Buckeye Hand Made Contrast Sandblasted Wasp Briar Pipe, New

Premal Chheda’s Buckeye Pipes have undergone several significant changes since their debut in the mid-2000s. Chheda himself was one of the first major players in 21st century American artisan briars, having been taught the fundamentals of high-grade pipe making by Mike Butera, and having had plenty of students of his own in the time since. Though Buckeye started out as an sub-brand for pipes that did not quite meet the standard of a pipe stamped with the Chheda name, the two would ultimately become different projects entirely. Today’s Buckeye Pipes are, instead, high-quality briars produced by Premal Chheda and his apprentices. The difference between a Chheda Pipe, or one of the pipes made by Chheda’s apprentices under their own name, and a Buckeye pipe boils down to the level of detailing involved: Buckeye Pipes are precision engineered and expertly finished, while being more minimalist in design and less labor-intensive in execution than their counterparts.

The wasp is one of the relatively newer staples of post-Scandinavian design, with its popularity attributable to German artisans such as Wolfgang Becker. Distinguished by its plump bowl, slightly raised shank transition, and a notable widening of said shank as it progresses toward the mouthpiece, it mirrors the segmented anatomy and speed of its namesake in flight—like a blowfish, but with a firmer symmetry and even more forward momentum. It’s a shape that finds itself nicely at home in Buckeye’s portfolio, too, seen here dressed in a deep contrast sandblast and fitted with a brindled blue mouthpiece.

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.70 / 17.78mm

Bowl Depth: 1.63″ / 41.40mm

Weight: 4.0oz / 114g