What's your fave finish? Smooth or Blasted?

[BriarBeagle]

I'm a sucker for some wicked grain and loads of birdseye. I'd have to say that I favor smooths, followed closely by deep, ring grain blasts. Second runner up: rusticated.

BB

 

[Corncobcon]

I feel that the smooth grain of a pipe is like furniture with beautiful grain. That being said, I seem to gravitate more towards rusticated or sandblasted finishes than smooth.

 

[Hiram-2011]

Although a nice looking Birdseye on a smooth finish is gorgeous. I actual prefer the texture of a blasted pipe in hand. I feel they smoke a little cooler too.

 

[monbla256]

Although a nice looking Birdseye on a smooth finish is gorgeous.  I actual prefer the texture of a blasted pipe in hand.  I feel they smoke a little cooler too.  

This for me as well ! :twisted:

 

[Fr_Tom]

My father had a decided preference for smooth finishes, and I only remember his having one rusticated finish pipe - a Grabow Westbrook poker (pretty sure). I adopted that preference for smooth and his belief that you picked a blend and stuck with it.

Eventually I realized I did not care what my father would have thought, and I bought a few pipes with blasted/rusticated finishes. I liked them. I am probably 50/50 now. I have a fondness for the GBD Prehistoric finish.

The finish is not so critical as a decent vulcanite bit as preferences go.

Oh yeah - I also got away from the "one blend" thing too!

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I guess I prefer smooth finishes, but I think I have more rustic ones, ( cobs fall under that too). I only have one blast, but I like it very much.

 

[Stick]

Although I have a few smooths, it's rusties and blasts for me. It's that tactile thing in the hand. A large part of the smoking experience for me is how the pipe feels in the hand, so I'll 'handle' the pipe as I go.

 

[wij]

For me this a Ginger/Mary Ann type question. I love looking at beautiful smooth birds eye grain (Ginger) but I want to hold in my hand the Blasts (Mary Ann).

 

[LFOD]

For some reason I'm always drawn to the dark craggy rusticated pipes.

 

[Corncobcon]

For me this a Ginger/Mary Ann type question.  I love looking at beautiful smooth birds eye grain (Ginger) but I want to hold in my hand the Blasts (Mary Ann).

That is a great comparison! :twisted: :lol: