Would you get a pipe shape just because

[bentbulldog]

OI'm a bent apple/brandy pipe shape lover. It seems to go best with my personality and I like how round and curvy feels in my hand. I my only deviation was a bent rhodesian. I have however recently acquired a boswell wizard pipe which I love but never imagined myself getting. Now I'm thinking of acquiring a poker pipe

The rhodesian and wizard are still bent and one is very abstract, but a poker is one of those I never found to be comfortable and rarely attractive. I'm thinking of maybe getting one just because I've never had one and I might actually like it. I'm also a minimalist regarding pipes and learned to avoid pad though I fear this desire might be early stages. But pad usually involves sticking with preferences.

Have you ever gotten a shape just for the sake if having one?

 

[KevinM]

Yes, but I've usually regretted it afterwards, because it becomes a red-haired step child, so to speak. F'r instance, a friend had a large full bent and praised its practicality for someone who reads a lot and works at a desk. So I succumbed about five years ago and picked up a hand-carved, panel/blast combo with a dual-hole bit. Very nice. But I think I smoke it maybe once a year. Possibly less. You're better off sticking with what you personally like.

 

[Harlock999]

Sometimes hawkbills will tempt me, particularly because I've never had one, but then I remember that I've never had one because I don't really like them.
Still, might convince myself that I should need one, someday... 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Performance is a big factor.

But if you don't love it -- or at least something about it -- it's not gonna be a long-term asset.

There's an Ascorti-Radice era smooth Caminetto here that has an airway engineered by a drunken monkey. But I can make it work well through practice, and love it.

Other pipes LL has retro-engineered to smoking perfection but I just didn't love them, or liked them but liked the idea of a buddy having them more. They're gone.

"What does he see in HER ?" is a question that only needs answered by him. Love isn't blind, but it can see past a lot to what's essential.

:face:

 

[Trifecta13]

Ah I know this feeling. I've never been particularly fond of bulldogs, Rhodesians, and Zulus. But every now and again I say to myself, "Self, you don't care for them because you don't own one... Surely that will fix your lousy taste." Then I stumble on some random shape that I just love and all is forgotten... For a while anyway. FWIW, no two of my pipes are the same shape though I don't own all that many to be sure.

 

[RonA3597]

I had never owned a horn, but our on Yakslon posted photos of one he had just finished, and I jumped on it like a chicken on a June Bug. I loved the look and stain, and it turned out to be a joy to smoke - excellent design, craftsmanship, and balance. It is everything and more than what I expected.

I went through the same thing with a Savinelli Oom Paul and I can't remember the last time I smoked it. There was nothing wrong with the smoking quality of the pipe, I just could not get used to the vertical drop of the shank.

Luck of the draw, I guess. :?:

 

[jefe1037]

i have an oom paul itch just begging to be scratched...

 

[riff raff]

Certain classic shape numbers are appealing to me. So far, I've not had any disappointments.

 

[JPatrick]

I like most shapes, but don't think I could pull off a Gourd Calabash.

 

[Ocelot55]

There are very few shapes I am set against. Part of this is because as a pipemaker, I look for pipes that are a particularly good example of whatever shape it is. I pick those pipes up all the time to learn from them. I spent a long time looking for straight bulldog I thought was the epitome of a classic bulldog to learn from. Finally wound up with an expertly cut Ashton Sovereign. Did the same thing with Oom Pauls a while back. Now I'm looking for a blowfish!

 

[BigCasino]

I seem to have an affliction for Bulldogs and Rhodesians, but mostly bullies

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Performance is key. Sound chamber, right dimensions, good draft qualities, a slight bend for moisture insurance, comfy stem made from the right material... then it comes down to, "do I like the shape?" This method doesn't bode well for a potential pipe hoarder, but it certainly focuses the choices. I can't decide if I now like the shape because I have noticed profound performance advantages for my smoking or I adapted my smoking to a particular shape I like. It's one of "those" kind of questions.

8)

 

[RonA3597]

Jefe, PM me if your interested in the Oom Paul. It's a little bitty feller, a Sav Corallo.

 

[leftover421]

Have you ever gotten a shape just for the sake if having one?

This is a question that cut strait to my pipe loving soul. The answer is yes with twist of discovery.
I haven't been smoking a pipe long gut the shape that most appealed to me is the Bent Rhodesian, at least it was in the very beginning and that shape still hold a special place in my pipe rack. (Thanks to a certain brother for a great price on a beautiful Jobey Asti 165! ) I also had a small yearning for another pipe shape; the 50's dad strait billiard just because I grew up watching shows like Leave it to Beaver. Yet I had 6 other bent briars and 4 cobs before I stumbled across my Pete Killarney 86. Even then it was a non-pipe friend who saw it on the rack and pointed it out. Now fast forward to today and my most used pipes, best smokers for me are that Pete and my Bruno. Both pipes are strait pipes but I'm not saying you are going to have the same experience I did. All I am saying, past the long winded explanation, is keep your options open.

 

[bentbulldog]

Have you ever gotten a shape just for the sake if having one?

This is a question that cut strait to my pipe loving soul. The answer is yes with twist of discovery.
I haven't been smoking a pipe long gut the shape that most appealed to me is the Bent Rhodesian, at least it was in the very beginning and that shape still hold a special place in my pipe rack. (Thanks to a certain brother for a great price on a beautiful Jobey Asti 165! ) I also had a small yearning for another pipe shape; the 50's dad strait billiard just because I grew up watching shows like Leave it to Beaver. Yet I had 6 other bent briars and 4 cobs before I stumbled across my Pete Killarney 86. Even then it was a non-pipe friend who saw it on the rack and pointed it out. Now fast forward to today and my most used pipes, best smokers for me are that Pete and my Bruno. Both pipes are strait pipes but I'm not saying you are going to have the same experience I did. All I am saying, past the long winded explanation, is keep your options open.

I hear you Dan. The Bent Rhodesian was the shape that deviated from my normal bent apple/brandy. Despite my tag, I'm not fond of the bent bulldog simply because of the square shank. There is just something about that stuby, squat like round shape that is so appealing.

There is also the question of how it feels in your hand. I've thought about getting a poker but couldn't figure out why. I recently got a pretty cob and realized that it's how the pipe is held that intrigues me, which would be unlike the other pipes I currently own. I naturally gripped it with the shank between my middle and ring fingers. It was a different experience but I still don't know if it's enough to purchase a pipe just to have that.

 

[CharlG]

In general I like straight or 1/4 bents, but like Ocelot, I'm a pipemaker and always on the lookout for any well made shape.

 

[PipedJimmy]

I don't know whether I'd buy a new pipe just for the sake of having one in a different shape. I have, however, noticed that there are many more shapes that have become appealing over the years, I do think there's something attached to their novelty that makes them so. I think what ultimately drives me to acquire new shapes is the quest for satisfaction: to know that you're truly sated by smoking a great pipe. Because that feeling is often elusive or because I have made it unrealistic, I find that I am continually chasing the dream, hoping that a new acquisition will bring the x factor that has been missing with it.
Having said that, collecting pipes isn't the worst pursuit I can imagine, they are wonderful to behold and eyes never tire of looking for new pastures.
Good luck realising the dream!

 

[Foxfire]

I do it all the time. In fact, when I first started smoking a pipe I felt compelled to have one of each of the "classic" shapes, even though I already knew that there was really only one shape of pipe that I would really bond with. I also have known from the beginning that I would only ever be interested in smoking the classic shapes.

I don't own any poker shapes, so that is next on the list. I guess that is still somewhat of a priority for me.