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The top commercial pipe makers of all time.

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aggravatedfarmer

aggravatedfarmer

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 9, 2015
865
3
I'm curious to know what in public opinion are the best five pipes makers of all times. No artisans, just the name brand pipes.
1. Dunhill. Seems highly sought and admired.

2. Peterson. A very large following with a wide base of limited additions

3. Comoy. Another highly sought brand.

4. Sasieni. Highly sought.

5. Savinelli. Sought after and great smokers in my opinion
Personal choice: Ehrlich. Can find cheap and great smokers.

 
bonehed

bonehed

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 27, 2014
636
0
Here's an Ehrlich I just picked up:

5GEtRGm.png


 
fnord

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
Aside from Ehrlich, here are three more U.S. brands: Weber, Diebel and Jost's. The latter pair used a lot of GBD/Comoy's blanks but hand carved burners from Jost's were not unusual.
AF, my Comoy burners were hit and miss and I've got one Blue Riband left in my stable. GBD still figures well but sentiment factors heavily. My first pipe - forty years ago - was a GBD billiard that still smokes in my weekly rotation.
I've also got a pair of DGs that unfailingly deliver superb test drives of new tobaccos.
Go figure.
Fnord

 
rfernand

rfernand

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 2, 2015
669
39
Missouri Meerschaum has to be somewhere in a top 10 list - long history, quite a unique product... And they still make a few thousand pipes per day!
Maybe it deserves the 5th spot.

 
brass

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
I would lead with Stanwell and Savinelli in the number one position. They've been around for at least decades, they are very reasonably priced, offer some wonderful shapes abnd finishes, and they smoke as well as any of my few artisans and higher end factory pipes.
I would add Nerups and Peder Jeppesen to the list. His designs are Danish shapes are unique and his finishes incomparable and the pipes affordable. They smoke like high end pipes.
I also nominate Ben Wades by Preben Holmes. His free hand designs from the 70's fired the imagination of pipe artisans around the world.
I finish my list with Anne Julie creations. She has designed some of the most aesthetically pleasing works in the pipe world. I wish I could afford one of her pipes.

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
33,935
75,546
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
My favorites (style/cost/function), which might not necessarily be the most popular are;
Pre-Texas Hilsons

Stanwell

Radice

Celius

Savinelli
And, like Sable said, this list may shift for me, maybe even throughout the day, but the old Hilsons and Danish pipemakers tickle my smokebuds enough to be somewhere on my list at all times.

 
newbroom

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,107
6,559
Florida
Commercial to me means sales and marketing. Units sold. Long term popularity. These days and in days bygone, companies bought companies and changed products, sometimes for the better.

From what I've learned, there has not been an equal to Alfred Dunhill as a marketer of pipes. At least some small part of that success has to do with product quality.

Units sold? How about Grabow and Missouri Meerschaum?

Best made briar in this class? That's where we get hazy.

 
fitzy

fitzy

Lifer
Nov 13, 2012
2,937
27
NY
In no particular order:

Caminetto

Castello

Savinelli

Dunhill

Maybe Ashton or Radice
If you asked me this question 15 years ago I probably would have included Peterson in this list. I have a few and they smoke well but I don't think I would buy now.

 
lordofthepiperings

lordofthepiperings

Lifer
May 3, 2010
6,427
1,476
Las Vegas, NV
1. Dunhill. Seems highly sought and admired.

2. Peterson. A very large following with a wide base of limited additions

3. Comoy. Another highly sought brand.

4. Sasieni. Highly sought.

5. Savinelli. Sought after and great smokers in my opinion
Click to expand...
I agree with your list and reasonings.
I'd aslo add an honorable mention to Missouri Meerschaum. They've been around since 1869, which is some staying power. They're still pumping out quality smokers at a very good price.

 
jpmcwjr

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,697
27,280
Carmel Valley, CA
Well, you have, as the title says, "Top Commercial Pipemakers of All Time" and then you have "best pipe makers" in the body. They could mean very different things to some of us!
Top commercial? Peterson, Dunhill, Savinelli

Best? Barling, Charlatan, GBD
Then, on the third hand, you may have favorites that don't fit in either list necessarily. But an interesting topic for sure!

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,454
daveg said it; Dr. Grabow is the last man standing in U.S. volume factory pipes. Kaywoodie, with Yello-Bole and Medico, and Edwards still seem to be in the hunt, but for consistently available, volume, and dependable lines, Dr. Grabow is the one. Their pipes, especially the slightly higher priced Royalton line, are a surprisingly good buy and perform well above the price mark. Every time I smoke either of my Dr. G's, I'm surprised; a $38 dollar pipe shouldn't smoke like a $200 pipe, but there they are. Savs, Stanwell, Chacom, BC, Genod, Vuillard, Nording, Ropp, and others are standard bearers from outside the U.S. And of course the cobs, MM and Old Dominion.

 
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