A Piper's Guide: Stem Material 

I prefer acrylic stems. Wider array of colors and patterns, and are easier to maintain. I have some ebonite stems and I use various cleaners, polishing compounds and ebony oil to maintain them. That haven’t oxidized too badly, yet. I do wonder about the state of things in the airway, but it’s probably harmless. I use softy bits on both types of stems. More comfy, protects the teeth, and protects the stems.

What kind of pipe stem material do you prefer?

I was always curious about the maintenance of vulcanized stems. I just buy pipes with acrylic stems because they seem simpler to maintain but I have my eye on a few pipes that only have vulcanite stems. Are they that difficult to keep from oxidizing?