I tried piping many years ago and never became that interested in it. I was using a small Grabow pipe -- which I found in a box the other day -- and never really saw the allure.

Today a decent, though by no means expensive, Italian "Molina" pipe arrived and I smoked some inexpensive, though decently-rated, John Bull English blend out of it. What a difference! It's really a uniquely sensual experience. Moreso than cigars, IMHO.

Whereas the best I could muster out of the (admittedly small) Grabow was about ~20 minutes with a large amount of dottle at the bottom, this one burned all the way down with only a small number of relights. There was literally only ash when I was done after ~45 minutes.

You can see the size differential in the pic below. I'm not entirely sure why the experience is so much better with this one. The only difference I see (other than the size), is that the Grabow's draft hole is about 0.75mm above the bottom of the bowl, whereas the Molina's sits at the very bottom.

Other than that, it would appear that a larger pipe gives a much more pleasant smoke. The Molina bowl is about 20mm dia. by 40mm deep whereas the Grabow is 17mm dia. by 32mm deep. Almost 75% larger volume.

I also like the bent stem in that I can do stuff without the bowl being up in my line of sight as much.

Anyway, I'm quite pleased and surprised.