$165 Northern Briars Mistake

[gwtwdbss]

I should have returned this pipe from one of our sponsors but I waited a month to get it. I was captivated as it is my perfect sized pipe. My friends say return it. I say lesson learned. Life on the road sucks. Never again will I let this happen. Woulda been better if my sponsor would not have passed it on to me in the first place.

As much as I hate this pipe. it is a lesson learned Does any one else here have a bitch pipe?

 

[philobeddoe]

Why don't you like it? Smokes bad or other?

 

[hans]

Some details are needed here!

 

[gwtwdbss]

Tastes great. It is not symmetric and there is a tiny gap between the shank and the bit on the left hand side. That will bug the shit out of me forever until I give it away.

 

[gwtwdbss]

I gave ya pics Hans. Do you not see the lack of symmetry? It is like riding a bike with a wobbly wheel.

 

[matchstickman]

I think the pipe looks great, and while some will probably think that the gripe is minor, I actually relate to what you're talking about here. I have a few different pipes with flaws that would normally be no big deal but just irk the piss out of me. I have a GBD that has a microscopic hole in the top of the bit, and I've covered it with a softy bit but it bugs me knowing it's still there. I also have a Dr. Grabow Savoy that the stem sticks a little when I try to pull it out and it really pisses me off.

 

[gwtwdbss]

I was so happy to be home and the pipe was perfect size and I was destined for large boobies and I did not pay attention upon my initial visit. So I deem it my fault for not paying attention. I may be a dick but I never pass the buck. It is in Zeppelin Terms, "nobody's fault but mine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZ15n6_5JY

 

[sal57]

Well here is my two cents,nothing is perfect as much as it my seem it's just not. If the pipe does not smoke good then ditch it but i'll bet everyone that looks at that pipe is going to say nice pipe not poor symmetry.good luck

 

[buckeye]

Now i can see my homemade pipes being out of round.I am not a professional pipe maker.Looks like something i would make and if i sold it it would be for 50 Bucks.I would send it back.Selling pipes for 160 bucks it should be just about perfect.

 

[bigvan]

I didn't notice the out of round bowl at first, but now that I do I can't not see it. If the retailer won't make it right you could contact the maker, Ian Walker. I'm willing to bet he'd stand behind his work and make it right.

 

[ssjones]

That bowl shape would bother me as well, particularly at $165...

Ian does have a reputation for fixing problems, I would reach out to him. Keep us posted.
I did enjoy the Presence cut!

 

[daveinlax]

I was, and probably will be again a long time road warrior. I've had pipes delivered to motel rooms countless times but no matter what, the time to get picky is before you smoke it. Put it on ebay with a reasonable BIN or reserve. 8O

 

[nsfisher]

I like it and think it is beautiful mate. I do understand your concerns though. I actually didn't see anything wrong until you pinpointed it.

 

[metarzan]

My "Bitch Pipe" is a Bjarne, Viking. It is one of the top 3 smokers I own and number 1 for comfort and fit. It was one of my first decent pipe purchases around the turn of the millennium . As a novice pipe smoker I assumed that any pipe in that price range would be a work of perfection. While enjoying the first bowl I noticed a big blob of filler that was a poor match at best. I took it back to where I purchased it but having been smoked the return was a no-go. It was a lesson learned and I would never make such an oversight again. In fact I have a hard time buying any pipe without first holding it in my hands. Now that I think about it I realize that I only smoke that pipe in the dark and every time I see the filler I consider buying another.

 

[mthanded]

To me, when you pay for something, it should be right. I would not accept a torn seat in a new car nor would I accept a scratch in the paint even though it won't affect how it drives.

 

[instymp]

Sorry you don't like it, My old eyes & foggy brain can't see anything wrong & I like the way it looks a lot. If you can't return it, maybe it will turn into a great smoker.

 

[numbersix]

gwtwdbss - I feel your pain. I smoked my Peterson Rosslare before I noticed the bowl was crooked. But I did send it back in and they fixed it.
If he's a reputable reseller, he should be willing to work something out. After all, a happy customer is worth a lot more than $165 (especially when it comes to repeat buyers like pipe smokers).

 

[rigmedic1]

In 1986, I paid $45.00 each for a Bjarne freehand, a Nording, and a huge Ben Wade. Those were retail prices in pipe shops around New Orleans. A Dr. Grabow was $9.95, by contrast. $100.00 was an extravagant price then, and I shelled out $112.00 for a Sam Martin skater with oak leaves in relief along the sides. The average price for an Edwards was around $25.00, and I bought a Butz-Choquin D'accord for about $40.00. That Sam Martin was, and still is, the pride of my collection.

Fast forward to 2012. I paid $119.00 for a Stanwell Golden Danish "Danish Design" bent billiard, a fair but uninspiring factory pipe. It was in the case at a local B&M, along with several dozen pipes that were overly varnished, misdrilled, had poor fitting stems, and were priced from $50 to $75.00. I honestly thought the Stanwell was the best pipe in the lot.

I guess my point is that once upon a time, $100.00 bought a lot of pipe. These days, not so much.

 

[instymp]

Rig, sold 3 Sam Martins & still have 1 & love mine too.

 

[cortezattic]

gwtwdbss, I get your point, and I can identify with you. That pipe should have been classified "a second", and discounted accordingly.
Might I suggest that you put the pipe away and forget about it? Years from now your attitude will have changed -- I know mine has changed over time.
Whereas years ago I would have been irked, today I would see that pipe's asymmetries as a part of its unique character; and years from now the price won't matter so much. Besides, from the pix, it looks like it's been drilled OK, but the wall is thicker on one side -- actually kinda rustic!