Kurt Balleby: Smooth Bent Bulldog with Mammoth Tobacco Pipe

Kurt Balleby prioritizes quality over quantity: his production style requiring that each of his pipes must pass 150 individual steps. Such exacting standards ensures that each Balleby pipe is of the upmost quality, as evidenced by this gorgeous bent Bulldog. Balleby has returned to the bent Bulldog with some frequency, stylistically embellishing the classic form to reflect his personal vision. Like several renditions we've seen before, this bent Bulldog boasts a softer, lither look and build: the diamond shank's usual blunt, architectural rigidity rounded off and subdued; the disparity between flared heel and tapered rim less pronounced; the aft's bend almost imperceptible. Each of these small alterations culminates in a composition that retains the core spirit of its namesake, but is nevertheless fresh and modern, unrestricted by dogmatic traditionalism. Of course, being a Balleby pipe, the grain here is simply gorgeous, with fine, tight-knit strands of flame grain framing the supple rim and a sea of birdseye along the stummel's underside and across the shank's topside. It's further distinguished by a trim band of mammoth that complements the pipe's vibrant color palette and naturally bridges the ruby hues of the stummel to the jet-black tone of the saddle stem.