What makes a perfect pipe for you?

[pastorpiper]

So, I was thinking today (as I've been building a little stock pile of smoking pipes). What qualities make the perfect pipe for you? I have been finding that my best smokers are not my most expensive or well known/high regarded pipes. I had 2 pipes arrive in the mail this week from a well respected online store. They are both estate pipes that are from well known makers and cost me around $70 each. I was so excited to get them because I thought it would be fun to step up a little in my pipe quality.
The thing is.......they just don't smoke nearly as well as my no-name or bargain pipes I have already. I have a no-name Lovat (in my avatar) that is just a killer pipe, and cost me all of $25. My other killer pipe is an old Custombilt Lovat/Cutter shaped pipe that is just fantastic, and a $20 pipe. My third best is an old Dr. Grabow that cost me $15. The pricier online ones have wider pot shaped bowls that are hard to stay lit. I had to relight them both 8-9 times during my smoke this week. My cheap ones stay lit all the way through. They have higher walls and a little narrower opening.
Also, the cheaper ones have saddle bits that fit like a glove in my mouth. The more expense ones are wider and flatter bits that I am moving around my mouth more. The cheaper ones lock in and stay put.
The cheaper ones I hand picked in person from a local guy who sells estate pipes (he has around 250 to choose from). I am drawn to his no-name/bargains. The ones I have that are much nicer came from online.
To me....the perfect pipe has higher walls, but still a nice sized chamber (sort of a larger billiard design). It has a Lovat shape with a saddle bit and light weight. Those cheaper pipes have those qualities and are my beloved pipes. They are the ones I am reaching for each day. The nicer name brand pipes have been moved to boxes in my drawer.
I think PAD has been my attempt to come up with 4-6 pipes that become my all time rotation. Too bad it's taken me about a dozen pipes to get to my 4-6 pipe rotation. And, as I look, the most expensive pipe I am settling on in my rotation is $25. That is just unexpected for me. And....my new rule is: If I can't hold it in my hand, I won't be buying it. All the pipes that end up in a box, are the ones I never had the chance to see/hold prior to purchase.

 

[bassbug]

If I can't hold it in my hand, I won't be buying it.

How I wish I could actually set a rule like that...To say the pickings are slim here would be an understatement, but even if you get to touch it and feel it, you never know till you actually smoke it
All but one of my pipes are estates that were $50 or less, but there have been a couple that I just simply could not love and ended up losing a few bucks on. Purge the ones that you don't smoke, take a small loss if you have to and keep searching

 

[pastorpiper]

I think that's going to be my plan. I'm going to see if I can move about 6-7 ones that have been kicked to the curb. I'm trying not to look online anymore. It is just too darn tempting, and with my striking out on 5 online pipes (either hard to stay lit, feels weird in my mouth, or were smaller than I realized) it is getting too expensive to gamble.

 

[sablebrush52]

What makes a perfect pipe for me? Well, it's not about the money. Some of my favorite pipes have been very modestly priced, and others moderately expensive. My favorite pipes are those in which the blends I like to smoke come alive and deliver the flavors I'm looking for. The bit is comfortable in my mouth. The draw is open. They're fairly light weight and they fit comfortably in my hand. They're almost effortless to smoke, so effortless that it almost feels like the pipe is doing all the work.
My Lee Von Erck pipes always deliver a great smoke, as good as anything I own. Same with my Walt Cannoy pipes, my Paul Tatums, and my Scottie Piersels among others. I'm also a great fan of old Britwood. My Barlings can't be beat, nor my Comoys. Castellos always deliver. Ehrlich made great pipes and they can be had for a song. And I'm very fond of my Kaywoodies.
Still, I think it's more about having good technique, knowing how to prep the tobacco, how to fill a bowl and how to savor the smoke. You can't get the best from any pipe if you don't know how to smoke it.

 

[seldom]

Because I do all of my smoking outside it depends on the weather. I like the more narrow high bowls for windy and wet days. The wind cap fits well and for whatever reason bowls like that seem to smoke better in wind for me. If it isn't windy a big squat pot is my favorite. More complex blends seem to shine in it. If I am smoking where other people might be impacted I smoke aromatics. I prefer a filter pipe for aromatics. All of my pipes are estates and bought cheaply. I like not worrying about them or having to baby them too much. If they get dinged or scratched or otherwise damaged it isn't a huge loss. Also, I acquired a meer cheaply (Andreas Bauer) that is my favorite for trying new blends. It helps me experience new blends without so much interference from prior smokes.

