Iwan Ries Pipes

anthony, you must skip my posts every time. I have been extolling the excellent quality of Iwan Ries Exclusives for over a year

now, every chance I get. These are mostly Benton pipes made for Iwan Ries of excellent Algerian briar (I believe). The compact

pipes are fine little smokers that go for longer than you'd think; the others, mostly Group 4's, are just about perfection. I call

them Chicago Dunhills, or maybe Texas Dunhills for the Benton location. Why are they so reasonably priced? Perhaps because

Iwan Ries has been in business since 1857 and has cemented relations with Benton over the years as an excellent retailer for their

products, and because Iwan Ries has a long-term investment in getting people to take up the pipe and doesn't need to gouge them

to introduce them to pipe smoking. Buy one. Buy several. I have a straight billiard, a Canadian, and a compact bent billiard. I also

have an extra large bent billiard that I bought as an Iwan Ries Exclusive, but that is only stamped "Italy," so is not a Benton, but

perhaps a Savenelli; it is also good. I believe their house pipes are all now Bentons. You'll enjoy them, for life.

Anthony ... I've got an Iwan Reis 1/2-bent billiard that was made in France from Algerian briar ... it's one of the best smoking pipes I've got ...

I picked up one of their no-name pipes when I visited the city last fall. It's incredibly light, a Group 4 1/2-bent Dublin with an acrylic stem. I think I paid around $35 for it, and it seems to have been a terrific bargain. (I didn't need another pipe; I just wanted a memento of my visit.)
Bob

Bob, I think Iwan Ries sells "no-name" pipes, but most of their Iwan Ries Exclusives are actually stamped with their

name, "Iwan Ries." Is yours? My wife once bought one off their web page billed as an Exclusive for me, but that came

with no Iwan Ries stamp. That's the one I think may be a no-name house pipe made by Savenelli. I think all of those

now offered online as Iwan Ries Exclusives are made by Benton, and I think most of those have Vulcanite stems.

All that info is offered for each pipe. If the country of origin is listed as USA, I think it is a Benton. Currently,

there's a Calabash (briar) pictured, but not in inventory, though you can ask for an email when they restock. I think

it has been out of stock for more than a year.

I have a Iwan Reis Canadian made by Savinelli,bought as an estate,good smoker,in fact I"m gonna smoke it now.

I have 3 pipes from IRC house lines - two that I have had for years;both are great smokers. I had no qualms about buying another,which I recently did.

It was not unusual,in the old days, for a B&M to have a "shop brand" pipe that was made for them by a well-known company. I have pipes from both Campbell's Smoke Shop in East Lansing and Watkins,a now gone Detroit company. Both are excellent smokers. I think the Campbell one cost me $10 - 1973 dollars, to be sure, but still...

My first pipe, which I still have and smoke, was a Tinder Box house pipe stamped as a St. Ives, that the Tinder

Box historian said was likely a French pipe, Chapuis Comoy if I remember correctly. It is a bent pot sitter with

an unusual saddle stem (starts out vertical and shapes to horizontal, if you can picture that). Such a distinctive

pipe, and it cost about $16 in 1976 or so. I haven't seen anything quite like it since. If I do say so, I had a good

eye for pipes even then. It's obviously sturdy and durable, and notably light weight for its size, about a Group 4.

Here it is.

Anthony,
This is one of the first pipes I ever bought. I believe it was $35 or $40 at The Black Cat in Philly (which was conveniently located beneath the Sam Adams Brew pub). I had NO IDEA what I was doing and I just liked the look of it. It is one of my favorite pipes and sometime last year someone commented on it that it might be an Iwan Ries. Anyway, for the price I have been VERY happy with this pipe.
Here it is: