I am thinking about buying a Peterson pipe. It will be my first Peterson and I could use your opinion on two choices. Both are in the lower end price wise. I want to make the choice of either a Saint Pat's Day Bent Billiard or a Dalkey Bent Calabash. Both smooth finish. Does anyone have experience with either or both of these pipes? I guess what I am asking is which is the best bang for my buck today and for tomorrow.
Opinions Needed on Petersons
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My St. Patrick's Day 2009 bulldog smokes decently, and seems especially good with McClelland Mellow Mack. Downside is that there is a spot on the bottom right side of the bowl that gets much hotter than the rest if the bowl. My other Pete's do not do this, and I have 9 others from various grades. It's the luck of the draw, sometimes. Do not have a Dalkey though, and I hear good things about that line.
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Not to be a debbie downer, but 2 of my Petersons were b*tch to break-in. I attribute this to stain in the stem and bowl. Still, after a ridiculously long break-in, they're nice pipes.
That said, good luck with your choice - can't really say which one is best, but I'd bet they're similar in smoking qualities, so I would recommend the one that you're most attracted to.
That said, good luck with your choice - can't really say which one is best, but I'd bet they're similar in smoking qualities, so I would recommend the one that you're most attracted to.
I love Pete's, they hard sometimes hard to break in but once they are, you have a great pipe. I like to get a St. Patricks every year. One thing I have noticed as of later is the nickle/silver bands come loose, and have to be re-glued. Easy fix though. Go with the St. Paddy day pipe, if you dont like it they have a good resale value.
I have had about 30 something Petes. I have been selling them little by little because most of them have been disappointing. And mine are mostly system and Sherlock Holmes. Some of the problems: holes not drilled cleanly into the bowl (I had to whittle 1 drafthole open at the end); bad tasting stains; stain in the bowl & drafthole; bad fitting stems. With all of them except 1 it seems that briar without much age was used. I wouldn't touch the lower end Petes, but you can get a good one in the $200+ range. Pick the briar carefully, remove any stain in the bowl & air passage and expect a long breakin. If you get one with a bad fitting stem return it immediately. They do have great character, the thicker than usual stems should be more resistant to cracking, and the p-lips are good.
I have three Pete's, Molly Malone smooth set and a bent Shannon Bulldog. The bent Molly, a bent brandy, is my favorite. I am a clencher. The bent Molly hangs effortlessly from my teeth. So I would go with the bent billiard.
On a side note don't be surprised if you find a fill or three. My "special" Molly set has fills in both. They were hidden well until after a few months of smoking the pipes. I guess the stain/briar are changing from the heat or what ever. With that being said all three are good to great smokers as long as I can consistently pack the tobacco the right way for each pipe.
Oh yea, the "cheaper" Shannon bent bulldog does not have any fills but will smoke wet if I don't dry and pack it just right. It's a terrible game I play with my pipes due to my bad memory.
Neither of the two bent Pete's will take a pipe cleaner all the way through to the bowl. They are not system pipes either.
On a side note don't be surprised if you find a fill or three. My "special" Molly set has fills in both. They were hidden well until after a few months of smoking the pipes. I guess the stain/briar are changing from the heat or what ever. With that being said all three are good to great smokers as long as I can consistently pack the tobacco the right way for each pipe.
Oh yea, the "cheaper" Shannon bent bulldog does not have any fills but will smoke wet if I don't dry and pack it just right. It's a terrible game I play with my pipes due to my bad memory.
Neither of the two bent Pete's will take a pipe cleaner all the way through to the bowl. They are not system pipes either.
I would listen to roth and go over any Pete with a fine tooth comb, their lower end pipes are notorious for issues.
I receive calls all the time from customers interested in a specific pipe asking me to go over it with them. I do, and also remind them that when they receive it, if for any reason whatsoever they are not happy with it, I'll take it back and issue a full refund. I believe that's the least an online retailer can do since there is no touchy feely thing going on by the buyer.
Rich Gottlieb
4noggins.com
Rich Gottlieb
4noggins.com
I have five Petersons, all fine smokers, broken in, and holding up well. For a smaller bowl, I recommend the 999 shape Rhodesian
that comes in various of the series, as does the bull dog shape 80s. Top recommendation goes to the shape B11, medium size
bowl (a Dunhill group 4 approximately); this is a sitter bent brandy and seems well engineered and built to last. These are not
the pipes you are considering, but I'd recommend you take a look. Maybe others could identify some of the pipes that haven't
worked out for them.
that comes in various of the series, as does the bull dog shape 80s. Top recommendation goes to the shape B11, medium size
bowl (a Dunhill group 4 approximately); this is a sitter bent brandy and seems well engineered and built to last. These are not
the pipes you are considering, but I'd recommend you take a look. Maybe others could identify some of the pipes that haven't
worked out for them.
Love all my Pete's I had to go buy a new 999 Silver band because I was smoking the first one too much. I will grant you these pipes are from the late 80's early 90's so the quality might have been better back then but honestly some of my best smokers are my Pete's. I always sand the inside of a new pipe bowl and honey the bowl for the first couple of smokes so break in has never been an issue. I agree though with the others buy a decent one right off the top and you won't be disappointed. The St Patricks day pipes are nice but I don't think the shamrock stamp should make them worth more.
I have only two Petersons (both at the cheaper end of the scale) and I love them both. They do seem to take a little longer to break in than other brands, but IMO it's worth the effort. To echo what someone said above, carefully read the dimensions and get out a ruler to see what that size looks like. The Speciality Calabash was smaller than I expected, but makes a great "Tea Break Pipe".
As ever, if you can, visit a local supplier so you can handle the pipe you buy.
As ever, if you can, visit a local supplier so you can handle the pipe you buy.
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