Shapes?

[bent1]

Being new to pipe smoking. Is there a shape that is easier to use or even hard to use. Do I pick one sticky by looks.

I’d say pick one that catches your eye.

 

[Swampdragon69]

Shapes are shifty, but by most definitions, a Canadian has an oval shank and the aforementioned tapered stem. The Lovat has a round shank and saddle stem, but some do not have the longer shank. The one I have has a rather short shank with the relatively big billiard bowl. But usually Lovats have the longer shank. Lovats seem not well defined; I've seen various distinctly other shapes labeled online as Lovats.

I have a Savenelli that has an oval shank and a long stem. Is it a Canadian or Lovat? Not one of my favorites, got it as a part of an Estate lot from the EBay.

 

[Swampdragon69]

The best way to learn shapes is to plow through a lot of online pipe sites, especially the more established ones. All sites occasionally get shapes wrong, but the larger sites do pretty well.

I have found major sites mis-identifying Rhodesian and Bulldogs all the time. Round shank Rhodesian. Diamond shank Bulldog. Bent, straight , curly like a pigs tail that does not change. Is a shape more premium by the name? I am not a shape snob but why mis-name a pipe?

 

[sablebrush52]

Being new to pipe smoking. Is there a shape that is easier to use or even hard to use. Do I pick one sticky by looks.

Logically, no, there is no shape that's inherently more difficult to use. Pipes have been enjoyed for centuries in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and materials. That said, you may find a pipe that fits your hand better than another, but that's more about how a specific version of a shape is executed, than the shape itself.

The externals have little to no effect on function with the exception of the bite zone and button. The primary purpose of the outside of a pipe is decorative. The innards are where the rubber meets the road.

Assuming the wood is properly cured, is well drilled with a smooth open draft, good joinery between the stummel and the stem, the rest is about a sound technique. Moisture level, packing, and cadence determine the flavor and quality of a smoke, not its external shape.

So you're free to choose whatever pleases your eye. From the perspective of shape, one shape smokes as well as another.

 

[ofafeather]

Logically, no, there is no shape that's inherently more difficult to use.

From a purely physical standpoint I have a hard time with heavily canted bowls and horns. I find them difficult to manage when I can’t see the chamber when the pipe is in my mouth to light or tamp. I’m sure others have a good way to handle this as people keep making, selling and buying these shapes but it doesn’t work well for me.

 

[sablebrush52]

From a purely physical standpoint I have a hard time with heavily canted bowls and horns. I find them difficult to manage when I can’t see the chamber when the pipe is in my mouth to light or ramp. I’m sure others have a good way to handle this as people keep making, selling and buying these shape but it doesn’t work well for me.

It's a personal preference. Someone else may prefer a highly canted shape, and dislike a shape you favor. If people didn't buy a type of shape, they wouldn't be made.

I'm not a fan of either bulldogs or Dublins, especially if they're given a cylindrical chamber rather than a conical chamber. I do have a few that I actually like, but overall, bulldogs and Dublins don't make up a large part of the pile.

Why conical bowl over cylindrical for these shapes? Conical chambers allow for a more consistent wall thickness from the rim to the airway in these tapered shapes. Reduces structural stresses from use. I keep my pipes for decades and I like them in good condition.

 

[olkofri]

From a purely physical standpoint I have a hard time with heavily canted bowls and horns. I find them difficult to manage when I can’t see the chamber when the pipe is in my mouth to light or tamp. I’m sure others have a good way to handle this as people keep making, selling and buying these shapes but it doesn’t work well for me.

Ditto. One more reason I don't like cuttys.

 

[olkofri]

I have a Savenelli that has an oval shank and a long stem. Is it a Canadian or Lovat? Not one of my favorites, got it as a part of an Estate lot from the EBay.

Definitely NOT Lovat:

 

[ofafeather]

It's a personal preference.

Agreed.

 

[anotherbob]

Careful there: remember that even though the Canadian family is an offshoot of the billiard family, Canadians et al. all have long stems (in this case 'stem' includes the mouth piece). Thus a Canadian will always be longer than a billiard: if a billiard has a stem that is twice as long as its bowl is high (including the mouthpiece), it's no longer a billiard.

Now, if you're asking whether there is a difference in smoke, like, the smoke being cooler, kind of a churchwarden effect, I'd say it's another can of worms due to subjectivity. **I** would say no. Others might notice a difference. It depends.

I'd say it does make a difference but one so minor it's academic at best. And personally I feel like it actually can make things worse. I feel like it gives you a few more puffs before you realize it's time to slow down hence making the tobacco slightly hotter before you realize it's time to slow down. Or at least that's my belief and it's not a strong believe, i.e. when someone disagrees I don't think they're wrong and I am right not with certainty.

 

[anotherbob]

Got it, thank you. That is very useful info for me. I've seen some of the longer shanks with shorter stems, and then some with longer stems and shorter shanks, and was wondering if it matters that more of the length is briar. Rough example below.

View attachment 65123

I think it does but am not certain. Though I think it looks nicer with more shank and it makes it feel more stable and solid then a longer stem does.

 

[Swampdragon69]

Definitely NOT Lovat:

Crap! I own a lumberman! Who knew that Savenelli made a Lumberman.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Who knew that Savenelli made a Lumberman.

Savinelli collectors.

 

[tschiraldi]

Careful there: remember that even though the Canadian family is an offshoot of the billiard family, Canadians et al. all have long stems (in this case 'stem' includes the mouth piece). Thus a Canadian will always be longer than a billiard: if a billiard has a stem that is twice as long as its bowl is high (including the mouthpiece), it's no longer a billiard.

Now, if you're asking whether there is a difference in smoke, like, the smoke being cooler, kind of a churchwarden effect, I'd say it's another can of worms due to subjectivity. **I** would say no. Others might notice a difference. It depends.

I think you mean shank, not stem.

 

[olkofri]

I think you mean shank, not stem.

I actually meant both joined together. I see there's no term to refer to the whole portion of a pipe from the end of the bowl to the tip of the lip.