Its interesting to hear all of these opinions. Here is my take from the view of a pipemaker-
Vulcanite and cumberland are wonderful to work with. Nice and soft. Drilling and filling are really easy, although the stuff smells like rotten eggs when working it(sulfur). Finishing is a little bit...
SingleMalt- A lot of makers use fiebings leather dies- they can be found at a leather shop like tandy's. Thats what I use. They come in many colors and work great mixed together.
Trey