The price I'm willing to pay for any given pipe is dictated by the cost of Mrs. Cortez' (aka. Shoe Lady's) most recent purchase indulgence. (You won't find any cobs or Grabows in my rotation!) :rofl:
Pipe Prices
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So you are simply asking a Grabow and a Dunhill in hand, which I am going to smoke? Dunhill for sure if I am not going to pay for it
The thing is they are not in our hands but in the hands of the retailers.
Well, speaking as one who owns everything from Lamborghini to Yugo I can say that I get pleasure from all of them, have no real need for either end of the spectrum, and am fine with what I paid for any of them. That's the point.
A pipe is worth what someone is willing to bay. But. While all pipes can be used to burn tobacco, not all pipes can offer the same features, such as that comfortable bit that I mentioned earlier, that part of the pipe that Dunhill thought was the most important, that last magic inch. Some people don't care about the shaping of the bit and stem and for them, the added expense is a waste of money.
For some of us there is the esthetic element that adds to the experience, pipes as artisanship, the pleasures of a really good sandblast, for example. And, all of these factors affect the price of the pipe.
A pipe is worth what someone is willing to bay. But. While all pipes can be used to burn tobacco, not all pipes can offer the same features, such as that comfortable bit that I mentioned earlier, that part of the pipe that Dunhill thought was the most important, that last magic inch. Some people don't care about the shaping of the bit and stem and for them, the added expense is a waste of money.
For some of us there is the esthetic element that adds to the experience, pipes as artisanship, the pleasures of a really good sandblast, for example. And, all of these factors affect the price of the pipe.
Actually, I only have seven, and I started dealing with Bruce because he was going to make a pipe for my Dad before he died and some of Bruce's proceeds went to charity. Not to mention the fact that the last one I got from him was a gift, and I didn't pay a dime for it.
Guess which one lives in my car's glove box, and which one gets to stay in my pipe closet when I'm not smoking it.
Disclaimer - I have never owned a newer Dunhill. That being said, Dunhill is where I become confused as far as prices go. Educate me, please, but in my mind, Dunhill is just an overpriced Peterson. Machine made from less than top quality Briar, pre-turned stummel, pre-formed stems, etc. It seems to me that they charge hand carved prices for machined pipes. Again, I am strictly speaking of post 1968 pipes. What am I missing here?
I buy pipes based on a certain criteria which are very precise. The stem must be of the highest quality German Vulcanite. The pipe must smoke totally dry, never to need a pipe cleaner to dry it out. This comes from attention to detail in the guts of the pipe. It must smoke cool because of quality briar and quality construction. I get these quality pipes from certain carvers that I trust. I also have a certain price point I don't go over.
There are enough pipe makers out there who keep their prices reasonable to me. There are plenty others whose prices I just ignore no matter what the pipe looks like. I know I am not going to get a better smoker and I gave up chasing grain a long time ago. Give me a great blast all day.
There are enough pipe makers out there who keep their prices reasonable to me. There are plenty others whose prices I just ignore no matter what the pipe looks like. I know I am not going to get a better smoker and I gave up chasing grain a long time ago. Give me a great blast all day.
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