Has Peterson Quality Really Declined?

[saltedplug]

Yes, they do make good factory pipes, but any company that has to be forced to stop dipping their bowls gets none of my business. I've read many times about guys having to smoke a dipped bowl over and over to rid it of foul-tasting die. I have one, and it was a gift.

 

[disinformatique]

I have a Peterson Aran 150 bought June 2014 and a Peterson B35 Christmas 2014 and both have zero flaws in terms of engineering and craftsmanship. I think Peterson's are just sending a lot of crap to the American market. Both of mine are from the UK and I am quite happy with them.
Chris

 

[deathmetal]

More likely what you are seeing is that the value of $200 has declined, forcing manufacturers to keep up... look at Pelikan for comparison and how their prices are more realistic than at the low end these leaky cartridge fillers, and at the high end, the somewhat overpriced boutique brands.

 

[samon]

For the sake of referrence, this is my Peterson Donegal x105 from 1973. I wonder what they look like now..?

Deep, handsome rustication and lush dark reds in the briar. I'll sort the oxidised mouth piece sometime.. soon.

 

[mso489]

As posted earlier, I have five or six Petes, enough -- and I've been lucky with no quality control problems. If I didn't have Petes, I'd find the distinctive designs pretty tempting. If you just don't want to risk disappointment, go for an estate pipe that goes back more than ten years, and buy it from a reputable dealer who is accountable, like estate pipes from our site sponsors, and inspect the pipe closely before you smoke it. Petes of recent manufacture are pipes I wouldn't recommend anyone buy from ebay right now. If you get a good one, they are excellent. I've never had one dunked in stain or otherwise poorly finished or drilled. If you want to buy a new one, possibly phone the retailer instead of buying online, and see if you can have a pipe selected and inspected while you are on the phone (or ask the staff to call you back with a potential pipe in hand). With a new Savenelli, Nording, Stanwell, Chocam, BC, Johs, etc., I just don't feel that degree of skepticism. You can pull a clunker, but it would be really surprising.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I just want to comment on a few things. I don't actually own any Peterson pipes.
First, I'm guessing there is a fair bit of negativity toward Peterson just because they don't carve their pipes anymore.

This looks like pretty much the same situation as between new and old Stanwell and Rattray's pipes, but at least Peterson didn't go the full nine yards and close the factory.

The interesting thing is for all we know quality control may have improved (if the person grading the stummels hasn't changed their practices then the end product should be no different), but if the Internet says things are bad it snowballs pretty quick.

Not that I particularly care. Personally, QC is almost secondary to knowing who worked on my pipe from start to finish (thus my stubbornness in continuing to look at British pipes).
Secondly, if someone thinks that a pipe is drilled too high, specifically a bent pipe, they should look at the angle that it was drilled at. Some pipes "look" like they were drilled off but it's simply a matter of the angle of approach to the bowl, and the fact that they didn't leave a mark at the bottom may actually be positive.

Stick the back end of a drill bit in your draft hole and see how much space there is at the bottom, that will tell you if it's drilled high.
Thirdly, inflation sucks.

In my most favorite hobby, videogames, it's interesting to look at charts of the "adjusted for inflation" value of game systems. Nintendo kept the $200 price point for almost 20 years, their first home console was the most expensive that they ever produced because everything until 2006 carried a launch price of $199. Eventually the practice hurt them (along with various other factors) but the price barrier mentality is certainly not something to underestimate.

Your $200 pipe today is a $150 pipe from the year 2000. Ironically the bottom end of the scale adjusts fastest, when your product is based on having the lowest quality there's nothing left to cut, you have to increase prices as the dollar inflates, but at higher prices they can slowly skimp and cut until someone compares the same line today with what it was 20 years ago and you realize what it's actually worth.

I haven't been tracking the price of pipes over the decades, but in other hobbies where I know various companies adjust for inflation yearly, $100 items from ten years ago have increased in price by about $40 (same materials, location of manufacture, and extremely consistent quality).

 

[frankielad]

Having bought a new Peterson Donegal Rocky 05 from Greens of Leeds in February of this year

I followed the correct procedure for breaking it in. Up until two weeks ago it was still gurgling

and still getting extremely hot. Paul Green the owner said for me to send it back noting my

concerns, and that he would return it to the importer for the UK Gawith Hoggarth. The other day

I received a new pipe same model from Gawith Hoggarth ( thank you very much ). So started breaking it in

this one is exactly the same gets very hot very quickly and gurgles, I have other more high end

Petersons and estates which smoke great, I think that they must be using inferior quality briar in the lower end

pipes, saying lower end you can pay upto £60 for one of these pipes which is not exactly cheap.

