Welcome to OoOPS
The Organization of Online Pipe Smokers (OoOPS) welcomes YOU. If you are interested in pipe smoking, pipe collecting, or tobaccos, we offer these pages to inform you about our wholesome and delightful hobby. If you are informed and/or delighted by your visit here, we will experience a warm glow. Or, maybe that's just the hot ashes spilling out of our pipes into our laps. No matter, enjoy yourself!
About OoOPS on the WWW (credits)
We invite you to explore...
OoOPS, the Online Pipe Club
"Blowing Smoke" Newsletter
Anatomy of a Pipe
The Myriad of Pipe Types
Why Pipes are BETTER
Famous Pipe Smokers
Pipe and Tobacco Quotations
The Famous OoOPS Pipe
Other Pipe Pages
Non-Commercial Pages
Kevin Cook's Pipe Page and Tobacco Bar
OoOPS member Kevin Cook has constructed a pipe web page for the ages! Not only does the page contain some great pipe graphics (including an
old Dr.Grabow instruction sheet
from long ago), but it also includes some of Kevin's estute observations on various tobacco blends.
Chet Gottfried's Pipes Pages
These pages include many fine photos of American-made pipes and some amazing pipe designs! There is also an
AWARDS SITE
, just in case you missed the (Savinelli) Oscars.
Mark Lathem's Pipe Page
Mark Lathem, an OoOPS member, has a fun page of pipe-related cartoons, ruminations, and wisdom.
Sami Mikhail's alt.smokers.pipes FAQ
OoOPS member Sami Mikhail has been a bulwark of the alt.smokers.pipes newsgroup ever since he helped start the newsgroup. Sami has collected all of the pipe wisdom he could amass (and fit into one file), and shares it for the good of pipedom!
Meerschaum Pipes Forum
Lest we forget, the "older sister" of the briar pipe is the beautiful and delicate meerschaum! Fantastic graphics on this page will easily explain her enduring popularity.
Ron Blackner's
Pipe and Pouch
pages
This delightful site features a "
smoke room
" area, detailed biographies of famous smokers, and lots of useful information. Included is a primer for beginning pipe smokers, basic
information on tobacco
, and advice on
selecting a pipe
. Also, there is a place for people to leave
questions and answers
on pipe problems.
The Pipes Digest WWW Home Page
Moderated by Steve Masticola, Pipes Digest is
THE
electronic pipe periodical. It is a must-read for anyone interested in pipes or cigars. This fantastic web page is maintained by Steve Beaty, and holds graphics and information that any pipe smoker will find awe-inspiring.
Ed Price's Peterson Pipes Page
Member Ed Price has created an graphical homage one of the most popular and enduring brands of briar pipes in the world. Just imagine, you don't even need a passport to enjoy the best of the Emerald isle."A thinking man smokes a Peterson..."
South American Pipe Club
Home Page
A site full of pipe pictures and information, presented by a growing and successful pipe club that is a welcome presence on the 'net.
Commercial Pages
Alberto Bonfiglioli's Pipemaker's Page
OoOPS member Alberto Bonfiglioli is a pipe artist, and his artistry is in ample display at his web site. Included are photos of his finished Italian pipes, as well as photos showing the process of pipemaking.
American Smoking Pipe Co. Pages
One of the U.S.'s most respected pipe carvers, Mark Tinsky, presents the best of his craft and insights into pipe construction and repair.
Frank Burla's BTA
Frank Burla (an OoOPS member) is one of the country's most knowledgeable collectors of pipes and tobacciana. On this web site, he offers selected items for sale, including lighters, pipes, publications, tobacco tins, ashtrays, and anything else you can name that is related to smoking. Of special interest might be Frank's parts for repairing antique pipes and other rare items.
Cornell & Diehl Tobacco
OoOPS member Craig Tarler (President of C&D) has earned a reputation for quality and integrity (at amazing prices). C&D manufactures and blends hundreds of aromatic, English, and natural tobaccos. You can't taste his tobacco at this web page, but your mouth might start to water.
Georgetown Tobacco
The popular chain of tobacco shops in the Washington, D.C. area offers a very nice web catalog of pipes and their quality tobacco. The labels for their house blends are must-see, evne if you never sample the unusual tobaccos they represent.
