I've been nurturing a pipe obsession for about 25 years, and have been reflecting on the journey. I wanted to share a few thoughts here, in an attempt to give back a bit to the good folks who make PSD what it is - my virtual home.
I started like many of us do, with a cheap briar (which I still own, of course) and a forgettable bulk mixture. I remember feeling on the edge of something profound with that first purchase, but had no idea what sort of ride that initial step would entail. My interest in all things pipe and tobacco blossomed quickly and I bought indiscriminately, horse trading and reading everything I could find. I pored over pipe history and lore, traveled to pipe-making meccas, and generally enjoyed the hell out of all of it.
In time, my tastes narrowed and my interests focused, and I went deep on the Danish designs and philosophy, seeking out pipes from the acknowledged masters. I was interested in Brit wood, too, so that was another rabbit hole to fall down. It was all very engrossing, and expensive.
About 6-8 years ago, I realized that I most often reached for 'boring' pipes, largely billiards, and that I was growing in admiration for the quiet lines of well-cut traditional shapes. I purged a good deal of my Danish and European accumulation, and focused on adding quality pieces that underwent increasingly stringent vetting before purchase. I also realized that I really enjoyed buying pipes from artisans, especially ones that I had met and gotten to know. This has continued to the present.
In the past few years, I have purged another half of the pipes I had on hand, and the focus since has been on artisanal pieces, mostly billiards or Canadians or some variant of those. I don't buy indiscriminately anymore, and it's easy to convince myself not to pick up another pipe, unless @Sasquatch texts me with a tantalizing pic of something fresh off the buffing wheel (this happen more often than I'd like to admit). Looking over my racks, I don't see anything that 'needs' replaced or turned over. The standard is high, and that stringency is reflected in what I own. I'm happier with fewer high quality pieces these days, but I still have too many. So it goes.
I guess I wrote all this to say that I have greatly enjoyed the journey, and I hope everyone who picks up a pipe does, too. I've learned so much, made some great friends, and witnessed my own growth as consumer and person through it.
This should be fun! So, enjoy it. All of it. There are worlds of interest in the humble tobacco pipe.
Obligatory pic of representative pipes in my sweaty little hands these days (all BST):
I started like many of us do, with a cheap briar (which I still own, of course) and a forgettable bulk mixture. I remember feeling on the edge of something profound with that first purchase, but had no idea what sort of ride that initial step would entail. My interest in all things pipe and tobacco blossomed quickly and I bought indiscriminately, horse trading and reading everything I could find. I pored over pipe history and lore, traveled to pipe-making meccas, and generally enjoyed the hell out of all of it.
In time, my tastes narrowed and my interests focused, and I went deep on the Danish designs and philosophy, seeking out pipes from the acknowledged masters. I was interested in Brit wood, too, so that was another rabbit hole to fall down. It was all very engrossing, and expensive.
About 6-8 years ago, I realized that I most often reached for 'boring' pipes, largely billiards, and that I was growing in admiration for the quiet lines of well-cut traditional shapes. I purged a good deal of my Danish and European accumulation, and focused on adding quality pieces that underwent increasingly stringent vetting before purchase. I also realized that I really enjoyed buying pipes from artisans, especially ones that I had met and gotten to know. This has continued to the present.
In the past few years, I have purged another half of the pipes I had on hand, and the focus since has been on artisanal pieces, mostly billiards or Canadians or some variant of those. I don't buy indiscriminately anymore, and it's easy to convince myself not to pick up another pipe, unless @Sasquatch texts me with a tantalizing pic of something fresh off the buffing wheel (this happen more often than I'd like to admit). Looking over my racks, I don't see anything that 'needs' replaced or turned over. The standard is high, and that stringency is reflected in what I own. I'm happier with fewer high quality pieces these days, but I still have too many. So it goes.
I guess I wrote all this to say that I have greatly enjoyed the journey, and I hope everyone who picks up a pipe does, too. I've learned so much, made some great friends, and witnessed my own growth as consumer and person through it.
This should be fun! So, enjoy it. All of it. There are worlds of interest in the humble tobacco pipe.
Obligatory pic of representative pipes in my sweaty little hands these days (all BST):
about pipes or tobacco. I do this alone, in exclusion of other people, by and large, and flying in the face of the anti-smoking society I live in. I smoke in secret. "Mommy, what is that man doing?" 
) so if people wanna think me strange for chugging on my pipe, I prefer that to when they thought me strange as I couldn't walk or talk