be a great option for lounging around. I was curious to know if they smoked better/worse than a standard pipe. I will hold off on getting one (unless I find a smoking deal) (get it?). Thanks again for all the replies and I am sure I will think of a random question to ask today or tomorrow.
Happy Friday!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I was curious to know if they smoked better/worse than a standard pipe.

Since "better" and "worse" are totally subjective terms, I would say that is going to be a hard call asking the forums. It all really depends on what you look for in a pipe. Some people will even swear that corncobs are great smokers, ba ha ha ha!!! So, it really just comes down to what YOU look for in a pipe.

 

[mso489]

Churchwardens are entirely a sit-down pipe, where you rest your elbow on the arm of a chair and puff reflectively. So you can't be a hyperactive person or move around much when you're smoking them. You can't gesture much with them. As with many departures in my pipe smoking life, my wife got me my first churchwarden, a Sav 601, as pictured in my avatar. I like it for ruminative reflective smokes. Likewise, she gave me my first Oom-Paul, which is also successful for me. I now have several churchwardens including a small Ewa version and a Big Ben straight stem. I find 'em pleasing for smoking while seated. If you get up and move around, you will probably have at least a minor mishap, unless you are more adept and graceful than I am.

 

[snowyowl]

I turned two Erik Nording pipes into churchwardens. The top one has a third party short churchwarden stem, the bottom pipe has a long Nording stem.

[both came with shot stems]

 

[cigrmaster]

peck, is that a Satou churchwarden? It is a very cool looking pipe whatever it is.
I have never owned a churchwarden and have no plans on buying one. For my style of smoking, it just doesn't work.

 

[olkofri]

MSO, I find that you can gesture quite a bit with them; and they have the plus that you can poke your disagreeing interlocutor in the eye easier than with a regular-sized pipe! :lol:

I was curious to know if they smoked better/worse than a standard pipe

Just don't fall for the 'the long stem makes them smoke much cooler' argument. That might be true for a chibouk, but not for churchwardens.

 

[mso489]

olkofri, I think you're right about gesturing, but it requires more finesse. Heck, you could conduct a symphony orchestra with a churchwarden. I'll have to practice the churchwarden gesturing. I think I'll pass on the symphony gig.

 

[hugodrax]

The first Pipean Council ruled them Anathema and forbade the faithful from their use, lest the heresy spread among the flock. Traditional pipeaholics tend towards the Lovatthe Billiard, or the slender shanked Liverpool as the most, ahem, orthodox of shapes and look askance at the proliferation of odd local uses favored by the Novus Pipo.

 

[elpfeife]

I do believe Hugo is correct. That had slipped my mind. I knew there was a good reason I don't have one. It is never good to be thought of as a Novus Pipo.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Same council forbade eating fish on Friday, but you could smoke them. Some called it the Council of Lox, but the vote came in 13 to a bagel against.

 

[davek]

I have a number of homemade "churchwardens" where I have added a reed stem to a regular cob. I try not to clench and prefer sitting back with the bowl in my hand when I smoke, so they work well for me. Since they are "homemade" looking I definitely don't smoke in public with them.
I think they do cool the smoke a little, although probably not appreciably. They *can* make a blend I've come up with taste a little different. So, it's more like the "If you don't like it in a cob maybe try it in a briar" concept.
In my avatar I'm smoking a shorter "extended cob" at a local park watching a sunrise.

 

[unkleyoda]

I'm not a fan. In theory I like them, but every neckbeard/basement dweller that wants to talk pipes with me has one and walks around like an ass smoking it while quoting lines from the LOTR series.

 

[newbroom]

I use the stem from my MM Shire on the stummel of my MM Legend. I have another Shire stem that had stuck in my Shire and got broken when I first got it, and after I sanded it off, I use it in a Morgan stummel. Both make for nice smokers. Quasi Church Wardens.

 

[ssjones]

I have this 1940's era Kaywoodie. Like Peck, I find smoking it to be a PITA. This one came with the box and bag. I was mulling over selling it.

 

[hugodrax]

Jpmw hit the nail on the head. They aren't kosher.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yeah, but you have to take that with a grain of salt....