NOS ST Claude Bruyere SPC

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tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,092
11,008
Southwest Louisiana
B7CA5860-E065-4D68-BA05-3214D4BCDEC6-28999-00003C76A3B3011F_zpsvcyolgee.jpg
. No Fills, on the small side, draw hole large, first pack too loose, 2 nd pack tight like a bale of cotton, a lot better. Nice little pipe.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Thanks for the concise report. They sound good. A new group are on site at SP, many billiards, some acorns, some billiards with horn stems, etc.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,092
11,008
Southwest Louisiana
Late flash, smoked extra hot, varnish about 1/8 of an inch below left rim bubbled. Sanded it down with 1800 sandpaper, smoked it again, but I believe I wasted 55$. Down the road I hope I am wrong but I don't believe.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Thank you! I was definitely warming to one of the slightly larger versions of the $45 billiard, and I was going to prompt newbies building their rotations to get one of these. It's possible that it's just one or a few of the pipes with problems, but also possible that they all tend to. By the time you're having to sand bubbled varnish, this is probably not a pipe you want, if you know that in advance. Many small and/or thin bowled pipes burn a little hot and have to be held by the shank from time to time, but they don't cook their finish. I hope yours settles down and proves serviceable, but thank you very much for the prompt and clear account. You've saved me some money.

 

jkrug

Lifer
Jan 23, 2015
2,867
8
Oh man...that doesn't sound good. My Extra Acorn arrived today in the mail and I just ordered a Dux Billiard. Will try my Acorn out shortly and post a report. Hopefully I will have better results. :puffy:

 

jkrug

Lifer
Jan 23, 2015
2,867
8
Smoking some Kohlhase & Kopp Limited Edition 2015 in mine now. Still early but so far smoking cool and freely. Very nice draw. Paying much attention to cadence to avoid overheating. :puffy:
Will report back after a few more smokes, hopefully with no bad news. :)



 

jkrug

Lifer
Jan 23, 2015
2,867
8
I do notice that the wall thickness of the Acorn bowl is pretty substantial, close to 3/8" at the thickest point. Perhaps this will aid in keeping the bowl from getting too hot? I'm still puffing away on the first bowl. Going to smoke back to back bowls and see what happens....fingers crossed! Again, I am smoking very slowly and the bowl is barely warm to the touch. Not much of a clencher but this wee pipe is a dream to clench. :puffy:

 

jkrug

Lifer
Jan 23, 2015
2,867
8
Well , I realize this is by no means a long term test of durability but I have smoked my wee Acorn 8 times now and so far the finish is holding up. Tried to always puff gently but did manage to get the bowl pretty hot a couple times. I do really like this litttle pipe.
The billiard I ordered will hopefully arrive tomorrow. :)

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,211
SE PA USA
My billiard smoked great yesterday, with Peacehaven.
Bradley, I know that you are a much more experienced pipester than I am (so excuse my impertinence) and that you mostly smoke large pipes. These are fairly small. Could that have something to do with it smoking hot? When I switch to a large pipe, like my Savinell Autograph 4, I definitely need to draw a bit harder.
IMG_6661_edit-vi.jpg


 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,092
11,008
Southwest Louisiana
Dan I believe you are right it may have been operator error, saying that it's way too small for me, button is non existint, draw hole is way too big so you have to pack it tight and that also may have been the problem. Think I'm gonna give it to a deserving Piper, got one in mind.

 

darwin

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 9, 2014
820
5
That kiddie sized button is the only real problem I have with these pipes. The one I have smokes just fine in all other respects. It's an attractive hunk of fill free briar to boot.

 

jfox520

Part of the Furniture Now
May 24, 2013
927
0
I have been thinking about getting one but I hesitate with the issue that tbradsim1 had. I had a similar issue with a Rossi Rubino Canadian.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Several Forums members have bought these and enjoyed them. They apparently are the old style restricted draw, and are decidedly small pipes, so even the ones without problems, which seem to be most of them, they are a distinct kind of pipe. In considering them, I'd look at other French pipes, both the best and lesser know brands, and see if there is something that may suit you better. Not to exclude these, but just to give yourself some choice. The great back story and low price, and interesting materials with the horn stems, are appealing. But I'd rather buy a pipe for thirty dollars or fifty dollars more, and get something you want. Pipes last for most of our lives, so no point in buying them just to store. I think these pipe fit a perfect niche for some pipe smokers, but give yourself plenty of room to decide.

 

mattia76

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 24, 2010
255
81
I picked up an Extra grade Billiard with an off-white horn stem this week, and it smokes like an absolute dream. WIDE open draw.

No fills, and LOTS of Birdseye (although from looking at pics of other Extras, that's no guarantee).

Reminds me of Talbert's Ligne Bretagne line with the ooooooold French stumbles and the horn tenon. I'm going to get another while they last.
Definitely a sipper, Woodsroad! You can't puff away on these like you can an old Italian hunk of briar.

 
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