Bob Hamlin's
PCCA Pipeline Online
Pages
OoOPS member Bob Hamlin has constructed one of the most informative and interesting pipes pages on the WWW, and promises more to come! Articles about pipe brands, pipe making, pipe buying, and tobacco storage are just a small part of this graphics-intesive Disneyland for pipe-smokers. Bob specializes in selling high-grade new pipes at amazingly low prices. He also sells all sorts of gourmet tobacco and other pipe goodies. He is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of pipe smoking you will find on the 'net.You can see his wares and place orders right on the web page!
JR Tobacco
J.R. Cigar is well-known for its low mail-order prices on all grades of cigars. J.R. also offers most Dunhill, Charatan, Mac Baren's, McConnel, McClelland, and Rattray tinned tobaccos at low prices. They also carry names like St. Bruno, Erinmore, Troost, Bengal Slices, Sobranie, and Quintessence, in addition to the "drug store" brands.
Kirsten Pipes Page
The Kirsten pipe, made by the family company for over fifty years, is a uniquely engineered pipe with an interchangable briar bowl. This page features the history of this pipe, as well as some photos and ordering information.
Iwan Ries
A Chicago tradition, family owned since1857, Iwan Ries offers their own very popular "Three Star" brand of tobacco, as well as many other major commercial blends (imported and domestic). Pipe ordering online is promised soon.
Marty Pulvers's
Sherlock's Haven
OoOPS member Marty Pulvers owns one of the finest pipe/tobacco shops in the country, Sherlock's Haven (San Francisco). He also offers low prices on "Pulvers's Prior Briar," quality reconditioned pre-owned pipes (sterilized, scrubbed, and restored). You can view photos of these estate pipes at this website. Marty is a great guy who often offers some real bargains.
Meerschaum Pipes and More...
Paykoc Imports, Inc. are direct importers of Meerschaum pipes and exotic gifts. This website sports some nice photos of many of the meerschaums they carry, as well as a price list. The pipes include many of the standard meerschaum shapes (skulls, claw and egg, sultan busts, etc.) as well as a few unusual ones. No Bill Clintons, though.
Nikos Levin's
NML Pipes Direct
Nikos Levin carries on the family tradition started by his father, Barry. He sells presmoked pipes, which have been specially restored and sanitized, at low prices. His web page contains photos of some of his most recent offerings. Nikos and wife Marsha are really great folks to deal with.
Olde World Fine Clays
Clay is one of the first materials used to construct smoking pipes, and certainly was the first material to gain acceptance in Europe. This website rekindles the tradition, with offerings of elaoborate reproductions of classic clay pipe shapes and styles. Many graphics and photos will help you "re-lyve the dayes of olde."
Pipe Friendly
Website of the popular Pipe Friendly magazine, edited by OoOPS member Joel Farr. Some fine graphics and photos! Pipe Friendly is aptly named, for it is an oasis of genteel comraderie. This publication offers a great deal of information in every issue, as well as showing the diversity of opinion and interests of our fellow smokers. Being a user-oriented publication gives it a singular, comfortable look and feel.
ABOUT OoOPS on the WEB
Thanks
to
Fuji Publishing
for allowing us to make this our home. Special thanks to
Bobby Holstein
,
of Fuji, for his help and support.
This and the accompanying pages have been produced by Ray Bromley, a charter member of OoOPS. Send comments or suggestions to
OoOPS
or
Ray Bromley
This page and its images are copyright 1996 by Ray Bromley.
All pipes on this page were crafted by Alberto Bonfiglioli.
Return to OoOPS Welcome/Menu
OoOPS!!, Go Back
OoOPS
The Organization of Online Pipe Smokers...
OoOPS is an online pipe club. Members "meet" by sharing information about their pipe and tobacco interests in our Membership Directory. The Directory is updated and sent out via e-mail every month. Using the Directory, members can find other folks who share their interests or who have items to trade. They then communicate through e-mail and start corresponding. It's that easy.
Also, OoOPS publishes a newsletter,
Blowing Smoke
, every month.
