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Re: My first hand cut stem (Almost)

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2016 5:48 pm
by Ratimus
Absylux (abs) is also worth checking out. I think PierreDeKat has used it quite a bit.

Re: My first hand cut stem (Almost)

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:06 pm
by seamonster
LatakiaLover wrote:
wdteipen wrote:I have a rod of 32mm SEM ebonite that I payed a pretty penny for that has about a half inch diameter of tiny air bubbles all the way through the center from end to end. I've also had some NYH rods with tons of inclusions in them. I think with either manufacturer there will be some bum rods.
Definitely. It's a dice roll for any brand. The odds are better for some than others, is all.

As for "determining those odds" (so to speak), I'd guess that the number of carvers who have commented in this thread multiplied by the number of stems they've made in their lifetime would make for a statistically valid sample size.

Something for the new guys here to consider if they haven't heard of it before: Juma

Premal has put it through its paces rigorously and given it a green light for pipe stems. It isn't perfect (nothing is), but sounds like a viable alternative in many cases. Especially smaller pipes.
I'm interested in juma, though I'd love to hear where you guys are sourcing from. The German (if I recall correctly) manufacturer is super super nice, but doesn't ship to the US. He sent me contact info for his US Rep, but I never heard back from that fella.... it looks like there are many color options of you live in Europe, but on the US you get 'pool-cue cream'.

sent from my blah-dee-blah, using hooty-hoo

Re: My first hand cut stem (Almost)

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:46 am
by Massis
seamonster wrote:
LatakiaLover wrote:
wdteipen wrote:I have a rod of 32mm SEM ebonite that I payed a pretty penny for that has about a half inch diameter of tiny air bubbles all the way through the center from end to end. I've also had some NYH rods with tons of inclusions in them. I think with either manufacturer there will be some bum rods.
Definitely. It's a dice roll for any brand. The odds are better for some than others, is all.

As for "determining those odds" (so to speak), I'd guess that the number of carvers who have commented in this thread multiplied by the number of stems they've made in their lifetime would make for a statistically valid sample size.

Something for the new guys here to consider if they haven't heard of it before: Juma

Premal has put it through its paces rigorously and given it a green light for pipe stems. It isn't perfect (nothing is), but sounds like a viable alternative in many cases. Especially smaller pipes.
I'm interested in juma, though I'd love to hear where you guys are sourcing from. The German (if I recall correctly) manufacturer is super super nice, but doesn't ship to the US. He sent me contact info for his US Rep, but I never heard back from that fella.... it looks like there are many color options of you live in Europe, but on the US you get 'pool-cue cream'.

sent from my blah-dee-blah, using hooty-hoo

I'm always willing to be the middle man and accept your order and ship it to the us...