Just to get an argument going

[Lostmason]

Naaa,,, not really an argument, but I got yer eye !

What kind of pipe catches your attention ?
Is it bent or straight? Briar, cob, clay, or meer?
Does it have a bamboo shank? is it heavy, wide, or small and light?
Just what are you looking for that "Fits" your hand?

[bluenoser]

I tend to prefer bent briar that hangs just right. Nothing against any other kind or style but just what I usually grab off the rack first

[Emperor Zurg]

For briars, it's lumbermans, canadians and liverpools, and to a lesser extent, lovats. Straights of course, I don't even know if these shapes come in bents.

For cobs, just about any shape but the thicker the better on the walls. Bent or straight, doesn't matter, they all pass a pipe cleaner just fine. I prefer the unplastered versions; I have a MM unplastered freehand that I really like.

[Cool Breeze]

For some reason I have more straight billiards than anything.
However I have a fondness for bulldogs and freehands.

I only have one of each though.

[bluenoser]

I agree with the freehands. Something i want to add more of in the future. Hope to get some more pipe making supplies soon and want to make more freehands of it

[cpmcdill]

I am partial to bulldogs, straight or bent. I also really like pots and lovats. Although billiards are kind of the generic shape, there are a few in my collection that have won me over, more due to their being great smokers than by their aesthetics.

[Cool Breeze]

I agree with the freehands. Something i want to add more of in the future. Hope to get some more pipe making supplies soon and want to make more freehands of it

It's funny. I haven't even smoked mine yet. I have just always loved the look of them.
I picked up a handmade Ben Wade from Denmark (one of the Preben Holm era pipes) at an antique show for a steal.
It is currently at my shop getting cleaned up. Can't wait to try it.

[Pipe Smoker]

All of my pipes are straight, except for one barely-bent Rhodesian – I'm a holder. Like thick bowl walls, too.

I prefer the taste of smoke from tobacco that hasn't filtered too much smoke, so I like pipes with shallow, broad, tobacco chambers.

And I like classic shapes: Pots, Liverpools, Bulldogs, etc. But my "lumberpot" is a hybrid classic – lumberman stem, pot bowl.

[Bruck]

Okay, this is lame, but I prefer straights, billiards mainly, for anachronistic reasons - that's what you see guys smoking in the old black and white movies. I also like the old cars from that era, but I can't afford to buy a bunch of those :)

[Lostmason]

Right now I'm kind of hanging with Bruck , I have a few bent and I like them a lot but
my classic billards see way more use. I have not had a freehand that called to me so
as such I don't own any. Thick wall or thin don't seem to matter much, I tend to hold the
bowl in a three finger grasp that cups the bowl rather than actually holding it. And my
Meerchaums just feel heavy.

[Haebar]

My favorite shape that I look for is a chubby straight billiard, shaped like a Dunhill LB. I tend to gravitate towards those. Also I like straight bulldogs and some Canadians.

[BryGuySC]

I'm a pretty simple guy.
I prefer the classic straight billiard with high contrast grain, on the smaller side.

Along these lines:
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o163/bcsssj/Cigar%20Stuff/IMG_20160822_184120186_zps2azxzppr.jpg (http://s120.photobucket.com/user/bcsssj/media/Cigar%20Stuff/IMG_20160822_184120186_zps2azxzppr.jpg.html)

[Branzig]

Always preferred a straight pipe. Never cared for bends and 99% of my collection are all straight stem....but recently I've been on a bit of a bend kick for some reason....they're all I want to smoke right now.

I guess the safe thing to do is make your collection a 50/50 split.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Cool Breeze]

Always preferred a straight pipe. Never cared for bends and 99% of my collection are all straight stem....but recently I've been on a bit of a bend kick for some reason....they're all I want to smoke right now.

I guess the safe thing to do is make your collection a 50/50 split.

Funny you say that.
My collection is rather small. I have 13 briar pipes and only one is a bent.
However that one gets quite a bit of use. It's an unfinished Savinelli Series III and is a wonderful smoker.
The only thing that is a must is that it has to pass a pipe cleaner. No use for a pipe that won't.

[Desertlifter]

Yes. :)

Straight, bent, whatever. I love my Bully's for Lat blends though. Only really different shape I've not tried is an Oom Paul. I want a Lovat. I have a pick axe, three pots, a Billiard, a 1/4 bent Apple, a few cobs (love them all) and...who know what else tucked away.

And then there are my favorites. I have two identical Tsuge tankards that I absolutely love. Most days they are the pipes that I reach for, at least for VAs and VaPers, which comprise the majority of what I burn. You can see them here.

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/tsuge/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=223014

[droy1958]

I'm still all over the place with shapes. It just really depends on what mood I'm in. I had 3 or 4 freehands back 12-15 months or so ago, but ended up selling them as I felt they were too large for me at the time. Now, I do wish I would've kept one of them for my collection. I have around 75-80 pipes of all kinds of shapes and sizes with the good part of them needing some kind of TLC in one form or another. When I pick up a Dunhill or other top pipes, I usually end up selling them to fund my hobby of pipes and cigars. I ended up with a good amount of "smokers" of all kinds. I "thought" I had a guy that would slick up my pipes in trade for some pipes, so I sent him 5 or 6 pipes back when to see what kind of work he did, but he suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. Of course, he may have passed on and I don't know it as he won't answer my emails etc. Isn't that ironic, don't you think?....

Errrrr.....back to the subject......I don't have a clue what shape I prefer......