Hmmmm, my pipe buying days are largely over. I smoke and collect only Stanwell model #52 pipes (have one Dunhill billiard in my rotation). So, unless I find a Stanwell in a finish I do not have, I am good for pipes. Would love to find a Stanwell 52 Flora Danica (had one, got broken during a kids’ party, never found another one). Or a Stanwell 52 Silver Mount (had one, sold it in 2003 as part of my failed quit smoking attempt). Or Stanwell 52 Sterling Silver, or Brazilia Sandblast. Other than that, I can only smoke them one at a time, and, with 23 in my collection, I’m good.
What Kind Of Pipe Purchaser Are You?
- Thread starter PApiper63
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I bought about a eight pipes 12 years ago when I got back into it and I'll never have to buy anymore in this lifetime.
My pipe buying days are largely over. I smoke and collect only Stanwell model 52 pipes. Have 23 of them and unless I find some of the “unicorns “, I am good. The unicorns would be a Silver Mount, a Flora Danica, a Brazilia sandblast, or any of the Sterling Silver ones. Otherwise, I can only smoke them one at a time and have enough for that purpose.
Ive got a Facet 194 looking for a new home. Its a great pipe, lightly smoked, and apparently rare as can be. I've never seen another.....and ive looked.
Most here are pretty sick of hearing about my Stanwell 194, but SOMEDAY someone will have information about it.
My requirements are briar and 300$ or less price point.
There is a weird thing in the "collector" world.
Ive seen it in the pipe world, the knife world and the firearm world.
That is that most of the people in these hobbies believe in the "buy what you can afford" camp.
As many of you know, ive really been into the budget knife thing lately. A couple times guys have said, "cool, just buy what you can afford".
Well, for years before my recent interest in super high quality budget knives, I collected a LOT of ultra high dollar knives. That got boring, so ive fallen into the trap of finding fantastic quality folding knives under $100.
Its much more difficult than buying a $500 Chris Reeves knife, or a $1000 Hinderer knife. Finding a $40 knife that not only rivals, but is objectively better than a $200 Benchmade Bugout is much more interesting.
The same goes with pipes.
For some reason people just naturally believe guys smoking lower end pipes cannot afford a $1700 Hans "Former" Nielsen pipe. Thats not always the case.
I was just thinking about this recently when I guy on a knife group im in said, "you'll get it when you buy your first high end knife".
My next couple posts were some of my high end customs and one offs.
He just sent me a smiley face and said "touche".
Im at the same place with my pipes. But unfortunately not with tobacco as @Nova Pipes & Tobacco and nearly ALL the other tobacco vendors can attest.
Ive seen it in the pipe world, the knife world and the firearm world.
That is that most of the people in these hobbies believe in the "buy what you can afford" camp.
As many of you know, ive really been into the budget knife thing lately. A couple times guys have said, "cool, just buy what you can afford".
Well, for years before my recent interest in super high quality budget knives, I collected a LOT of ultra high dollar knives. That got boring, so ive fallen into the trap of finding fantastic quality folding knives under $100.
Its much more difficult than buying a $500 Chris Reeves knife, or a $1000 Hinderer knife. Finding a $40 knife that not only rivals, but is objectively better than a $200 Benchmade Bugout is much more interesting.
The same goes with pipes.
For some reason people just naturally believe guys smoking lower end pipes cannot afford a $1700 Hans "Former" Nielsen pipe. Thats not always the case.
I was just thinking about this recently when I guy on a knife group im in said, "you'll get it when you buy your first high end knife".
My next couple posts were some of my high end customs and one offs.
He just sent me a smiley face and said "touche".
Im at the same place with my pipes. But unfortunately not with tobacco as @Nova Pipes & Tobacco and nearly ALL the other tobacco vendors can attest.
If I like it, that's the pipe I want. After I smoke a new one once, it becomes an estate.
This is what I mean. I found this badboy and it was a instant buy. Its so interesting to me. Gotta get around to cleaning it up more.
Really interesting post. I used to be a long-time member of the BritishBlades forum until Martyn eventually shut it down. Back then, we were constantly trading, buying, and selling knives — it was absolute madness. Hundreds of knives passed through my hands over the years, mostly folders. I was also on BladeForums and KnifeForums, though I wasn’t particularly active there.There is a weird thing in the "collector" world.
Ive seen it in the pipe world, the knife world and the firearm world.
That is that most of the people in these hobbies believe in the "buy what you can afford" camp.
As many of you know, ive really been into the budget knife thing lately. A couple times guys have said, "cool, just buy what you can afford".
Well, for years before my recent interest in super high quality budget knives, I collected a LOT of ultra high dollar knives. That got boring, so ive fallen into the trap of finding fantastic quality folding knives under $100.
Its much more difficult than buying a $500 Chris Reeves knife, or a $1000 Hinderer knife. Finding a $40 knife that not only rivals, but is objectively better than a $200 Benchmade Bugout is much more interesting.
The same goes with pipes.
For some reason people just naturally believe guys smoking lower end pipes cannot afford a $1700 Hans "Former" Nielsen pipe. Thats not always the case.
I was just thinking about this recently when I guy on a knife group im in said, "you'll get it when you buy your first high end knife".
My next couple posts were some of my high end customs and one offs.
He just sent me a smiley face and said "touche".
Im at the same place with my pipes. But unfortunately not with tobacco as @Nova Pipes & Tobacco and nearly ALL the other tobacco vendors can attest.
I’ve carried a folding knife since I was six years old. When I got into the forums, I fell into the trap of buying high-end knives. But since I’m a user rather than a collector, I could never bring myself to actually use them — so I ended up selling them.
After BritishBlades closed, my enthusiasm for constant buying slowly faded. Many of the old members moved to bushcraft.uk or other forums, or went social and started groups, but it was never quite the same.
These days, I’ve kept only my absolute favorites — the ones I’ve been using for years: my Benchmade Doug Ritter Mini Grip and a unique SAK Mini Farmer, made and customized by myself. I even have a few customs from knife makers with handles crafted from my own olive wood. The only knife that’s remained unused in its box for years is a Cold Steel American Lawman Carpenter’s CTS XHP. They’re certainly not cheap, but still reasonably affordable for many.
I’ve handled plenty of budget knives as well, but the lower steel quality and performance were always obvious. The few I’ve kept cover all my needs — simplicity, looks, ergonomics, durability, performance, and reputation.
I completely understand the comparison with pipes. The main difference is that with pipes you need a rotation, while with knives, one small one for everyday carry and a larger one for heavier tasks will do just fine.
What you said — and what I often read with interest — about inexpensive pipes that smoke beautifully is something I’d love to experience myself. But I simply don’t have the time or the inclination to get into endless buying and selling until I find the perfect one. I don’t look down on cheap pipes at all, but even if they smoke well, they rarely have the visual appeal of, say, a Castello. Of course, that’s purely subjective — many people don’t “smoke with their eyes” the way I do, and I completely respect that. Some even find those high-end pipes too fancy or overdone.
I also prefer not to accumulate too many things that I don’t use regularly. Still, I’ve been eyeing a couple of lovely “like new” estate pipes — a Barling and a Comoy — from a very reputable shop. They’re around €80 and €100 respectively, both with vulcanite stems. Not bad at all, I’d say, especially compared to Dunhills that cost three times as much in similar condition. And since I’ve always had a soft spot for classic English design, they’re rather tempting.
To date, I've focused on the production of briar from northern Italy, both artisanal and factory-made.
This choice is largely due to living just a few kilometers from the production areas of Varese and Como, where some of my favorite producers are located.
This choice is largely due to living just a few kilometers from the production areas of Varese and Como, where some of my favorite producers are located.
I remember the days of the $50-80 Swiss K31s and $50 demilled AK "kits."
Yes.
I prefer pipes that have only been used for smoking tobacco or intended for smoking tobacco.
I remember the wooden barrels full of Enfields, M1 Garands and Carbines, SKS, Mausers.....at Woolworths for $50-$80.
