Price point advice

Savinelli or Stanwell are two manufacturers offering quality pipes in your price range. You might also check out the site sponsors for estate pipes. Smokingpipes.com and Briar Blues both sell quality ready to smoke estate pipes. You get a lot for your money with estate pipes. Good luck!

You may want to consider an estate artisan pipe by Rad Davis. He is an American pipe maker and an estate pipe that is rusticated would be around $150 or so. A used good condition artisan pipe would be a better choice than a new lower priced pipe in my opinion.

Take a look at some of the french makers like Sebastian Beo, Chacom, Butz Chaquin and the like. They are right in your price range, and usually tremendous smokers.

There are pros and cons on all pipes. Many Savenellis have a filtering system. You can use a filter, use an adaptor,

or use the pipe without either, with a more open draw, but it is a consideration if you prefer no filter, and if like me,

you get "taste" from an adaptor. Select Savenellis have no filter and that evades that problem; examples are

the Oscar Lucite line which runs in the $100 to $120 range. You are not likely to get a better smoking pipe if

you spent hundreds more, but neither will you wring a pipe club for envy. For that, go with the Rad Davis --

beautiful pipes. Stanwell has just moved from Denmark to Italy for production, so some people back away from

the Italian made pipes until they have proven out. Cup O Joes has a specific section with Denmark-made pipes

only, but it isn't the whole Stanwell line. I think you could find something in your price range by Mark Tinsky or

Tim West, whether new or used, that would be a one-of-a-kind, handmade artisan pipe that might please.

The key here is shopping a lot, looking at pipes until it's work instead of fun. Then you'll probably get a range

on a pipe or pipes that will fill your bill. The machine made pipes, Savenelli and Stanwell (and Peterson, and

Luciano, and others) are mostly great pipes and will do the job for a lifetime in many cases. Others like

Neerup, Johs, Chacom and others please some and not others. I'm partial to Johs, BC, Chacom, among others.

Besides Savinelli, Peterson, and Stanwell, there are some other great options. Trever Talbert offers Ligne Bretagne pipes at that price point which are excellent, and snapped up in minutes. Butz Choquin makes good pipes as well. If estates don't scare you, you can find wonderful pipes at that price point of far less, Comoys, Barlings, Kaywoodies, etc. Check out Brebbia as well. I have a couple of Brebbia pipes and really like them.

I would recommend shopping for a clean estate pipe from a reputable dealer (not eBay). You'll get twice or thrice the pipe for your money and it'll be already broken in.

Brigham 2 and 3 dot pipes are also in that range.

Great thread, with dangerously tempting advice.

If you get a Peterson - try a peterson system. 120-140 bucks depending.

I've been scouring the net for DAYS, wrestling with my PAD on what to get next. Just when I thought I was finally down to just a handful of choices, THIS thread comes along!!
Definitely some good advice here, and if I could request...Please do keep the Artisan suggestions coming! Being still new to the piping world, recommendations for quality Artisans (especially offering pipes in a more affordable price range) is great!

+1 on Tinsky and Nording. Bjarne pipes are also great values. As for modestly priced artisan pipes, check out Tony Fillenwarth. I have 6 of his pipes and they are all wonderful smokes with nice open draws.

Ebay is not for novices. Even reputable sellers can get snookered. See my thread regarding Purdy PAD gone bad. You'll be safer buying from a reputable online seller like Briar Blues, Pulvers Briars, Smoking Pipes, etc.

Lou, let me call your attention to a thread in this forum started by our old friend, smokeybear ... he's got some Trypis pipes available at a price point which would allow you to get two of them for the sort of $$ in your budget ... note that these are unsmoked, not estate pipes and speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that despite not being a marquee name, Trypis is a good smoking pipe ... were it me with your budget and limited number of pipes, that's the direction I'd go for sure ...
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/smokeybears-new-batch-of-six-pipes-unsmoked-01022014

Trypis is a good smoking pipe ... were it me with your budget and limited number of pipes, that's the direction I'd go for sure ...

Click to expand...

yup

Lou you will never regret purchasing a Peterson. My favorite pipe is a Peterson Standard 303 and I've had that one almost as long as I've been smoking a pipe, about 25 years, right about the time I got out of the marine corps. We all have our preferences and likes which vary from person to person. For me the cost is not the prime factor which I consider when looking for a new pipe. I like a dry cool smoke and Peterson has always delivered that for me without fail. I've had two other Petersons over the years and they were outstanding (pardon me while I observe a moment of silence for them, sniff, one disappeared while out snowmobiling and one broke when I got tripped up and fell on it).
The Petersons are unique in the way they are bored and almost never give that unpleasant shot of goo in the mouth that we all despise so much. The fact that they do not cost silly money is just a bonus.