What's new

What qualities make a nice pipe?

What makes a pipe a good pipe? Are some pipes better for some forms of tobacco? Are the aesthetic differences in pipes merely aesthetic or do they have a function?
 
First and foremost are the holes. They need to be drilled straight and the hole in the shank need to be centered on the tobacco chamber and flush at the bottom of the chamber.
The shank mortise and tennon need to be properly fitted to prevent build up of moisture that will seep back into the bowl.
The wood should be be briar wood.

The finish can play an important part in heat management. A rusticated or sandblast is going to have more surface area to help cool the pipe. A smooth finish will be hotter, generally speaking and all things being equal. I like a diveristy of finishes. I have smooths, sandblasts, and rusticated pipes.

Everything else is pretty much a matter of preference. I prefer a thicker walled pipe for VA's, they tend to generate a lot more heat for me even when smoking slow and easy and not getting bitten. Shape is subjective. My favorite shapes are 1. dublins 2. princes 3. pokers.

Hope that helps a little.
 
Huge personal preference issue.

My very general observations:

1) Straight pipes tend to gurgle less/be less prone to moistrue accumulation

2) Lenght of the shank - impacts coolness of smoke, also, the longer the shank of a straight/lightly bent pipe, the harder it will be to grip in the teet (bascially a longer lever)

3) Bend - really a matter of personal preference, I found straights fine for sitting around, didn't really like full bents as I found they smoked wet and really had a preference for 1/4 and 1/2 bents as a good combination of comfort/good smoking qualities

4) Bits - different sizes, shapes - really a matter of personal preference - thicker, thinner, broader (fishtail), P-lip, etc - also different materials have slightly different characteristics. I prefered hard rubber as I found it to have a better "bite", but lucite is just fine as well - I also liked military bits, which can be taken apart when the pipe is hot without worrying about crackinkg the shank

5) Bowl shape/size - big bowls hold more 'baccy, wide bowls are easier to light, but can burn hotter, narrow bowls (especially tall ones) are harder to keep lit - a big bowl can easily hold enough tobacco for 45mins to an hour. I had a few big bowled pipes, but generally preferred smallish bowls

6) Texture - some folks think that a textured (blast, rusticated, etc.) bowl helps dissipate heat better (the extra surface area supposedly acts like a radiator's fins)

7) Alignment of the airhole - this is CRITICAL - it needs to be properly aligned along the shank/with the bit, as well as placed properly in the bowl - a properly drilled pipe will allow you to pass a pipe cleaner easily from the mouthpiece to the bowl when the pipe is fully assembled

8) Material - briar is the standard, but there are others - morta, meerschaum, corncob - all are good but a little different.

This is just a primer - hope it helps.
 
Top Bottom