Are Dunhills as Good as they look?

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stanlaurel

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 31, 2015
701
9
I am a very new pipe smoker. Less than 3 months. I have become slightly obsessed with obtaining a Dunhill or two. They are way beyond my normal sane price range but I am very tempted nonetheless. They are unquestionably beautiful as art objects in the photographs. I have never held one in person. If I bought one would I place it in a shrine to impress my friends? Or are they great smokers in proportion to their price? Although several of the ones I am looking at are Estates, that does not make them cost any less. Are the older ones better?
I would appreciate some comments and advice along these lines. You should probably try to talk me out of purchasing one at present and tell me to work on my novice pipe smoking skills instead.

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,319
11,078
Maryland
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Some folks swear by the older pipes. While I'm a fan of older British pipes, after smoking Dunhills from the 60's, 70's, 2000 era and a new 2013, I don't find much difference in their smoking characteristics. In fact, I give the nod to my 2013 over my 1963 Dunhill.
There are certainly other equiptable pipe brands out there that smoke as well as a Dunhill, at a lower cost. But none really have the cache of a Dunhill (and resale value).

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,088
6,410
Florida
Well, honestly? I haven't smoked my 1956 Shellbriar since I got it back from Howard Shulte, America's only certified Dunhill replacement stem MAKER. He makes the stems from stock he gets from Dunhill. I just have this one, and I guess it was more of a bucket list acquisition. I have a small but burgeoning collection and to say, yes, I have a Dunhill Shellbriar from the 50's in nice condition gives it an essential piece.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
Yes, they are. And they're overpriced. But Al Pascia (in Italy) has great prices right now because of the price of the Euro vs. the Dollar -- roughly half of what you'd pay buying from a U.S. vendor.

 

tobyducote

Lifer
Jun 10, 2012
1,204
3
New Orleans
I have 6 Dunhills, all acquired through estate sales or antique shops for about what you would pay for a basket pipe, so it doesn't pain me in the least to say that there is nothing spectacular in the way they smoke. They are good smokers and very beautiful. Had I paid retail for them, I would be very disappointed compared to some of the great smoking artesian pipes that I have purchased over the years. I highly encourage you to attempt to find a Dunhill at flea markets, and antique shops. Antiquing for pipes is like Indiana Jones on a treasure hunt....you never know what little gem you will find...I acquired two Charatans yesterday in an antique shop...one a beautiful Lane Era...and the prices you can usually negotiate to under $25 a pipe...i paid $10 for each of these two pipes yesterday...

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
Just about any decent artisan pipe will smoke as well or better, and often have a more comfortable stem. Many of these will be much cheaper than a new Dunhill. But if it's the Dunhill look and shaping that you want, there's only one Dunhill. You could say the same about Castello, I think. In any case, the fit and finish on Dunhills, new or estate, is really, really good.
Bottom line, there are better smoking pipes out there for a much lower price. The prices of new Dunhills are driven by a whole range of things besides smoking quality.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
No Dunhills here. Several Forums members have scores, maybe a hundred or more, Dunhills; and whatever motivates that, beside the ability to afford them, it means a lot to them. foggy' approves some Dunhills, of which he has many, and shuns others adamantly, scorns them. I have no Dunhills, but what I consider to be some fine pipes -- a Ser Jacopo, a Ferndown, a higher-end Sav. These are excellent smokers and earn their upscale smoking honors, but I do not feel negatively about my MM and Old Dominion cobs, my Dr. Grabow, six or seven artisanal pipes (not pricey), Iwan Ries Benton house pipes, a Bari, a Ropp, a Vailliard, Petersons, Savs, and many more. I know it's rewarding to own pipes from the higher end, but I know there is great satisfaction in pipes that are carefully selected that cost much less. My admiration for Dunhills is based on their consistent and careful design and high level of quality manufacture, and their methodical way of stamping and cataloging their pipes so people know the date and series of each and every pipe; I keep pointing out that every pipe maker could do as much.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,093
11,011
Southwest Louisiana
To each his own, I have Dunhills, a 1943 Birth Year ODA Billard, not too good a smoker, comparing them with the Savorys I have the Savorys have the edge. My best Dunhill smoker was made in 1998, better than the 43,44, yr WWII pipes. Smoke what you like and like what you smoke.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
...just want to add, if I came across one of these mythical antique store/flea market Dunhills for basket pipe prices, I'd buy it faster than the speed of light.

 

captpat

Lifer
Dec 16, 2014
2,265
12,140
North Carolina
I have one Dunhill that I picked up off of another forum--it's nice but not nice enough to pay retail. Most of their shapes are classics, well executted but I find I don't like their staining, I prefer to have stain the shows off the grain more. That said I'd probably get another for the right price, there are quiite a few other brands higher on the priority list.

 

menuhin

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2014
642
3
@stanlaurel
As you've been enchanted by Dunhill pipes, my advice for you is to get a Dunhill to try it out yourself. Please remember to get a Dunhill that looks good in your eyes and feels good at your hands, this way you are then already getting back what you pay for.

My opinion is that 3 months for some people can be a period not long enough to adequately understand (via experience) the concept of 'a good performing smoking pipe'. That was 10+ years ago, but it took me 1.5 years plus burning out 2 pipes to get to the point I acquired a decent smoker (a relatively cheap local shop pipe) and got some enlightening smoking experience from it.
... They are unquestionably beautiful as art objects in the photographs. ... Or are they great smokers in proportion to their price? ...

