I enjoyed both Rathbone and Bruce and Brett and Hardwicke.
Kinda lean towards the black and white with Basil and Nigel.
At one time , I even had some of the old movies with Ron Howard playing Sherlock. Not the Happy Days Ron Howard.
I’ve always thought it was the round vs diamond shank. I like both. Although I prefer the diamond shank( bulldog) because it stays put when you sit it down.
I love cobs. In my opinion they smoke as well or better than any pipe I own.
They aren’t fancy, but neither am I. They are a perfect ensemble for my Key overalls.
The Vermont Freehand stems are very nice , but change the feel. They are much thicker.
I just prefer the cheap plastic stems from MM. Replacements are dirt cheap from MM.