Pipe Rotation or Random Use?

[magicpiper]

Just curious...do most of you stick to a pipe rotation or do you just randomly smoke your pipes?
I always randomly pull pipes from my collection to smoke. Usually, it depends on what tobacco I'm smoking, I often choose one because it hasn't been used in a while but sometimes there's no good reason at all. I conscientiously try to keep the mileage somewhat even across the collection but not very successfully.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have over a hundred pipes at this point, some in drawers, most on racks, some tucked away in places where they are like finding Easter eggs. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to which one I will pick next, or which one will be after that, and sometimes I will smoke the same pipe all day.

 

[mso489]

I'd think of mine as a random rotation, inasmuch as I intend to smoke all of my north-of-eighty pipes but not in a given sequence. This results in some pipes not being smoked as often despite my efforts, like my really large pipes, for reasons of time. But I do smoke around the various racks and the cabinet, and am sometimes drawn to a pipe I feel hasn't been smoked lately. That's a little lame, but it feels more spontaneous than somewhat going by the numbers or down the row of pipes.

 

[dcon]

I don’t smoke the same pipe more than once a week (cobs and meers excluded). I am still working on a long term pipe storage/display system, so I tend to have pipes all over my office/den/man cave. I do segregate pipes to genres but, as to what pipe in any one category that, is pretty random.

 

[wolflarsen]

I have three categories of pipes, those dedicated to lakelands, latakia blends, and everything else. Other than that I just pick whichever pipe I want in the moment regardless of how often or how recently it was smoked.

 

[rdoss16]

my choice of tobacco is always random and therefore the pipe i use is always random

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

Mostly random, whatever shape strikes my fancy in the moment. That said, I use my Cobs for Aros exclusively

 

[wulfheard]

It's random and the randomness depends entirely on what type of tobacco I'm in the mood for. Like many here, I tend to dedicate certain pipes for certain blends. Of the 50 or so pipes I own, I have about 10 favorites, maybe less, that get smoked on a somewhat regular basis.

 

[seldom]

I've fewer than 20 pipes and my selection is mostly random. I suppose if I knew I would smoke every day, a regular rotation would work. As an outdoor pipe smoker my smoking depends on the weather and I go days without smoking when it is windy.

 

[F4RM3R]

I choose based on type of blend and length of smoke. Then I have pipes for home use(meers, clays, bigger and fragile pipes) and if I'm out then it's usually smaller, beater or cobs.

 

[python]

I don't have a rotation. If I want to smoke a certain pipe, I smoke it.

 

[sablebrush52]

Random. I think of pipe smoking as relaxing, not another opportunity to engage in anal retentiveness.

 

[macaroon]

I only smoke up to about 3 times a week, so selecting a pipe from my meager but perfectly serviceable collection of two cobs and three briars is informed only by the length of smoke I want and whether I want to pair my tobacco with a wood or corn. There's some logic to it, but no scheduled pattern

 

[jpmcwjr]

With a ton of pipes, I just grab whatever catches my fancy at that moment. I batch clean my pipes with the hot water flush method, so at any point in time I may have up to a couple dozen that need cleaning- and they wait.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Strict rotation. If I make a mistake and accidently smoke the wrong pipe on the wrong day, I feel it taints the process and I scrap the whole collection and start over. If I smoke the wrong tobacco on the wrong day, then I have to repent and sacrifice a crack whor...I mean say three hail Craig Tarler's, the patron saint of blending to atone for my sins. Yeah. Crack whores? Who said crack whores? That's silly No ones killing crack whores around here. No siree.

 

[smokeyweb]

I have about 50 or so nice pipes to choose from, but usually pick one and smoke the same one for a week or two before switching it up. I only smoke my pipes a couple times a week, 2 bowls per session.

 

[Rebub24]

I think that the idea of having a pipe rotation and "Following" it is much to structured and methodical, well.... at least for me. The principle behind it with "No" pipe being over used and sharing the workload (so to speak) is sound, helps to lessen the chance of a pipe becoming sour or burning out, and definitely helps people just starting out in the hobby to learn the limitations of their pipe. However once you start to build your collection the basis behind the idea just kinda takes on a form of its own... Basically for myself I just grab whatever pipe catches my interest at the time.

 

[BROBS]

I have over a hundred pipes at this point, some in drawers, most on racks, some tucked away in places where they are like finding Easter eggs. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to which one I will pick next, or which one will be after that, and sometimes I will smoke the same pipe all day.

Same

 

[brooklynpipeclub]

I usually decide what blend I want to smoke first then choose a pipe that I think will work best for that blend. Sometimes based on past experience, sometimes based on hunch.

 

[adui]

Generally I pick the pipe that fancies me at the time. No rotation, just which one am I in the mood for. The exception is I have what I call a mini billiard in my go bag, its about a 15 minute smoke so its perfect for that waiting for the wife to pick me up after work smoke.