Is anyone else experiencing this with Petersons ?.

 

[pylorns]

What are you smoking in that pipe? Does that same tobacco in another pipe not produce any gurgle?

 

[leadtungstate]

I have 3 Petersons over the years and all of them are dedicated to english blends.

The first is a rusticated Darwin. This is actually the best performing pipe I have. It smoked excellently from the very first time. Very easy to break in and very well engineered. The only problem that I encountered is that it is an army mount and the shiny metal piece in the edge of the shank fell off. I just had to stick it back with some supermarket glue and that's it, it is still there after several years. Given its superb performance this is really minor.

The other two is from the Sherlock Holmes series Mycroft and Hansom. They are both good and Mycroft is still one of my favourites. But I wouldn't consider them as superb smokers.

 

[redpanda]

I bought a $ 160, brand new sandblasted Pipe of the Year 2013 with the silver band with C .Peterson's portrait on it, and I am sorry to say this, I know there are many fans here, but it was one of the worst pipes I'd had. While it was built like a tank and it was very comfortable to clench, it smoked terribly wet,it would be dripping everytime I would finish a bowl, and it did not taste good no matter what i put in it. I had to sell it, and one good thing about Peterson's- they hold their value ! I have never had a $200 or above Peterson,so I can not speak of that.

 

[dude]

I have a 2 Peterson pipes, a Kinsale XL26 that I was given as a gift in 2003 or so, and a Kinsale Xl12 I bought new last week. So not alot of time between them in the scheme of things, but they smoke the same. But when I look at pictures of newer XL12s, they don't look as nice as mine, I mean the shape looks different.
And they are not even close to my best smoking pipes. but I like the shapes.

 

[foggymountain]

It sure has. They no longer have any pride in their product.

 

[deathmetal]

I haven't been tracking the price of pipes over the decades, but in other hobbies where I know various companies adjust for inflation yearly, $100 items from ten years ago have increased in price by about $40 (same materials, location of manufacture, and extremely consistent quality).

I have observed the same thing. Americans are getting a lesson in the difference between money backed by demand and money backed by production.

 

[rfernand]

I must have gotten lucky in 2015 then, with all this perceived quality decline.
I received both a St. Patrick's Day (01) and a Christmas pipe (106) and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. They are modest pipes, not unlike The Killarneys. and the sandblasting/stain pairing in the 106 is quite interesting. Stem and drill holes align perfectly.
The 01 smokes great. Ask me about the 106 on Boxing Day.

 

[didimauw]

My Peterson Christmas 2012 Rhodesian I purchased in 2012 was not a great pick. The Stamp where it says Peterson, is fading terribly, the shank hole is not straight, and it still smokes wet. I bought it the same year my daughter was born, so I will not be getting rid of it, I just need to smoke more half bowls out of it I guess. I won't be buying any more new Petersons.

 

[jmd110]

I purchased a Claddagh X105 in 2011. This pipe has been smoked 3-4 years. I noticed a vertical crease inside the bowl a month ago. I reamed it out and on the bottom of the crease side very heavy carbon. Inside the bowl the crease didn't go away. Then I saw the crease on the outside. The bowl has no grain and is stained dark on the crease side. Gradually the bowl defect is indenting through the lacquer. The bowl is gradually cracking from the top down, a defect in the briar. The pipe is no longer for sale. My first burnt out briar after 5 years of pipe smoking.

 

[warren]

Briar can be fussy. One never knows what is a thin micron away under the surface until you start cooking tobacco in it.

 

[fitzy]

I've got an older Peterson pipe and it smokes well. For a while I've wanted a spigot but with all the problems with Peterson I'd rather give my money to Savineli and know I'm getting a great pipe for the money.

 

[4etecjonathan]

I own several Peterson Pipes valued from the low end standard system's up to the silver capped pipes. I am HAPPY with ALL my pipes!!! I can find nothing wrong with any of them.They all smoke well , much better than some other way more expensive pipes including a Dunhill and some other HIGH END makes. People will always find faults in everything no matter what it is that's just part of living.
Just Remember; Opinions are like assholes everyone has one. Nothings perfect You use and enjoy what you have and stop trying to find fault's in everything!!!
Jon

 

[fordm60]

I currently have fivenPeterson pipes. Two came from Smokingpipes. com, two estates from fleabay, and one from a local B&M. All are very good smokers, drilled correctly and I love them! I have a Walnut Spigot 68 showing up on Friday and I bet it will be good to go also, because two people, Jessica and Mark, at smokingpipes.com checked it for me just in case. My favorite pipe shape above all others is the 68. Not trying to disparage what the other posters have indicated. I am an example of no issues with my Peterson pipes, and I will be buying more.