 

[newbroom]

My favorite pipes are those in which the blends I like to smoke come alive and deliver the flavors I'm looking for. The bit is comfortable in my mouth. The draw is open. They're fairly light weight and they fit comfortably in my hand. They're almost effortless to smoke, so effortless that it almost feels like the pipe is doing all the work.

and: they pass a pipe cleaner without too much finagling. I might also add that if I think a pipe is worth a lot of money, it detracts from my ability to treat it as a 'pipe', which is fine, if you're into treasure, art, or fashion.

 

[npod]

Good question @pastorpiper. I guess in many ways it's kinda like true love. Honestly. I have shapes, sizes, finishes that I know are perfect "for me", having experience to form a foundation helps. But then again, some pipes in my collection are just perfect for no reason other than inherent qualities. For example, at this point in my journey I know that a 35 gram pipe, Danish, sweeping lines, apple or tomato, ebonite stem, smooth finish, is perfect for me. But then I will out a massive 90 gram Castello with a 1 3/4 inch bowl and a stupidly big stem with huge button and be gobsmacked by it's perfection.
Perfect for GENERAL smoking: MUST PASS A PIPE CLEANER!, Draft hole size (4mm please), stem material (ebonite and thin), weight (25-40 grams please), finish (sandblasted).
Perfect for artisan collecting: GRAIN, smooth, shape, aesthetics, pedigree and carver connection.
Perfect for displaying in the man cave: big, Lucite stem (no oxidation).
Perfect for travel: small, weight (20-25 grams please), Lucite stem (low maintenance), thick walls (Travel smoking is generally rushed).
Perfect for budget: Cob
Perfect for "bang for your buck": English Estates, aged wood.
Perfect for my Lady (in her opinion): Dunhill, she loves the classic English look on me, I hate it, been there, tried that, moved on (again, it's personal).
Perfect for outdoors and lunting: Oom Paul, full bent, deep bowl, wind cap.
Perfect for the opera: Opera pipe :rofl:
Perfect for FDA: NONE :crazy:

 

[owen]

1. Bite area comfort

2. Weight

3. Feel in hand

3. Chamber size

4. Something to look at (grain, a nice blast or colour on a meer).
If there is too much thickness between the teeth it will not get used. I just got a very beautiful Northern Briars Bulldog its a lovely quality pipe with great grain but the stem is too thick for me.
Recently got my first churchwarden and it is very nice to smoke.

 

[timt]

The one I'm smoking now is as close as I'm going to try to get. A good quality meer (IMP) with a decent sized bowl. It smokes everything I like well. It's coloring nicely and will continue to for as long as I continue to smoke it. I don't ever get tired of looking at it.

 

[aquadoc]

1. How it smokes is certainly the main reason I chose one pipe over another; 2. Is it "clenchable"?; 3. Bowl size; 4. Aesthetics. Grain, texture.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Big big big point is comfort. I typically have a bowl while messing around on my tablet, so I like to clench and have my hands free to type or click on things etc.. I like a very pronounced button that I can lock my teeth in front of. Barling does this really well and so do artisan carvers. Because I clench a lot I like lighter pipes, talking around 60 grams max. Since I mostly smoke aromatics or flakes I'm looking for a bowl under 1" chamber diameter, depth isn't too big of a concern for me right now. I really like the consistent airway diameter that most American carvers use. Aesthetically I'm looking for sanblasts/rusticated and typically a darker stain. It's easier to take those out places and not have to worry about scratching or dinging them up. I'm also a sucker for unique colored stems. Bakelite is INCREDIBLE as a stem material for comfort and color. Some carvers are using some really cool unique colored brindle/vulcanite these days.
I've found my pricier pipes are better for me. They're the ones I'm reaching for more, because for me they're drilled better, better balanced, have better stem work. For me they offer a more effortless smoke that more often results in a very good flavor experience. Right now I'm personally working on trading in my entry level factory pipes for store credit at SmokingPipes to amass a collection of artisan carvers. It's not an elitist thing, it's just what I prefer.

 

[warren]

My pipes can become perfect or not so perfect quickly. It all depends one how well I loaded it and what else I am involved in at the time.

 

[mso489]

Those pipes that ended in the box, send them along to Chaplain Jim at the Bagram Airfield. PM him to get the address. What doesn't work for you may be fine for some of his soldiers to get started and/or round out a rotation for them.
I don't go for perfection. Perfection is when I get a great smoke, when all the material components and my state of mind converge. But the pipes that do best for me are often medium size, light weight, nicely finished, ample bowled, visually "appetizing," notably durable over time, distinctive enough to remember, and easily maintained. I agree, although not all members do, that the price of a pipe is peripheral and pipes at a range of prices turn out to be among the best.