I now own around 15 pipes. My fist was a MM corn cob. After asking for advice on briars - and receiving many suggestions - I decided to purchase a lightly smoked Savinelli or Stanwell. I found this Stanwell on ebay, liked the looks, and placed a bid.
I think I paid around $50 for this Golden Danish(made in Denmark). The seller said that it was smoked once or twice. And when it arrived it still had the dottle to prove it. I gave it the old salt and alcohol bath, sanitized the stem, and a few days later gave it a smoke. I was underwhelmed.
It smoked hot. I was getting tongue-bite. The pipe was getting really hot. I smoked a number of tobaccos in it.
So I bought a couple new Savinellis. And I got along much better with the Savs, then purchased a several other new and lightly smoked pipes. I put the Stanwell in a basket in the basement and forgot about it.
I find that I prefer pipes with a tighter draw - so my P-lip Petersons and my Butz-Choquin get a lot of smoke time. And my Savs, though a more open draw, get their share of use as well.
But this Stanwell sat in the basement in a wicker basket until a few days ago, when I decided to give it another try. And I'm glad I did.
This is one amazing pipe. Seems that the problem wasn't with the pipe, but with my beginner's technique. I've put three or four smokes into it over the past few days. Though in many ways I still prefer a tighter draw, I'm finding that in this Stanwell the tobacco stays lit from first light to dottle. The bowl isn't getting hot any longer. Tongue bite isn't an issue anymore. And the pipe is so light-weight - it's a great clencher.
I'm not sure how the Italian-made Stanwells compare with this Denmark-made pipe. But I think I'll be buying more stanwells in the future.
I think I paid around $50 for this Golden Danish(made in Denmark). The seller said that it was smoked once or twice. And when it arrived it still had the dottle to prove it. I gave it the old salt and alcohol bath, sanitized the stem, and a few days later gave it a smoke. I was underwhelmed.
It smoked hot. I was getting tongue-bite. The pipe was getting really hot. I smoked a number of tobaccos in it.
So I bought a couple new Savinellis. And I got along much better with the Savs, then purchased a several other new and lightly smoked pipes. I put the Stanwell in a basket in the basement and forgot about it.
I find that I prefer pipes with a tighter draw - so my P-lip Petersons and my Butz-Choquin get a lot of smoke time. And my Savs, though a more open draw, get their share of use as well.
But this Stanwell sat in the basement in a wicker basket until a few days ago, when I decided to give it another try. And I'm glad I did.
This is one amazing pipe. Seems that the problem wasn't with the pipe, but with my beginner's technique. I've put three or four smokes into it over the past few days. Though in many ways I still prefer a tighter draw, I'm finding that in this Stanwell the tobacco stays lit from first light to dottle. The bowl isn't getting hot any longer. Tongue bite isn't an issue anymore. And the pipe is so light-weight - it's a great clencher.
I'm not sure how the Italian-made Stanwells compare with this Denmark-made pipe. But I think I'll be buying more stanwells in the future.
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