Remodeled Mario Grandi

I recently traded an immense Mario Grandi poker of mine for a more modestly-sized Mario Grandi poker (this is Mario Grandi). You can see my old Mario Grandi in this video filmed at it's new home in beautiful Puerto Rico (the link will take you directly to a moment when the pipe is visible).

The new Mario Grandi is very elegant and beautifully finished, but it had a rustic lip lunging up above the edge of the bowl that I really wasn't a fan of. I took a picture with my mobile, but even then I was trying to hide the strange formation. Here it is.

I sent the pipe off to be "remodelled", and it has recently come back to me, beautiful as ever and highly smokeable.

Of course, grinding a sizeable hunk of briar off the top affected the balance of the pipe. It still sits on its bottom, but you can tell the balance is much more delicate, whereas before it sat strong and heavy. The bore of the bowl has also been revealed to be at a bit of an angle. Still, I think much improved, and I'll be putting this pipe at the top of my rotation for a while.