The $100 pipe collection

Sorry for the low quality photo! A few posts got me thinking about pipes and prices. Especially when new pipes costing a hundred bucks or more have some serious defect. Here is a post expounding one of the positive attributes of estate pipes (they can be cheap!). Of course that 20 buck Stanwell brushed pipe deal is outstanding. Here is a modest collection of pipes that all together cost about 100 American dollars, although they were bought in Europe in Euros.

From top left down and then right:

BBB Own Make with hallmarks dating it to 1899

Jarl Chieftan

Peterson Kildare 106

Vauen Interstyle 99 Pot white dot stem

Savinelli Straight Grain C 623

Made for Pfeifen Huber Andreas Bauer Meer

Peterson Kapruf XL90 (based on others in the estate perhaps early 1960s)

Charatan's Make 149 from early 1960s

Stanwell Relief 234 (unsmoked and in sock)

For me these 9 well made pipes in good condition fulfill my pipe smoking needs.

Thanks fellas! I think my motivation in posting this, besides bragging, is to point out that pipe smoking can be as cheap or expensive as we want it to be. For that matter it can be as simple or complicated as we want (witness the different stances on how to pack a bowl). For someone starting out it may be daunting to see that new briar pipes can be costly. Then again there are some outstanding deals on the estate market and lots of how-to information online for restoring pipes. This forum, for example, is a great resource. I've seen some incredible pipes that are beautiful to behold but out of my price range at this time. It's not my intention to put down the expensive pipes I've seen.

I'd love to hear you expound on some of their functional qualities. Which is the one you grab first?

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The Jarl is very new to me. I just acquired it this past week and wanted to clean it first. I've only smoked it once but it smoked very well. I think it may become one I go to often. It is light (I clench while walking) and I like the size of the bowl. I like that little Charatan's Make pot a lot and it is frequently the pipe I reach for. The double comfort bit is comfortable but I wouldn't say it much more so than others. Next is the Stanwell Relief which smokes very well, is sturdy, and often the one I use. I love smoking the 120 year old BBB. It has one of those old orific bits and just seems to smoke very well. I like the way it looks and it connects me with the past. I'd smoke it even more often except that all my smoking is done outside and I worry about harming it by smoking it too hot in wind. It's made it 120 years so I feel the need to baby it a little. I smoke the Peterson XL90 the least. The meer I mostly use when I'm trying a new blend for the first time. I like the Savinelli but it is a bit sharp on the side of my mouth. I may try to lightly sand down the sharp edge. The Peterson billiard is okay, I think of it as an expendable pipe to use in rough conditions. The Vauen pot is really big and wide and I like it for trying out complicated blends.
Okay, apologies for grammatical and other mistakes. I'm severely sleep deprived. My young son has had an ear infection and the poor little guy simply can't get much sleep. We'll be going to a doctor in the morning. Breaks my heart to see him suffer.