$30 vs $300 Pipes

[05venturer]

Could someone please let me know what would make a $300 pipe smoke better than a $30 pipe?. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy smoking my pipe but can't see spending $300+ on one. What are the advantages?? :?

 

[bigvan]

Better materials (properly cured briar, vulcanite or lucite bit rather than cheap plastic)

Better engineering (properly drilled)

Better aesthetics

Better comfort
You don't HAVE to spend $300 on a pipe, but you really should spend more than $30.

 

[matchstickman]

....................What Bigvan said.

 

[JimInks]

Double ditto on what Bigvan said.

 

[gnatjulio]

You don't HAVE to spend $300 on a pipe, but you really should spend more than $30.

Agreed with bigvan.

 

[matchstickman]

Cutting to the chase, it's all about one's perception of worth and value.
Let's take a new hand made, pipe, crafted by a respected artisan, that sells for $300+ and compare it to a new factory made Kaywoodie that sells for $30-$50.
In examining and comparing both pipes, is the former a better pipe over all? I believe most would agree it is when examining the results of the craftsman's effort. Is the Kaywoodie a good solid pipe that will likely satisfy the owner? I believe so, yes.
I liken it to a new BMW 3 series compared to a new Toyota Corolla. Both pipes are good pipes, just as both cars are reliable and will get you from point A to Point B. But how does one define the value of one compared to the other? How does one justify the difference in price for her BMW that, for the same money, would buy two Corollas with enough money left over for gas and maintenance for a year or two?
Once the dust settles on this perennial argument, what it comes down to is what these items are worth -- not in dollars and cents, but in their value to the potential owner.

..........Also what rothnh said.

 

[matchstickman]

If I can be serious for a second, once you go over a certain dollar amount for a pipe, I really believe that you are just paying for either aesthetics or a name, and like rothnh said, it really boils down to what the value is to you. There are some people who collect pipes for their physical beauty, some who collect them as pure smoking instruments, and there are a mix of both. I personally collect pipes purely as smoking instruments and while I enjoy a pipe that looks nice, aesthetic flaws arent a big deal to me. I have a Blakemar that I paid $15 for on Ebay that was in the worst crap shape a pipe could be in. I opened the draw up, cleaned it out and refinished the stem, and its a damn good smoker but it still looks awful. For me, it was worth it cause it smokes really nice. Then I have Savinellis that I have paid $70 for brand new that look beautiful and smoke just as well as that Blakemar, but they are also worth it to me because they smoke good and they look great. Its all about finding that sweet spot in terms of price vs. usability and value.

 

[kris]

I REALLY like rothnh.

 

[05venturer]

Pipe Novelist, You just explained exactly what my thought are on the subject. In my personal opinion (and financial status :crying I think the tobacco I smoke will taste better out of a $5 cob than a $300 briar. When I hit the lotto that may change things up a bit. ::

Thanks again all for your opinions, they are greatly appreciated to a novice such as myself

 

[tbradsim1]

Big Van, Roth, Pipe Novelist all have some very fine points, do your homework, you can buy good deals out there, I just bought a Savory Corzon Canadian for 34$,smokes as good as my Upshalls , yes it does, I bought a very expensive Artisan pipe that is crap, not his work and I won"t mention his name because his work is beautiful, but the briar is crap, gets hot, smokes wet, I believe some of these young Artisans are not getting good raw material, that"s why I tend to older Estates. The old cajun

 

[tbradsim1]

You may not believe it but I would never foster that Boger red on anyone, what I will do is after the Holidays I will have a smokeout, I"ll either have a burnout on that SOB or I"ll break it in, kinda like setting the rings in an engine rebuild , it's gonna have to Come , Bleed , or Blister. LOL. The old cajun

 

[cigrmaster]

