Teeth Clencher or Hand Holder/Straight or Bent

[mjtannen]

I love to smoke my pipes. I love every last bit of a smoke so as you might guess my teeth do the job for me. My jaw locks in place and don't bother me for an hour or more. The good part about clenching (with a rubber bit cushion of course)is that free hands can keyboard while the smoke is enjoyed. The bad news is that sometimes I forget I'm smoking and realize it when the pipe is suddenly out. Where'd the hour go?
I smoke a bent pipe when up and about. Oom Pauls are great around the house. When I'm relaxed in a recliner it's definitely a straight stem. A horizontal chest and a vertical pipe are not a good fit.

What is your smoking style? Is clenching mainstream?

 

[chero]

i smoke only straight stems,don't own a bent. clenching don't work very well with me.

 

[collin]

I use churchwardens for a full recline in the Lazy-boy, bents for working at the computer cause a straight gets in the way. (I have to tilt my head back on account of bi-focals putting the bowl and the smoke in full view! :D )
I try not to clench as my teeth are all chipped up and really make a mess out of a stem. So much so that I've been thinking about going to the dentist to have her grind the points off. :?

 

[cornguy]

Sometimes I'll just let a bent comfortably rest in my mouth while other times I smoke a straight and seem to handle it more. Never really thought about it, until this post.

I guess I'm generally somewhere between a moderate "clencher" and a "handler."

 

[puffintuff]

I usually only clench when driving or working with my hands.
I prefer bent shapes but have a few straights I really like also.

 

[fshu2]

i have both bent and straight but think i lean more to the bent. now my mood is what dictates hand or jaw for me most often its in the hand.

 

[mlaug]

I enjoy the large Danish freehands, so I rarely clench.
Many are sitters, most fit my hand especially well and I like holding them.
I also dislike how clenched pipes end up looking beaver chewed after awhile, so I'm more of a dangler if it goes in my mouth.

 

[tanless1]

I'm a Holder, as I'm mostly a mouth breather. Regardless of the operation's (yes,more than one). When my nose is open and operating, fantstic. Usually I'm dealing with some degree of alergies.
Bent or Straight ? I like them both.

 

[yoru]

I have some of each, I preffer bent and long slightly, and am not a big fan of things that are totally straight, but on the other hand I LOVE my MM Great Dane and my Peterson Barrel.
I clench, everything but my 9" long clay straights because..they're too damn heavy I worry about breaking them off by biting hard enough to hold them steady. However I have an issue with drooling a bit after more than a few minutes of clenching, so I keep a handkerchief handy and often take the pipe away long enough to wipe my mouth (usually with the same hand in one motion).

 

[fred]

I'm comfortable with both clenching and holding, depending upon the

situation and what is required. The exceptions would be with my larger

Pipes, as some of these Meerschaums are just too big to clench.

 

[antipodesman]

I finally received my rubber bits (condoms) this week so I can clench at will. I had used rubber tubing on one pipe but the rubber bits are much nicer. Most of my smoking is outside walking the dog or walking on the beach so the churchwarden stays at home on those occasions.

 

[pstlpkr]

I am a "mucher" so I clench more than hold... However I do have one chin rester.

And, I still don't have an appreciation for chewing rubber.

 

[strongirish]

I am very much a clencher and thus I use the rubber tips on all my pipes. I like both straight and bent pipes and all in between. I am a holder of the real big pipes but even then I tend to clench when I am not thinking about it.

 

[hobie1dog]

I hold them 99% of the time, and usually never let the teeth touch the stem

 

[unclearthur]

yes

 

[romeowood]

Precisely 1/4 of my pipes are bent, 3/4 straight, and I'm definitely more of a clencher as I like to read and / or type while smoking; however I do love gesticulating wildly while making profound political statements when holding my pipe in hand. :nana:

 

[ohin3]

I am a clencher, but I do hold from time to time. I seem to gravitate toward straight or 1/4 bents that are light and lean. I love thin long pipes. Light so I can clench and...well, I dunno, I just like the elegance of a small light thin pipe.

 

[jimbo]

I clench... just hard enough to hold the pipe steady. Straights, "curved" and quarter bents. Full/half bents don't work in a recliner watching TV (and you can't get a cleaner down them).
Regarding "rough teeth"... with age, the tips of my canine teeth are getting pitted. My dentist told me he could smooth them off, but that would take the rest of the enamel off there, and advised against it.
I have no desire to try those rubber tip things. :|

 

[winton]

I hold the pipe almost exclusively. I love the bent shape, but most of my pipes are straight, because I haven't figured out how to make bent ones yet.
Winton

 

[mjtannen]

I really don't understand how you guys could hate rubbers. Those of us who use them would not clench without them. I have one on every pipe I own. If your pipe is not in your mouth, you're not fully and completely enjoying your smoke IMHO.