Need info on Dunhill Pipe

[gandalfthewhite]

Just curious, Gandalf, have you ever actually smoked a pipe before? That probably came out more confrontational than I intended, but it's not something you just pick up a Dunhill and do. It takes practice and it's not for everyone.
It seems like you just want a Dunhill just to HAVE, not necessarily to SMOKE. If that's the case, mission accomplished. If I'm wrong and you're interested in enjoying a good smoke, you would do well to heed the advice already given.

I smoked an old peterson my uncle gave me when i was sixteen and smoked it till i was eighteen when I lost the bloody pipe. I want to start smoking again so i was looking pipe, Specifically dunhill because my grandfather charlie used to smoke one and talk about it all the time. So if i buy a new pipe to smoke i want a dunhill because it will remind me of him (that may seem very strange). Sorry if it may seem a bit weird.

 

[bentmike]

a used pipe that has been abused beyond the Geneva conventions by a mindless gorilla

-Hey sablebrush show some respect to our pipe smoking ancestors! :lol: Well maybe he was a gorilla but he had good taste in pipes!
Welcome to the forum Gandalf.

So if i buy a new pipe to smoke i want a dunhill because it will remind me of him (that may seem very strange).

That's not strange at all. I like Petersons because that's what my old man smoked. A Peterson was the first serious pipe I bought because of that. Finding a nice Dunhill estate is a waiting game that requires lots of patience but it can be done.

 

[rmbittner]

gandalf:
I think the issue is that it seems you're looking for the cheapest pipe you can find that has "Dunhill" stamped on the shank. I think that's the wrong approach, which is why these first two pipes are in such hopeless shape.
A good, smokeable estate Dunhill is likely going to cost upward of US$100. I've gotten some on eBay for a little less, but that was ten years ago. If you want a Dunhill worth smoking -- and one with a strong likelihood of staying with you the rest of your life -- then you need to be prepared to spend the appropriate amount of cash.
But as others have said: A Dunhill doesn't have to be your first pipe. (And it probably shouldn't be, unless you can find a good one at a crazy-low price.) Since you don't even know if pipe smoking is something you'll commit to, it would make sense to start with a pipe in the $50-75 range. (Yes, you can get a corncob for under $10. They're fine. They're just not something I'd ever praise.) This would be considered a lower-end pipe these days. But with that budget, you can get a smokeable pipe that you can "train" on -- learning how to pack properly, tamp when necessary, smoke slowly, clean and maintain, etc. And with the money you save from not buying a good Dunhill, you could pick up a wide range of tobacco blends to try, so you can figure out what the different styles are like and what your preferences might be.
So: My personal feeling is that if, as a new pipe smoker, you're willing to spend $100 to get started, your money would be much better spent on a less-expensive pipe and a good variety of tobacco blends than on a single pipe that just happens to have "Dunhill" stamped onto it.
For lower-range brands, I've been really pleased with the quality of modern Comoys and Stanwells. In the under-$100 range, I don't believe GBD is a good contender; Peterson is very good, but just hovering around this price point. I've been very surprised at the quality of the Trypis line from Canada, which starts at $35, I think. And there are literally dozens of no-name or house-branded pipes out there for less than $50 that provide a perfectly good smoking experience.
Bob

 

[dmcmtk]

Gandalf, I would agree with flmason, if a Dunhill is what you have your mind set on. Sorry about my earlier terse "No!", I had just woken up, and dark have been my dreams of late. I didn't want to see you make a mistake. Luckily, sablebrush52 fleshed things out. Good luck on finding a pipe you like, and welcome to the forum.
Dave

 

[sablebrush52]

Hi Gandalf,
I understand the sentimental aspect. If you're buying a Dunhill just to honor your pop, fine, nothing strange about that. If you don't really care whether you take up pipe smoking or not, just want to have a Dunhill then, as Bigvan says, mission accomplished.
If you want to take up pipe smoking and it HAS to be a Dunhill, then be prepared to spend the money for a good restored estate from one of the excellent dealers mentioned above instead of burnt out wrecks that will cause your lips to go gangrenous and to fall off.
Otherwise, buy a less expensive, but still good, pipe, a few cobbs, and explore some tobaccos until you have a good idea of what you like. Then buy a Dunhill and be able to enjoy it.
My apologies to the mindful gorillas. I meant no disrespect.

 

[andystewart]

Hi Gandalf. Welcome to the forum and to pipemania. I love my Dunhill but it took me a bloody long time to get there and it can't be the only pipe I own else I'll just knacker it out through overuse. I worked my way up through Petersons and Stanwells until a) I knew I would stick at pipe smoking and b) my PAD morphed into an obsession with Dunhill and I would have sold my children to own one! The desire to honour your Grandad is a great thing, but I doubt he started with a Dunhill and - as a seasoned pipeman - I'm sure he would have understood your move through other pipes first. Good luck mate and hopefully you have many years of enjoyment ahead!
Andy

 

[gandalfthewhite]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. I'll just start with a corn cob and work my way up. I will still keep searching but i think i will stretch my budget a bit.
Kind regards, Gandalf

 

[owen]

A very interesting thread on the mystique and allure of a Dunhill pipe. Does anybody not want one? They seem to be very much a right of passage pipe.

 

[sablebrush52]

Does anybody not want one?

I don't. But then, I smoke Barlings. ::