I feel badly about this and other quality complaints with Peterson. I bought all my Petes four or more (mostly more) years ago, and was also lucky. The only iffy one was a big rusticated author, and the complaints were vague, and the pipe finally broke in well, and now is excellent. I do not think the problems are specific to whether you buy high or low on the price scale. In fact, a number of complaints have come with Petes above the middle range, and some of my "lesser" pipes are among my best Petes. Peterson has enjoyed its venerable spot in the market and its appealing singular designs. They seem somewhat indifferent, or at least slow to respond, to their quality control problems. There is always a newbie willing to take a gamble or simply unknowing. I keep thinking Peterson will wake up to the fact that they can re-invest in quality at little or no extra cost and revive their reputation, but I keep reading these complaints. I guess Peterson is doing well and that's that, until they aren't.