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What is your Favorite type Pipe, style and why?

I am talking all pipes from wood to stone to metal, what kind of wood? What type metal? Stone? Meerschaum? 
Styles? Bent? Small Bowl? Large Bowl? Long stem or mouth piece? 
What and why guys....
 
Personally I like most of my pipes and I think I have almost every kind of pipe out there, next I will have to try brands and styles! 
 

Comments

  • I like 1/8 to1/4 bent Authors, Rhodesians, Bull Dogs with a wide, thick bowl, Thin walls can get a bit too hot and are much more fragile for my shaky hands.
  • PhilosoPiperPhilosoPiper Connoisseur
    I have always thought that my favorite shape was the bulldog/rhodesian... However based on my collection, it tells me that I have a thing for billiards both straight and bent. 
    As far as material goes, I am an all briar type of guy, I have a meerschaum, however I just never smoke the thing but it sure is pretty to look at!
  • PhilipPhilip Enthusiast
    Briar in a Billiard shape. Classic, elegant and sensible. It's practical in the sense it's easy to clean both while smoking and after. Plus, to me at least, is the standard. Briar for all the same reasons.

    Not that I love other designs and shapes as well, but you said favorite.
  • LOL  I have Pear, Briar, Clay, Stone, Meerschaum and a few other types including a few metal stem pipes, I like them all but have to agree with @Woodsman if I had a choice all of them would be thicker bowls due to heat and my loss of feeling in my hands, afraid I will break the thinner ones and can't feel the heat until it would be to late!
    I also like my old German and Swiss pipes, they are cool to look at but not sure I will smoke them much! 


  • Even though I don't continuously clench, I prefer smallish lightweight pipes for 3 reasons. They are extremely handy, they showcase the pipe carvers talent, and I can immediately tell when I am smoking my pipe too hot.

    When it comes to shape, I tend to like rounded pipes such as Brandies, Authors, Bulldogs, Billiards, Acorns, Figs, etc. I am also a fan of the Dublin shape, because it is extremely vulnerable to burnout if not smoked properly. Freightraining a Dublin, usually means a ventilated Dublin. 

    I also really like a pipe with a bamboo stem, which is the perfect size and length. It makes for an overall flow to the piece, which also showcases the carvers talent.

    I'm also a big fan of nosewarmers, specifically the chubby variety.

    Another aspect I look for is the internal engineering. If I have a pipe that will pass a pipe cleaner, without disturbing the tobacco above it, I usually feel that I have a keeper.

  • My preferred pipes are mid-sized straight briar pipes, though I do enjoy my collection of cobs.

    For pipe shapes, quarter bent dublins are my absolute favorite shape. They have a nautical look to them that reminds me of the pipes you'd see sailors smoking in old black and white photos. I'm also fond of straight bulldogs, and having a growing fondness for lovats and Canadians. I like the jaunty length of the Canadian family of pipes, and hope to add more of them to my rack.
  • Londy3Londy3 Master
    I love my Savinelli Piazza Di Spanga. I am attracted to the prince shape for some reason. This style doesn't have a big bowl but it has some class about it. I like Brier pipes best. However, in a more relaxed casual setting I like my cob. 
  • Briar straight Billiards and Bulldogs have always been my preference.  I have some bent Billiards, Pots, Prince, cobs, Canadians, and an Oom-Paul, Meerschaums,, even have a Canadian and Lovat made from Lucite which surprisingly smoke quite well.  Briar straight Billiards and Bulldogs for me are timeless classics that are comfortable and stylish. 
  • My favorite has to be my Missouri Meerschaum corn cobs.  They are my go to pipes.  They are my favorites for many reasons, all of them have been great smokers, they are light weight so they are good for clenching when smoking while doing other things, they require little to no break in, and they are cheap and easily replaced if damaged.
  • Who on here has the picture of Bowl shapes and Stem shapes, would love to see it posted in this thread. 

