Do Pipe Factories Matter?

mso489 · May 12, 2018

Do pipe factories matter? Surely the French pipe industry centered at St. Claude but in other places in France as well, serves as a community and culture that preserves pipe making and marketing. Likewise, Italy, Denmark, Japan, the U.S., and other places, have their pipe factories, some clustered, some off by themselves, like Dr. Grabow in Sparta, N.C., or Missouri Meerschaum in Washington, Mo. I think the U.S. is down to five or six, maybe fewer -- the Brylon factory in New York, and the Medico/Yello-Bole factory (I think it is) near Tampa, etc. Meantime, the artisan pipe making world seems to be expanding, all over the pipe-smoking countries. Are factories important still? Do they provide a center and a base, especially for the general population of pipe smokers without huge outlay of cash and that tends toward OTC pouch and tub blends? How about those factories? Do you watch them with a protective feeling, or are you more focused on artisan makers? I feel like the factories, their craftsmen, and the industry are important to pipe smokers. What's your take?

mso489 · May 12, 2018

...Kaywoodie makes pipes somewhere, maybe Florida, but a fairly low volume it would seem. The Edwards Cigar plant use to makes pipes, among them Bentons that were the Iwan Ries house pipes, if I have that correct. I think they are about closed, maybe doing minimal production, so far as I know. Correct me if I'm wrong. The trend has been down since the 1960's, and plunged even more recently, like through the 1990's and beyond.
The slow interest in this thread, or absence of interest, sort of answers the question. Do pipe factories matter? Not so much. Probably artisan pipes, the estate market, and such factories as exist with briar and cobs, fill the demand, and factory closings don't dog pipe smokers that much. France and Italy, and Denmark, England, Germany and Japan fill the gaps, so far. The estate market is the real sleeper. I think it amazed people who were watching, that a used pipe is a desirable product. I think the acceptance and enthusiasm surprised many.

Chasing Embers · May 12, 2018

I only buy Artisan pieces and estate factory pipes, but factories are the major source of pipes. An artisan can crank out only so many per year, where a factory can produce hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions.

mrenglish · May 12, 2018

I think factory pipes still matter. With a few exceptions, the prices on them are much lower than artisanal pipes and the average Joe does not want to drop hundreds on a pipe, so companies like Dr Grabow and Briarworks fill that niche.

hoosierpipeguy · May 12, 2018

Pipe factories are irrelevant to a country's economy but are absolutely essential to every pipe smoker. Were the factories to cease to exist, there would be a severe shortage of pipes and the prices of artisan pipes would skyrocket. Very quickly, pipe smoking wouldn't be affordable to most people. Subsequently, pipe tobacco companies would close because there wouldn't be sufficient demand for their product. In other words, there would be a domino or ripple effect that would nearly make pipe smoking extinct.

pappymac · May 12, 2018

What about all the Italian pipes? Are they factories or "schools"?

mso489 · May 12, 2018

pappy', I don't want to be blithe about it, but for our purposes, I think the high production Italian and French pipes are factory pipes. Plenty of craftsmanship goes into them, and most of the experienced line workers could make a fine pipe, either walking it down the line and doing all the steps, or at home with tools of their own. I think to do the numbers of pipes they do, it has to be an assembly line. Those old traditions are schools, but the schools do factory work, to my thinking. If members know better, let us know and explain. Don't some of the brands turn out a half-million pipes or more a year?

seacaptain · May 12, 2018

Savinelli is the largest pipe manufacturer in the world, and they're definitely still relevant.
I do think the trend is toward artisan pipes though as pipe smoking becomes more of a niche hobby than a mainstream activity.

weezell · May 12, 2018

I do think the trend is toward artisan pipes though as pipe smoking becomes more of a niche hobby than a mainstream activity.

