have you ever

[mark]

been surfing through the pipe sites and one particular pipe catches your eye,,,it whispers "take me home and have your way with me",,,you click on the specs and find out the stem is vulcanite (or acrylic, whichever one you dislike) and reject it for that reason?,,,Does the stem material have an impact on your pipe purchases, or is it no big deal?

 

[Raven]

I like both, vulcanite for primarily clenching, acrylic for primarily holding.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I don't have enough of a preference that it would ever sway my decision. I would prefer vulcanite if given the choice, but it matters so little to me that I don't often learn what the stem is made out of until the pipe is in hand.

 

[PipeLeisure]

I guess if I really liked the pipe but didnt like the stem I would just have a new one made to my likings by Floyd Norwood. I love the look of colored acrylic marbleized stems for some strange reason, I also like the fact that I dont have to worry about oxidation with the acrylic stems.

 

[SPUD 15]

I like vulcanite but would not pass on a pipe that has lucite. I'm one of the few people that really likes p-lips.

 

[docwatson]

Stem material has no bearing on whether or not I purchase a pipe but I do have a preference for brindle stems.

 

[Puff Daddy]

I've passed on a lot of pipes simply because they have vulcanite stems. I've sold quite a few nice pipes because the stems were vulcanite. With the exception of a very few surprising specimens (an S Bang, an old Parker, a GRC) i could always, eventually, taste old stale rubber. Acrylic is simply (IMHO) a far superior material for tasting smoke from a briar.

 

[MisterE]

I'm not so much bothered by the lucite/vulcanite dilemma, although I much prefer Lucite. I have passed on many that have P-lips however. :evil:

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Occasionally I taste rubber when smoking with a vulcanite stem. It doesn't bother me. If I like the pipe I'll buy either vulcanite or acrylic.

 

[Milan]

Stem material doesn't matter to me as much as the button shaping and drilling. Poorly made stems create problems, and I expect them to be made correctly when buying a pipe; but material isn't important to me. I prefer rubber. The main things that keep me from buying a pipe are price and weight, but we all have something that makes us not pull the trigger. It's not a bad thing... for PAD is a disease that can only be controlled by our individual standards.
Cheers & Health,
Milan

 

[itsKot]

It used to have much more bearing on whether I purchased one or not, I'd much rather have acrylic/lucite over vulcanite. That is until i bought my first Peterson this past spring and blew that old though out of the water. now I'll buy it no matter the stem material. Though, mind you, none of my vulcanite fitted pipes have enough age on 'em nor enough smoke through them to bring the vulcanite to that rubberiness people speak of, so who knows, maybe later on I'll return to strictly acrylic but for now they all suit me well!

 

[Harlock999]

It used to be a non-issue for me, as I had no experience with acrylic stems, but now that I've seen the light, it has become a major consideration, and I've found myself becoming more interested in Italian pipes.

 

[sstodvictory]

The shape of the bit influences me more than the stem material, although for me, vulcanite tips the balance in favor of buying.

Steve

 

[ragtopbob]

I will not buy a pipe with a vulcanite stem and yes, many times I've seen a pipe that I really really want only to discover that it has a vulcanite stem. It hurts but I walk away!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Nope, not picky myself--vulcanite smell and taste is kind of rubbery, and I think that's kind of cool in a way--a lot of what smoking a pipe is reminds me much of it comes from plants in some form. I hate the maintenance if you want your vulcanite to stay shiny, but I won't pass up a pipe due to stem material.

 

[frogjunk]

Most of my pipes sport vulcanite stems, although I also have a significant number of acrylics. I prefer the feel of vulcanite but really appreciate the artistry of acrylic. I suppose it doesn't matter to me, really. If a pipe looks and feels like it has a lot of mojo I'll buy it.

 

[Anonymous]

Pretty much so.

Having been at the point for years where there are "enough" pipes on hand to more than cover the use they actually get (plus a few more), the only justification conscience will allow for yet another one is the rescue motivation. This is applicable only to treasures found in trash heaps. (E.g., Flea Bay).

The 2011 rescue is an old Parker Straightgrain billiard stummel with a ridiculously inept vulcanite replacement stem (that will go into the garbage can as soon as it's unpacked). That's a pipe that deserves rescue. The expense of a well-made, straight tapered lucite stem with a good airway for it was calculated into the Yakkian top bid, which never got approached.

An original stem in decent (restorable) condition would have been a nice plus from the collector perspective, but only that, and probably would have driven the price up.

In the unlikely event that a pipe in nice, shiny condition (the kind that normal people see and want) were to over-ride the conscience governor, a lucite stem would be a Go ; a vulcanite stem would be a No Go. Because the competition for it would drive it up to the point where, even if "winning" it weren't a Phyrric victory, the re-stemming cost on top of it would make it one. (This from the perspective of having put around $200 into one old Loewe billiard that might -- might -- be "worth" $40 to someone with taste and empathy with the past as an ultra-stylish smoker) (and it is a superb one).

Anybody with more money than brains can have nice pipes to smoke. The other way's a lot more fun. And as far as enduring contentment goes, the quirk of human nature that makes people most highly value what they've had to work the hardest and wait the longest for is not to be discounted.

:face:

 

[Buddy Springman]

I've passed on a lot of pipes simply because they have vulcanite stems. ...

Same here. I obsess over keeping the inside of the bit clean/unoxidized if vulcanite.

Buddy