Are unbranded pipes automatically crap?

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judcasper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
306
14
I appreciate you must get this type of post from newbies so many times, so apologies if I'm going over something that has been covered elsewhere (feel free to link me if so). I'm also conscious people will start to lose patience with my constant hunt for cheap pipes. This is not a refusal to accept the philosophy of 'Cheap pipes aren't good and good pipes aren't cheap'. It is merely governed by lack of funds.
Anyway, enough rambling. My question is, should unbranded pipes be dismissed without question? I found this on ebay. New, ebony wood, looks nice although the images have clearly been lifted off the net and not the sellers own, but can anyone give this a quick once over and explain to me the red flags. I know without being told that no one here would buy this, but what I need to know for my own sake, is why.
Thanks in advance.
Ebony pipe
And this: Hand made pipe

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
The answer to your question in short is, no. Some of my best smokers are "no name" pipes, that being said I would stay away from the cheap pipes that aren't made of briar. You can certainly get good pipes that are made with other woods but I'd stay away from the cheapies. If you are looking to go that cheap I would suggest getting a cob instead otherwise you can easily find a good briar pipe in the $20 range.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,831
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Not always. I have a couple of basket pipes that worked well and a couple that were true basket cases. Generally, basket pipes are machine made from cheaper materials with as little cost as possible, but that doesn't necessarily preclude them from functioning competently as a pipe. With this level, it's more of a matter of luck of the draw.

 

spartacus

Lifer
Nov 7, 2018
1,022
795
Mesa, Arizona
I agree with the other posts from sable and hawky. My first pipe was a basket pipe I grabbed not knowing what I was doing. After some research it turned out to be a free pipe given out when you purchased a particular cologne. It smokes OK. The draw hole is too big. It worked and served its purpose.

 

judcasper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
306
14
So, the two pipes I've linked to. Is there anything concrete - other than the price - that should be screaming 'avoid' to me?
I know to avoid pipes with metal baskets in the chamber as this usually denotes a plastic bowl, but if the ebony/rosewood claims are genuine on these pipes, would I truly be a sucker for taking a punt??
[...] otherwise you can easily find a good briar pipe in the $20 range.
Something along these lines?
Budget briars

 

yaddy306

Lifer
Aug 7, 2013
1,371
502
Regina, Canada
Flag #1: lack of clarity regarding what kind of woods they are using. "Wooden wood" isn't very specific. Are they "ebony" and "rosewood", or are the stains simply ebony-colored and rosewood-colored?
Flag #2: no mention as to what the stem is made from.
Flag #3: low cost and Made in China.
Flag #4: clearly machine-made but with some rustication, but claimed to be "hand made".
Flag #5: seller apparently doesn't know how they work, as demonstrated by the instructions: "It is recommended to make a simply clean after use a half pack of cigarettes, if you feel tight when smoking, so it is time to clean."
Flag #6: the "hand made" pipe is 129 grams.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Like many others, I'd have to say not always. The cheaper pipes tend to have a lot less attention given to them over the average priced pipes. You could buy 10 cheapies and have all of them smoke great, all of them smoke horribly, or have a 50/50 split.
You just don't ever really know for sure until you buy it and smoke it, but I've heard some guys say they had one of their best pipes be a $10 basket pipe. It really just depends on the pipe at that price point.
I'd like to say that the odds of picking a good smoker increase significantly the more you pay, but try saying that to a guy that spent $500 on a pipe that smokes like garbage. Even in the higher price range, stinkers exist, but on the whole, a lot less often than cheap pipes.

 

irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,146
3,762
Kansas
Can't speak specifically to the types of pipes mentioned in the OP but I have 2 no names I like well enough to have in regular rotation and 1 I smoke on occasion. like the looks of them and their smoking qualities.

 

judcasper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
306
14
Also, if the pipes you linked to are actually made of real rosewood, see this thread:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/rosewood-warning
If they are actually made from real ebony, see this link:

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipes_in_Other_Woods
Mmm, thank you for the heads-up - especially on the rosewood thing. You may have saved me from a bout of illness!

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,337
Have you considered Molina pipes for a budget briar?
https://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/index2.php?mod=category&man=492&cat=67

 

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,033
14,644
The Arm of Orion
Don't buy a pipe made in China. Just DON'T.
Unless they're in this kind of league, Chinese pipes are crap. Dubious make, dubious quality, and dubious components. Remember all the pets that got intoxicated years ago because the Chinese-made pet food had melamine?
Even when it comes to cheap pipes such as cobs: stay away from Chinese cobs and others of unknown origin. Stick with Missouri Meerschaum and Old Dominion (although, Old Dominion cobs aren't really that cheap).

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
Something along these lines?
Budget briars
There looks to be some good ones there but it's really hard to tell over the internet until you've had more experience handling them. When I first started smoking a pipe, I was looking for the cheapest pipes I could find and I found one "hand carved" pipe on Amazon and it looked like a masterpiece to me, it was made of pear wood and at the time I didn't know any better so I bought the pipe. Turned out to be a flipping joke of a pipe but I keep it around as a reminder. A lot of these cheap pipes are appealing to beginners because they look a lot like more expensive pipes, right? Let me ask you this, how much (in USD) are you wiling to pay for a pipe? If I know this, maybe I can be of a bit more help? Also, do you have any brick and mortar shops near you? As a beginner it really helps to handle a pipe before buying it, you can tell a lot about a pipe by feel alone.
If you are willing to buy Estates (and clean them up yourself) I would look at something like this:
Dr. Grabow
Be patient and loo around for sales. Last year I got four brand new Stanwell pipes (One of my favorite factory pipe brands) for $10 a pipe! They smoke excellent, all four of them.

 

judcasper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
306
14
Have you considered Molina pipes for a budget briar?
As of now, even that's out of the question. In all honestly I think have to accept that, lucky finds aside, I'll have to either chance it with an ebay/amazon cheapy (or one of those budget briars I linked to) or simply put this hobby on the shelf until a later date.
Don't buy a pipe made in China. Just DON'T.
No, I think I've established that much. It's not until you delve deeper into the seller, though, that you learn it's from China. At least one of those I linked to in my OP, the item location is marked as the UK.
If you are willing to buy Estates (and clean them up yourself) I would look at something like this:
Dr. Grabo
I'm in the UK, @hawky, so buying from the US is pretty much out of the question. Postage is often three times the price of the pipe.
Also, do you have any brick and mortar shops near you?
I'm not familiar with this term, but I'm guessing it's what we call brick-a-brack shops. There's a couple, but they very rarely get pipes in. I'm going to have a hunt to see if there's any car boot sales or flea-markets scheduled close by.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Take a spin around antique stores as well. I almost always find a few laying about there. Some are in almost total states of disrepair, but a lot are decent. I've seen a lot the past few weeks that I'd easily buy and clean up. Worth a shot, anyways. Oh, and if you do happen upon a good antique shop, always, always, check the glass cases. That's where I typically find most of the nicer antique store finds.

 

judcasper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
306
14
Oh, and if you do happen upon a good antique shop, always, always, check the glass cases. That's where I typically find most of the nicer antique store finds.
Will do. Thanks for the tip.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
It helps in buying basket or other unbranded pipes if you have looked, in person, at mid-range and high end pipes, to get a sense of what quality looks like. Even a good basket pipe may not look just like this, but it will give you an idea. Some of the basket pipes I've picked up were unfinished Savinellis and similar good brands. You just never know what you'll find, but some of it is good, very good, or better than that, if you can pick it out. You can assume most cheapies are not very good, so start there.

 
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