The Pipes Spanu Pipes: F3 Grade

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• Over twenty years ago, Tom Spanu came from his hometown, Sardinia, to Gavirate in northern Italy to learn the secrets of pipe design and making from no less than the master himself, Alberto Paronelli.
• Tommaso continues today to make his pipes completely by handout of the best Sardinian briar and according to tradition while implementing his own innovative designs and concepts.
• All Spanu pipes are stamped:  Tom Spanu

 

Pipe Stamped: F3
Pipe Code: SP079 Price: CHF 420.00   Shape: Apple Weight: 68g / 2-13/32 oz Chamber ø: 21.5mm --  Chamber Depth: 44mm --  Wall Thickness: 16mm --  Cleaner Passes? Yes
COMMENT: This pipe presents an excellent combination of tradition and innovation, in my opinion. The shape, up till the end of the shank, is quite conservative and traditional, and the rest is all imagination and innovation. Note, first of all, the black acrylic inlay in the shank and of course, the incredibly elaborate mouthpiece with this huge, natural piece of briar insert in it, between the tenon and the rest of the mouthpiece. I love how that piece of briar blends in so smoothly with the rest of the mouthpiece. The third picture, second row, from left to right, is meant to show what I'm talking about here. Shape aside, the grain is wonderful and consistently beautiful andwell pronounced. The entire bowl and shank base is gorgeous Bird's Eye. The pipe is quite large and yet, it feels so well balanced, and thanks to the slim tapered mouthpiece, with a very comfortable bit, it'll be a pleasure sit back and enjoy life in the company of such a special friend.

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Pipe Stamped: F3
Pipe Code: SP097 Price: CHF 450.00   Shape: Freeform Brandy Weight: 57g / 2oz Chamber ø: 21mm --  Chamber Depth: 39mm --  Wall Thickness: ->19mm --  Cleaner Passes?  Yes
COMMENT: I can't tell you how rare it is for me to find a pipe that would give me the possibility to use the word "Brandy". I find that quite strange, since the Brandy is one of the relatively well-established classic shapes. I can understand it is not easy to make if you want exceptional grain that offers lots of beauty, but more importantly, consistency and uniformity. Another theory of mine is that the classic Brandy seems to have lost a big part of its existence to its more modern version, the Volcano. It's a pity that many people tend to overuse and over-apply the word "Volcano", at the expense of the Brandy. Anyway, this is more of a Brandy than anything else, and it is an excellent example of this elegant shape. The grain is beyond EXCEPTIONAL. Actually, no two people would disagree that the grain, particularly on the left-hand side of the bowl, is the perfect Straight Grain! Add to this the massive and breathtaking Bird's Eye on the bowl and shank base, and you see how unique this pipe is. It is the consistently high quality of the grain that is one o the Italian pipes' strongest points and advantages, and this pipe is quite illustrative of that fact.

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Pipe Stamped: F3
Pipe Code: SP098 Price: CHF 450.00   Shape: XL Dublin Weight: 65g / 2-9/32 oz Chamber ø: 22.5mm --  Chamber Depth: 46mm --  Wall Thickness: 13mm --  Cleaner Passes?  Yes
COMMENT: I was a little undecided whether to use the word "Dublin" or "Bell", but at the end, I thought the pipe came closer to the classic Dublin than the fanciful Bell. What I never hesitated about is the fact that the pipe is Extra Large. Let me put this into measurements. The bowl is 55mm (2.17 inches) in height and 48mm (1.89 inches) in diameter (externally, that is); the shank measures 45mm (1.77 inches) in length, while the entire pipe is 157mm (6.18 inches) long. I can tell by the patina of the wood that a well-aged piece of briar was used to make this pipe, but knowing how illusive wood is, I can't bet my life on it! What I'm sure of is that the wood is of as high quality as they come. Another indication of that is the incredibly beautiful grain all over the pipe. The grain is mainly tight Flame Grain all around the bowl, with super beautiful Bird's Eye on the bowl top and base. Note also the fancy saddle mouthpiece that Spanu created for this pipe; it kind of reminds me of some old English brands in their golden days. The mouthpiece seems to be as comfortable as they come, with a thickness of only 4.3mm, and it measures 18.5mm in width, offering the possibility of a good and comfortable clench. Last but not least is the double inserts Spanu used. You see, the shank has a thin, black, acrylic insert, while the mouthpiece has an even thinner, briarwood insert. Push the mouthpiece all the way in, and you get this very elegant, double insert, visually separating the shank from the mouthpiece, while bringing them together.

