Pipe Prices

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Tarek Manadily once told me that pipe prices are "unjustified and unjustifiable." When I started I thought a Don Carlos smooth on Syneco was expensive at $350.00, but now I wouldn't think twice about paying that price if the happy event occurred wherein I had the money and wanted the pipe. Part of this has to do with smokingpipes luscious banner pictures and astute marketing that has taught me a pipe aesthetic that appreciates the infinite details of shaping and craftsmanship. Think of it, pictures the best on the net and descriptions that manage to be studied and well-written, with just the right amount of pipe snobbery. They have made connoisseurs of many of us and sold a ton of pipes thereby at substantial prices that we would not have otherwise paid. Savvy business.
So now when I see a smooth Brad Pohlman Lumberman with fine grain I am not sticker-shocked by an $800.00 price. If I could buy it, I would, but meanwhile I can fantasize, through the exquisite photography, of holding it in hand and mouth. I feel the pipe is worth it.
The pipe maker has all the expenses that anyone else has, and has/had equipment to buy, and wields a skill that is prized. That's where the $800.00 comes from. Oh, and also from the Chinese who will buy anything. . .

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
$800 is 211 MM Cobs... :nana:
jay-roger.jpg


 

tslex

Lifer
Jun 23, 2011
1,482
13
As I said recently, under other (ahem) circumstances (shamelessly plagiarizing Adam Smith): The value of a thing is the price it will bring.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
People and their money, and the prices they will pay, is an imponderable. Some dot.com multi-million/billionaires have so much money they might prefer some rare entity $30K pipe to a mere collector 3K Dunhill just because they can, and their funds so far exceed their needs that they may have already funded a university and a hospital. What's a billionaire to do? A Lane's communications exec on a pipesmagazine podcast, when asked what pipes he smoked, said he was a tobacco guy, not a pipe guy, so he mostly smoked Stanwell's that he received free from his employer. So much is your perspective. I have several quality grade artisan pipes that I treasure. I also have a number of factory pipes, most of my stable, that I value for good to excellent to outstanding smoking characteristics, not to mention their industrial design aesthetics. One of my low-end Italian-made Stanwell's is an original Danish design done for Stanwell by Sixten Iverrson, the prototype of which would probably sell for well into the thousands. I think it is valid and commendable to appreciate the pipes that attain the status of works of art, and only right to appreciate those that command only a modest price but have remarkable smoking characteristics. I recently bought a Tsuge "tasting pipe," a straight blast billiard, a standard size pipe, that has every trait of fit and finish of a Tsuge, on sale at PC for $39.99. And hey, just eight posts ago, I slipped past the 19K mark; fancy that.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Quality comes at a price. When you're buying from a maker who is very rigid about standards, you're not only paying for the pipe in hand, but for the costs of the failures, for example, blocks that proved to be unacceptable part way into the carving process, or experiments in shaping or finishing that didn't measure up. Carvers have to eat too, and their families need to be housed, clothed, and fed. The $800 pipe might not smoke any better than a $100 pipe, but unlike the cheaper pipe, it will have better looks, better balance, and likely a much more comfortable hand carved stem and bit. And, the stem and bit can encompass more expertise than the shaping of the bowl.

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,569
15,218
SE PA USA
A good carver doesn't sell the occasional crap pipe, either. So you are also paying for the high level of ALL of their work. And by maintaining a sterling reputation, they maintain the resale vale of the pipes. Or at least that's what a lot of buyers probably say to justify their outlay.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Thank you for the responses.
I should have said in the OP that my remarks about smokingpipes that their marketing strategy of best pictures and fine commentary as their primary sales tool should in no way be construed to mean that that they are not a fine company. In fact their careful attention to detail has, in my opinion, made buying from them a superb experience. I would in fact prefer to do business with them ahead of any other pipe and tobacco business. However, I no longer do so due to a dispute about them using my personal information to persuade me to buy more than I otherwise would.
I regret this as I feel they are in all other respects best-in-class.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
Much of the time I’ll work directly with a pipe maker or go through a vendor with poor quality photos (relative to spc) simply because I feel frequently the margins are rather bloated at spc. There’s no fking way I’d pay their price for a new Castello, for example. But I do have a prized group purchased new through EU vendors.
That said, spc is great for people out of the loop looking for someone to signal what pipes they should buy.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Hilands Cigars refused to give me a refund on 3 lbs of that f'ed up bulk Nightcap that's been going around, though I returned it at a cost of $20.00.

