Stanwell Christmas 2011

Being honest, I didn’t get this one for Christmas. My birthday falls in November and so it was, that my dear wife, being aware of my affection for the unusual in pipes, bought this one for me.

Basically, it follows the lines of a prince but the boxwood section on the shank and the reduced, almost saddle, stem makes this one stand out a bit in my otherwise overfilled racks. The boxwood is separated from the briar with a decorative vinyl ring and the stem bears a silver ring to delineate the shift from shank to stem. The pipe is bored for a filter, which I duly removed and inserted a plug to fill the expanded airway.
I suppose I would have to declare this one as having more flame grain than anything else but that does not detract in any way from my pleasure as I look upon this lovely pipe.

Stanwell or not, this one was produced at the new factory in Italy. Many have been a bit suspicious of “Danish” pipes being made in Italy, raising suspicions about quality and form and the engineering that we are used to from Stanwell. Rest assured, this one sticks to the rigid demands to which we are accustomed. The airway is open and the draw is easy. The general finish is as good as it gets and the pipe, despite being a tad heavy in the mouth, is comfortable to smoke. It is not one for the clenchers out there. It does, however, sit very comfortably in the hand and I enjoy the smoking of it. The stampings on this particular piece are very crisp and the silver Stanwell  “S” logo is well placed on the stem. The pipe is marked “Stanwell” over “Danish Design” over “XMAS 2011”.

Had I got this in my Christmas stocking, I would have been well pleased.

Dimensions:

Bowl: 50 mm diameter and 46 mm high.
Chamber: Ø 30 mm and 34 mm deep.
Total length: 105 mm.
The button is 18 mm wide and 7.5 mm thick.

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