| Author | Message | ||
     Louis Cipro Member Username: Gillie Post Number: 5 Registered: 05-2009 |
I've noticed that some pipes have oval bowls. What are the advantages/ disadvantages? What's the idea behind them? Do they require special packing and tamping? It would seem to me that if they were such an improvement over round bowls, we would see more of them. I'm curious to hear of others' opinions and experiences with them. Thanks. Lou | ||
| Paul Tummers Member Username: Paul_tummers Post Number: 143 Registered: 12-2007 |
I personally think, the idea is setting a certain brand apart from the others; If it comes to traditional pipe shapes it is hard to distinguish, unless one has a revolutionary filter system or something like that. We already had red, white, blue and a lot of other coloured pipes, the oval bowl is not quite new, but I am waiting for the triangular one. I think it is pure marketing, but if one likes something like an oval bowl, why not? Regards, Paul T., who quite happy smokes his pipes with the traditional round bowl bore. | ||
| James MacKay Member Username: Bigjim Post Number: 101 Registered: 09-2008 |
Hi Louis - Bowls come in many shapes and sizes. Some are oval, some are round, some are thicker at the top or bottom. Some freehand pipes are a little of everything! The actual smoking takes place in the tobacco chamber. The shape of the pipe bowl is an aesthetic item that attracts us to buy them. | ||
| Ted Saufley Member Username: Montag Post Number: 20 Registered: 03-2009 |
Louis, I has an oval bowl back in the seventies. It was an Iwan Ries special in a black sandblast finish. It smoked fine, but I couldn't fit a round reamer into the oval bowl to adequately (and evenly) remove cake. | ||
| Louis Cipro Member Username: Gillie Post Number: 6 Registered: 05-2009 |
Thanks guys, for the quick feedback. Yes Ted, I wondered how one would ream out an oval bowl. James, I'm confused -isn't the bowl the same thing as the tobacco chamber? Everybody, maybe I was unclear in my post - when I said "oval bowl" I was referring to the inside where the tobacco goes. | ||
| James MacKay Member Username: Bigjim Post Number: 102 Registered: 09-2008 |
Hi Louis - My misunderstanding. I have always thought of the bowl as being the whole section - the pipe being comprised of a bowl, shank and stem. Where the tobacco actually goes into is what I think is the tobacco chamber portion of the bowl. However, if we are talking about an oval tobacco chamber, I don't recall ever seeing one and would question the aforementioned issue of reaming and wonder about the even flow of air through the chamber as the tobacco burns. As you noted, "if oval chambers are such a good idea, we'd see more"! Regards. | ||
| Derrick Lemmons Member Username: Derricklemmons Post Number: 3 Registered: 02-2008 |
Louis, I do believe I've seen a Cavicci in a Dublin shape that had an oval bowl. As I recall the outer portion of the bowl was elongated, as well. Perhaps the method to the madness in most cases is aesthetics as long as the shape of the pipe allows for it (e.g., I've never seen a Billiard with an oval bowl.) However, I think that functionality also plays a part. This is pretty well summed up in a description of a Stanwell Opera, given by Bear Graves of smokingpipes.com, "Opera pipes originated with Alfred Dunhill. Much as his car pipe was meant be mounted on your dashboard, a windscreen pipe for driving with the top down, this type pipe was created for dress occasion like, well, the Opera. The idea is that the flattened profile of the bowl would cause less of an outline in your jacket. Having said that, an opera pipe usually also features a smaller bowl and shorter shank and bit." Now if you're talking about an extra large freehand with an oval bowl, you got me there. I certainly agree with you gentlemen concerning reaming, especially when it comes to more contemporary reaming systems. I tend to use a smallish piece of folded up sand paper to ream my pipes, so it probably wouldn't bother me much. Hope this lends to the confusion. Derrick |