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davidy97

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 20, 2017
148
161
Tx
I’m looking at the Sara Eltang line of pipes for my next purchase. Do any of you have an opinion, experience or review of this line of pipe? Any help, good or bad, is appreciated.

 
She is merely designing the pipes. You are mostly paying for the name. They are French factory made pipes, with comparable other French pipes being much cheaper. But, if you want the name on a pipe, then go for it. But, if you are just wanting a great smoker, you might look into other factory made pipes that don't have a famous last name. FWIW

 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
They are French factory made pipes, with comparable other French pipes being much cheaper.
?
"The purpose of the Sara Eltang line is to introduce a brand of affordable and well smoking pipes that falls within the level of quality my workshop represents.

The design and engineering of the pipes will have the same level of attention as you will find in any of my “Eltang”-pipes. However, the grain might not be quite as perfect and the shapes will not demand hours and days of handcarving.

I will use hand finished acrylic mouthpieces on all Sara Eltang pipes.
All Sara Eltang pipes is made in my workshop and they are all finished by me. Often I make the pipes from start to finish, but sometimes I get help in the initial phase of the production."


http://www.eltang.com/sara-eltang

 
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Yeh, :::sigh::: I will only say that "people in the know" have told me that they are all made in France, as well as Eltang's pipes, except for a handful of his really rare handmades. I would challenge him to post himself, as himself that this is a lie. As reported by many Danes in the pipe world, there are no pipe factories still functioning in Denmark as I keep hearing and understand.

 
I think that the major problem with companies doing this, is that we don't know for sure when (or if) they might change countries of origin. How do we know if he might have some made in Poland, or maybe he might decide to order some made in China. And, lets say they decide to go legit and actually pay workers and tariffs and such to have a Danish factory, how would we trust them?

 

alexnorth

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 7, 2015
603
3
That's a real bummer of it is so, cosmic. I've seen some vids with Tom Eltang and he seems to be a nice enough guy. Produces some really nice looking pipes too!

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Like designer jeans, I think designer pipes are probably not any added value. However, I am a proponent of French pipes. Dollar for dollar, they are mostly excellent values. Chacom, BC, Genod, Villiard, EWA, and others are well above their price points in quality for fit, finish, design, durability, and smokeability. Then if you can buy them on a sale, they are just extraordinary deals. Love my French pipes. Just don't pay extra for a designer name.

 

rhoadsie

Can't Leave
Dec 24, 2013
414
20
Virginia, USA
Read down the thread for swilford (Sykes) opinion...
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/how-much-will-you-pay-for-a-fraized-pipe

 
Tom makes those pipes by himself.

I just find this hard to believe. But, I haven't seen anything with my own eyes, just trusting the words of people in "the biz." Ha ha, would I swear on a stack of Bibles? nope. So, there's enough of a shadow of doubt, that if you trust them, then buy what you like. Same goes for Dunhills, and the rest of them. Are they worth the money to you?

 

briarblues

Can't Leave
Aug 3, 2017
378
563
Cosmic, I'd be very interested to know who these "people in the know" might be. Tom has worked with Chacom on design and creation of Chacom with Eltang design pipes. Sara Eltang pipes are not designed by Sara. Sara is Tom and Pia's ( Tom's wife) daughter.
In Tom's shop there is no "fraising" machine. My understanding is / was that the Sara Eltang pipes were made by Tom, and 1 or 2 other fellows working with Tom in his shop. The Sara line comes fitted with Lucite stems as opposed to hand cut Ebonite stems that are on Tom's hand made pipes.
I think sometimes we forget that Tom has been involved with pipes for more than 50 years. From his time with Suhr, ( Poul Rassmussen / Anne Julie ) to his years with Stanwell, and beyond.
davidy97 - if you want to get the low down, call the Danish Pipe Shop and ask to speak with Tom himself.
Regards

Michael J. Glukler

 
I wasn't the one who mentioned the frazing. That was on another thread.