You may be shocked how far budget steels have come. Some of the knifiest guys are realizing this.
Steels like 14c28n and AEB-L are coming into the light.
Both of these very close in composition steels are tougher than all the super steels, and nearly as corrosion resistant as all of them. This leaves edge retention. If you have a strop, and can sharpen a knife, you have a steel that is FAR tougher than Maxamet, Vanex, S45VN, Rex 45, Magnacut....14c28n is MUCH tougher than all of them.
Larin Thomas, the creator of Magnacut, says if he had only ONE steel to use ever again, he would choose 14c28n or AEB-L.
Sharpening a knife WELL is not an easy skill to master, but once you do, super steels seem kinda silly.
Larin also said this in an interview a few years ago. He said that the eternal search for better edge retention comes from people who can't sharpen a blade. The better the edge retention, the less tough the steel. Many of the super steels will shatter with very little force. This is why steels like 1095 get so little attention outside of the bushcraft and hunting community. I can pry a car door open with my $70 Esse Izula.
But the edge retention isnt great, and you need to protect it from corrosion. Those are 2 things most knife collectors are not ready or able to do.
And dont get me wrong, these Swedish steels, 14c28n and AEB-L have better edge retention than most mid steels like 154CM and 440C, along with better toughness and corrosion resistance than 99% of the super steels.
And either of these steels can be had on knives in the $30 range.
Couple that with the absolute fantastic fit and finish from companies like Civivi, QSP, Vosteed, Kizer, CJRB, Petrified Fish, Koncept, Remette......and the big makers are shaking in their boots.
I personally would not keep a knife that wasnt top quality. Over the last few years ive bought a few dozen of these $30-$110 knives and honestly can say many of them are better than Benchmade and ZT in every way....in my opinion.
Its funny watching the YouTube knife guys trying to explain how a $700 knife is "worth" the price. Many of these budget knifes even use titanium and carbon fiber. These materials used to seperate high budget knives from low budget.
All this is completely foreign to me, as you’ve probably realized. I’ve fallen far behind. Thank you for the condensed knowledge and the intensive crash course. Knives are a hobby that, for me, has now died — just like several other hobbies from the past.
Ive went through all levels in the knife world over the years. It started with hunting, where 1095 was king in the 1980s. Then I got into collecting high end pocket folders. Then I went back to just hunting and bush knives.
The last few years im back into pocket knives, but the days of 5cr and 420 stainless for an inexpensive knife are gone....except for a few American companies like CRKT, Buck, Gerber, and Kershaw who still use these very bad steels and have very lackluster fit and finish in their lower lines. And of course the cheap gas station knives and knives from Pakistan who use horrible steel.
But this new wave of high quality, low price Chinese and Taiwanese knives are absolutely top notch. The "new" budget steels like the ones ive mentioned along with ones like Nitro V, 154CM, VG10, K112, S30V, and the return of PROPERLY heat treated D2 along with them all using caged ceramic ball berring pivots and all the locking mechanisms that were only on $200+ knives just 5 years ago have made a huge difference in the knife community. The high end makers have had to get more into marketing and hype to sell their knives. And things like using Rex 121 steel. The edge retention of Rex 121 is so good, that most owners never have to sharpen their well used knives....ever.
But, if you drop the knife on concrete, it just may explode, its that brittle. Its literally off the charts in edge retention, nothing even comes close. So many high end makers use this as a selling point because the Chinese budget knives are using all their old tricks to sell knives, like great fit and finish, great components, and great steel...at less than 1/8 the price.
Here is how Rex 121 rates on the edge retention, its laughable. I had to cut off the bottom steels just to fit Rex 121 on the screen.
I am an emotional and chaotic buyer of pipes and tins. Months with nothing, then I am struck with a must have shape or blend and I scour the internets to satiate my lust.
Excellent into thanks again! I saved your posts about knives and steel for future reference. I am Greek and I am loyal to American made knives. You are American and you like Chinese quality knives. This is what I call progress.