Lot of good ole boys still buying MM Cobs and Dr.Grabows out there. A lot of them being made and they are going some where...

disinformatique · May 13, 2018

Factories do matter !! Not everyone can afford an artisan made pipe. Also newbie pipe smokers need to start somewhere. People might not know who Micheal Butera is but they DO know about Savinelli.

anthonyrosenthal74 · May 13, 2018

I think the answer is quite simple. If factory pipes didn't matter, then Peterson and Savinelli, (etc. etc.) wouldn't be pumping out pipes by the thousands. Smokingpipes currently lists 1527 Savinelli and 1248 Peterson pipes. And that's just those two makers, and that's just what's listed on the website that will likely add more on Monday, and again Thursday, and sometimes more on another day. And of course that's just one retailer. Factory pipes are obviously important to them.

mso489 · May 13, 2018

Sometimes overlooked is that factory pipes, while not individual artistic expressions, are often wonderful examples of industrial design, products carefully and often exquisitely designed to be mass produced. Master carvers designed many of the pipes for pipe manufacturers. So factory pipes aren't categorically anonymously mass-produced but carry on distinguished traditions.

workman · May 13, 2018

I like factory pipes. The simple classic shapes appeal to me. The lines more than the finishes. For me, a pipe is a tool and I like my tools simple and functional.

mso489 · May 13, 2018

Some will take this as a plus, and others as a minus, but Dunhill pipes as we known them are nearly entirely factory pipes.

josephcross · May 13, 2018

For me factory pipes matter. They make up the entirety of my collection, especially estates. I think there are many fine artisan pipes out there and some of them I've lamented over knowing I cannot pull the trigger. For me I ask myself the question where does function end and art begin? Do I need to own a pipe that Im scared to smoke? I lean toward function over form and in turn it keeps money in my wallet. Its not to say that one day I wont own a nice artisan pipe, because there are many nice ones out there, but for now Im sticking with factory pipes.

lordofthepiperings · May 13, 2018

Pipe factories absolutely matter. I'd venture to say a large part of pipe sales is factory pipes. I've come to learn those of us here in the forum and those of us that attend the pipe shows who are big fans of artisan carvers are niche group within a niche hobby.
I've finally landed on what exactly I'm going to collect which is American carvers and Petersons. Looking to get the more higher grade Petes. I'll always have an affection for the brand because it was founded in Ireland by German immigrants and most of my family ancestry dates back to those two countries.
I will say it would have been interesting to be around in the 20s or 30s when these factories were cranking out near a million or maybe even more pipes a year.

dottiewarden · May 13, 2018

I feel like the factories, their craftsmen, and the industry are important to pipe smokers.

Certainly from my perspective. Despite the negative press, or perhaps slamming we sometimes hear around here on some specific factory brands, I'm more than satisfied with most of my Petes and I've never had an issue with a Chacom.
When I hear about pipes costing thousands of dollars, I know they weren't made for the likes of me!

fishnbanjo · May 13, 2018

Factory pipes matter a great deal since more smokers have begun their pipe smoking journey on at least one of those being offered. Yeah they may get hooked on something more expensive later but the factory pipe planted the seed. Cheers.

banjo

mso489 · May 14, 2018

I'm fascinated how Dr. Grabow and Missouri Meerschaum have hung on. Dr. Grabow sticks to making pipes and I think you have to contact them directly to learn about some of the special series they produce. Marketing is not emphasized, it seems, but they do have strong distribution continuing. MM is a little more urbane, near St. Louis as it is, and collaborates with Dagner, for example, and makes itself heard. As long as these two hang on, U.S. has some going pipe factories. There are others, but those seem to be receding ... or if I'm wrong, I'd be glad to hear about it. Hope not. Dr. Grabow is out in the country and goes its own way, but I can tell from the product, they love their pipes. And most pipe smokers love their MM cobs.

pappymac · May 14, 2018

mso - I think we actually agree. In my opinion, there isn't much difference between pipe schools and factories in Italy. It's where you find pipe carvers learning the trade and they stay in that environment until they reach the point of being artisans. Some of these places even have artisans.

Do Pipe Factories Matter?

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