CygnusXII
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- Mar 22, 2012
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I know that sounds like a weird Tag Line for a Subject Matter, but I find it a curious topic, for many reasons. Of course it comes with a Story, and then some thoughts.
Back when I was first starting out on this journey and pursuit of passion, I was very inexperienced, and not very knowledgeable about pipes, makers, brands and what have you. I started off with Drugstore Doctor Grabow, and what I call Board Pipes, and I smoked Drugstore Blends. My first real pipe was a Peterson 303 XL. A real beauty. I bought it at The Tinderbox for $75, back in the early 80's in Arlington, Texas. I still love that shape and design. The Stummel is big and round, the Pipe stem is long, beefy but graceful. My "holy Grail" pipe though is a horse of a totally different color. When I started building my collection back then, I didn't have a lot of money. What Tween does? Rummaging around in a basket pipe sale at Tinderbox, I found two real beauties. I didn't realize at the time, they would become my favorites, but who does, when they first buy a new pipe? Back then Savinelli started offering a line of "Seconds." No fancy name or product line, Just "Seconds." Peterson started doing the same thing around that time. I picked up to Lumberman pipes of the same shape. They were unfinished, and had Lucite Stems. One had a simple flaw on the shank. It was a single line of dark grain. A simple little black line, maybe a quarter of an inch long. The second on had a small fill, maybe the size of a pin head, on the underside of the bowl. Apparently this was enough of a flaw, to resign them both to the "Seconds" line. The Shape was 815 KS. This is my "Holy Grail." I lost both of my originals to horrible accidents. One was knocked out of my mouth while I was driving a Panel van with the drivers side door open. Unfortunately it hit the street outside the truck and was promptly run over by the dualie back tires. The second one was completely crushed by me being stupid. I was working on my pickup truck and placed it on the cross member support that holds the radiator in place. I finished working on the truck and slammed the hood closed, and crushed that pipe to smithereens. You know, one of those moments where time freezes, because at the precise moments things go wrong, you remember what you just did. My third "Holy Grail" Pipe is a Bari Handcut Special, from the early 80's. I won a blonde version in a Pipe Smoking Contest, it was a beautiful flowing, sweeping wedge of a pipe with a barrel chested bit. That Pipe was my "Go to" Pipe. It never smoked wrong, or gurgled, and stayed as cool as a button. How did I lose it, you ask? Burnout! I smoked a bad spot into that poor pipe. Well, this week I picked up a copy of that one this week. Not an exact copy, mind you, but close enough to fulfill the urge to have the same pipe, again. I am still chasing the Savinelli's 815 KS. I need to find the right balance of pipe quality vs price. Savinelli now offers the 815 KS in the Punto Oro Design, Capri, Hercules, Pisa, Estella and several other lines, but not in the Seriess III (what is now the "seconds" line.
I'd be interested in hearing about everyone else "Holy Grails."
Back when I was first starting out on this journey and pursuit of passion, I was very inexperienced, and not very knowledgeable about pipes, makers, brands and what have you. I started off with Drugstore Doctor Grabow, and what I call Board Pipes, and I smoked Drugstore Blends. My first real pipe was a Peterson 303 XL. A real beauty. I bought it at The Tinderbox for $75, back in the early 80's in Arlington, Texas. I still love that shape and design. The Stummel is big and round, the Pipe stem is long, beefy but graceful. My "holy Grail" pipe though is a horse of a totally different color. When I started building my collection back then, I didn't have a lot of money. What Tween does? Rummaging around in a basket pipe sale at Tinderbox, I found two real beauties. I didn't realize at the time, they would become my favorites, but who does, when they first buy a new pipe? Back then Savinelli started offering a line of "Seconds." No fancy name or product line, Just "Seconds." Peterson started doing the same thing around that time. I picked up to Lumberman pipes of the same shape. They were unfinished, and had Lucite Stems. One had a simple flaw on the shank. It was a single line of dark grain. A simple little black line, maybe a quarter of an inch long. The second on had a small fill, maybe the size of a pin head, on the underside of the bowl. Apparently this was enough of a flaw, to resign them both to the "Seconds" line. The Shape was 815 KS. This is my "Holy Grail." I lost both of my originals to horrible accidents. One was knocked out of my mouth while I was driving a Panel van with the drivers side door open. Unfortunately it hit the street outside the truck and was promptly run over by the dualie back tires. The second one was completely crushed by me being stupid. I was working on my pickup truck and placed it on the cross member support that holds the radiator in place. I finished working on the truck and slammed the hood closed, and crushed that pipe to smithereens. You know, one of those moments where time freezes, because at the precise moments things go wrong, you remember what you just did. My third "Holy Grail" Pipe is a Bari Handcut Special, from the early 80's. I won a blonde version in a Pipe Smoking Contest, it was a beautiful flowing, sweeping wedge of a pipe with a barrel chested bit. That Pipe was my "Go to" Pipe. It never smoked wrong, or gurgled, and stayed as cool as a button. How did I lose it, you ask? Burnout! I smoked a bad spot into that poor pipe. Well, this week I picked up a copy of that one this week. Not an exact copy, mind you, but close enough to fulfill the urge to have the same pipe, again. I am still chasing the Savinelli's 815 KS. I need to find the right balance of pipe quality vs price. Savinelli now offers the 815 KS in the Punto Oro Design, Capri, Hercules, Pisa, Estella and several other lines, but not in the Seriess III (what is now the "seconds" line.
I'd be interested in hearing about everyone else "Holy Grails."
