Are Dunhill Pipes Even Worth It?

[pstlpkr]

Kevin, you touch upon an aspect of piping that we all probably share.

There are advocates for just about any type or brand of pipes.

You have your Peterson, Missouri Meerschaum, Dr. Graybow advocates and of course my Cavicchi addiction.
I was just out of the Marine Corps when I fell in love with my Ascorti. It was way too high for my pocket book at the time, but I had to have it. I would go to Skip's and "finger f%^&*k" it at every opportunity. I suppose that no body else wanted it because it was such an unusual shape. It was very pretentious. After it stayed on the shelf for a couple of years, I managed to talk Skip into selling it to me for $125. It was $600, and a "left over" from his Dad's TinderBox days.

Well to make a long story a little longer, I was visiting another TinderBox here in town, and walked in smoking my beloved Ascorti. The owner spotted it immediately, and asked if it was a "real" Ascorti. Of course it is. He offered me $1000 cash on the spot. I couldn't part with it.

Was it worth it? Ab-so-lute-ly. I suppose we all have that one pipe that we simply must have. I passed on the Dunhill Church Wardens, but I couldn't pass on the Ascorti.

 

[maxpeters]

Are Dunhills worth the price? I think most here have answered that already. If they bought one, then they were worth the price. At the time.

I have had a few Dunhills. I have sold or traded the ones that didn't perform for me, and kept the ones that did.

I like Dunhill as a brand because they are really well made, and usually smoke great.
Then there is that feeling you get just having one in your hand. Sort of like looking out the window at the BMW setting in your driveway, instead of your Chrysler.

To me, yes, they can be worth it. I am really pleased with the two that I still have, and just because they were expensive, doesn't mean that I expected them to perform miracles. They are just two well made, beautiful pipes that I am proud to own.

 

[sapo59]

Nice pipes Max, I guess I have a "budget" collection. Right now I own 11 pipes and the most expensive one was $60, A Bjarne viking classic. I would like to one day have a Dunhill and believe it would be worth it to obtain one. For now I'll smoke my cheap pipes and be content.

 

[admin]

That's a very cool Ascorti Lawrence.
I thought about the BMW analogy too Max, but I was worried that I was being too pretentious already.
Dunhills are cool, but I would never look down on any pipe smoker for which pipe they are smoking.
I also have 4 corn cobs and 4 Dr. Grabows, and a Yello-Bole, and a couple of Lucienne pipes.

 

[pstlpkr]

Thanks Kevin,

I wish I had a Dunhill. Just never seemed to be the right time to buy.

Even though I have my 3 "home made", "low brow" church wardens.

I would love to have a Dunhill masterpiece.

 

[hauntedmyst]

My experience with Dunhill hasn't been roses. Three new and two estates and none smoked to my satisfaction.

However, when it comes to perfection in the classic shapes that I prefer, only Dunhill and Peterson's get those shapes right in my opinion.

No one can say you didn't give them a shot! Have you experienced that kind of failure ratio with any other brand? How long did you break them in?

 

[dudleydipstick]

Yes, because I wanted them, I could afford them, they are gorgeous & sophisticated and smoke very well.

Calls to mind a part from the movie "Scarlet Street". The relevant dialogue is from 3:40 to 4:10.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D227nq1ybh0

 

[lbarraa]

Dunhill Pipes: my experience are the four that I have, three of the are shell briar and one is Chesnut, all of them are great pipes and smoke very well, and are very balanced and with a good weigth/size bowl relationship. They are very elegant, even a litle boring in the desing.
Are my best pipes? No, because I prefer the acrilic or ashtonite stem, and that is why I prefer other pipes.

If you like english pipes I prefer the Asthons or the Ferdowns. I love the silversmith from Ferdown.

If you like italians pipes the pipes that smoke better are ussually air cured briar, with briar aged at least 3 years: like the Cavicci (Great stems), Le Nuvole (wonderfull design), Viprati or Savinelli Autograph. About the Ardor I have only one and is superior to the Dunhills. Radice ussually are very equal to Dunhills.

If you like Americans: All mys Tinsky´s pipes smoke very similar to my Dunhills, and all my Rad Davi´s pipes are better than the Dunhills.
I undertand than in the USA you don´t see many spanish pipes brands: I could recomend tha Pipes from Rafa Martin (superb briar)www.pipesmartin.com or Segimon Baulenas www.pipassigmund.com very well seaoned briar. This both pipemakers use very well cured briar.
Bests

Luis Barra

Luis Barra

 

[cortezattic]

Luis, the Martin pipes are gorgeous.