    Thanks
  • motie2motie2 Master
    Master collection of smoking pipe shape charts

  • I'm partial to billiards - straight or bent - and their cousins -liverpool,lovat, Canadian. Don't have a lumberjack, which is the other member of that family. Mostly briars, with a few cobs that I like for burley blends. Have two Falcons I enjoy, and one old gourd calabash.
  • Fun thread.

    As I've probably posted here before, my collection is almost entirely self restored estate pipes, with the exception of a few gifts and prizes along the way.

    Many of the pipes in my early collection (winter of last year :P) are straight and bent billiards, brandy's, pears and such, with some pokers, dublins, cuttys, pots,churchwardens, and freehands along the way.  Oh and half a dozen cobs.  :)

    Early on I fell in love with Bulldogs.  Bent Bulldogs to be exact and have now accumulated somewhere between 15 and 20 of them.

    I love the way they feel in your hand, how easy it is to see the tobacco as you're lighting it, the way they hang in your mouth, out of your line of sight while reading.  The very first pipe I ever received was a Dr. Grabow Bent Bulldog, I guess that spoiled me for life.

    Probably my ultimate dream Bulldog would be a 1963 Dunhill, bent of course and 1963 because it's my birth year.

    I love my Savinelli 320 KS Author and quite enjoy the size of the bowl, great for sitting and talking with a fellow piper while enjoying a nice bowl.  But I do find it difficult to smoke and read or surf the web, always need to sit it down, not a clencher.

    All of that being said, I have quite an affinity for Horns, Yachts and Zulus.  Probably the most beautifully shaped and grained pipe in my collection is 904 Savinelli with beautiful birdseye.
    I also have a great Dr. Grabow Zulu that is my Golfin Pipe.  I am now in search of a Horn style pipe.  Missed out on a beautiful Citation Alpha Israel on ebay a month or so ago.  And have fallen in love with one that I've seen on Larrysson Pipes website.  No Idea how much something like that would cost, but I need to check it out.
  • motie2motie2 Master
    The two of my six pipes that are estate/used I bought on eBay. For the price I paid (several months ago, before what appeared to be an explosion of used/estates advertised there), $15,00 they are a great value. So long as one is careful in checking out what's claimed for an advertised pipe, you can really find bargains. Both pipes I bought ("Buy it now" not bidding) came reamed and cleaned up nicely. The only corrective measures I took were a rum soak for the one, and repeated rum soaks and exorcisms (for an awful case of Latakia ghosting) in the other. Both are lovely and show no obvious spots or fills.
    Carey round top apple
    Carey billiard






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    eBay is a great boon to the pipe smoking enthusiast hoping to purchase an excellent used/estate pipe. 


    Here some tips to purchasing pipes on eBay:

    1. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

    2. Most of the Made-in-China pipes are crap. 

    3. Stick with reputable pipe makers if you’re not pipe-savvy. Brands like Savinelli, Peterson, Dunhill, Stanwell, Carey, and others will offer you a great smoking experience if it’s authentic and the pipe is in good condition. Even less expensive brands like Dr. Grabow offer a good introduction to pipe smoking. 

    4. Before buying or bidding, research the pipe on various pipe forums and Google.

    5. Be sure you carefully examine the photos, read the description and determine whether the seller is reputable. 

    6. When in doubt, ask other TPL members about the pipe. Most of us are happy to help and may even research the listing for you in some cases.

  • Good call @motie2   Ebay sellers can be tricky and try to sell junk at times but a lot of them are good and will do you right!
  • motie2motie2 Master
    My favorite pipe is one that I really want, and that is priced around what I can actually afford.
  • All Pipes....well maybe not all.....
  • mfresamfresa Master
    I guess a churchwarden, 'cuz I'm a LOTR fan, and they actually force me to forget the rest of the world and focus on my relationship to the pipe and tobacco.  A great distraction, to be sure.
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