a new pipe…which?
- Thread starter John99
- Start date
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No real answer for you….
It is IMO rather far too subjective a decision. I buy a pipe for its comfort, it’s looks, and it’s shape/size. But each preference on the above parameters is something only you will know if you prefer.
For me, I enjoy medium to medium/large bowled pipes, briar, smooth finishes, traditional shapes, quarter to full bend styles, and natural or very traditionally stained colors.
Yet, you may find something else to your liking.
It is IMO rather far too subjective a decision. I buy a pipe for its comfort, it’s looks, and it’s shape/size. But each preference on the above parameters is something only you will know if you prefer.
For me, I enjoy medium to medium/large bowled pipes, briar, smooth finishes, traditional shapes, quarter to full bend styles, and natural or very traditionally stained colors.
Yet, you may find something else to your liking.
So many new members ask this question. its hard to give a recommendation on something so subjective. Each pipe smoker likes different shapes, sizes, finishes and makers. If you have pipes that you really like the way they smoke I'd say get one that is similar. Maybe your price range will get something with better grain or fit and finish.
Any particular reason for that price point?
All of the above. Just depends on what you think you may accomplish at that price and what your tastes are, for starters. Otherwise go to SP and plug in your price parameters and you'll get plenty of options.
It seems that this may be a 1st pipe? If so, I personally would feel you're off on the wrong track. You'll likely be better off with 3-8 various pipes of lesser value that add up to $300 in order to learn the many lessons that each will provide.
If you're simply wanting a pipe at that $ amount to add to your collection - I've got no input as it's too personal based on your lessons learned from other pipes.
If you're simply wanting a pipe at that $ amount to add to your collection - I've got no input as it's too personal based on your lessons learned from other pipes.
There's no substitute, at a time like yours, for walking into a brick & mortar -- I mean a proper pipe store -- and perusing the wares. I was fortunate enough to live perhaps 12 miles from a great pipe store with a truly great proprietor. I'd walk in as time permitted, gaze at the hundreds of pipes hung from clips on the wall and in glass storage cabinets. Inevitably, one of them would call to me.
There are still pipe shops about, but darned few in number. Best of luck.
There are still pipe shops about, but darned few in number. Best of luck.
For all the above reasons and more, it's impossible to give a correct answer. 
My initial inclination was to agree with the consensus here, which is basically telling the OP that picking a pipe is as personal a decision as picking a spouse, and since it's based on personal taste and preferences no-one else can tell him what to do. That line of thought made me reconsider however; there is much data to suggest that arranged marriages are on the whole more successful than love matches. It follows that the people on this forum are exactly the right ones to tell the OP what he should buy with his $300. In the United States marriage brokers can charge $25k for a stream of candidates over time plus a bonus when one is selected. I think a similar, although reasonably scaled back variant, of this approach would be fair here. If you're interested I'll have my attorney draw up a contract and after a brief DocuSign encounter I'll start curating a selection of pipes for you to evaluate.
I
As to the OP,
Meerschaum pipe is what is needed.
If I wasn't locked in to one pipe right now, I'd hire you! Cheap labor right there!
As to the OP,
Meerschaum pipe is what is needed.
Get the one you like and think will keep you happy for awhile. Sort of like picking a girlfriend, not like picking a hooker for 30 min.
Yes. But if he only has $300 to spend, on the latter, I suggest a short girl and to hide any guns in a tall cabinet. — She may still get him, but at least he’ll hear her dragging the chair across the floor and have a fightin chance.
OP, A Peterson in that price range will offer many models and styles to choose from and in the end, you’ll wind up with a sure bet.
If you pay 300 for a pipe from a respectable place, it should smoke great or money back. It just depends on what you want. IMO after a certain amount you are mainly buying cosmetics not a better smoking experience, unless appearance enhances your experience. To each his/her own.
New or estate? Briar, Meer, or something else? No one can tell you what pipe to love, but in your shoes, I might look at Ser Jacopo, Ashton, and an array of other artisan pipes in your price range. Since you don't have something firmly in mind, I'd take your time shopping. In a month or two, make a list of five or six contenders, then start winnowing them down. Finally, I think you'll decide on one that is just what you are looking for. This has worked for me in the past.
In my experience when someone asks your opinion, it's not because they really want to know what you think, but rather they are looking for validation for what they have already decided.
A corn cob and 10lbs of Sutliff’s slices
With a budget of $300, I’d buy a half-dozen Rossis and be most of the way toward a week’s set!
One way to see what's out there is to go on a reputable online vendor and plug in your price range into their pipe finder search engine. Here's a link for smokingpipes.com that gives you 70 pages of options. The nice thing is that, if you get the pipe and don't like it, you can generally return it unsmoked for a refund no questions asked.