Is there any justification for the high price of Dunhills. I love the classical shapes, and if I want a better made English pipe, I shop Ashton and Ferndown. Of course I am no stranger to Dunhill aquisivity, but it would seem that being 70%? machine made, how can they rival 100% handmade artisans?
I know how to evaluate all that is important about a pipe, and I know a lot more than when I started. But I'm guessing that beyond checking the draw and mortise/tenon junction, etc., there are probably many other things that someone with more experience than I would assess. What are these things, the little things. For instance when I bought my Askwith morta, I was assured by the vendor that many of these little things were present in an Askwith pipe than would be present in a Former.
Getting back to Dunhill how can machine manufacture do as good a job as an artisan could do?
You see, I'm shooting in the dark, asking questions whose answers can only be answered with experience I don't have. Your patience, please, and then give me your knowledge.
I know how to evaluate all that is important about a pipe, and I know a lot more than when I started. But I'm guessing that beyond checking the draw and mortise/tenon junction, etc., there are probably many other things that someone with more experience than I would assess. What are these things, the little things. For instance when I bought my Askwith morta, I was assured by the vendor that many of these little things were present in an Askwith pipe than would be present in a Former.
Getting back to Dunhill how can machine manufacture do as good a job as an artisan could do?
You see, I'm shooting in the dark, asking questions whose answers can only be answered with experience I don't have. Your patience, please, and then give me your knowledge.