Savinelli: Onda Sandblasted (622 KS) (6mm) Tobacco Pipe

Compared to other Italian pipe makers, Savinelli fashions shapes that hew closer to traditional English and French standards of proportions. While much of Italian pipe design opts for dramatic and stylized renditions of classic shapes — with bowls that are starkly taller and broader and shanks that are comparatively more slender — Savinelli presents more balanced dimensions in their pipes, leaning slightly toward this Italian design cue but still remaining quite true to tradition. This "622 KS" bent Pot is an excellent example of Savinelli's devotion to classic shaping and is perhaps the most English-styled shape on the Italian marque's chart. The proportions between the stout shank and hearty bowl are balanced and consistent, neither dominating the visual weight, and it remains a comfortable piece when clenched thanks to the stem's downward turn and angle of the transition — offering a deeper bend than Savinelli's other bent Pots, the "121 KS" and "122" designs.

A rather reserved series from Savinelli, the Onda line is presented here in its sandblasted version — the stummel stained a dark hue, with hints of lighter, contrasting color peeking out along the textured peaks of the finish to match the smooth-polished briar of the rim. In Italian onda means "wave," and that motif is manifested in the twin accent rings adorning the shank end: Two brass and nickel accoutrements meet in a wavy, undulating pattern, inspired by the line's sea-worthy namesake to add a dose of flash to the color palette.