I have over fifty in my collection with a wide variety of shapes. The one I favour most is the bent bulldog. This is my favourite.

I have found that I prefer a bent as well. Seems to stay put easier, and I can enjoy the aroma a bit more. And one I enjoy when just siting down and reading a book or watching a movie at home is my Calabash.

i love a long stem.

I had a churchmonger like that pictured above, and really liked it. Kept the smoke away from my eyes, and was a very cool(temp-wise) smoke, as well as a cool(looking) pipe. My kids thought I was nuts, which made me like it even more...

Is there a real benefit from one style to the next or is more an issue of preference and asthetics?

My Peterson is an S shape. I like it but also like those like "Gandalf" used.

lc

quote:

Originally posted by littlecanoe:
Is there a real benefit from one style to the next or is more an issue of preference and asthetics?

My Peterson is an S shape. I like it but also like those like "Gandalf" used.
lc

I'm assuming you're referring to the long stemmed pipe, which is known as a churchwarden. They were popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Style is more of an issue of preference and aesthetics as you said. It doesn't matter how good or practical the pipe, if it isn't pleasing to the eye and how it feels in your hand, you will end up not using it.

Shape is a different matter. Straight pipes tend to draw a little easier and are somewhat easier to maintain such as running a pipe cleaner through or taking it apart. On the other hand they are a little harder to hold in the mouth feeling somewhat heavier.

Bent pipes, especially ones like your Petersen that are a full bent, tend to feel lighter on the mouth. For some of us older fellows that wear dentures, that is an important consideration. On the other side, bents seem to require a little more care cleaning and disassembling than their straight stemmed counterparts.

Some people, myself included, believe that different shapes smoke better than others with certain types of tobacco. This is something you will find through trial and error and is also part of the fun of pipe smoking. For myself, I favour flake tobaccos and have found they smoke best in a Prince shape with a ⅛ bent stem or my favourite bent bulldogs with a ¼ bent stem.

With a little experimentation and a little practice, pipe smoking can be a very calming and peaceful activity and most enjoyable.

I like the bent shape myself. I have several. Iespecially the handmade Eric Nording.

quote:

Originally posted by OkieNewton:
I like the bent shape myself. I have several. Iespecially the handmade Eric Nording.

I have two Eric Nordings myself, finest freehands in the world.

I 2nd churchwardens as nice, at home, pipes -- otherwise, I use a bent, apple bowl shaped one (some German maker who grades the briar w. crescents, stars, etc -- can't remember the name.)

I'm probably going to end up having one made -- I saw a nice pipe w. a wooden screen, and a lanyard to hold it while fishing, sailing, etc -- had a rusticated finish, which I don't care for. I would like to have a nice, bent apple one made... maybe w. an ebony screen

My favorite pipes are bent style meerschaums... They are very old original Turkish pipes and simply smoke cool and smoothly... Been in the family for almost fifty years but I'm the only one to ever have smoked a pipe...

Ken....

I been smoking pipes for about 45 yrs and don't know squat about them. I guess the good ones I can't afford so I usually end up with Dr Grabow. I have a Golden Duke and a Grand Duke that I like real well, the Grand duke best. Smaller bowl and lighter. Have one with a slight bend that was really cheap I like and an expensive one with a lot of bend that I hate, to heavy. It was a presant or I'd dump it. My biggest problem with POS pipes is those plastic stems break and wear holes. I'd like to have a good hard rubber stem. But to slove the problem, I cut wide and thick rubber bands and super glue then to the tip, works great.

How about tabacco? My favorite is Carter Hall. Tried some pretty expensive stuff and didn't like any of it. Plum something came in a round tin can and cost me $18 if I renenber. YUK! Tried a few others and went back to cheap stuff.

Troost Aromatic in a calabash. I am still inconsolate three years after Troost stopped importation of the 1lb cans. Those cheesy plastic baggy looking 1oz packages are ca-ca.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

I gave up smoking many years ago, but my favourite pipe shape was the bent apple.

Preben Holm's are pretty fair freehands.

quote:

Originally posted by Clem:
Ever try a Hookah?

Ken....