Buckeye Hand Made Partially Sandblasted Bell Dublin 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 addition to the more freeform and Scandi-American pipes Buckeye is known for, Premal and his team have recently been adding some rather traditional briars to the make’s portfolio. This pipe is an example of such, and it’s one of my personal favorites among the shapes recently added to Buckeye’s lineup. It’s a strikingly faithful take on the old English “Bell Dublin,” seen here dressed in a tan sandblast with just a dash of live plateaux edge at its rim.   Details: Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm Bowl Depth: 1.68″ / 42.67mm Weight: 1.0oz / 30g