The two Tadeusz Poliński pipes arrived Tuesday with much fanfare and anticipation. They were very well packaged with each pipe wrapped separately in bubble wrap and supplied with a nice pipe sleeve. They looked every bit as beautiful in the flesh as their photos suggested. The eBay retailer described them as XXL but in actuality they were about the size of, say, a Peterson Sherlock Holmes Watson for the Oom Paul and a Sherlock Holmes Lestrade for the bent ball.
The Oom Paul definitely has a greater tobacco capacity so I decided to go with it for my hour-long morning commute. I filled it with Brigham’s Heritage Blend, an interesting latakia, oriental & brown Cavendish affair and enjoyed an excellent smoke. Afterwards, I tried running a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank but I could only advance it about half-way. I tried bending the first quarter inch of the cleaner before running it through but still no dice. Frustrated I removed the stem to discover that a 9mm filter was blocking the way! :twisted: Oh that’s right, I remembered, the Oom Paul is a filter pipe. I promptly removed the wretched impediment and refilled the pipe to see how it smoked sans filter. Wonderfully! Very cool and dry without the faintest hint of gurgle. Tonight I plan on firing up the bent ball. I found that the stem had a bit too extreme of a bend causing the bowl to press against my chin. I made a minor adjustment and reduced the bend slightly. Now it’s just right.
All in all I’m very pleased with these Polish pipes. Mr. Poliński is obviously an expert pipe maker and the fruits of his labor show excellent workmanship, smokability, and beauty. I was so impressed with these two that I decided to snag another one: a lovely bent poker, one of my favorite shapes. I cannot think of a better endorsement!
The Oom Paul definitely has a greater tobacco capacity so I decided to go with it for my hour-long morning commute. I filled it with Brigham’s Heritage Blend, an interesting latakia, oriental & brown Cavendish affair and enjoyed an excellent smoke. Afterwards, I tried running a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank but I could only advance it about half-way. I tried bending the first quarter inch of the cleaner before running it through but still no dice. Frustrated I removed the stem to discover that a 9mm filter was blocking the way! :twisted: Oh that’s right, I remembered, the Oom Paul is a filter pipe. I promptly removed the wretched impediment and refilled the pipe to see how it smoked sans filter. Wonderfully! Very cool and dry without the faintest hint of gurgle. Tonight I plan on firing up the bent ball. I found that the stem had a bit too extreme of a bend causing the bowl to press against my chin. I made a minor adjustment and reduced the bend slightly. Now it’s just right.
All in all I’m very pleased with these Polish pipes. Mr. Poliński is obviously an expert pipe maker and the fruits of his labor show excellent workmanship, smokability, and beauty. I was so impressed with these two that I decided to snag another one: a lovely bent poker, one of my favorite shapes. I cannot think of a better endorsement!
