My Iwan Ries (Benton) Billiard

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sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
So I've had this pipe for a few years now and it is nice and seasoned. It is a small billiard from Iwan Ries which I picked up at their shop for a souvenir, I think it was made by Benton. It was not expensive. I've been smoking it off and on all week and it has yet to let me down, which is more than I can say for other things. It ain't a beauty but hey, its all right. Yeah, that's all right with me.

iwan-haddo-600x448.jpg


 

teufelhund

Lifer
Mar 5, 2013
1,497
3
St. Louis, MO
Sometimes a quality basket pipe is just better... I've been let down by a few big names, but there sure are some workhorse to be had in the basket.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I think those Benton's that Iwan Ries sells as house pipes are way, way better than basket pipes, unless

your pipe shop is throwing some pretty good briar in the basket. I call them Chicago Dunhills. I have

three of them: a compact bent billiard, a Canadian, and a straight billiard, and they are all rock solid.

The drilling is perfect, they are light for their size, and they don't age much. See if some of those pipes

at three to five times the price do as well. They may not.

 

petes03

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
6,212
10,653
The Hills of Tennessee
As long as it's a good smoker, who cares what name it has stamped on it, or how much it costs! I've got some $40-50 that out smoke some of my high dollar pipes. I've also got some estates that I picked up for $5-6 that are excellent smokers!

 

ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
2,912
9,179
81
Cheshire, CT
I'm with Pete on that. I've shelled out some big bucks for pipes that never really did give me any smoking satisfaction, and some of my best smokers are basket pipes. Let me tell you what I've picked up in the basket: a couple of Charatan rejects, some GBD rejects, and one pipe that I'm fairly certain started out in the Dunhill factory. Rejects are usually for cosmetic reasons, and when you get right down to the smoking quality of the pipe, it's still smokes like the pipe it was originally intended to be. If you're not proud, you'll end up with a pretty good smoking pipe.

 

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,994
YES to pete and rav: High price doesn't equal higher pleasure.
I'm not against high-price pipes. Handcrafted, beautifully grained briar can be worth a significant price. But that doesn't mean those pipes will give you any more actual enjoyment than any other pipe. To me, it's the memories associated with a pipe -- if there are any -- that enhance its true value for me.
I've mentioned a lot here that I started with an $8 "wall" pipe from Tinder Box in 1980. That pipe is still with me, still smoking fine. And I have to say that it brings me just as much pleasure as my $250 Kai Nielsen, which has the best grain of any pipe I own. I appreciate the Nielsen for the quality of the work and the wood. But I appreciate that Tinder Box pipe more because every time I smoke it, I remember a whole host of scenes from my past. And I can honestly tell you that I'd feel bad if something happened to the Kai Nielsen, but I'd be heartbroken if something happened to my Tinder Box pipe.
Scientifically speaking, the Kai Nielsen is probably a much "better" pipe. But both easily pass a pipe cleaner and smoke to the bottom; "scientifically," that's about all I'm looking for in a pipe. So they're equal in performance. The difference comes when I think about smoking pleasure. And in that regard, I don't think the dollars invested in our pipes affect our enjoyment of them nearly as much the memories we've invested in our pipes.
Bob

 

plateauguy

Lifer
Mar 19, 2013
2,412
18
Show this picture to my wife - what did she see? Your clean window sills, then the "neat" ashtray. I liked the pipe.

 
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