The link to Baulenas didn't work. Try alternate link to Segimon Baulenas

 

[lbarraa]

Yes, the pipes from Rafa Martin and Segimon Baulenas are excellent choices, and both are really nics guys. Both works with paypal and usually include a gifth. Segimon Baulenas made others briar´s stuffs.

Best.
Luis

 

[smooth]

Reading what Ibarraa says is like listening to a concert violin player at a bluegrass jam.

 

[recoilrob]

Like most things, some are and some aren't and it depends on the buyer to pick.

Here's one I bought that wasn't worth it, I've never smoked it but it's a boring shape, too big a pipe for me and I will sell it soon.

On the other hand my Dunhill Churchwardens are definitely worth it, they are all great smokers.

These two Calabash shapes are good smokers but the shape makes the pipe, they weren't that common so they were worth it.

And someone try to tell me these two weren't worth it, they've never been smoked nor probably ever will be...

 

[pjm03fatboy]

recoilrob , i think you left them all speechless with the nice set of many dunhills as from the photos!! nice job!! i have 1 and only one that i pickup back in the early 80 at a fleamarket for 5$ it's a shell from what i can make out it's from 40's with the #on it, and to me it's smoke's so so !!

 

[ssjones]

I like that bent billiard Rob, and the others are very interesting, Dunhills for sure!
I have one, no regrets, but it is smaller than most of my other pipes, so it doesn't get used that often.

I'm a sucker for a Cumberland stem.


My next Dunill will be a bulldog in my birthyear, 1961, hopefully exactly like this one, which went off on Ebay earlier this week.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300645431073?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[billinsfl]

I have nine Dunhills, seven purchased new. They are good smoking, well-made pipes that to me have been problem-free and entirely worth what I paid for them. They are very much like the Rolex watch I wear every day in that I use 'em heavily, and will still be going stron when I die. I have paid more money for artisan pipes which have given me trouble, but my Dunhills (grp 4-5) are built like tanks, and even after years of heavy use, still look great. My suggestion is buy them to smoke and enjoy...or don't.

 

[recoilrob]

Fatboy, I have several older Dunhills that came with replacment stems. The only way I could tell they were Dunhills was by careful inspection with a magnifying glass of the nomneclature. They usually cost between $5-10, the rims were burnt or knocked up and chipped. But after a cleaning they are great smokes, that old wood is mellow. And, no great loss if I lose one..
Al,
That's a great shape, the bent bulldog or Dunhill P. I have some PO's which just had the bent stem, one in Dress (black) with sterling band I smoked while riding my Sportster, matched the black leather. We had a member of the HVPC, who liked the shape so much he bought one of the Dunhill ODA Bulldogs they were making in the late 1990's and bent the stem to make a large PO.
Here they are, the top is a 1965 Dunhill PO, then the 1981 Dress pipe, and an old Comoy's tradition. The last pipe was made by the master of the shape, Curt Roller of the American Smoking Pipe Co. Mark Tinsky, upon seeing this pipe, told me that he could never get them as good as Curt.

This is a very rare bent bulldog, it has a lot going for it.
1- Pre-transition Barling

2- New and unsmoked in the original box

3- Marked "Straight Grain"

4- A bent shape, Barling didn't make a lot of bents, most of their pipes were straights.

Ferndown did some very nice bent Bulldogs including their Millennium Pipe, Root finish with silver band in a burled box, very nice....

 

[ssjones]

That is quite a group RecoilRob, I love everyone.

 

[rigmedic1]

Interesting discussion on Dunhills. I held a Dunhill half bent billiard once in a shop in Atlanta, and it was as light as a meerschaum, and it was at least a group 3 bowl. Unfortunately, I have never smoked one. One day, lol.....

 

[maxpeters]

Recoilrob, that pre-trans bent bulldog Barling has it all. Great looks, great maker, rarity, and I'm sure by the look of it, a great feel. And since it's a pre- transition Barling, I'm sure it would smoke like a dream.

To me, that's an almost perfect pipe. If I owned it, I would be torn between smoking it, or finding a museum somewhere to donate it to, so future generations of pipe smokers could see an example of perfection. Where in the world did you find it?

 

[thesmokindragon]

IMO- Dunhill makes outstanding pipes, bacci, etc...would love to own

a shell billiard or bulldog someday, not today ;-) do they make better pipes

then some, sure...are there better....sure....this is what I love about

pipe smoking...well my two-cents