I have two smokes into a Stout bulldog. The stummel is nicely shaped with unremarkable grain. The finish looks to be a semi gloss coating of some sort--not just wax. The bulldog rings almost look like they were added after the stain was applied as they are lighter in color, rather than the more typical darker tone, but maybe it's just a result of how they're applying the finish. The stem is nicely fashioned like a pipe from the 1920s, which I normally dislike, but I knew that going in. I am impressed, however, by how well crafted the mortise and tenon are. The tenon seems to be delrin, is chamfered, and of the proper length for the mortise. As others have mentioned, the horn is surprisingly forgiving. Remarkably, something about the shape of this pipe's chubby stem, which becomes almost oval shaped at the button, makes it possible to clench fairly comfortably, given the light weight of the pipe. The draft is excellent, and the well-aged briar smoked cooly and sweetly immediately, without any bowl coating. The bowl it's fairly generously sized, about a group 4. For what I paid, I'm very pleased.
