Basket Pipes Revisited

mso489 · May 21, 2018

A basket pipe is a pipe that has been put into the pipe shop basket for discount sale. They're all thrown in there with a price tag, and you sort through them at will. What you find in the basket depends on the shop. Yes, a lot of the pipes are cheap assembly line pipes with plastic stems, hurried finishes, smallish bowls, and no brand or off brand, stamped from countries that are not known for great pipe making, mostly. But be careful. What's in the basket depends on the pipe shop. Many good pipe shops put some good pipes, some brand name, in the basket just because they've lingered on the pipe wall too long. Or you can pick up good seconds and other worthy pipes from time to time. In good pipe shops, always check the basket. The term "basket pipe" is nearly always deprecatory, but don't miss the opportunities in there. Sometimes there are gems among the dross.

agnosticpipe · May 21, 2018

I agree mso, my first pipe bought in 1982 was a "basket" pipe. It was a poker shape from Italy, possibly made by Savinelli. I still have it and it stills smokes great.

cigrmaster · May 21, 2018

Never bought one and never will. I see no reason to glorify pipes that gurgle, smoke hot and are pretty much pieces of crap. If you get one good one out of 10-20 the money you spend looking for a good smoker is more than just plunking down 75 bucks for a Savinelli.

cosmicfolklore · May 21, 2018

When you think about all of those really nice seconds pipes being sold as bucketpipes, you'd have to admit that not all bucketpipes are created equal. Bucketpipes start out at $80 at The Briary, and are made by various well known pipe factories. Not plastic stems at all. The lesser pipe shop in town sells Rossi and some Savinelli seconds as his bucketpipes. I have been in some pipe shops, where the bucketpipes were all pretty lousy looking, but not all places nor bucketpipes are created equal. Depending on the shop, you just might find a gem amongst the frey.

That said, I would judge harshly a pipe shop that offered $20-30 crappy plastic stemmed bucketpipes as their bottom line, which usually means they didn't raise the bar very high for themselves as a business.
Skip practically had to be forced to carry Missouri Meerschaum crap pipes at The Briary by one of our members of the pipe club. Come to think of it I think he may have stuck the display back in the back room, so no one will see it and judge him for carrying those things.

hoosierpipeguy · May 21, 2018

Basket pipes and MM may be gateway pipes for many smokers. My first pipe smoking experience was with a $1 cob and Borkhum Riff 45 years ago. I bought some Comoy seconds at a pipe shop in Evansville, IN fresh out of college when I didn't have any money to speak of. I've seen some college kids in pipe shops smoking a pipe, most of them don't have the means to spend much on a pipe. But they someday may be the generation spending money that helps keep our pipe smoking hobby/addiction going. When my first child got their license, I didn't start them out in a BMW 5 series either.

cosmicfolklore · May 21, 2018

The college kids I see at The Briary actually have more disposable income than me. I had to work my way through college... now, kids, cars, mortgage... I didn't have a hedge fund... dammit. : puffy

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cortezattic · May 21, 2018

If you're out and about, and something happens to your pipe (misplaced, inaccessible, broken, etc.), the cheap basket pipe is a welcome temporary fix.

hoosierpipeguy · May 21, 2018

The college kids I see at The Briary actually have more disposable income than me. I had to work my way through college... now, kids, cars, mortgage... I didn't have a hedge fund... dammit

I was in the same boat.

seanv · May 21, 2018

I found a lorenzetti in the basket at our local b&m here. I didn’t care for it much so I left it there. Since then it’s been bought but it’s nice to see that every once and a while you can find a diamond in the ruff

mso489 · May 21, 2018

I see two sides. Many pipes in baskets are not well made. They might fill in until you get home to your good ones, but they're nothing you'd want, even sitting in a drawer. However, if you are an experienced pipe buyer and know what you are looking at, some good pipes land in baskets in better pipe shops. So it's sort of a puzzle and a lottery. I always take a look when I'm at my local independent. Mostly George doesn't sell any outright clunkers, so I start ahead.

Chasing Embers · May 21, 2018

I see no reason to glorify pipes that gurgle, smoke hot and are pretty much pieces of crap.

Dunhill smokers would disagree.
Schwabb's in Kentucky used to sell Calabressi pipes for $35 a couple of years ago in the bucket. Had a nice selection of shapes, even churwardens. They make nice little smokers, and great work pipes.

aldecaker · May 21, 2018

"...he may have stuck the display back in the back room, so no one will see it and judge him for carrying those things."
I thought Skip at The Briary already had a devoted clientele. Who is he trying to impress?

cosmicfolklore · May 21, 2018

Aldecaker, there’s always new people coming in, but I merely projected a motive. Although, he did make remarks that led to my projection... with a chuckle. : puffy

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aldecaker · May 21, 2018

Gotcha. I just know some pipe smokers are weird enough that they'll buy a Dunhill one visit and a Rob Roy the next. :crazy:

mikethompson · May 22, 2018

I always thought basket pipes were a reference to being 'basket cases', meaning they were too far gone to smoke or restore. Learn something everyday I guess.

Chasing Embers · May 22, 2018

I just know some pipe smokers are weird enough that they'll buy a Dunhill one visit and a Rob Roy the next.

Not weird at all, they just realized the mistake they made on the first visit.

cosmicfolklore · May 22, 2018

I always thought basket pipes were a reference to being 'basket cases', meaning they were too far gone to smoke or restore.

Well, maybe I am using the term, wrong. If that is the case, I have never seen a basket pipe at a B&M. Most places wouldn't want to sell bad pipes, I would think. The Briary has the cheapest pipes on top of the counters on felt, and they have various countries of origins stamped on them, clearly seconds from bigger names, running just under $100, and some are made by a US "undisclosed" pipemaker in Tennessee I think, and he also has some nice cheap churchwardens made for him by another US pipemaker. The smaller pipe shop in our area has them actually in a bucket, and they are the Rossi and Savinellis, running about $50. Other pipe shops that I have been to carry seconds or no names for about $50 to 80.

There was one member who had posted pictures of a pipe shop in England he had visited that had a basket full of Petersons.
I have yet to see a basket full of $20 new pipes that the term "basket pipes" would be better suited. May be some out there, but I've just never seen it. It doesn't seem to make sense to offer an interested beginning pipe smoker a pipe that isn't going to keep their interest in smoking. That would seem to be taking chump change and burning the bridge, IMO.

seanv · May 22, 2018

The local b&m here has an actual basket of cheap Italian made junkers for $35 a piece. You can also ctually feel how low quality they are. However in this same basket I found a lorenzetti once.

I started with a cob as my first pipe. I’m glad I didn’t start with one of those basket pipes.

Chasing Embers · May 22, 2018

There was one member who had posted pictures of a pipe shop in England he had visited that had a basket full of Petersons.

Peterson as a Basket Pipe?

mikethompson · May 22, 2018

I'm kind of torn on the idea of basket pipes or junk pipes for the beginner. If they smoke too hot, or are too thin, or anything else, that will turn folks off the pipe in a hurry. But if they decide that pipe smoking isn't for them, they aren't out too much coin for the trouble.

Basket Pipes Revisited

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