I purchased the McDonald Bulldog new almost a year ago on the opening Friday night at the Chicago show along with three other pipes.

As many people know, I am a big fan of Adam Davidson, primarily because I think his industrial design training, sense of humor, creativity, and craftsmanship combine to produce pipes that are singularly unique in a field where it is very difficult to tell one pipemaker’s work from another. Almost all of Adam’s work reveals an aesthetic point of view and design philosophy that keeps his work from feeling derivative.

This particular pipe is almost a caricature of the nosewarmer concept. At first glance, the exaggerated proportions, beefiness, and matte black color combine to place this pipe squarely in the mug of a tugboat captain working in a Batman movie. Further examination evidences simplicity of line, mastery of transition, and compositional balance. One sees the echo of frustum cut in the black palm shank decoration. The sandblast style evokes a bronze casting surface. The color is pure anthracite; the pipe looks like it might have been turned from a large chunk of coal.

One of this pipe’s best features is its ebonite mouthpiece that was handcut from ebonite rod better than one inch in diameter. The shank steps down in a series of convex and concave curves to arrive at a black-mirrored ramp that flows like molten licorice to a 4mm thickness at the button.