You got to hate ebonite...

[stvalentine]

If my stems are gleaming black again the coat of carnauba wax protects them quite nicely. Unfortunately I ran into the mother of all oxidized stems..... :roll:

 

[natibo]

I do hate ebonite. I very much prefer acrylic. In that the high end Italian pipe makers prefer this too, we have a match made in pipe heaven. I think the Italians also have some of the best briar.
An acrylic stem needs no maintenance. Pair it with a softy bit if its too hard.

 

[elpfeife]

I have avoided acrylic like the plague after having a couple of low end Italians. However, I recently obtained two Castellos and found the stem work outstanding. I guess you can say not all acrylic stems are created equal. My ebonites haven't required much maintenance, but I do keep them out of direct light.

 

[menuhin]

@elpfeife I hope that is the case.

... not all acrylic stems are created equal.

My previous bowl was in a Peterson with acrylic stem. I have been planning to send it to Dublin and ask Peterson to make me an ebonite stem for a better touch during the enjoyment of tobacco. But let's see if I can bear with it to say that is also good enough.
Acrylic stem is maintenance free, and is kind of shiny. But to stick that inside my mouth, it feels like sticking my toothbrush inside my mouth and occasionally grinding across my teeth with the head of the brush; Ebonite stem, on the other hand, feels like ... a beautiful dentist is tenderly sticking her finger inside my mouth and use her dental tool to meticulously move around, it's so soft for my lips and my teeth, and I could fall into a contemplative mode with what I'm enjoying with my senses.