Trend to Smaller Pipe Sizes?
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I haven’t noticed a trend one way or another in terms of pipe length which I think is what the OP meant by pipe size. People smoke so many different kinds of pipes with different chamber sizes that it’d be hard to definitively say one thing is more popular than the other without sales statistics. I almost exclusively smoke classically shaped pipes that are smaller/medium in size because I like shorter, more frequent smokes.
It’s like anything out there in life, use what you like. There’s no right or wrong, it’s just a preference.
Bay Denmark is probably best known for making small pipes, it’s his thing.
At the bottom is a Bay Denmark, rusticated apple with bamboo, it is small. The three above it, for comparison are pretty standard sized pipes.
If you ever want to go small and check them out, tabaccheriacorti has the best selection on them, and Luca from tabaccheriacorti deals directly with Mike. Some of his pipes are regular sized, but there’s quite a few small ones there too.
Bay Mike Denmark - Tabaccheria Corti Lecco - Online Shop
Mike Sebastian Bay is behind Bay Pipes. Mike is one of the new young upcoming Danish pipemakers and he has been a part of the team by Tom Eltang since 2015. Mike soon began to apprentice in Eltang's shop part-time, which eventually led to Tom teaching Bay the ins and outs of the craft. Before...
tabaccheriacorti.com
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Unlike women folks, we like small things?
The Italians tend to go large with the French at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Everyone else tends to have a mix of both. Personally I like a smaller pipe because it usually means a lighter pipe and doesn't leave me with a sore jaw after clenching for more then 20 minutes.
Everyone else tends to have a mix of both. Personally I like a smaller pipe because it usually means a lighter pipe and doesn't leave me with a sore jaw after clenching for more then 20 minutes.
OP is simply talking about a "trend" towards pipes under 5 inches because he got one such pipe by virtue of not checking carefully before ordering. I guess the offending pipe hasn't been identified.
I love my Peterson short pipes, and they are just under 5 inches in length, but they comprise a pretty tiny portion of Peterson's pipes. I'm guessing other than specialty, most pipes are 5 inches and longer?
I love my Peterson short pipes, and they are just under 5 inches in length, but they comprise a pretty tiny portion of Peterson's pipes. I'm guessing other than specialty, most pipes are 5 inches and longer?
I've listed these on another thread, but they are representative of pipes from the late 1880s to 1920s. They are 4 1/2 ins in length
These are short, but have full sized bowls
Yep, that’s what I love about pipes from that era! Current production generally isn’t that short.
I hadn't noticed, if I'm honest.
But you're also referencing "small size" as length. I consider a small size pipe a < Group 4. If I can't get any of my fingers, other than my little pinky all the way to the bottom of the chamber, I consider it small. I don't like any pipe =/< a Group 4. Using Dunhill's standard of course.
Hey @Briar LeeI meant fedoras.
I’m older than gimme baseball caps.
Occasionally in court I’ll see a man with a nice hat on, usually in winter.
We are prisoners of fashion. Not as much as women are, but from our shoes to our heads we follow the styles.
I’d be glad to see smaller, traditionally shaped pipes come back in style.
But we’d wind up not smoking them in public anyway.
Your point seems clear and accurate me. I’m not sure why some folks have chosen to be so willful obtuse when responding to this post?
I’ve worn Vans shoes, Levi’s 501 jeans and a T-shirt or polo on most days for the past 35+ years. This would clearly not have been the case if I had been born 70 years earlier. I’m pretty sure I’d have worn a fedora as an adult.
While the reason pipes were generally smaller in the past probably extends beyond “fashion” -pipes like just about everything else are in some measure a reflection of their times.
When you see old portraits of forties men often they have a small traditional shaped pipe and business suit that could be worn today.
Even as far back as the forties younger men didn’t wear fedoras.
Lee pipes were made to wear with forties fashions.I doubt men will ever smoke in elevators, restaurants, offices and on the street, ever again.
But if they did, they’d look good with a traditional shaped small Lee or Kaywoodie.
I've always worn a large hat known as a 'Poet Fedora' I have them both by Bates and Herbert Johnson. Great for keeping your pipe dry and the rain off your glasses!
Different sizes & shapes of pipes work better for particular blends & available time to smoke. I’m not sure if the OP is referring to bowl diameter & depth or overall length of pipe when talking size.
Assuming he’s a beginner (given where he posted this) with experience you’ll likely find that you can get quite a long smoke (60+ minutes) out of a pipe with a modest bowl. That’s one of the reasons I like folding & stuffing flake tobacco in a pipe.
Many of us have pipes that run the full range of bowl sizes.
Assuming he’s a beginner (given where he posted this) with experience you’ll likely find that you can get quite a long smoke (60+ minutes) out of a pipe with a modest bowl. That’s one of the reasons I like folding & stuffing flake tobacco in a pipe.
Many of us have pipes that run the full range of bowl sizes.
I like longer length (this is 6,2'')medium sized billiards as seen below but somehow somehow I don't see them being made any more 
Recently, I was at the Columbus Pipe Show and if anything, I thought most of the pipe displayed were well larger than I prefer. I like my pipes 5" to 5 1/2" long, 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" bowl depth, .75" bore and weighing less that 2 oz. That's driven by my preference to clinch and primarily smoking flake tobacco. There are exceptions but the vast majority of my pipes are close to those parameters. These parameters limit my Meerchaum purchases as it seems so many Meers are 7" behemoths. Beautiful carves but not very functional for my preference.
Ah, diff folks, diff strokes! Always personal preferences.
Though I think it's clear there's no consensus that chambers are getting smaller.
End of the road....
Though I think it's clear there's no consensus that chambers are getting smaller.
End of the road....
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