Even if just a rumor, the idea is ubiquitous enough that if I had not posted it, someone else would have.
But, I think that it's one of those ideas that does make you think... before spending $500 on a pipe, if you were excited about a pipe in the beginning, if you find out that someone else makes the pipes, does that sway your opinion on spending $500 on the same pipe?

I had made a post years ago about Beckers. I posted the question that if you'd pay $800 on a Becker, if we found out that it was really made by his son and a team of guys, would that dispel your pixie dust about that pipe? Then we found out that his son was making his pipes and had been for a while.
Becker, Nording, Eltang, I've heard all of this from the same sources. Nording and Becker confirmed. So, you can see where some of us will still hang onto the Eltang idea. :puffy:
But, there's always doubt.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
if you find out that someone else makes the pipes, does that sway your opinion on spending $500 on the same pipe?
It would sway me. When Bruce is doing a commission for me, I get progress pics from his shop, and know he's shaping it with his own hands. $500-$800 is easily spent knowing who the pipe is coming from. If a carver says they are doing it, and are not, that's false advertising and a deal breaker for me.

 

swilford

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 30, 2010
208
730
Longs, SC
corporate.laudisi.com
She is merely designing the pipes. You are mostly paying for the name. They are French factory made pipes, with comparable other French pipes being much cheaper. But, if you want the name on a pipe, then go for it. But, if you are just wanting a great smoker, you might look into other factory made pipes that don't have a famous last name. FWIW
Here we go again. My response last time this came up is still applicable (http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/how-much-will-you-pay-for-a-fraized-pipe). This assertion simply is not true.
I have literally watched Sara Eltang pipes being made. I'm intimately familiar with the processes involved. I've spent, cumulatively, somewhere around three weeks in and around Tom Eltang's workshop in the past decade, a couple of days per year. Add Shane Ireland, Ted Swearingen and other Smokingpipes.com people to that total, and we've probably spent months collectively with Tom in and about his workshop.
I don't know who these mythical 'people in the biz' who have pretense to knowledge, but are both sufficiently uninformed to spread incorrect information and sufficiently malicious to to just run around and say nasty things about good people, but, seriously, they should just stop doing such things. It isn't nice. And it isn't true. Clearly, this 'person in the biz' or 'person in the know' failed all of the important lessons in preschool.
Specifically to Sara Eltang, they are fraized (see previous post on commentary about fraizing) by Tom (or helpers from his workshop) at Former's workshop because Tom and Former share the copy fraizer and Former has, at present, more space for it. They're finished in Tom's shop, mostly by Tom (some steps others can do; some steps only Tom does).
Sara's involvement was the design of the logo. That's it. She's a clothing designer. Tom, Pia, Sara, Smokingpipes.com, no one claims that Sara designs them. He used her name for the project and she thought it a cool idea. End of story on Sara.
So, seriously, can we please put this to bed? What's next? Faked moon landings?
Sykes

 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
Read down the thread for swilford (Sykes) opinion...
Good link back to an older thread. I think if I had the money to spend, and saw something that caught my eye, I'd feel very comfortable buying a Sara Eltang pipe.
Sykes, thanks for the post above.
:)

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
Regarding the Stokkebye 4th Generation Pipe of the Year models made by Tom Eltang with a "TE" stamp, is it fair to say that these are basically rebranded Sara Eltang pipes? Probably fraised and with acrylic stems. I have a couple Sara Eltang pipes already and think they were an excellent value, but I don't have a Tom Eltang pipe to compare them to. Great smokers with quality construction and finish at a relatively affordable price. I actually prefer the acrylic stems, too.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
A pipe being made by a woman or minority has such novelty value.
Then again, that value does not persist, so I'd avoid this investment.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I love the look of this pipe, the shaping is amazing to my eye. Unfortunately it comes with an acrylic stem. For 500.00 I expect hand cut vulcaniite.
https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/sara_eltang/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=264757

 
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