Any Negatives to Estate Pipes?

[Sloopjohnbee]

I know once and a while an estate thread comes up - Have any of you anything negative to say regarding buying estates? I'm talking about buying from reasonable sources/dealers not those one's people often complain of being fleeced on fleabay etc...
Anyone here prefer to opt for new over used? chime in

 

[didimauw]

I prefer new. I like being the one to give it its own character through the years. I don't want someone else's friend. Plus the thought of it can be disturbing at times lol.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

I prefer new. I like being the one to give it its own character through the years. I don't want someone else's friend. Plus the thought of it can be disturbing at times lol.

I can get that - could you ever see yourself settling for an estate if you encountered a dream pipe in a one of a kind event/encounter?

 

[ChuckMijo]

The thing is these older estate British/ French etc.. pipes are like land. They aren’t making anymore. And as the years pass they become harder to find and more expensive. The really desired ones don’t last long. The dreak will always be there. New pipes are great too. I just enjoy the old ones.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

The thing is these older estate British/ French etc.. pipes are like land. They aren’t making anymore. And as the years pass they become harder to find and more expensive. The really desired ones don’t last long. The dreak will always be there. New pipes are great too. I just enjoy the old ones.

I like the old ones too - they just seem to carry some lost character - you are definitely right - the well made newer ones will carry heftier price tags as the years go by.

 

[lochinvar]

Yeah. Every time I buy an estate pipe it has been smoked

I have had very few bad experiences with estates, just one that had a pernicious Blue Note ghost. I like my pipes, guns and cars to have the depreciation paid for by the initial owner

 

[logs]

I've had plenty of shit estate pipes. On the other hand, I've had a number of shit new pipes too. It's always a roll of the dice.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

Yeah. Every time I buy an estate pipe it has been smoked

I have had very few bad experiences with estates, just one that had a pernicious Blue Note ghost. I like my pipes, guns and cars to have the depreciation paid for by the initial owner

well, I'll be discreet when I say I bought a close to $300 pipe new - It was great but shortly thereafter began to smoke hot and miserable -sold the thing at a large loss - lucky for me the new owner may be stuck with the same dud experience - to each their own though(cadence, leaf, etc)

 

[tschiraldi]

I mostly prefer to buy pipes new, however, I believe I have found the best pipes ever made, and they haven't been made in a very long time, so when I find a decent deal on a really good one, I buy it. No regrets!

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

I mostly prefer to buy pipes new, however, I believe I have found the best pipes ever made, and they haven't been made in a very long time, so when I find a decent deal on a really good one, I buy it. No regrets!

can you suggest one - sounds incredible

 

[ashdigger]

Well, I own old pipes (starting at 1888) and new pipes (made about a month ago).

The older British pipes are just awesome.

I don’t mind buying an estate and it is a learning curve. I’ve purchased some estates that were essentially firewood with a stem, but learning is the fun, at least to me.

I’ve also purchased brand new pipes that were absolute garbage, I’m looking at you Savinelli.

Here’s the thing, we’re all individuals, so are the pipes. I know a lot of folks who love Savinelli, and they are misguided, but I’m sure they think I’m misguided to fawn over a pipe 100 years plus old.

I have zero regrets that I buy old estate pipes. Well one regret, I didn’t start smoking pipes earlier.

Two more things, if you buy old pipes, smoke them carefully at first and invest in micro mesh for the stems.

 

[tschiraldi]

can you suggest one - sounds incredible

Lol! I really don't want another competitor, but you seem.like a nice guy! Everyone has their own preferences and opinions, but I love... LOVE... old, family era Sasieni pipes! Sable will tell you the same about old Barlings and we have a number of Dunhill devotees here as well. For me it is Sasieni. Other than those, I buy new Castello pipes or commission one from Carver Jesse Jones ( Blue Room Briars).

 

[mso489]

The probabilities of problems with estate pipes is somewhat higher than with new pipes, especially considering that I am a moderate smoker, both in quantity and in technique, so a ten year old pipe of mine probably has gentler use than a ten year old pipe smoked by someone else who smokes harder. With new pipes, a whole brand stands behind it, whereas with an estate pipe, it is a retailer with the usual disclaimers. But I like my four or five estate pipes very much; they've turned out well. In a sense, all of my fully broken in pipes are estate pipes, just used entirely by me. After a few years, that is what you have anyway. Of course, an unsmoked estate pipe is essentially a new pipe, unless it is shelf worn or was poorly stored.

 

[Ahi Ka]

With the exception of cobs and clays, so far I have only purchased estates.

 

[shanez]

My collection probably wouldn't even be 25% the size it is if not for estate pipes. I've been able to afford pipes I would only be able to dream about thanks to the prices of estates. There's nothing like scoring a $1200+ pipe for $300-ish!

Plus there are old and/or historical pieces out there too. I have a Dunhill that belonged to Richard Dunhill that I won out of fishnbanjo's estate. I guess that would essentially make it a double estate pipe.

I've also extensively grown my Savinelli collection with estates that aren't otherwise available. Sometimes it's a $30 piece that is simply a shape no longer made, sometimes it's a unique autograph piece available no other way than as an estate. Even better when you get a $300 autograph pipe for $80.

Bottom line, there is absolutely nothing wrong with estates. Just clean them before smoking them.

 

[jmsmitty6]

For me personally, estate pipes were an avenue to wade into artisan pipe waters without having to pay full price. The depreciation margins are higher, hence, I felt like I was getting a better deal on an estate artisan pipe than say an estate Peterson where I might only save $20. Just my thoughts. I’ve had good luck with estates but I buy from reputable places with return policies and do a thorough inspection upon receipt

 

[ron123]

Buying estates can be a gamble because you never know for sure what you're going to be dealing with until it arrives. Based on some past PITA experiences I gravitate more toward new than estate than I used to, but will still take chances on estates. The other drawback to estates is if they need refurbishing and you're not adept at it, you need to factor in the expense of having it restored as well as the then several months delay in having it in hand to smoke, as most pipe restoration guys have several month backlogs.

 

[bnichols23]

I'm mainly with Chuck. I've got particular taste in pipes, formed years ago when I worked in shops in the 70s. Wild Danishes, sandblast Englishes & italians mainly. Being a dinosaur "that's just me." -laugh- I've discovered a lot of new that I like, but mainly I'm just an old guy for old pipes. ?

 

[bnichols23]

can you suggest one - sounds incredible

Pre-Cadogan era (prior to '84) GBDs & Comoy's. If a GBD has the logo in a brass roundel on the stem or a Comoy with a 3-pirce inlaid C, that's your best indicator as to a dividing line. Since then the manufacturer has gone cheap & the pipes aren't quite as good.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I buy almost exclusively estate pipes and have yet to have a turd in the punch bowl.