For me, Bulldogs are a love it or hate it affair (the pipe shape, to be clear), and more often than not a hate it affair. When I come across one I'll find myself judgementally tipping my head to the side, furrowing my eyebrows, narrowing my eyes, and superiorly puffing out a "Hmph!" to myself.

Now, let me be clear. There may be objectively well designed Bulldogs that just don't do it for me. The thing is, I don't care if they're objectively good if I don't like them. I'd rather forget what people tell me I should like and just like what I like. I just find life is far less complicated with this appoach.

With that in mind I tackled a Bulldog (insert dad joke here that I only redacted for the sake of my family's honor). I wanted to keep things sharp and muscular as I think the best examples of this shape do so. To that effect I carried lines and angles through the design to maintain a cohesiveness throughout the design. In other, less pretentious words, I tried to design out the awkwardness that seems to me to plague this shape. 

You'll notice our signature heel on this one as well, and I think in this case it does a fantastic job of bringing a level of balance to a bowl shape that's otherwise so visually dominant. The diamond shank carries into the saddle stem (note the saddle transition is angular to match the diamond shape) and cleanly tapers off.

Perhaps you're tipping your head, and furrowing your eyebrows, and squinting your eyes, and saying "Hmph!" (or worse) at this interpretation. Or, you may be (correctly, if I may be so bold) enjoying what you see here. In either case this would be a fantastic pipe for you–either to enjoy as is or to help broaden your aesthetic horizons (again, if I may be so bold).

Specifications:

• Material: Briar
• Stem: Hand cut Olive Gray ebonite
• Length: 4.75 in.
• Weight: 1.36 oz.
• Chamber Depth: 0.99 in.
• Chamber Diameter: 0.71 in.
• Finish: Black over a Light Bark rustication

South Dakota residents will be charged 4.2% sales tax in addition to any applicable municipal taxes