Buckeye Hand Made Sandblasted Blowfish 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.

In the most recent batch of Buckeyes made for us by Premal Chheda and his colleagues, there’s been a great mix of what I’d call “classic Buckeye” designs on the one hand, and designs that are a little outside of the norm for Chheda’s collaborative make. Both groupings have been excellent, but this difference has highlighted a great versatility at play in the crafting of Buckeye Pipes. I’d count this one as among the former grouping, i.e., the “classic Buckeye.” It’s a decidedly stout and sturdy, yet surprisingly fluid, take on the blowfish shape, complete with a teardrop shank and a flared, tortoiseshell mouthpiece. The finishing is excellent, too, with a crisp, near-black sandblast that hammers home the pipe’s hardy, American-made aesthetic.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.39″ / 35.30mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g