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quincy

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 7, 2013
508
10
...to find a Peterson System in smooth. Ideally I want a 303 but it seems like all the sites I check are out of stock and where they are available costs more. Sheesh. Oh! And I believe this is post 500!

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
Smokingpipes has a nice looking smooth 303 up right now for $124. Kind of pricey, but Petersons seem to have gotten a lot more expensive in the last year or two. I suspect that those cheaper, out of stock listings you find are from sellers that haven't updated their prices. $124 for a smooth system is right in line with other recent Peterson pricing, which pegs basic Arans at $100.

 

quincy

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 7, 2013
508
10
Is it just me or does $100 for an Aran seem absurd for what it is?

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
Is it just me or does $100 for an Aran seem absurd for what it is?

I don't think so - I think they were underpriced before. My Petes (all entry level ones) are all great smokes, the equals of my Ashtons, Dunhills, etc., just with a couple fills and minus fancier stemwork and banding. They're a reliably well-engineered pipe. And unlike many $50-$75 pipes, they're also decently sized - many of those cheaper pipes consistently come in under 3/4" in bowl diameter and look flimsy next to a Pete. Also, since Peterson sells a good number of higher-graded pipes as well, you could often find some very nice grain in their lower lines if you were lucky and/or patient. I have two Arans - a 606 Pot and a 69 Bent Billiard - with outstanding grain but one or two very minor fills that must have disqualified them from being Spigots or Sherlock Holmeses or whatever. I felt those were a steal at the ~$75 I paid for them new a couple years ago, but I'd buy a comparable pipe for $100 just as readily. Even at the new prices, I don't see other classic, English-style pipes offering the same value. Even a BC or Chacom costs close to $100 now, and I don't think they're nearly as nice as Petes are. Ashtons or Ferndowns are considerably nicer than Petes, but they're in a whole different price class than the $100 entry-level ones.
I guess the company felt the same way. Probably they were pushing the capacity of their operation, were selling through a ton of stock, and figured the demand was there for a price hike. But I'd love to hear any hard details if anyone knows them - I've been curious about this for a while. I can't say I'll be buying as many Petes as I used to at the new prices, but I think that a nice example of an Aran or Donegal Rocky is still worth the price at $100.

 

fmgee

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 26, 2014
922
4
How about ordering from Europe? I see Haddocks Pipe Shopin the Netherlands has one for just under $110 US. Of course there is shipping to consider.
Just noticed this one has a filter. Never seen a system with a filter before...

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
I often find that shipping small packages from the continent to the US is surprisingly inexpensive, so that might be a good option. That's a very nice straight grain on that 303 too - better than the birds-eye on the SP one that didn't carry through to the other side of the bowl. Good find.
edit: Just saw the edit on the filter. First I've ever seen that too, but you can clearly see the filter sticking out of the stem in the third pic.

 

fmgee

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 26, 2014
922
4
WHO MADE ME START LOOKING AT PIPE WEBSITES! I have a bucket of things I want now!
Anyhow did you one better. Smoke Kings in the UK has it for about $65 when you take of the VAT!
and of course the Peterson Racing Green's have caught my eye

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,700
16,209
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
The dollar is still weak and that affects the prices. It is strengthening so prices may change in a few months. Older inventory will have to be sold before any change appears at the retail level. That depends on whether or not American retailers want to pass on any savings realized on wholesale purchases. Other factors will probably prevent that though. Although, with the Arabs causing a drop in oil prices to slow fracking things may begin looking up in retail. Of course lower price per barrel means problems for my state's budget. Damn! It's always something.
I wish I'd paid more attention in econ class years ago. It's all so confusing sometimes. Whenever something occurs that could push prices down, something occurs in another sector to keep them up.
I guess it all boils down to, if you want the pipe pay the best price you can find now. Because, except for old volatile oil, retail prices in general almost never drop. Retailers understand that once customers are inured to a price then there is no need to lower it. Which makes sense as they can increase profit and savings a bit for when the landlord or supplier raises their prices. Then they can eat that increase and not raise retail for a while. This is all so convoluted! Just buy the darned pipe whenever you can at the best price you can find.

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
@fmgee - That Smoke Kings site looks to be using stock photos. I would never buy a Pete without an actual photo, as the quality of the grain varies so much. The Haddock's one looks like it's using actual photos, though I'd certainly check.
@warren - The rise in Peterson prices over the last couple years has been at least 25% - far beyond the impact of oil prices on wholesale shipping, especially for a small item that costs little to ship. Someone in another thread (I don't remember where) remarked that a Peterson rep (maybe?) made a comment that their price point was moving up so that the low end would be $100. Even if I'm misremembering that, this looks more like a company deliberately changing its pricing than a normal market fluctuation.

 

quincy

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 7, 2013
508
10
Didn't even think about the weakening of the dollar and how that would probably just starting showing up... Makes a lot of sense. And yes, I will fully agree that Peterson is generally a superior pipe for the $$. I just think that with most Arans they aren't worth it. Especially when you consider other ranges they make for a similar price point. The fact that a system standard is $20 more makes the Aran seem a little much for my taste. But that's my taste.

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
What other Peterson entry-level lines do you prefer, quincy? Just curious. For my taste, the Aran is my clear favorite among their smooth finishes. They don't always look spectacular online when they're new. But their color deepens nicely with use, becoming a deeper brown and less of a light reddish-brown while still maintaining excellent contrast. The better-grained examples end up looking really nice. I'd put my two Arans up against absolutely any other pipe in the $100-or-less class.
The other Peterson finish I liked was their Rock of Cashel line, which appears to be gone now. The rustication on those was sweet and very different than the Donegals. Kind of reminds me of a Castello Sea Rock, except for waaay less money. I have a Rock of Cashel 408 (big Author) that I love. I think it was less than $70 when I bought it a few years ago... a steal of a deal IMO.
edit: I do like the Ashfords I've seen recently too. Not sure if those are new or I just hadn't noticed them before. They're at the ~$150 price point, though, but I'll probably cave on one of them eventually.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,700
16,209
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
The almost terminally ill dollar is probably the prime cause of higher prices for European products right now. Couple that with poor economies in Europe and they have to make money somewhere. When I buy pipes in Dublin it's only because of the wide selection in Peterson's. The price is certainly higher there than what I would pay for the same pipe in the US. Ireland's high taxes, the value of the Euro, shipping and etc. all couple to raise prices in the US. Peterson simply can't sell enough product in Europe to make the profits they need. Therefore, we have have to carry our share of their economic misery.
Peterson is betting their company, wagering that the price rise will be acceptable to enough of the customer base that they can stay profitable. If they are wrong, the company will suffer and it will take years to recover the lost business. Or, they may not recover and then I will have no reason to venture into Dublin when I'm visiting Ireland.
I didn't mean to imply that oil prices were the singular cause of the price increase. Would that it were, then prices would level out or even drop with what the Saudis are doing at this time.

 
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