Vulcanite vs Acrylic Stems.....Which do you Prefer?

[sablebrush52]

Both materials come in a variety of qualities with different characteristics. Personally, I'm fine with both. I've just had a favorite Lee Von Erck pipe restemed by George Dibos. The original stem was made from a very brittle acrylic whose tenon had literally shattered. George replaced it with a special acrylic stock that he got from Butera. It's a wonderful material that has the kind of give associated with Vulcanite. It's also extremely tough, not hard, nor brittle. George made me a stem for a 1915 Barling from this material and it's extremely comfortable. So, I get the best from both worlds, a stem that's comfortable with a level of give, that's not subject to oxidation like the cheaper grades of Vulcanite.

 

[craiginthecorn]

There are more plastics used for stems than some may realize. Acrylic is but one, but the most common. Chris Askwith is known to use a polyester stem material which is more comfortable than acrylic. Juma is a favorite of mine which seems to have the best qualities of Vulcanite and acrylic. Bakelite is another very hard plastic, but one which oxidizes, albeit slowly.

In the end, I care most that the stem is comfortable and has a smooth and appropriately-sized draft. In general, I found that more often in Vulcanite stems than those made from any other material. Many acrylic stems are preformed, chunky and unrefined, like those found on nearly every new meerschaum pipe. But you'll find many better Italian pipes made with very well-made acrylic stems.

I am most likely to buy a pipe with an acrylic stem when I don't need to clench very hard, which for me is usually a jaw-hanger. The other situation where a hard acrylic is fine is at the other end of the spectrum -- a large or extremely long pipe that is too uncomfortable to clench, regardless of the stem material, so I end up just holding the pipe anyway and might as well enjoy the no-fuss care of acrylic.

One great thing about plastic-stemmed pipes is that they're pretty much the only ones that I leave out on display. Nearly all of my rubber-stemmed pipes are tucked away in dark drawers, shielded from oxidizing light rays.

I also have become a fan of horn stems. They are actually very comfortable and in the hands of a good carver, like Peter Heeschen or Chris Askwith, they can be shaped beautifully as well. They can be prone to toothmarks, but thankfully, it's not much of a problem for me.

 

[aurorasofautumn]

The dichotomy vulcanite vs. acrylic is too simplistic in my humble opinion. I, too, like to generalize and categorize when it comes to pipe smoking (especially when trying to pin down blends and order them according to pre-established conceptions such as "English" etc.) As others have already pointed out, things are hardly ever that straightforward. This means that I have had great and bad stems made out of vulcanite as well as acrylic over the years. The thing that has correlated most with quality was (perhaps not that surprisingly) the price of the pipe in question. But even then further things such as how comfortable the bit feels between your teeth need to be taken into consideration. The worst match between my individual preferences and an actual pipe is a a high-grade Peterson Supreme, which I still keep as a reminder of my own foolishness.

 

[Chasing Embers]

how comfortable the bit feels between your teeth

Ah, but that's where the generalization ends, some smoke without teeth and biting down on acrylic is like chewing on a knife blade.