My Favorite British Made Pipe

cigrmaster · Jul 4, 2014

I have smoked the following British pipes.

Ashton

Upshall

Ferndown

Dunhill

Lane Era Charatan

GBD

Sasieni
My favorite British pipes are without a doubt the Willmer brand. I have never smoked a pipe that smokes cooler than a Willmer, no matter who made it. Their stems are incredibly comfy and my tobacco just tastes great in them. The one I have is a AAA Straight Grain and no British pipe for my tastes compares. The beauty about Willmers is that no one knows anything about them and you can get them cheap. The AAA Straight Grain is a top of the line pipe that can retail for up to 800.00. If anyone is lookinng for a great British pipe that smokes incredibly well, take a look at Wilmer. My second favorite British pipe is the Upshall line. Those are really great buys on the estate market.

peckinpahhombre · Jul 4, 2014

Barling and Comoy

cigrmaster · Jul 4, 2014

peck, those are two brands I have yet to smoke. The fact you like them means they must be an inferior brand as you have no freaking taste in pipes.

msandoval858 · Jul 4, 2014

I only have one Ferndown and I love it. Dunhill has been ok for me but I will only take one if its an estate at the right price. No way I'd pay what they are asking new these days.
Would like to give Comoy a try but have yet to get my hands on one. Hopefully soon.

numbersix · Jul 4, 2014

Thanks for sharing Harris - I've heard others praise Willmer and so I must add them to my list.

peck, those are two brands I have yet to smoke. The fact you like them means they must be an inferior brand as you have no freaking taste in pipes.

lol!

mso489 · Jul 4, 2014

Only have two, Britannia and Parker, and I enjoy the Parker, but the Britannia is the better pipe.

ssjones · Jul 5, 2014

It's always interesting to find out how folks reach to different brands. Other than a handful of American made pipes, all of my collection are British-made. On a recent PipesMagazine radio show (well, many), Brian mentioned that most of how folks view their satisfaction with a pipe comes from between the ears. In my case, I think that certainly has a lot to do with the brands I favor.
If I had to rank them, I'd go more by numbers vs. satisfaction as I'd have a devil of a time coming up with a favorite.

1. Ashton (Bill Taylor)

- The "Ashtonite" material is perfect for my use

2. James Upshall

- Mostly large pipes, small Upshalls are a delight

3. GBD

- no doubt the best British value and bang for the buck

4. Sasieni

- The stem work is very good and they are just "crisp" enough

5. Comoys

- The stems shine beautifully and are also quite "crisp" like a Sasieni
Older Charatans are wonderful, those stems delightfully soft. But, most are simply too large. My 109 (Bulldog) is quite petite and it works for me. If you like soft stems, Charatan is the way to go.
I'd love to add the right Barlings shape, but most available are straight billiards or pots which is not my style.
I've worked on a few Willmer pipes and can see why you like them - their stems are quite soft. The two I worked on (higher grades) had defects in the vulcanite that turned me off. They are engineered well and do fly under the radar.

papipeguy · Jul 5, 2014

I have 2 Dunhills, a Red Bark from around 1974 and mu grandfather's 1932 Shell Dublin. Nice pipes. A savory's Semi-Matte billiard that I've had a very long time.

My first quality pipe was a GBD pot I bought in 1971. Since then I have added a few more GBD's as they appealed to me and were priced right. Surprisingly to me. one of the best smokers is a City De Luxe Canadian.

I hope to add an Upshall someday as well as some other classic British brands.

The GBD's

The Dunhills

tennsmoker · Jul 5, 2014

What a great thread, Harris, even if Peck’s tastes are in the dumpster.

My favorite Brits are in order:
1. Ashton (Bill Taylor)

2. Barlings

3. Lane-era Charatan

4. Sasieni (family)

5. Dunhill

6. Ferndown

7. Upshall
One day I hope to snag a Blue Riband Comoy

goldsm · Jul 5, 2014

My choice are below

1. Savory curzon

2. BBB own make

3. GBD ebony

4. Orlik era corona

5. Buck Minster

6. Dr. Plumb

All those pipe are excellent smoker which I like very much to smoking and recommend to every one.

mso489 · Jul 6, 2014

I'm still waiting for my lucky antique store or garage sale price break on a Dunhill. Unlikely but

reported regularly.

plateauguy · Jul 6, 2014

Comoys - Even the seconds are great smokers.

GBD

settersbrace · Jul 6, 2014

I'm still building my British made smoking collection but have so far picked up a GBD a BBB and a Ferndown. All are excellent smokers and beautifully crafted pipes. Charatan and Barling as well as an old Comoy or two are on my wish list.

cigrmaster · Jul 7, 2014

I should add my third favorite Brit pipes are the Ferndowns. I owned 2 of them but sold them as my tastes changed. They were just too big( group 6) and heavy, but they were great smokers. His stem work is also very well done.
Al, I hear you about the Lane Era Charatans being mostly large pipes, I believe the reason is that most people who smoke them use English blends which lends itself to a bigger pipe. My lone Charatan is a nice group 4 Dublin as I gave away my bigger ones. This Dublin is reserved for Samuel Gawith Full Virginia flake, it smokes that blend really well.

lochinvar · Jul 7, 2014

1. Ferndown

2. Ashton

3. GBD

4. Comoy

5. Charatan
I have Dunhills that smoke ok, but nothing about them really shines, even before you add cost into the equation. I have never had a Barling or Sasieni, so I guess I better get moving

harlockfan · Jul 7, 2014

Dunhill is my favorite. I have a Dunhill group 1 billiard saddle bit that I am really fond of at the moment.

mso489 · Jul 8, 2014

Are new Barlings in the good tradition of the old ones? Or are the good ones all estate pipes? Just

to toss the question out. They seem to be one of the more reasonably priced British pipes new.

zulucollector · Jul 10, 2014

For me, my favorite depends on the shape and sometimes the vintage of the pipe. For example, I think Dunhill's small lovat is wonderful and so is Dunhill's FET.
Overall, I prefer Comoy–something that surprises nobody who knows me. I think their shape vocabulary is amazing.
I also really like Barling and Loewe, but only the older pieces from Barling.

sablebrush52 · Jul 10, 2014

Barling (surprise...)

Comoy

Sasieni

Charatan

Dunhill
in that order.

Are new Barlings in the good tradition of the old ones? Or are the good ones all estate pipes?

Good question. The newer pipes are well made, but of course, aren't the same as the family era product. Nobody today produces anything like that. For much of their history, Barling controlled their briar from harvest to sale, and no other British marque did that. If there are any makers today who harvest, age, cut and hand shape all of their own bowls I'd love to hear about them. Amongst British high grade makers active through the first half of the 20th century Barling was the only brand who made all of their own bowls and didn't sub out. And, they were makers of handmade pipes through the family era, long after their competitors had turned to machine made pipes. So while the newer stuff is good, and make no mistake, plenty of Barlings made after the family left are as good as anything turned out by the family, they're not gong to be the same. That world is gone.

jogilli · Jul 10, 2014

I have a few...only a few...
1901 LB BBB

BBB bulldog

And..... An Askwith
Each has their own place, and one isn't more favored over the other...

My Favorite British Made Pipe

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