Night and day!
I'm not surprised that it's a great smoke. More dollars doesn't necessarily equate with a superior smoke. You're paying for uniqueness, beautiful grain, a nicer exterior shape or finish, a more comfortable bit, etc. An inexpensive pipe may perform just as well for your purposes.
One of my "desert island" pipes is a humble Ehrlich that I picked up for $2 on ebay. It smokes as well as any of my Barlings or Dunhills.