What makes a pipe a great pipe?

[Neuromancer]

Sometimes it's just a hunch. maybe something to do with the grain pattern or design or brand name, but I have several pipes I've purchased that I knew would be good smokers and I'd say I was right about 95% of the time...and sometimes when one isn't smoking that great, it's just a matter of switching the type of tobacco (eng/balk, aro, VA & VA/Per) that you're smoking in it...Marie bought me a beautiful Dunhill Churchwarden that I thought would be great for VA's, Va/Per's, and flakes of those blends and that pipe was just never happy...I switched it to premium aromatic blends and it just puffs away now like a happy little camper...you get a feel for it after a while...

[Zoomschwortz]

Thank you for your input.

I guess I will need to get a lot more bowls under my belt before I have a good idea of what will be great and what won't.

I have dabbled with pipes on and off (mostly off) since the late 80's when I bought a Tinder Box Christmas briar. Unfortunately I have yet to be able to say that I have had a great smoke.

I know that comparing cigars and pipes is like comparing apples and oranges, and I have some definite likes and dislikes with cigars, but I can't say that I have found a pipe tobacco that I love.

I'm not sure if it's the tobacco, the pipe, my inexperience or a combination of all three, but I haven't found a combination that I really look forward to smoking.

I couldn't tell you if I have been using any pipes that would be considered great, but they are well known names such as Peterson, Barling, GBD, Kirsten, Giorgio Orsini and a Meerschaum.

For tobacco, I have McClelland Royal Cajun, around 15 (VA and Aromatic) Cornell & Diehl 1 oz. samples and a couple bags of some Tinder Box mixtures and nothing has made me say, Wow I really like that.

I'm starting to think that maybe my tobacco is too moist since I have never come close to smoking a bowl without a lot of relighting.

I'll keep plugging along until I find something that works, I just hope my tongue holds out against some of this dragon fire.

Thanks again.
Ken