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workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
...Like, love, find fascinating etc?

I think I have found out what my thing is.
I like their durability. The fact that they are crafted from very old school materials, that they can be used again and again becoming more and more intimate to the user for each smoke, yet endure and, with some maintenance, stay functional and indeed beautiful nevertheless.
What is it for you?
 
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GabrielSTB

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 10, 2022
121
2,407
Philadelphia
I’m always fascinated by just how much the shape, size, and material can change a blend for me. I like to smoke the same blend in several different pipes to find what it likes best. I usually think English/Balkans in a wide bowl perform best and straight Virginias/burleys are best in a narrower pipe.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
All of what you say, and the variety and imagination, in factory pipes as much as artisanal. Each pipe is a little different in design and proportion, and that lures people on and on, as if you can't ever have too many. We do, but never mind.
 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
All of what you say, and the variety and imagination, in factory pipes as much as artisanal. Each pipe is a little different in design and proportion, and that lures people on and on, as if you can't ever have too many. We do, but never mind.
Somewhere you wrote about your pipes and how many you have and how often you smoke them. I can't recall the figures exactly, but I do remember that I did some math and came to the result that any one of my pipes gets smoked as often in one week that any one of yours gets smoked in one year.
I find that amusing. Not sure why, but I do.
 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
I’m always fascinated by just how much the shape, size, and material can change a blend for me. I like to smoke the same blend in several different pipes to find what it likes best. I usually think English/Balkans in a wide bowl perform best and straight Virginias/burleys are best in a narrower pipe.
I'm not there, but I don't smoke lat blends anymore, so that's not an issue for me.
 
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Reactions: ChonkyTonks
Dec 3, 2021
4,791
40,288
Pennsylvania & New York
The utility/function is a given, but the visual aesthetics probably come first for me, whether it's the beauty of the wood, or shape and line (or a combo of those things), followed by uniqueness and possibly history. I see pipes as little sculptures that you can smoke tobacco out of; some are pretty, others, not so much, but, equally useful and have their place.

I'm less likely to take a Savinelli Autograph pipe on the go, or do yardwork with it than a Missouri Meerschaum Cob; the cob is more useful to me in those instances, and function trumps aesthetics (to protect and preserve the art).
 
Feb 12, 2022
3,404
46,939
31
North Georgia mountains.
Like other hobbies of mine, pipe smoking (and collecting) is such a timeless hobby. Collecting vinyl records is a great comparison. I can enjoy a record (pipe) today just as much, if not more, than I did years ago. There's always something new to learn or try. I have my trusty favorites that I regularly listen to (smoke), but am always getting turned on to something new that I never imagined I'd find. Another timeless aspect is the pipes. Like records, if maintained and cared for, a pipe can be enjoyed for a lifetime. I love buying old pipes and records that are just as usable today as they we're 5+ decades ago. Kind of fascinating to think about the life of a pipe or record before it ended up in my collection.
Aside from its timelessness, the community is also fantastic. Great people who share a deep interest with one of my favorite things - doesn't get better than that.