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.