A reputable seller gave me a hard time about a return just lately for a pipe that I felt had poor draw, but I had to remain courteous and explain myself to get the refund.
This would never have happened at SPC. But yes, you're right, their wares are more expensive. But for my money they gave me best-in-class pictures and complete specs, and I could return anything with no problem. In addition they have a customer service department that answers the phone! Unheard of! And they actually give a shit! Finally they've got lots of pipes, and lots of tobacco, more than any other site that I've seen.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
People have different uses for pipes. You might view it as potentially combining roles.
At the base level, a pipe is an instrument for consuming tobacco. No problem there!
Slightly above that are performance questions. How well does it burn that leaf? Want a bigger bowl?
Above that, pipes become artisanship. Some say that above that, they become art.
For many of us, we're hovering between the first and second levels. We want a decent pipe to smoke out of. This type of buyer, no matter how much money they have, tends to gravitate toward functional pipes, like Chacoms, Grabows, and Rossis.
But, it's great there are others who buy these works of craft and help keep the industry alive. Skills must be practiced to endure.

 

jvnshr

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 4, 2015
4,616
3,868
Baku, Azerbaijan
you're not only paying for the pipe in hand, but for the costs of the failures, for example, blocks that proved to be unacceptable part way into the carving process, or experiments in shaping or finishing that didn't measure up.
This. And then this:
The $800 pipe might not smoke any better than a $100 pipe, but unlike the cheaper pipe, it will have better looks, better balance, and likely a much more comfortable hand carved stem and bit.
In fact the sentence above can end all of the expensive pipes vs cheaper pipes discussions. Few years ago while visiting Istanbul with my wife we reserved a table at Nusret (yeah that guy who slaps the meats and sprinkles salt while making a teapot spout shape with his arm, he wasn't that famous back then, and the most importantly he wasn't slapping meats). We paid few hundred dollars and left the place very happy. And we even had to skip the breakfast because we were still full. And for lunch we had a sandwich of grilled fish which cost $3 each. We left that place happy as well.
Nusret
ebe263206128fc96a977792da3f7761a_featured_v2.jpg

Fish place at Eminonu
eminonu-balik-ekmek.jpg

Nusret
2016222161558649_1.jpg

Fish
37fb56a3-e98f-4ac8-90f4-d8999fcb9258.jpg


 

wizhunter

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 31, 2017
133
0
How would a new pipe smoker know the real value of a pipe, some sell pipes that are labled as briar but could be anything as far as i know. I admit that i can't tell my briar pipes from my pearwood pipe. Obviously from big retailers and manufacturers you have a good idea that what they are selling is briar, but smaller retailers and vendors could say to me it's briar and i would be non the wiser. How can you tell it's briar from a photo or by actually having the pipe. Most woods including briar can be stained etc to look like anything else.
Wiz

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
In fact the sentence above can end all of the expensive pipes vs cheap pipes discussions
Except it doesn’t, not really. Like a pinto and a Porsche, either will get you there but with keys in hand which are you gonna drive?

 
Wiz, whether or not the pipe is briar would be the least of my concerns. But, learning to tell briar from... say... oak or pearwood, just takes training yourself by looking at pipes. Plus, sticking to name brands. Even Dr. Grabows are real briar. Maybe not the same quality as a Dunhill briar, but it's real. The real issues (for me) are things like how it's drilled, the button design, weight, balance, etc... Things that affect the way the thing works.
Talking about prices... I am amazed at how much Skip Elliot gets for his pipes, not angry, nor confused, just awed and amazed. Don't get me wrong, he makes sure that his pipes are perfect in function and they are always beautiful. But, for years now, when he shows me a pipe, I always ask the price before touching it, to make sure that I am not about to drop a $1500 delicate piece of crystalware. But, every time I ask, I hear $800, $500, $1200, or more. I always think who's got that... Then one of his workers will get off the phone and say, "Skip, it's sold..." And, my jaw hits the ground. But, some artisans just have a following. Skip refuses commissions, or pre-buys, or even suggestions. He makes what his hearts desires, and there are men lined up to buy whatever it is that strikes his fancy.
One day, Skip sways the conversation to whether he is an artist or a craftsman, and says that he is not fancy pants enough to be an artist. He feels that he is a craftsman, and calling himself an artist is conceded. I quickly retort that calling yourself an artist doesn't make you conceded, asking $1200 for everything you make makes you conceded. Of course I was joking, but he gets his price, and quickly. He never just has a pipe that he made setting around, unless it is waiting for one of his customers to return to the US to pick up the pipe. It just amazes me.
Worth, value, and price is absolutely... whatever someone is willing to pay.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,347
Except it doesn’t, not really. Like a pinto and a Porsche, either will get you there but with keys in hand which are you gonna drive?
The Pinto. I loathe flashy cars.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
Yeah, a Porsche. That's neat. Until I have an M1 Abrams to drive, I'm going to consider all of these vehicles just a bit amateur.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.