Here are the two pipes I got during Pipes & Cigars' most recent sale. The first is the rather large Big Ben that I was so worried about the size of.
And this is the Stanwell Vario Straight Brandy.
The Big Ben, while NOT a clencher, is not as ridiculously large as I feared. It fits my hand well, holds a TON of tobacco and smokes fairly cool. What I don't like about it is that it doesn't really fit my pipe rest, so it's difficult to put it down between puffs, and it starts to gurgle about 10 minutes into a smoke. The full bent stem will absolutely not pass a pipecleaner, so I really hope that it will smoke dryer as it breaks in.
The Stanwell is my new favorite! It has smoked cool and dry from the beginning. No gurgle, but it passes a pipe cleaner easily if needed. I also love the way it looks. Doesn't show in the photo as well as I'd like, but the rusticated black and the smooth red make a really nice contrast.
Anyway, I'm very pleased with my purchased, so I thought I'd share.
And this is the Stanwell Vario Straight Brandy.
The Big Ben, while NOT a clencher, is not as ridiculously large as I feared. It fits my hand well, holds a TON of tobacco and smokes fairly cool. What I don't like about it is that it doesn't really fit my pipe rest, so it's difficult to put it down between puffs, and it starts to gurgle about 10 minutes into a smoke. The full bent stem will absolutely not pass a pipecleaner, so I really hope that it will smoke dryer as it breaks in.
The Stanwell is my new favorite! It has smoked cool and dry from the beginning. No gurgle, but it passes a pipe cleaner easily if needed. I also love the way it looks. Doesn't show in the photo as well as I'd like, but the rusticated black and the smooth red make a really nice contrast.
Anyway, I'm very pleased with my purchased, so I thought I'd share.