Pipes with "balance"

[Highlander]

I'm not sure if there is a pip term for this but I've found I can hold a pipe in my mouth and smoke it fairly easily which is hard for me to do with cigars. (I can do it, I just don't like too... bleah....)

I'm wondering though if there are pipes you would recommend that have good balance. In other words, you can hold it in your mouth without much effort and without fealing a big weight on the end of the pipe stem. I did try a curved pipe at the shop the other day (didn't smoke it just test the feel) and I could hold it pretty effortlessly. Do you have any recomendations?

 

[javajunkie]

it's called "the clench", being able to keep a pipe tucked in the corner of your mouth and run it on autopilot. it is a matter of personal preference, physiology, and physics.

some guys do NOT like having a pipe (or cigar) in their mouth, and will hold it, and only move it to draw. well and good, different smokes and all that. some (like me), like the zen aspect of being able to nurse a small stream of smoke almost constantly, making a very cool-burning but steady burn of it.

some people do not have a stable dental structure, or strong jaw muscles, to HOLD a pipe in place. some could lock on to a picnic table and not let go until after the 4th of july cook out is over. me, i can clench most of mine, but about half need to be readjusted every couple few minutes.

the shape, as well as the size, of the pipe changes how the down force is distributed. even a slight curve, 1/4 bent, say, will greatly lessen tension on the jaw required to hold a pipe in a clench. THE best clencher would be an oom-paul or calabash, something with a very low and close center of gravity. even if it is heavier, the pipe doesn't necessarily read all that force straight through the stem to your jaw. then again, i really like being able to pass a cleaner, so i rarely go full or 1/2 bent.

also, i find saddle bits, flattened area before the button on the stem, clench real well, providing purchase area for your teeth. fatter stems, especially like authors, make it difficult.

if you want straight, find something light like a canadian or a dublin. small bend will open up a lot of styles. if you don't have an issue with not being able to pass a cleaner, go half-bent or more and you'll be golden. personally, something like a 1/4 bent prince from savinelly does the deal every time.

 

[Highlander]

I like to clench because usually if I put it down or take it out for any length of time I have to relight. Thanks for the info.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[4noggins.com_Mike]

I smoke straight pipes, and generally if they are under 50 g they clench well. I like saddle bits the best but a tapered stem is also fine.