For Crying Out Loud!

lonefrog615 · Dec 25, 2016

Warning: Rant.
I just recieved my first Castello pipe as a wonderful gift from my lovely fiance. She picked out the most beautiful #10 KK Castello grade. I was floored at such an amazing gift!

.....until inspection time.

The entire tobacco chamber is drilled noticeably off-center. The right hand wall is quite noticeably thinner as a result. It's a frickin Castello for crying out loud! I have seen pipes with poorly located draught holes, seen pipes with poorly aligned tenons, but never NEVER have I seen a pipe where the whole gosh darn chamber was off center! And in what was to be the most expensive pipe in my collection!!!

Mr. Scotti is turning over in his grave!
I wish I could march right down to the Castello workshop and slap this pipe down on the barrelhead in front of Mr. Coppo and ask him again how "every Castello has to be perfect."
Grrrrrrr

As a side note I am pretty upset with the folks over at Smokingpipes for allowing this pipe to go out the door! I am confident they will take the return without hassle (as they always have) but this could have easily been avoided on their end by even the most brief of visual inspections.

bluegrassbrian · Dec 25, 2016

Post up a pic (if you can) so we can share in your dismay.

lonefrog615 · Dec 25, 2016

I can't figure out how to post pics. How do you do it?

ashdigger · Dec 25, 2016

If you purchased it from SmokingPipes..... didn't you look at the pictures of the pipe?

bluegrassbrian · Dec 25, 2016

Lonefrog, I sent you a pm.
Digger, it sounds like the pipe was a gift..perhaps close inspection prior to delivery wasn't possible.

lonefrog615 · Dec 25, 2016

It was a gift from my fiance so she probably didnt think to examine the picture on the website for such a flaw.

bluegrassbrian · Dec 25, 2016

Here are 3 pics frog sent to me..

lonefrog615 · Dec 25, 2016

Thank you for helping with posting the pics BluegrassBrian. I am a little computer impaired!

ssjones · Dec 25, 2016

Unfortunately, I've seen some mis-drilled Castellos at a shop on my travel route. I love the Shape #10, good luck on the replacement, I'm sure they'll take care of you.

pagan · Dec 25, 2016

Castello's customer service should help you, good luck

jackswilling · Dec 25, 2016

I have two Castello's "10" shape pipes, the "Brucianaso."

Two of my favorites. Mine are spot-on and covered in Bird's Eye. For the $$$ I paid, I would be really bent if they were not spot-on. Send it back.

lonefrog615 · Dec 25, 2016

@Jackswilling

It is definitely going back!

ericusrex · Dec 25, 2016

The ones I've seen I thought were overpriced, for similar reasons.

Briar Baron · Dec 25, 2016

I posted somewhere else on this site but could not find it.....any way it was about a new Castello Great Line KKK that had the draft hole double drilled off center so the that hole looked like a figure "8" OMG!. Sent it back but if that is their quality control, especially for a "Great Line", then never again.
In my case the photos would not show this so you are relying on the vendor to actually "carefully inspect" as many claim to do but obviously don't.

In your case most of us look at the grain and the shape/style from the photo, not trying to find faults, so many here, myself included, may not have picked it up from the photos.

codecreatively · Dec 25, 2016

If it has a Kino stamp, I usually pass. Quality isn't what it used to be.

tschiraldi · Dec 25, 2016

I have both Carlo Scotti and Kino Castellos and all of them are fantastic! I hope the quality isn't falling. It would be a shame for such a storied and respected brand!

wyfbane · Dec 25, 2016

I am sorry this happened with a gift from your wife. It's never good to have anything negative happen with a wife and pipe smoking. Merry Christmas.

cally454 · Dec 26, 2016

I recently purchased an Ardor online without a chamber picture that came to me with an off center drill. I felt the same way. I left it on the rack trying to decide what to do. A beautiful, well balanced pipe all the way around except for the engineering. I finally said what the heck and fired her up. Smoked like an champ from the get go, just an unbelievable smoking machine. I know I'm not the most discriminating connoisseur but I think more things come into play than just drilling with regards to smoking characteristics. That being said if it were a Castello I'd probably not of lit her up and looked for a replacement/refund.

pipestud · Dec 26, 2016

It has been my experience that if the air chamber is drilled at or near the bottom of the bowl a little left or right, there is no difference in the smoking quality of the pipe. However, if the bowl's tobacco chamber is off center (noticeably), that's a pipe I probably would not keep if it was one I paid a lot of money for. Otherwise, I am doubtful that a slightly off center chamber would cause the pipe to smoke poorly.

lonefrog615 · Dec 26, 2016

Thanks for listening to me whine folks. The pipe is packaged and on its way back for refund or possibly replacement. The little lady was very understanding (she's the best.) The cost of these Castellos is just too damn high to accept this sort of flaw. I don't believe I would have accepted this in a Pete or a Sav either.

For Crying Out Loud!

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