Are Dunhill pipes today as good as they used to be?

[Searock Fan]

I really enjoy my Dunhill bulldogs, but I don't have any that are newer than the 80's. For me, I just have a problem spending that much for a pipe selected from a table full of identical factory pipes. They aren't outrageously priced (but more so than other factory-mades) but for the money there are so many artisan-mades pipes that come with the luxury of limited or exclusive shapes. But, that is just me, and does not reflect the design or quality of the pipe.

Now, if we were discussing opinions on the "brand," I would just say that I don't have much respect for the Dunhill name these days. But, the actual pipes... I wouldn't say that they are bad by any means.

You're right, they are not bad pipes. In fact, the early ones are quite good. I guess my problem with them... and the reason I don't own any, is that I prefer a lucite stem and feel that any pipe costing as much as a Dunhill should have one. A rubber stem, no matter how good a quality, just doesn't feel as good to me as lucite. I understand why Dunhill and other British made pipes use rubber. It's because the national motto of the UK is:

"WE DO IT THIS WAY, BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY".

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You're right, they are not bad pipes. In fact, the early ones are quite good. I guess my problem with them... and the reason I don't own any, is that I prefer a lucite stem and feel that any pipe costing as much as a Dunhill should have one. A rubber stem, no matter how good a quality, just doesn't feel as good to me as lucite. I understand why Dunhill and other British made pipes use rubber. It's because the national motto of the UK is:

"WE DO IT THIS WAY, BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY".

Ha ha, yeh, I guess they are sort of a traditionalist country. But, I prefer rubber. I used to avoid acrylic like the plague, because the feeling of hard acrylic in my clench just sent shockwaves of pain through my teeth. I now have caps on those teeth, so I am more flexible now. I still prefer rubber, but I am just not as adamantly opposed to acrylic anymore.

 

[Searock Fan]

Ha ha, yeh, I guess they are sort of a traditionalist country. But, I prefer rubber. I used to avoid acrylic like the plague, because the feeling of hard acrylic in my clench just sent shockwaves of pain through my teeth. I now have caps on those teeth, so I am more flexible now. I still prefer rubber, but I am just not as adamantly opposed to acrylic anymore.

You have my sympathy. I understand your feeling about the way something feels on the teeth. I have a thing about putting wooded popsicle sticks or wooden spoons in my mouth. Makes my skin crawl. Yet someone scraping their nails down a blackboard doesn't bother me at all... weird, isn't it?

 

[crashthegrey]

Such a relative thing. Everyone is different in their opinions. I do not think old Dunhills are that great to begin with, so I do not even know how to answer the question. The only real way to know is to buy an old one and a new one and to form your own opinion.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Forming your own opinion is the key! But random testing, tiny sample sizes, lack of controls in the testing, all point to a wide range of conclusions. And sometimes those conclusions are extreme, and frequently expressed. Some times ad nausea......

 

[Honkytonk Man]

My 2 cents worth is that the earlier Dunhill's, say from the '60's are better than those of today.
However, saying that, today's pipes aren't bad.
Today's pipes are, I think more robust than yesteryears pipes, but I don't think they have that Dunhill touch to them. Certainly, the drilling in today's pipes is not a good as it used to be, but that can be fixed.
None of my Dunhill's are bad smokers, but I do take greater pleasure from my vintage Dunhill's over my newer Dunhill's. That of course could all be subjective. And its only my opinion.

 

[jpmcwjr]

True. All we have is opinions! I think this one has run it's course. I am sure it will be revived before long with another Dunhill "question".