Blowing Smoke
contains articles about pipes, tobacco,and other similar diversions. It also contains personal ads listing items for sale, items members are seeking, and personal greetings. The
latest edition of
Blowing Smoke
(with member information deleted) and
past issues
are also available
here,
on the OoOPS web page.
OoOPS membership is not for everybody, but if you want to contact people who share your interests, or who might have tried a pipe or tobacco you are thinking of trying, knowing who to write to can be quite a comfort. To get in on the fun, you just fill out a simple
Membership Application
(no applicants are denied, if that's holding you back), and we do the rest. The
Membership Application
asks you about pipe interests and the like, but it is not a test. You can take as much time as you wish in filling it out. No one will evaluate your answers, and we promise not to laugh and make fun of you (unless, of course, you write something really funny).
"What's the catch?" you may be thinking. Well, it may shock you, but we don't have one. OoOPS membership is FREE. We don't want anything from you. OoOPS is a public service (hey, it was this or pick up trash on the highways). OoOPS membership is still not taxed in the U.S. and its possessions. It is fat free and cholesterol free. It will not promote tooth decay. Plus, it actually kills the germs that can cause bad breath. (Sorry, I got carried away) Still, it is a bargain at the low price of zero.
With all of the talk of internet security, you may wonder,"But what about all that information I give out? What if all tobacco users are herded together into re-education camps in which Congressman Waxman constantly mumbles 'Just say "NO" to pipes' into a feedback-prone public address system? What if something worse happens, like my name falling into the hands of multi-level marketers of pipe cleaners? Will I be safe?" Well, rest assured that no one will ever see your information, or even know that you are a member of OoOPS, unless he or she is a fellow member of OoOPS. We don't sell, swap, or give out member information to ANYONE. Wild horses couldn't drag it out of us. Neither could those Lipizzaner things.
Sure, I'll join OoOPS
Back to the OoOPS Welcome/Menu Section
OoOPS!!, Go Back
The OoOPS Pipe
(shown at about 1/2 actual size)
OoOPS does not sell pipes. However, Alberto Bonfiglioli, one of our Charter Members, is a successful pipemaker. Alberto wanted to commemorate the founding of OoOPS with a Special Edition OoOPS pipe. The OoOPS pipe has the letters"OoOPS" stamped on the shank (but not in letters nearly as large as are shown on our logo). Neither OoOPS nor any of its members (except Alberto) get any money if you buy an OoOPS pipe. In fact, the only thing the club gets is about a .3 x1.0 centimeter "ad" on your pipe. But, we'll take all the advertising we can get.
Still, since this is the first (and
so far
, the only--hint, hint) product named after our club, we figure it deserves all the publicity our self-promoting impulses and energies allow. Hence, this shameless and crass endorsement. In honor of the pipe, and the fact that it has our acronym emblazoned on it, OoOPS pipe owners will be honored in our newsletter. Thus, they will experience about 15 nanoseconds of fame (depending on the speed of the readers' modems). Even better, they get a great excuse for spilling ashes on the carpet ("Hey, this is my OoOPS pipe. I have to be clumsily smoking it!!!!!!") So amaze your friends and astonish your loved ones with your official OoOPS pipe. Admit it, you
need
this pipe.
We understand that Alberto is selling them for $75 in sandblast finish and $95 in smooth, shiny finish.
To order, e-mail Alberto Bonfiglioli at
tid0826@comune.bologna.it
Go to Alberto's HomePage to see other neato stuff
Return to OoOPS Welcome
Oooh, nice pipe!!
END SHAMELESS ENDORSEMENT
OoOPS!!, Go Back
OoOPS Membership Application
(no application ever denied--you're pre-approved!!!)
Please fill out as many of the following as you feel comfortable. If you have no preference or information, leave the field blank. These questions are just so other members can get to know you.
Name:
E-mail Address(es):
Paper Mail Address (optional):
Telephone and/or Fax (optional):
Pipes which interest me include (shapes, makers, sizes, materials, etc.)...
Tobaccos which interest me include...
Other pipe or tobacco-related interests of mine include...
I would be comfortable answering other members' questions about (if anything)...
I would like to buy, sell or trade the following items (be general or specific, as you desire)...
Some OoOPS members may sell pipes or other smokers' items for a living. Do you want to receive information from such members about the products they sell?
