Hey everyone,
I'm a newer pipe smoker, and, as I'm starting up while in college, I'm also a very broke pipe smoker. I don't have a single pipe in the triple-digit price range yet. I've looked at the Savinelli Punto Oros, Castello Sea Rocks, and Peterson Flame Grains and dreamed, but at least for now, those are nowhere near a realistic option for me (one day, though!). All of my pipes either have a rustication/sandblast to "hide" the flaws in the briar, or they have fills the size of the Sea of Tranquility. They're not winning any beauty contests, in other words. As I've continued on my pipe-smoking journey, however, I've begun to think that there is an objective beauty that can be had, even with a budget pipe.
I say "objective" because I know smokers here speak often of the personality that imperfections bring to a pipe. And I think that's definitely true. A pipe takes on a character all its own when it shows its ugly side. But I think we all recognize that while that funky, uneven wire rustication might earn your poker an affectionate nickname, it still isn't what you could really call beautiful. It is subjectively appealing, sure. And really, that subjective appeal is what matters in the end. But even so, there is some type of aesthetic standard that it doesn't meet.
That's what I mean when I say "objective." I think there is an aesthetic standard by which budget pipes can shine. It just isn't going to be the quality of the grain in most cases. I think where budget pipes can really strut their stuff is in the execution of a shape. I have a Rossi Apple, for example, that has one of the most appealing Apple heels I've seen. Admittedly, I am very new to this, but I can hold that Rossi up and compare it to pictures of apple-shaped pipes three times more expensive, and I think the Rossi often exhibits the shape better. Yes, the stain is not the best. And yes, the right side of the bowl is one-quarter filled in. But the rotundity of that bowl is awesome. Similarly, I have a bent Molina Dublin that has very patchy grain and a pretty cheap stain that's already chipping off the rim. But the curve from the top of the outer rim of the bowl to the button flows like water. I love looking at that pipe for that reason alone.
To wrap this up, I know that I am a new smoker and that my eye hasn't been well-trained to recognize the nuances of a pipe yet. I have room to grow and I am totally aware of that. But I still think that there is something to the elegance of a well-crafted shape that we shouldn't skip over. I think that all of us, especially us newer smokers, would do well to take a step back every now and then and not miss the forest for the trees. Grain isn't all there is to a pipe.
I'm a newer pipe smoker, and, as I'm starting up while in college, I'm also a very broke pipe smoker. I don't have a single pipe in the triple-digit price range yet. I've looked at the Savinelli Punto Oros, Castello Sea Rocks, and Peterson Flame Grains and dreamed, but at least for now, those are nowhere near a realistic option for me (one day, though!). All of my pipes either have a rustication/sandblast to "hide" the flaws in the briar, or they have fills the size of the Sea of Tranquility. They're not winning any beauty contests, in other words. As I've continued on my pipe-smoking journey, however, I've begun to think that there is an objective beauty that can be had, even with a budget pipe.
I say "objective" because I know smokers here speak often of the personality that imperfections bring to a pipe. And I think that's definitely true. A pipe takes on a character all its own when it shows its ugly side. But I think we all recognize that while that funky, uneven wire rustication might earn your poker an affectionate nickname, it still isn't what you could really call beautiful. It is subjectively appealing, sure. And really, that subjective appeal is what matters in the end. But even so, there is some type of aesthetic standard that it doesn't meet.
That's what I mean when I say "objective." I think there is an aesthetic standard by which budget pipes can shine. It just isn't going to be the quality of the grain in most cases. I think where budget pipes can really strut their stuff is in the execution of a shape. I have a Rossi Apple, for example, that has one of the most appealing Apple heels I've seen. Admittedly, I am very new to this, but I can hold that Rossi up and compare it to pictures of apple-shaped pipes three times more expensive, and I think the Rossi often exhibits the shape better. Yes, the stain is not the best. And yes, the right side of the bowl is one-quarter filled in. But the rotundity of that bowl is awesome. Similarly, I have a bent Molina Dublin that has very patchy grain and a pretty cheap stain that's already chipping off the rim. But the curve from the top of the outer rim of the bowl to the button flows like water. I love looking at that pipe for that reason alone.
To wrap this up, I know that I am a new smoker and that my eye hasn't been well-trained to recognize the nuances of a pipe yet. I have room to grow and I am totally aware of that. But I still think that there is something to the elegance of a well-crafted shape that we shouldn't skip over. I think that all of us, especially us newer smokers, would do well to take a step back every now and then and not miss the forest for the trees. Grain isn't all there is to a pipe.
my girlfriend gave me a pipe she found at an antique store and it just sits on my bookshelf begging for help . . .
