Best Bang for the Buck Factory Pipes

[cigrmaster]

I thought we could have an interesting discussion on mid range 100-200 estate factory pipes. Brands like Upshall, Ashton, Castello, Radice, Caminetto, Mastro de Paja, Cavicchi, Ser Jacobo, Ardor,Ferndown and other names in this price range. There are so many great names out there and so many great deals on these types of pipes I was wondering who has their favorites and why. Many of these pipes had retails in the 250-600 range but can be bought for a half or third of their original costs.
I own Upshall, Ashton, Caminetto, Mastro de Paja, Don Carlos , Castello, Ardor and Lane Era Charatan. All of these pipe fit into the 100-200 price point. All were estate pieces except the Don Carlos and the Mastro which I bought back in 2001 when I was first starting out. My favorite in terms of smoking qualities is the Castello, I love the wide open draw and the cool dry smoke I get from it. In terms of stem design, the Upshall is my favorite although I do not care for the way the stems oxidize, but both are great smokers. In terms of bang for the buck I would have to rate the Castello and Upshalls at the top.
So which are some of your favorite factory estate pipes and what makes them so?

 

[bobpnm]

Great post Harris and timely for me. This is the market I'm looking at to add some higher quality pipes to my collection. Seems to me this price range for estate pipes is where you can really hit a home run if you are paying attention. I'll be watching for suggestions as others join in.

 

[kashmir]

OK. I'll chime in. Over the past five years I've picked up around 30 estate Comoy's from ebay. All except the Blue Ribands, Extraordinaires and Specimen Straight Grains under the $200 mark. I'm interested in the three part C stem inlay pipes, made before the mid- to late-70s Cadogan takeover. These include Old Bruyere, Royals, Selected Straight Grain, London Pride, Tradition, and Grand Slams mainly. I look for crisp nomenclature, in addition to the original stem. I find these pipes to be outstanding smokers, and very light, about group 4 in size. The thin stem is an added bonus to clenching. If you do your homework and,have patience, with a bit of luck, you'll be surprised what you come up with.

 

[foggymountain]

My best lower priced pipes are the Vintage Hilsons. I have 4. They cost me $106. each at alpascia.com. The supply is limited, and I probably have the best ones. Benny Jorgenson makes some expensive pipes, but I got some of his smaller sandblasts for around $275 each, which is not much for a name pipemaker with many years experience. What makes me laugh is some of the new pipemakers sold on smokingpipes. Some of those guys charge $600 & up. You read their bio and find out they have only been doing it for a few years. It takes longer than that to attain mastery in anything difficult.

 

[petes03]

I only have one estate pipe. It's a 1950's (I can't remember the exact year) Charatans Make sandblast pot that I picked up at an antique store for six bucks. It's pretty dang hard to beat for that kind of coin!

 

[dukdalf]

[the Upshall is my favorite although I do not care for the way the stems oxidize]
Exactly...

 

[rhogg]

Savinelli falls below your price in most cases but for value factory pipes they are great smokers. All my save new and used are good smokers. I particularly like the unfinished pipes. They are not lookers but they are smokers, and can be had new for basket prices.

 

[ciderguy]

I normally think of Savinelli as a great factory pipe, but as rhogg says they are below the price range being mentioned here.
Some of the Talbert Line Bretange fall in the under $200 range, and since they are made from old French stummels, I think of them as cousins to a factory pipe. They appear to be an excellent value for the money, but you'll have to pull the trigger fast when you see them available.

 

[group4]

I don't know that I would classify Cavicchi or Ashton as factory pipes...maybe very small factories. But when I saw the op's topic heading I immediately thought of Savinelli; if that ain't a factory pipe I don't know what is.

 

[lostandfound]

"What makes me laugh is some of the new pipemakers sold on smokingpipes. Some of those guys charge $600 & up. You read their bio and find out they have only been doing it for a few years. It takes longer than that to attain mastery in anything difficult."- I had a thought along these same lines earlier today. F'in ridiculous. Although, I find the idea of spending $5500 on a pipe to be ridiculous no matter who the pipe maker is. I'm sure some of you will disagree.