Ever tried using a stinger?

PipeProfessor

If you've used a stinger, how did it work for you?

PappyJoe

Some of my older antique shop/flea market finds have stingers in them. I cleaned the stinger good when I cleaned the pipe and stem and left them in. 

I figured that keeps the pipe more in its original condition.

I also like stingers more than filters. None of my filter pipes - including my cobs - are smoked with filters.

thewanderingdude

I have a few Kaywoodies with stingers, or "drinkless" as they call them. The ones I have smoke very well, and very cool. The problem I find is that they collect a lot of condensation around the stinger. Also, you're not able to pass a pipe cleaner into the bowl and it's just an extra part to keep clean. Personally I don't like them, the only reason I have a few is to keep my Kaywoodies in an original configuration.

thebadgerpiper

I have a Zulu Kaywoodie that has a stinger. I'm not a huge fan of stingers, and the pipe smokes a bit wet, but I keep using it because I like the shape of the pipe.

PipeProfessor

It sounds like most are not fond of stingers...I find myself in that camp as well. I have one for a 9mm pipe, but I do not use it as it gets in the way and gets grimy! 

drac2485

I have collected  a few estate pipes recently that have stingers.  I have not had a chance to try them but I definitely try to be able to remove them.

ghostsofpompeii

The moment I get a pipe with a stinger I remove it. None of my Dr Grabows have their original stinger. Makes it harder to get a pipe cleaner through it. And in my case all the old Dr. Grabows I own are impossible to unscrew the stem. Not sure what cases it ... but I have three that won't unscrew from the body of the pipe. Thankfully I removed the stingers beforehand otherwise I wouldn't be able to clean the pipes.

mseddon

I have an "estate" Kaywoodie Standard bulldog with the stinger. It doesn't bother me, I just wipe it off with a tissue after use and run a pipe cleaner until I see it peeking out of one of the holes. I do like the screw-in style tenon, feels more secure and less likely to get out of whack.

jfreedy

I don't like them. I have 3 Kaywoodies, and I've hacksawed off their stingers. Like others said I like being able to run a pipe cleaner through the pipe while smoking it. They smoke about the same with or without their stingers.

ghostsofpompeii

The stinger were easy to remove from my Dr. Grabows but unfortunately that's not the case with a Kaywoodie, as the singer is part of the stem screwing mechanism. So unless I also saw off the end of the stinger - something I'm not prone to do to a pipe - I'm pretty well stuck with owning one pipe with a stinger.

motie2

My first pipe, back in 1964, was a sandblasted Kaywoodie tricorn. Even back then as a newbie I knew the first order of business was to get rid of it (in my case, with a hacksaw). 

Question: Did the older student's GBD's and Comoy's and Petersons and even cobs have stingers? Nope. Stingers were apparently for newbies. 

Off with its head.

RockyMountainBriar

I have several old Yello-Bole pipes, pre-1950 and I like the scoop stinger in these pipes.  Yes, they collect condensation, just like they were designed to, it helps keep some of the moisture out of the smoke-stream.  I also use a stinger in nosewarmer length pipes, they help keep the hot ash that gets through sometimes out of my mouth.  I also have lots of other pipes with stingers of very different designs.  I have found that some just have too small of an airway with too many twists and turns, they smoke wet as hell.  I try each pipe with the stinger if they have them.  If they smoke well I keep it in, if not I bag it and tag it (I'm a collector so I try to keep pipes original).  If it happens to have a fixed stinger, I DO NOT cut it off, if it smokes fine okay, if not-set it on the shelf to look at.  I have hundreds of others to smoke instead.

Woodsman

I keep them but they're a pain to clean, I use micro files to open them to pass a cleaner better. It doesn't bother me that much to take them apart to clean. I too like to keep the pipes in original form.

ghostsofpompeii

One positive aspect of the Kaywoodie and the stinger is you can unscrew the pipe while smoking without fear of damaging the pipe which is possible with a regular pipe. It can cause the stem to loosen and other things that can damage the pipe. Or so we've been told. I do it all the time and haven't had a problem - but it's supposedly a major 'no-no'. But getting back to the screw-in Kaywoodie, there is way way to damage the wood since the threaded female part of the metallic screwing mechanism is in a fixed position in the pipe, and the threaded male end of the stinger in the tenon screws right into the other half. So you're never pulling the stem from the pipe which could lead to what-ever damage is at issue.  

motie2

Kaywoodie's take on stingers