Your disappointment story

carlosviet · Apr 29, 2012

While we all have happy surprises when a cheap or little known pipes give us a great smoking experience, there is also the opposite: pipes we had great expectations that, simply, don't work the magic. Disappointments are bigger when the pipe comes from a reputable brand, and hurts when it was costly. But more than anything, when it is a pipe that took time, energy and illusion to choose. They become the black sheep in your collection, put aside and behind others when it's smoking time.
The draw is not right, it turns to be a noisy pipe, can't get the tobacco rightly lit... What are your stories?
The stone in my shoe is a straight billiard from Chacom... The stem whistles a lot, needs to be relight every odd minute, and fails every time to give me a good honest smoke. After that one, the Hans Christian Andersen annoys the hell out of me with its stem condensation. I can't enjoy when it seems that I am blowing a straw in a soda glass.
Any failed love story in your pipe rack?

cortezattic · Apr 29, 2012

I have never been disappointed by a high grade pipe because I've never owned one. :lol:

Well, one -- maybe. Though it's not really a high grade. It's a Julius Vesz bulldog marked as a circle-3, which means don't expect too much anyway because this is at the lower end of his line. I'm disappointed because I thought that the smoking experience of a "dead wood" briar would be magnificent. It was at first -- maybe for 20 or so smokes. But after a cake built up in the bowl it lost that je ne sais quoi character. Well, I'm thankful that I did experience the ineffable, even if it was short-lived. The pipe is still a good smoker, but not special.

pstlpkr · Apr 29, 2012

It sounds like you have a little "tag" of briar hanging on around the draft hole in the bottom of the bowl.

If you've smoked it a couple of times it will look like a piece of tobacco left in the bottom.

I've had one pipe that seemed to be a bad pipe.

When I recognized the issue I used a small " U " shaped carving knife to remove the tag...

POOF! Great pipe!

Hope that is of some assistance, and welcome aboard!
: puffy

:

rigmedic1 · Apr 29, 2012

I love to tell the story about my lousy BC pipe. Its a pretty, straight calabash style, D'Accord, with a gray lucite stem. One of my first group of tobacco house pipes, too. The thing smokes hot as a stove, gurgles and bites and is only tolerable when the outdoor temps are below 40 degrees farenheit. It's pretty to look at, but it cost $45.00 in 1986, and that was quite a bit to put out for a pipe that never smoked well.

lazydog · May 4, 2012

Purchased a full bent Royal Ascot Deluxe algerian on ebay and with great anticipation cut it loose from its bubble wrap. Real nice looking pipe at 1st glance but then realized it had a crack 3/4 inches with a glob of epoxy filling the offending void. Advertised as good condition. Frantic email to seller and they refunded the purchase price and shipping and said to just keep the pipe. So..... I is smoking the wounded veteran right now with some English Oriental sprinkled with a pinch of Turkish Izmir. :crying:

sergemoat · May 4, 2012

perhaps this article will turn that disappointing pipe into a great smoker. I can't verify it personally but perhaps its worth a try.

bailey331 · May 4, 2012

I got a Peterson Sports pipe for a real nice price on Ebay. Its a smaller pipe that I wanted to keep in my truck in case I got off somewhere and found time for a smoke. The pipe looks great but is the hottest burning pipe I have ever hit. I dont know why. I smoke it just like every other pipe I own. It have become the pipe I smoke the leaset now. I used it last night just because its so pretty to look at but once again it about burned my hand.

docrx · May 4, 2012

I have a Chacom Passy and have the exact same problems as you do. I think the bore is actually too big and wont draw or stay lit till half the bowl is smoked. Also the bit of the stem is too small and a rubber bit just slips off(I'm a clencher). It is beautifully rusticated but a major dissapointment.

gnatjulio · Jul 1, 2012

Alas, my only disappointment story thus far is when I get sniped on ebay and when I get to the end of a bowl.....so far.

martiniman · Jul 1, 2012

Alas, my only disappointment story thus far is when I get sniped on ebay and when I get to the end of a bowl.....so far

+1 on that.
The other ebay issue is at first i didn't know the questions to ask, like does the stem fit in the pipe. :evil:

jharvard · Jul 1, 2012

I have bought four Calabash pipes over the past 2 years. I love the look and feel but they all have been disappointing in regards to how they smoke. I am still on the hunt for the "perfect" Calabash. Someday I will capture my "white whale." LOL :puffpipe:

zanthal · Jul 1, 2012

I've had that same occurrence of a stuck piece of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl.
Happens more often in my SD custom cob.
I actually watched the pipesmagazine.com "how to clean your pipe" video last week and it was helpful to see someone else's technique.
Cleaned my Doc Grabow Royalton and one of my Brebbia's and they did smoke much nicer after.
Ebay sniping rage? :crazy:

mluyckx · Jul 1, 2012

I had a similar story with a Chacom straight billiard. I ended up giving it away to a smoker in need. Perhaps he had better luck with it. It just never delivered an enjoyable experience for me.

msandoval858 · Jul 1, 2012

Thankfully I've never been terribly dissapointed with a pipe, yet. I have had a few that took awhile to really break in and smoke well but nothing out of the ordinary.
Tobaccos on the other hand, plenty of dissapointments there.

ssjones · Jul 2, 2012

Good point Lawrence on checking for obstructions before giving up on a pipe.
For myself, only two pipes so far.
I bought two Jake Hackert nosewarmers. Both bought relatively cheaply, and I like the pipe a lot, but just couldn't get into the nosewarmer shape. But, someone took them off my hands pretty quickly.

Next up was this CAO meer. I just didn't enjoy the way the meer smoked, also sold and recouped my modest investment.

Your disappointment story

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