Any Negatives to Estate Pipes?

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sumusfumus

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 20, 2017
597
549
New York City
I never regretted buying any of the estate pipes that I own, and use.

Once sanitized/refurbished I could care less if it was old, or new. It's a pipe....just an object of utility.

Actually...I prefer purchasing estate-pipes because I could more easily afford the prices a good or great estate-pipe.

Old or new pipes....it doesn't matter to me one bit. A pipe is a pipe.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,860
31,618
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Forgot the negative part. I'm sure there are few. I just don't feel good about smoking another person's pipe. Just a personal thing. But if they provide complete medical history of the person going back 15 yrs before stop using the pipe, I might consider it.
I know it's no grosser then going to a restaurant and using the silverware in fact it's kind of less gross then that. But there for me is also the irrational ick factor.
 

Sloopjohnbee

Lifer
May 12, 2019
1,289
2,286
Atlantic Coast USA
all this coronavirus crap made me less concerned with germ propaganda and virus-theory - technically a virus isn't alive it only activates upon contraction and lives within organisms - Yea... my foot - I'll stick to Louis Pasteur and bacteria and actual germs like botulism and tetanus - everything else is a scam - The one thing I DO NOT worry about is an estate pipe once given a thorough once over. OCD, SUPERSTITION and FEAR is the disease of today - that's what the mind-thieves want of you - they also hate tobacco
 

ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,391
70,250
61
Vegas Baby!!!
Forgot the negative part. I'm sure there are few. I just don't feel good about smoking another person's pipe. Just a personal thing. But if they provide complete medical history of the person going back 15 yrs before stop using the pipe, I might consider it.
I’ll hold a seance for my 100 year old pipes.....or maybe use a ouija board....
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,211
60,638
One upside of estate pipes is that they bring a historical dimension you may not get with new pipes. I have an estate Thompson Cigar house pipe that is stamped "West Germany." One downside is that I don't build cake and don't own a reamer; I wipe the bowl clean with a paper towel after scooping out the ash, so the chamber diameter has no discernible decrease in size. Dealing with someone else's cake and reaming does not appeal to me. The estate pipes I have were not caked, and I didn't have to ream them. With normal soaking and washing of stems, sanitation is routine, like dishwashing.
 

Sloopjohnbee

Lifer
May 12, 2019
1,289
2,286
Atlantic Coast USA
One upside of estate pipes is that they bring a historical dimension you may not get with new pipes. I have an estate Thompson Cigar house pipe that is stamped "West Germany." One downside is that I don't build cake and don't own a reamer; I wipe the bowl clean with a paper towel after scooping out the ash, so the chamber diameter has no discernible decrease in size. Dealing with someone else's cake and reaming does not appeal to me. The estate pipes I have were not caked, and I didn't have to ream them. With normal soaking and washing of stems, sanitation is routine, like dishwashing.
well I'd say when the majority obtain 'estate' pipes - that's all been done by the vendor - if you get it at a flea market or estate sales/carboot, or antique shops/goodwill then maybe you'd need to some reamin' but at that I'd expect to be buying pipes for $4 a piece.
 
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ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,391
70,250
61
Vegas Baby!!!
One upside of estate pipes is that they bring a historical dimension you may not get with new pipes. I have an estate Thompson Cigar house pipe that is stamped "West Germany." One downside is that I don't build cake and don't own a reamer; I wipe the bowl clean with a paper towel after scooping out the ash, so the chamber diameter has no discernible decrease in size. Dealing with someone else's cake and reaming does not appeal to me. The estate pipes I have were not caked, and I didn't have to ream them. With normal soaking and washing of stems, sanitation is routine, like dishwashing.
I purchased pipes that were so caked I couldn’t put a pencil in them. I simple ream the cake, give it three runs through my kosher salt and 190 proof soak, a stack of pipe cleaners, a stem clean up and after it all dries, I fire that bad boy up and enjoy.

I just obtained a gourd calabash and cleaned it just like a briar. A little elbow grease and patience is highly rewarding.

BUT, this is why Baskin Robbins makes more than vanilla. To each his own.

I’ll finally add, there isn’t a right way or a wrong way to buy pipes, just lesson learned, trials crossed and stories to be told.
 
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