The Shape You Just Can't

[321 One]

I've loved the Peterson Donegal Rocky Bulldog 150 from afar for a long time and that's probably as close as I'll get to owning one.

I've had Grabow bulldogs like shapes 83 and 60 etc, pass through my possession but gave all away as gifts oddly enough. I guess I wasn't fond of them enough to keep around.

My first restoration was a KW bulldog. I still have it. Always will. That reminds me, I have to get back the pics of it from Photobucket!!

As for shapes I "just can't", the Grabow 81 Author. I love the look, but it's just not a comfortable smoking pipe for me. And I've tried several times lol! But have always come to the same conclusion: nope.

Recently I purchased three pieces of Briar, and to start with, I'm going to try to create three pipes of my own.
Several pipes I gave been looking at, Not to copy, but to be influenced by, and this picture strikes me as one that I would like to be influenced by.
Wildcat, is that picture the Grabow 81 Author?

[321 One]

As for shapes I "just can't", the Grabow 81 Author. I love the look, but it's just not a comfortable smoking pipe for me. And I've tried several times lol! But have always come to the same conclusion: nope.

The 81 was the first pipe I thought of when I saw this thread. It has nothing to do with authors. I have a Rossi 8320 I like but I've had a dozen 81s that I have had to pass on to others. I'm like Frank...I like the look of the 81 but when I smoke it it just doesn't work.

Kevin, is that based upon clenching the pipe, or the way it smokes?

[Wildcat]

Damian, yes, that is the Grabow 81 in the photo. I love the look of them and they smoke fine. All Grabows do! I just find them to be "off" somehow. I'm a clencher and these aren't clenchable in my opinion. There's more to it than that, but I can't find the words. A lot of guys love them and like I said, mechanically, they are fine smokers. I'm curious to see if KK can put my thoughts into words, I know I can't! Lol!

[KevinP]

It can be in the centre but usually it's closer to the top.

Also a bulldog has a square (diamond) shank. If it's round it's a Rhodesian. (Why someone felt that deserved another name is beyond me.)

[JustScott]

The only SHAPE I can't seem to "get" is the churchwarden. I like them, in theory. I have one, it was the first pipe I owned (had gotten it for... other things... but the chamber was ridiculously large for such, and I was sure it would burn out, so on the shelf it went until I started smoking tobacco in pipes). I began trying to learn to smoke a pipe with it, put one pouch of Captain Black White through it, and you can still tell that that happened. Haven't smoked it since I got a "regular-length" pipe. I still like it, I sometimes think, "I should smoke this pipe, it probably smokes decent, and it deserves better than a 4-year-old CBW ghost" (if I take a puff on the empty pipe, it tastes more like CBW than the smoke EVER did.) But, I keep smoking regular length pipes instead. My 3.5 year old loves playing with "the long pipe", maybe it will be hers one day (she probably won't ever smoke it either, for the same reasons, lol...) I've got a tavern-style clay that has a similar story, too long and also more fragile than I feel like dealing with, most of the time. So, I suppose the shape I just can't, is "anything over about 7.5 inches".

[JBRiner]

I just can’t get into the panels. Never have liked them.

[Fr_Tom]

There are always these. I am not sure just what shapes they are exactly, but they are not really my thing.

https://www.cupojoes.com/pipes/monstrosity/

[Kevin Keith]

There are always these. I am not sure just what shapes they are exactly, but they are not really my thing.

https://www.cupojoes.com/pipes/monstrosity/

Rats. I had the page bookmarked for your birthday!

[Fr_Tom]

There are always these. I am not sure just what shapes they are exactly, but they are not really my thing.

https://www.cupojoes.com/pipes/monstrosity/

Rats. I had the page bookmarked for your birthday!

Consider the Silver Duke the gift that keeps giving.

[Ruffinogold]

I really like a round or oval shanked bulldog . kaywoodie had on in their shape chart , a 50s I think . Anyway , I've owned a couple three 50s kaywoodie and I've lost them all . It seems to be a shape I lose .. or maybe I broke one . I did break one actually . Either way , its a shape I really really like but dont have good luck with . I saw this Mastro de Paja the other day .. and man I dig it