It's interesting to me that some times we realize that for years we've done something the same way without paying any attention to it.Since joining this board for some reason i've become more aware of all the different lengths that pipes are.A few minutes ago just for kicks I decided to check the length of my pipes.I have about 25.It turns out that 24 of them are six inches long.I've owned a good many pipes over the years.I've never actually measured any of them before buying them.Yet all the ones that I've liked well enough to keep are the same length.I can't tell you why,because I really don't know.