Ah, good talking points Peck.
I have both Taylor era (probably a better choice of words than "Taylor Made", which have two digit dates) and Jimmy Craig (three digit dates) pipes. This is only my sixth Taylor era pipe, so I'm certainly no expert. My date ranges are from 1998 to 2000. Pipepedia says Jimmy Craig was "producing" for Taylor in 2008 & 2009
There are several aspects of Ashton pipes that I find appealing:
- Shaping
- "Ashtonite" stem material. Jimmy Craig Ashtons are made with acrylic stems, which while durable, don't have quite the mouth feel.
- I like the way the oil-cured briar smokes
- Bill thumbed his nose at "the man" (Dunhill factory)
There are definitely some stinker Taylor era-pipes out there. Apparently, Bill was fond of having some adult beverages for lunch, so pipes made in the afternoon are joked about. My first Ashton wouldn't pass a cleaner (1998 2X Rhodesian Pebble Grain) and was a lousy smoker until I fixed it. My rest have all been drilled correctly and smoke very well. All were smoked estates save for my Old Church which was unsmoked.
I have issues with Jimmy Craigs stem fitment and at the last Richmond show, looked at many on his table. Of my two Craig pipes (three date digits), one stem is not flush and neither passed a cleaner. One is a near Oom-Paul shape, but a file made passing a cleaner possible. There's no excuse for the other, a 2X Rhodesian. Both smoke well, but not as good as my Taylor-era pipes.
I did check with the seller on this 2009 pipe and he tells me it passes a cleaner easily, a good sign.
Wish me luck!
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