Always the Expensive Pipes…

[rokerdepipe]

Good morning,

So I’m sitting here perusing various sites and looking at the pipes being offered. No biggie. It’s what I do. But I’m wondering if I’m not alone with the experience that happens every time?

What happens is; I’m looking at just the pipe - I don’t look at the name of the brand or maker or price - just the pipe. I look at its shape, size, blasted or smooth, colour, stem, how it flows, etc….and ten times out of ten, when I finally look at the brand, maker, or price…it’s a gazzilion dollars….or in other words, waaaaay out of my meagre budget.

Line up four almost identical blasted billiards, and I’ll bet I’d reach for the one that is unaffordable. Not always, mind you, but almost.

I’m guessing I’m not alone here? Share below……

 

[Sigmund]

Almost every time.

I m not a maker but Im betting better and more attractive briar costs much. In the least the premium pieces mean the lesser ones are not used which effectively drives the price up. Also face it, good designers know they are good and they charge for it. They typically built their careers working hard for little money. I just noticed you are talking about blasts. A good blast takes skill or luck. Some guys spend a lot of energy doing a great blast.

Its pretty much that way in most areas. You pay for the good stuff. That said, it doesn’t always mean they smoke better.

That is one reason I buy estates. Im only willing to part with so much cash. Those can be pricey too but normally around half of new or less.

 

[fireground_piper]

Champaign taste as they say!

 

[rokerdepipe]

Almost every time.

I m not a maker but Im betting better and more attractive briar costs much. In the least the premium pieces mean the lesser ones are not used which effectively drives the price up. Also face it, good designers know they are good and they charge for it. They typically built their careers working hard for little money. I just noticed you are talking about blasts. A good blast takes skill or luck. Some guys spend a lot of energy doing a great blast.

Its pretty much that way in most areas. You pay for the good stuff. That said, it doesn’t always mean they smoke better.

That is one reason I buy estates. Im only willing to part with so much cash. Those can be pricey too but normally around half of new or less.

Yep. I mostly buy estates as well, but even then you have to be wary of buying someone else’s dogs. Maybe they don’t have a great draw, or a cleaner won’t pass, or there’s too much buffing and the end of the stem that meets the shank is ‘rounded’ (pet peeve), or whatever.

And yes, a high price or name does not guarantee a better smoke. Hopefully, but not always.

I’m finding that with time and age, I seem to be getting better at knowing what aesthetically (to me) is pleasing to the eye, and it’s often the most expensive of the pipes.

 

[rokerdepipe]

Champaign taste as they say!

On a beer budget my friend! lol

 

[AroEnglish]

Yeah I find the exact same thing. Not in the gazillion range but in the I-couldn't-enjoy-it-if-I-spent-that-much-money-on-it range.

 

[AJL67]

Good morning,

So I’m sitting here perusing various sites and looking at the pipes being offered. No biggie. It’s what I do. But I’m wondering if I’m not alone with the experience that happens every time?

What happens is; I’m looking at just the pipe - I don’t look at the name of the brand or maker or price - just the pipe. I look at its shape, size, blasted or smooth, colour, stem, how it flows, etc….and ten times out of ten, when I finally look at the brand, maker, or price…it’s a gazzilion dollars….or in other words, waaaaay out of my meagre budget.

Line up four almost identical blasted billiards, and I’ll bet I’d reach for the one that is unaffordable. Not always, mind you, but almost.

I’m guessing I’m not alone here? Share below……

I've solved this by my tastes shifting exclusively to meerschaum, not because. of cost, that was just a happy circumstance, I move to meer because i enjoy smoking them more for reasons across the board, it just so happens they tend to be much cheaper as well.

 

[Cracklin' Tobaccy]

I've had good luck buying NOS (new old stock) pipes on Etsy. Some of them are quite old salvaged from shops or pipemakers whose work ended.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Champaign taste as they say!

I have bathed in Champaign several times. It's in Illinois, great farm county.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I get some guys love the quality/collector value, and of course when “just looking” I’m drawn to stoopid expensive pipes.
That said, pipes are a new found passion to me, in addition to a few other pre-existing passions I’ve got-none of which are cheap (Harleys, shooting/hunting, horses, etc.
In less than a couple years, I’ve gotten close to three dozen pipes (in addition to the ten my dad gave me that started this whole fiasco). I think one broke the $100 mark after tax/shipping.
Best part is, I enjoy them all even though I only smoke outside (at home and at work) often in questionable conditions. Only two were bought new, and the rest are between 40-90 years old.
I don’t know what I’d do with an artisan or high grade collector pipe, other than think what hunt I could have gone on, or necessities I could’ve bought instead (including tobacco).
There’s a few out there I’d pay dearly for, for sure, but I’m grateful for what I’ve got and regret none.
Then I’ve also heard many examples of buying/commissioning very expensive pipes that don’t smoke well-I’d be beside myself in such an event!
To each their own, though. Grandpa always said “it’s a good thing everyone likes different things, otherwise everybody’d be trying to bang grandma”.

 

[bullet08]

Nope. I always buy new pipes. And even within a brand, you can have very similar pipe at lower price. Same vulcanite stem, same silver band. Just have to know what you are looking for.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Absolutely. If it is a nice looking pipe with nice dimensions and shaping, it’s almost always expensive. I like traditional looking pipes, like traditional English shapes and Italian pipes. So Castello and Dunhill appeal to me. This is why I like estate Dunhill, Comoy’s, and Castello's. As for Dunhill the older ones are better anyway. Radice and Northern Briars are still good brand new buys though. You’ll find that almost no one makes a proper billiard or lovat without it being too oversized or this and that making it look off.

 

[kcghost]

I have champagne tastes with a coco-cola budget.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Caviar dreams, too!

I think this shows what great taste each of us has.

 

[anotherbob]

nope usually the expensive pipes are the ones that look garish to me. I find my taste is solidly in the mid range.

 

[Briarcutter]

Good morning,

So I’m sitting here perusing various sites and looking at the pipes being offered. No biggie. It’s what I do. But I’m wondering if I’m not alone with the experience that happens every time?

What happens is; I’m looking at just the pipe - I don’t look at the name of the brand or maker or price - just the pipe. I look at its shape, size, blasted or smooth, colour, stem, how it flows, etc….and ten times out of ten, when I finally look at the brand, maker, or price…it’s a gazzilion dollars….or in other words, waaaaay out of my meagre budget.

Line up four almost identical blasted billiards, and I’ll bet I’d reach for the one that is unaffordable. Not always, mind you, but almost.

I’m guessing I’m not alone here? Share below……

Be grateful you're not into watches!

 

[rokerdepipe]

Be grateful you're not into watches!

I wear an Omega….I’m already doomed!

 

[BrightDarkEyes]

I discovered artisan pipes less than a month ago. They are amazing.

 

[Briarcutter]

I discovered artisan pipes less than a month ago. They are amazing.

Buckle up! That artisan road has a habit of continually branching off.

 

[PipeIT]

@rokerdepipe my thoughts are, there is a huge world of small artisan carvers in various price ranges, so you don’t feel like everything is out of reach.

I’d say if you haven’t, start looking on Instagram.

Sooner or later, you can get a custom commission on something you can afford, and one of a kind too.