Pot versus Bulldog/Rhodesian

[sparker69]

What's your preference? And why? Better smoking chamber? Better feel in hand? I've been looking at a few different models and even a hybrid (the Peterson Irish Army 408). Curious what you all think about them and why you like or don't like them.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Pots 9/10 times. Rhodesians on rare occasion (I have 4 in a collection of 100+). Have never, and likely will never, own a bulldog. I have easily 15 or so pots.

The above is purely based on aesthetics. I don’t find any shape smokes better than any other. The maker’s construction, smoker’s technique, and dry time far outweigh any impact a shape may have IMHO.

 

[OzPiper]

Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Bulldogs ?

I have well over 40 Bulldogs - the shape just resonates with me.
I have only 3 Rhodesians. I can't rationalise this lack of love for a very similar shape.

I have only a handful of pots. I suspect that of those, only 2or 3 are true pots (going on internal chamber measurements).
A couple may look like pots (external bowl dimensions) but the internal measurements tell a different tale.

I buy pipes based solely on look(s) ie aesthetics
PERCEIVED smoking quality is NOT something I consider when choosing a pipe.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Excluding a pot I have made by J. Everett, I don't care for any of the three shapes. All three tend to have chambers too shallow for my liking and bulldogs/rhodesians look to over machined, a bit too feminine art deco geometry. I'll never own either. Again, all aesthetics. Smoking technique will affect the smoking experience far more than any pipe.

 

[captpat]

I own a few more Bulldogs than Rhodesians or Pots. The first two shapes I lump together, to my eye they are very similar in shape. I'm in the market for a new pipe, very likely it will be a Pot. This is a long way of saying I don't have a preference, I like them all.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I like both shapes but a esthetically prefer the Bulldog shape.

 

[kcghost]

Been a bulldog man most of my life for no particular reason than I like them.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Aesthetically, I like squat Bulldogs and Rhodesians. There's something about the visual of the low slung profile that appeals to me; perhaps, it's the Art Deco geometry that @Chasing Embers mentioned. There's a certain grace to the visual flow of the line that appeals to some of my sensibilities. The squat version also adds to the width of the bowl, so the feel is a bit cooler to the touch. As a side note, I used to adhere to the simplistic division between Bulldog and Rhodesian shapes being defined by the shank shape, but, @Ag®o makes an interesting argument that it has more to do with the chamber shape required by the shank and how it meets the bowl.

The Savinelli 514 KS shape is a tall Bulldog, and has given me some of my best smokes (I have several because of this), but, that may be due to the greater width and depth of the chamber as compared to other shapes I have.

The few Pots I have, I enjoy because of their chunkiness and chamber size. My leanings toward Authors by Savinelli and Brebbia are for the same reasons. Again, some of the benefit is the thickness of the wood making the pipe feel appreciably cooler in my hand than some of my thinner walled pipes. I'm open to getting more Pots. That said, I have a GBD Ebony Colossus Straight Pot that has one of the larger chambers of all my pipes (1.125" width x 1.75" depth), but, it tends to smoke close to hot because of the size of the ember within the chamber and relative thinness of the walls.

Technique and packing doesn't seem to solve all heat issues with a couple of my pipes; some pipes that just feel warmer because of their geometry and wall thickness (or perhaps, more accurately, their thinness?)

 

[simong]

Pots for me. A good pot makes for an excellent smoker but you can say that about a lot of different shapes. All down to personal preference at the end of the day.
Don't forget the Bullcap though! A sort of low slung pot with the added Rhodesian / Bulldog vibe going on.

 

[Casual]

Squat bent bulldogs/rhodesians look great, but I find pots fit far better in the hand. And a pot with really thick walls, like a barling, is a joy to hold.

 

[WVOldFart]

I have always enjoyed Bulldogs/Rhodesians because of how they feel in my hand. The ones I have have always given me a good smoke and have bowls big enough to give me the desired length smoke I want.

 

[sparker69]

Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Bulldogs ?

I have well over 40 Bulldogs - the shape just resonates with me.

I think that's an interesting point and the theme that seems to be coming out: you just like the shape and there is no explaining it beyond that. As to the smoking qualities, it makes me think of a quote, (from memory) from G.L. Pease who was asked about dedicating pipes. He questioned if the person he was talking to actually "believed all that nonsense".

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I have a couple of pot shapes in a couple of really old pipes, both estates I picked up, and I really like them for my purposes and those two pipes are in the top 5 for how they "draw" of my pipes. I have a couple of Rhodesian/John Bull/999/whatever shapes, one "regular" one "short" and a "short" Bulldog and I like those as well, nice and chunky (and pretty plain!), but the chambers aren't necessarily large by any means.

Can't say they are any more favorite than a few other shapes I have, they all seem to work or if not I figure out why not, but I can't say I have had a negative experience yet that I could blame on the pipe itself.

 

[OldWill]

For many this may sound like sacrilege, but I really enjoy folding and stuffing fine Virginia's in either a pot or squat bulldog. For me, carefully lighting only the center of the pack in these shapes, all the flavor nuances occur as the outward burn competes with the downward burn. Call it a quirk of mine.

 

[monty55]

I like all 3.

On any given day it depends on what I feel like and what blend/cut I'm smoking.
I wouldn't say anything is "better" on one than another. It's simply a matter of taste, preference, and mood for me.

Chevy, Ford, or Mopar? I say Yes!

 

[Casual]

For many this may sound like sacrilege, but I really enjoy folding and stuffing fine Virginia's in either a pot or squat bulldog. For me, carefully lighting only the center of the pack in these shapes, all the flavor nuances occur as the outward burn competes with the downward burn. Call it a quirk of mine.

I’ve wondered about this. I hear lots of people like Virginia flakes in tall, thin chambers, but maybe they’re the type to light the whole top into a big ember. I always get a small ember in the middle that bores a hole down to the bottom.

 

[cigrmaster]

I am not a pot fan. I don't care for the look and I am not a fan of pipes that usually have 1 inch inside bowl width. I would much rather own a Billiard than a pot and I also own some Rhodesians, couple of Bulldogs, a number of Dublins, a few Lovat and a Brandy. The dimensions I prefer in a pipe is 5.0 -6.0 " pipe length 2"high,1.5" inside bowl depth, .75-13/16 inside bowl width and a weight of 40-55 grams.
Almost all of my pipes are group 4-5. When I see pots while I am perusing the web, I always bypass them. Not really positive about any other reasons I have for not liking pots.

 

[Searock Fan]

FYI: From my experience the Bulldogs are the only standard shapes that can't be made without a lathe or similar power tool. All the others can be shaped by hand.

 

[virginialover]

Pots, Billiards and Rhodesians are my favorite pipe shapes in no particular order.

 

[mso489]

I have several of all three (pots, Rhodesians, bulldogs), and enjoy them all. Variety is good. I have two Stanwell 32's, for their compactness, and a size larger Johs bulldog. I have a Pete 999 Rhodesian, and a Kemperling (Austrian) Rhody with a real roomy chamber. I have both cylindrical pots from Sav and Aurelus (Greek), and a Stanwell Ivarsson designed pot that is more bowl shaped. I like many shapes. The now possibly discontinued Dr. Grabow Royalton bulldog is one of my favorite U.S. factory briars, with an artfully carved bowl. I suspect the senior staffer who had that shape to a "t' has maybe retired from Dr. Grabow.