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Pipe Stamped: F3
Pipe Code: SP099 Price: CHF 450.00   Shape: Freehand Weight: 65g / 2-9/32 oz Chamber ø: 22.5mm --  Chamber Depth: 46mm --  Wall Thickness: 17mm --  Cleaner Passes?  Yes
COMMENT: I notice that I have used the term "Freehand" several times already, and I don't know if this is because I'm lazy, I'm losing my technical edge, or simply because indeed it is the only fair and accurate way to define these intricate and complex Spanu designs. I'm trying to convince myself that it is the last one, and I sure hope you agree with me. I was thinking of "Freeform Egg" for this pipe, but I realized that I was totally unsatisfied with that. However you decide to define the shape, I believe we can agree that it is simply a beautiful and unique shape, which should be the core of a true Freehand. The best way to see this as a Freehand is by looking at the pipe from the top of the bowl. You will notice that the outer wall (the one opposite the one that faces the shank) is not as thick as the others. It's kind of squashed in a little, and the curve created continues all the way from the bowl rim till the bowl base and kind of dictates the entry part of the shank. What I really love about the overall design is the very skillful and accurate bending of the pipe. Indeed, when you look at the pipe as a whole, you see how graceful it is. Everything fits perfectly, and the bent, saddle mouthpiece not only joins in harmoniously, but it also adds a discreet and yet evident touch of elegance of its own. The grain is clearly one of the major reasons why this pipe made it into this high Spanu grade. It is a blend of consistent Flame Gain, with some staggering Bird's Eye, particularly on the bowl top. The tobacco chamber is quite conical in shape, a feature that should make it easier for the tobacco to burn evenly and effortlessly all the way to the last shred.

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Pipe Stamped: F3
Pipe Code: SP128 Price: CHF 450.00   Shape: "Author" Weight: 70g / 2-15/32 oz Chamber ø: 22mm --  Chamber Depth: 41mm --  Wall Thickness: ->17mm --  Cleaner Passes?  Yes
COMMENT: The reason why I put the word Author between inverted commas is that I have never quite understood the true essence of the "Author". That is because I don't think it was one of those early classic shapes that were recognized and standardized by early pipe makers, such as Dunhill, but I could be totally wrong. I have always seen this shape, i.e., the Author, as nothing more than a Chubby Apple, which it is. For the sake for simplicity, I have used the term "Author" since it has become quite common and widespread, particularly in the past decade. This is quite a unique shape, and you won't believe how much wood it has. To say it's "Chubby" would be an understatement! Let me tell you more: the bowl is 52mm (2.1") tall and 36-46mm (1.41-1.81") in diameter. The total length of the pipe, with the mouthpiece in place, is 134mm (5.28"). The shank is quite conical in shape, starting at 24mm, at the bowl, and ending at 18mm at the mouthpiece. The tapered mouthpiece is rather short, which directly contributes to the unique looks of the shape. All this, however, has played a small role in the pipe's being in this high grade. The rest is due to the incredibly beautiful grain that you hopefully see clearly. What I find impressive that Spanu managed to create a potentially very comfortable mouthpiece to clench on, though the mouthpiece base is a rather large diameter. I'm saying this because the mouthpiece (the part that goes into the mouthpiece) is about 18mm (0.71") in width and a mere 4.5mm (0.18") in thickness.

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