There Used To Be A Greater Supply Of Large Pipes

[jollyroger]

I don't get to visit brick and mortar pipe shops, but it to seems to me that there used to be a greater supply of large pipes out there.

Nearly all savinelli pipes look almost miniature in my hands and I'm wondering if this is due to wanting to dish out as many pipes as possible for a given block of briar.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Check out Nording. Most of those are a good sized pipe.

 

[bpftc]

Yeah, I have thought the same thing. I feel like large pipes were really popular a few years ago and now, not so much. Maybe there are pipe trends just like clothing trends

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Could it be perceptions? Look at older pipes. There are just as many varieties as there were years ago in sizes. When I started I remember that All of the pipes just looked too large and daunting, like they'd take way too long to smoke. Now, those exact same pipes look tiny next to my Ardors and other giants. Look at the estate pipes. My perceptions are that the averages of sizes now is the same as they've always been. It's just what I get used to, verses what's out there. Actually, my oldest estate pipes from the turn of the century are about .75-.80" bores, which is about the average of what they are now.
But, if I'm wrong, you can always keep an eye on the estate market.

 

[tarheel1]

Ferndown 3*, Ashton lx, Dunhill group 5, and several others are good sized pipes still being made. I prefer a large pipe around group 5 or 6.

 

[cortezattic]

I like a larger pipe for heat dissipation as well as capacity. They're also easier to handle with arthritic hands.

Neerup seems to use a lot of wood. This one looks nose heavy, but I think the S-curved shank & stem preserves its balance.

 

[deathmetal]

I like a large pipe for long intervals between reloading.

 

[jefff]

Castello has some large bowls. Not cheap but wonderful pipes.

 

[sablebrush52]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the majority of pipes, apparently, were small due to the high cost of tobacco. Large pipes were made, but they weren't the norm. I don't know when the market shifted, but I suspect it would have been tied to increased prosperity, so after WW2 perhaps? Maybe a decrease in large pipes, if there is one, is tied to a decrease in market.
I used to favor large pipes with capacious chambers, but now mostly use mid sized pipes.

 

[cigrmaster]

A Savinelli Hercules is a pretty big pipe along with Ardor Giants. Boswells make some huge pipes as well.

 

[mso489]

Those old heritage Hilsons and Chapuis-Comoy, etc., are generally quite small. Smaller pipes may have caught on with flake, coin, plug and rope smokers, since those cuts burn longer, or so it seems to me. I favor having all sizes. 'Like my medium size pipes and have many -- but also my giants for a long deliberation or project, and now my smaller pipes, thanks to fish'n'banjo. I don't generally agree with the sentiment, but in this case: It's all good.

 

[cigrmaster]

Here ya go, you wanted big, this puppy can be used as a weapon.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUGE-8-3-8-LONG-AND-7-1-8-OUNCES-NORTHERN-BRIARS-ROX-CUT-MAGNUM-PIPE-/401084344372?hash=item5d627d6834:g:9boAAOSwZQxW3cAQ

 

[ssjones]

My complaint is that many of my favored brands only seem to make larger pipes (Group 5-ish). Castello is a prime offender with primarily 4K, G & GG sized pipes the norm. Same with the 3-star Ferndown pipes. I'd have more of either make if 2k, or 2 star pipes were more readily available. I guess they make what sells.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I like a range from 1" bores to .6"

The large bulldog and the tall dublin was made by Dan Chlebove of the forums here, Gabrieli pipes. And then the bent in the back is an Ardor bullie.

 

[aeropuffer]

The old Cajun was a big pipe man. And a fine gentleman.

 

[jefff]

Mark Tinsky will make almost any size pipe you want.

 

[mso489]

ssjones, I wonder if some of the pipe makers feel that very large pipes can command higher prices. To put it differently, the least pricey pipes in any particular brand tend to be the smallest pipes. I'm more cautious about heavy pipes versus pipes big in dimensions, some of which are surprisingly light. You may not want to clench a pipe or lunt (walk outdoors) with one, but most pipes you clench at least to light it. Unless you have stainless steel teeth, some of the really heavy pipes are putting pressure on old tooth enamel that it may or may not bear well. I have a larger medium size pipe by Johs that is featherweight, though it wasn't sold as such. Johansen must have had some choice briar in the late 90's that had aged a long time. I bought this from Iwan Ries about five years ago and it had been on offer for at least another three years, maybe more like another five.

 

[hawky454]

I love Neerup/P. Jeppesen pipes! He can do large pipes and he can do small pipes that feel large. Small or large, all of his chambers are perfect size. I have an Acorn very similar to the one Cortez posted and it's the BIGGEST, littlest pipe I own. :D

 

[mikestanley]

Maybe Rich Esserman has bought all the big pipes? I think that there are three main factors at play. First is that the larger the potential pipe, the greater chance an unworkable flaw pops up in the briar. Second is people aren't able to smoke as often or as freely as they used to a short while ago. Think about all the ten minute smokes and bundled up against the weather conversations here. There is a demand for smaller pipes. Third is that briar is probably being harvested sooner in it's life so burls are coming to the cutter smaller than they used to.
My favored pipes have a 3/4 bowl diameter, are less than 6" long and have walls that are 3/8 to 7/16 of an inch thick for the most part.
Mike S.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Maybe I'm missing something, because I see bigger pipes all over the place. Nordings are usually pretty large pipes, and then there are the Nording Giants which are very large. In fact, many Danish makers produce a large pipe. Moretti makes big pipes. Even Peterson has some beefy briars in the XL series and the wonderfully sized B42. Peterson House Pipes are quite large. Savinelli EX sized pipes are a larger pipe as well. J.M Boswell makes some massive monsters of briar.
I think we just see more "smaller" pipes, simply because the smaller pipes are the standard, and have been pretty much from the beginning as not everyone has the time for a smoke of more than 45 minutes to an hour. And it does indeed make sense to get as many smokable pipes out of a single piece of briar as possible, from a business financial standpoint.
But there are plenty of different sized pipes out there to fit any need you have if you look for them. I love my large pipes, and prefer them. But I've some great smaller pipes and some medium sized pipes as well. They all have their uses. I personally think it's a good idea to have a range of sizes.