NO
YES
If you answer "no," and you get such information or ads sent to you unsolicited, the member who sends you the ad will be dropped from the group.
------------
When the information above is complete and you are satisfied with your entries, send the Application to OoOPS by selecting the "Send to OoOPS" option below. Please select it only once.
Other Options:
Send e-mail to OoOPS
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OoOPS!!!, Go Back
Why Pipes Are Better
Pipes are not like cigars or cigarettes. Pipes are much harder to smoke. One requires more than a match and a mouth to smoke a pipe. It takes practice to properly load tobacco into the pipe and to keep it lit.A good tobacconist can show you how it is done. Alternatively, you can look at the
a.s.p. Frequently Asked Questions
or the
AITSIndex
to get a primer.
Yet, although pipe smoking is the only kind of tobacco use that does require skill and practice, it is also the most rewarding. Here's why.
Pipes are better than cigars...
There is nothing "wrong" with cigars. Many pipe smokers also enjoy cigars as well. However, cigars do not offer as great of a variety of smoking pleasures as do pipes.
Tobacco
Cigar tobacco is all pretty similar. It does vary from county to country,from region to region, and from priming to priming. There are varieties of wrappers, binders, and fillers. Still, every all-tobacco cigar tastes like..well, a cigar (I am excluding those paper-binded things people buy in drug stores).
On the other hand, pipe tobacco is grown in a far greater range of geographic areas, each with its own strains of leaf, each grown and processed in its own ways. The differences in the flavors of these regional tobaccos are striking. For example, the campfire-like flavor of nutty latakia (a dark tobacco cured by the smoke of smoldering herbs) tastes nothing like Perique(a fermented tobacco with a spicy sweet raisin flavor). Neither of these taste anything like Xanthi (which tastes just like roasted chestnuts) or red Virginia (which has a flavor like dried cherries). Blending these tobaccos leads to an even greater spectrum of flavors. In addition, natural scents and essences can be added to pipe tobacco, expanding the horizons even more!!!
An apt analogy might be that cigar smoking is like using a monochrome monitor,while pipe smoking is using a 24-bit color card with a 17 inch monitor.
Beauty
Pipes are a feast for the eye as well as for the palate. And the beauty lasts long after the smoke, since the pipe itself remains. It can be enjoyed visually without even smoking it. True, a cigar humidor can be attractive as well, but the variety of pipe shapes, sizes, and materials is far vaster than the variety of humidor styles.
Economy
An hour-long smoke of an all-tobacco cigar will range in cost from about$1.00 (for a bundle cigar) to $15.00 (for a Davidoff or Cuban) or more.0.2 ounces of pipe tobacco (ample to fill most hour-long bowls) will cost from $0.20 to $0.40 if the tobacco is bought in bulk, and may cost as much as $1.00, if one buys a really expensive tobacco in small containers. Plus,a pipe is easier to stop smoking and relight than a cigar, without the occasionally unpleasant alteration in flavor that results when a cigar is relit.
Convenience and Cleanliness
Pipes do require some preparation to smoke, and they may require the smoker to carry around a bit of equipment (generally not taking up more space than a pocket cigar case). But consider that while smoking them, one does not have to look around for an ashtray or other place to flick the ashes. An occassional tamping is sufficient to keep the ashes in their place until a suitable receptacle can be found.
Further, if a person is smoking a pipe and enters a location where smoking is not permitted, placing the pipe in a coat pocket will solve the problem.The pipe will go out on its own (and the ashes do not spill out as easily as one might think), and the pipe can be easily relit later.
Pipes are better than cigarettes...
In addition to all of the advantages pipes have over cigars, pipes share with cigars a major advantage over cigarettes--one does not have to inhale pipes to get a great deal of enjoyment from them. Since the flavors are so intense, the enjoyment of the tastes and aromas obviates the need (and desire) to take the smoke into your lungs. Pipes are thus much safer than cigarette smoking.
It may even be that, since no nitrated paper is used and since the pipe tobacco contains fewer additives, inhaling pipe smoke is less dangerous than inhaling cigarette smoke!! The Surgeon General's report on smoking in 1964 found that pipe smokers who inhale lived about as long as non-smokers,and much longer than cigarette smokers.
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