MBSD Briars “Re-Don” Sandblasted Poker w/ Horn, Briar Pipe, New

Description

There are few pipe shapes as recognizable as the poker. And there are even fewer that are as simple and easy to get along with. That’s why, despite the increasingly unorthodox advances in mainstream pipe design over the last 70 years, the poker has not gone away, and is, in fact, at the very center of the contemporary functionalist revival movement. From Danish legends, such as Tom Eltang and Erik Nording, to storied Italian workshops, such as Ser Jacopo, to 21st century prodigies, such as J. Mouton or Federico Becker, pipe makers across the world might not agree on everything, but they do seem to agree on one thing: it’s hard to beat a good old-fashioned poker.

Not unlike with some of our MBSD Meerschaum pipes, for our own MBSD Briars, we also thought a poker shape would be a great addition to the catalog. But with the latter, we’ve taken a slightly different approach to the vanguards of the modern poker, looking instead to the distant past for our primary inspiration. Poring over catalogs from the early 20th century, there was one shape that—if you’ll excuse the pun—stood out to us. It’s a sitter poker shape comprised of three easy pieces: a briar bowl, a short ferrule, and a vulcanite mouthpiece. Dunhill called it a “Don,” though there have been other notable examples and close cousins in 20th century pipe history, such as the Kaywoodie “Setter,” or the Peterson “Tankard.”

With these examples in mind, for our own poker rendition we followed that same minimalist precedent, but with a few modifications to bring it in line with the tastes of today’s pipe smokers. First, we decided on having the bowl be a little larger than the traditional Don, which allowed for a deeper chamber and helped keep it sturdy sitter. Second, we decided on having a perfectly straight mouthpiece, rather than the slightly bent ones typically found on Don shapes, as we found this to be more comfortable for sipping, while also making sure that the button doesn’t ever touch the surface the pipe is set on. Third, and as a last touch, we decided to use boxwood and horn for the pipe’s ferrule instead of vulcanite, which add a dash of color and contrast to the design while maintaining a sturdy fitment. It’s not quite a “true Don”—more like a “Re-Don.”

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.70″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g