I have gotten 6 new Petes in the last year, all new. Mix of 317s, 303s, and 999s. All are great smokers. With the exception of the one Dracula, all are military mounts, which I love. So much easier to pull the stem as soon as you're done with a smoke to clean everything, no waiting for the pipe to cool. In addition, even if the Peterson "system", or the more modest spit reservoir on the, don't stop a gurgle, I like being able to pull the stem mid-smoke and blow out the moisture from the stem and tip anything out of the reservoir. (Full disclosure, I guess I slobber like a hound dog).