Having fewer than 10 Dunhill pipes myself, I can say only a little but not too much. I believe photographs on pipe-selling websites and auction sites can be a bit misleading - the lighting and the skills. As a high-end pipe brand, most of the Dunhill pipes look certainly beautiful but they do not look so perfect in person, in terms of the craftsmanship, at least to me not as near to perfect as some of the artisan pipes, many of them can cost less than a new Dunhill.

It is certainly possible to find estate pipes (e.g. old French > old English > old Danish or new old stock pipes) out there at less than $100 that smoke as good as or even better than a good average Dunhill pipe. So it is probably not so possible to say the smoking performance of Dunhill pipes is "in proportion to their price" when Dunhill pipes are at $500 and up while other forgotten brands can be obtained at around $50 nowadays.
... Are the older ones better?

Similar to Cajun, my personal experience will let me answer negative. I have one oil-cured era super craggy Dunhill Shell Briar pipe, certainly looking impressive. But that probably smokes worse than many other Dunhill pipes of mine. But there are a lot of enthusiasm in the discussions about oil-curing process of earlier Dunhill.
Given all these, one biggest advantages of purchasing a good Dunhill pipe is its resale value. Dunhill pipes have possibly one of the most stable and reliable estate pipes prices, with a solid buyers and resellers base. So if you do not like a Dunhill pipe and you want to sell it out again, you can still get back some money, provided that you know how to maintain your pipes in good shape.
Having said that, one needs to plan to get one or a few idolized pipes at a certain point, to fulfill the wish of holding that dream in one's hand. Here is my $0.02 as a relatively junior pipe smokers.

 

buckaroo

Lifer
Sep 30, 2014
1,153
2,910
So. Cal.
I stayed away for many years as there were so many other makers/ brands and opinions on Dhill's going both ways. I now have 11 because I enjoy the stems, the smoking qualities, and the shapes. Most are smooth and from the 70's on up too, so not from the golden era.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,252
108,356
I had a ruby bark, and traded it for a couple of tins of G.L. Pease Mephisto if that tells you anything. I would take one of my Weavers over ten Dunhills.

 

stanlaurel

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 31, 2015
701
9
Thanks all for the comments and advice putting it all in perspective. I think that I will put any ideas of a Dunhill purchase on ice for the time being.
@menuhin
Thank you. I need to be reminded that after only 3 months, I am asking too much of myself to think that I can differentiate between good and bad pipes and good and bad tobacco. I am getting the impression that I just need to relax, be patient and pay my dues.

 

menuhin

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2014
642
3
@stanlaurel
I am myself continuously learning to be a better pipe smoker from all of the members new and veteran here and pipe smokers elsewhere. Whenever I do not smoke well a pipe, I would also question if there is actually problem in my way of prepping tobacco, packing it into the pipe, lighting or puffing, or the cadence, because my pipe does not smoke well can possibly and simply mean I am myself not practicing an effective way of smoking it with certain tobacco. It does take a lot of time and practice, plus trial and error.

I also want to clarify that I do not mean older Dunhill pipes are worse, I mean they are not necessarily better smokers than their newer counterparts. And Dunhill is after all a high end pipe brand: I have two of them that look exceptionally gorgeous but the rest are a bit ordinary and crafted to look somewhat asymmetrical when I look closer at them. So I would suggest, it it good to continue to check them out as you are smoking better and better, and plan to acquire only nicer pipes that you really like, be they Dunhills, Charatan, or S. Bang.

 

pepesdad1

Lifer
Feb 28, 2013
1,023
675
Personally, I prefer the style, stain, workmanship, stem and beauty of the old Comoy pipes (pre-Cadagon. What passes as a Comoy these days should be forbidden. They have destroyed the name of Comoy with that trash they put out today.

 
Aug 14, 2012
2,872
123
Yes. They are as good as they look, maybe better. There is a misconception that Dunhills were better years ago. That is not my experience. I prefer the 21st century Dunhills.

 

jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
So I was looking at this Dunhill 1955 Zulu Shape 83 and I went to $183 and it was way out of my league. It went for $282 plus shipping. Seems like a lot, but I do not have enough perspective. Would have liked to get it, but it seems like a $300 proposition to get something along these lines.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/361261090352?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,319
11,078
Maryland
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@jackswilling - that is a Mike Reschke ad, a top Ebay pipe seller (four digit Ebay rating!) Even with the damage on that bowl top, because that pipe is a Root Briar grade and a 1955 all add up to a big sale. A 1970's pipe in better shape in a lesser grade would be a less pricey proposition (and more prolific).

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,319
11,078
Maryland
postimg.cc
Here are a couple of completed ads for the shape 83, all far more easier to swallow.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dunhill-Shell-Briar-Group-3-Zulu-Shape-83-1960s-/221688423007?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339da8e25f

($193, sold by forum member Alan of Reborn Pipes)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vntg-Dunhill-Shell-Briar-83-F-T-3S-Woodstock-Made-in-England1-Briar-Pipe-Blasted-/351301204041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51cb2ef849

($101, sold by pipe maker Tim West)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DUNHILL-BRUYERE-Zulu-Pipe-1967-Shape-83-Group-3-Gorgeous-Birdseye-Grain-/131423811490?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e997837a2&nma=true&si=PFxJlfv%252FZVyIkuJj3xxl4IRtpnI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

(1967, a great year, needs some work, but shows a lot of promise)

 
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