05venturer, Yes a 300.00 pipe will smoke better than a 30.00 basket pipe. It will smoke cooler and drier and thereby make the tobacco taste better. As in most things in life, you get what you pay for. You definitely have to do your research to make sure you do not buy a 300.00 lemon, because they are out there. As old cajun mentioned, he got a couple of artisan pipes he is not happy with from someone with a really good rep.
I buy pipes to smoke, not to collect. I buy pipes in my price range from people who I think make great smoking pipes. I have found through the years of buying and selling loads of pipes, that certain ones smoke my blends better than any other pipes I have tried. I prefer pipes from an artisan, they are the ones I reach for the most and give me the most enjoyment. I have paid as little as 139.00 and as much as 450.00 and everywhere in between. I like a pipe with a hand cut vulcanite stem, I like a pipe where the briar is very high quality and aged properly,I like a good sized Group 5 bowl that is extremely light and only certain carvers can accomplish that, I like a pipe where one guy does all the work and then puts his name on it.
There are tremendous deals to be had in the estate market. You can buy 3- 400.00 Savinelli Autographs for under 100.00 3-400.00 Upshalls for around 125.00, the list is endless for really nice pipes for not too much money. Until you have smoked a really well made pipe, you will have no frame of reference to know what is a good pipe and what is not. If all you are smoking is 30.00 basket pipes you will not understand why people spend 300.00 plus on a pipe. The beauty is that you don't even have to spend 300 with the estate market like it is.
If you are really interested in seeing for yourself how good a 300.00 plus pipe is, set some money aside, say 100-125.00 and then buy yourself a really good estate piece. If you want some help, I would be happy to look for one for you.

 

[crpntr1]

I don't own a $300 pipe so I can't vouch for them

The difference between a $30-$100 pipe to me is simply quality

 

[joeahearn]

For $300, you usually get a lighter, better-cured piece of wood; a better stem; drilling and engineering that meets a certain minimum standard; easier break-in; easier smoking; and better aesthetics. You do not NECESSARILY get these features. There are high-grade, mid-grade, and artisan pipes with all sorts of problems, and some of them are so egregious as to be legendary. I have spent between $5 and $500 on pipes. I can almost always get a good smoke out of cheap pipe, because I know how to look at what I am buying, and how to fix most problems. But I get more great smokes out of better pipes, and a lot more smokes that are better than good. I have also been smoking a pipe long enough that I like a pipe to be made a certain way. It is hard for me to get a pipe that I like out of a basket for $30.
But it is NOT impossible to get a great-smoking $30 basket pipe, or a great-smoking $5 estate pipe, but your odds of getting a very good to great smoker are much higher if you spend more money. You do not need to spend $300. I think somewhere around $100 you can get a pretty fine smoker if you buy a Stanwell or Savinelli. For $50 on the estate market you can probably get a pretty fine smoking old GBD or Peterson. Any of these pipes will smoke noticeably better than a $30 basket pipe.
As always, this is just my opinion, and YMMV. But the odds are with you if you spend more than $30.

 

[nsfisher]

Yes to what everyone said. (I am a reformed basket pipe smoker)

 

[pstlpkr]

I have a couple-three that fall into the $300+ range and have many that fall between that and the $30 figure.

I bought those higher end pipes because I wanted to.

I wanted the hand-crafted quality and attention to detail.

While I have no complaints at all about my $30 pipes either.

The main difference (IMHO) is that the $30 pipes are mass produced, and the others are hand-crafted.

 

[foggymountain]

I have an $18 Stanwell, bought new in 1959 that I still smoke. I also have a lot of pipes that cost quite a bit more than $300. So I agree with everyone above. But one thing: the Stanwell took many years before it smoked well, the expensive pipes usually smoke well from the first.

 

[pitchfork]

Consider this a rough and arbitrary guide, but:
For $100 (give or take) you can buy a pipe that will smoke WAY better than a $30-pipe.
For $300-400 you can buy a pipe that smokes as good as any pipe around. But it may not. It may not smoke as well as many $100-pipes. But it will certainly look pretty and likely have a very comfortable stem.
Bottom line, if you've been smoking very inexpensive pipes and are curious about more expensive pipes, $90-100 is probably a better benchmark than $300.

 

[ssjones]

For $50 on the estate market you can probably get a pretty fine smoking old GBD or Peterson. Any of these pipes will smoke noticeably better than a $30 basket pipe.

I agree with that, most of my estate GBD's were less than $50. They required a bit of cosmetic restoration but I suspect they would have smoked just as well unrestored.

 

[lasttango]

I don't have a $300 pipe, but I do have four pipes in the $100-$150 range... stanwells, storient... ligne bretange... compared to my 3 $30 pipes (yello-bole, carey's magic...), they give me a significantly better experience... better draw... drier , less re-lights and I like the way the better stem feels