Thanks for posting this! I recently just visited the one and only Mr. Julius Vesz and bought a nice Prince Shape pipe from him. It was such a neat experience to say the least.
Brigham Pipes
- Thread starter rd02sir
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Thanks for posting this! I recently just visited the one and only Mr. Julius Vesz and bought a nice Prince Shape pipe from him. It was such a neat experience to say the least.
Sounds like a very neat experience. I received two Julius Vesz pipes for Christmas gifts this year. A bent apple with oxblood finish and a panel with walnut stain. They are both fantastic pipes.
Not counting my first pipe, which was a gas station weed-burner that I was too ill-informed to spot, my first real pipe was/is a Brigham Capri basket pipe. Straight billiard with a smooth finish. The airway was a tad bit tight so I reamed out the stem a touch and now it's probably my favorite smoker. Wasn't keen on the Billiard shape at first but now that it's broken in it's just a joy to smoke.
My second pipe I spent a little money on, a Brigham Mountaineer 316. This one I bought because I thought it was a Bulldog when I first set my heart on it but it's actually a Rhodesian. Still a great pipe and the rock maple filters work like a charm. Reusable too, so I like that.
Now honestly I'm not sure which pipe I like better. The proper Brigham is nice and smokes well, but there is just something about that cheap Billiard that has me charmed.
My second pipe I spent a little money on, a Brigham Mountaineer 316. This one I bought because I thought it was a Bulldog when I first set my heart on it but it's actually a Rhodesian. Still a great pipe and the rock maple filters work like a charm. Reusable too, so I like that.
Now honestly I'm not sure which pipe I like better. The proper Brigham is nice and smokes well, but there is just something about that cheap Billiard that has me charmed.
Just got these for $44 on eBay. Top is a shape 203 and has a Canadian patent number on it. Middle is shape 217 made in Canada. Bottom is shape 262 made in Canada. All 3 have the old aluminum tenons which I much prefer. The bottom two seem like they’ve not been smoked much if at all. Other than some “lava” on the top pipe rim and the oxidation on the stems these are perfect. Very pleased with this grab.
Those are going to be some great burners. For $44 and some elbow grease, they’ll clean up really nicely and go for ages.
I’ve cleaned up a boatload of these pipes over the years, and I have to say that an alcohol retort made my cleanups a lot easier. Sometimes the fit between mortise and tenon wasn’t spot on, and a lot of nastiness built up in some pipes. The retort helped melt all that grossness away.
Enjoy them, mate. They’re a nice trifecta of pipes.
— Pruss
Well, time will tell. You are missed on here, being one of the old-timers, relatively speaking. We haven't seen hide nor hair of Peck either, since you haven't been around to flush him out of the bush!
Brigham wasn't on my radar screen when I was pipe shopping, unfortunately, I've amassed a collection of roughly twenty pipes in the past two years since I picked up the pipe, all but two of which (1 castello and one artisan pipe) are what I would describe as mid-market factory pipes (Savs, Vauen, Peterson, Stanwell, Big Ben, Falcon, Boswell) and two cobs. I've sworn off buying any more pipes in that category as I don't see the point, planning on a once a year purchase of a "special pipe". And it seems Brigham is squarely in that group of nice, serviceable pipes so I can't bring myself to buy one. But I do like the style and shapes they offer and the maple insert filter is interesting as I do prefer a filter of some sort in my pipes.
Estate Brighams show up with frequency on eBay and if you’re in Canada in antique shops, jumble sales, estate auctions and in online classified ads.
When I was shopping for pipes the real challenge was finding the specific shape and generation of Brigham I wanted. Like all factory pipes from the mid-20th century there are some duds, lots of good, plenty of fine, a passel of very good and the occasional exceptional Brigham pipe. Interestingly,if unsurprisingly, the quality of the burner doesn’t always line up to the number of pins in the stem.
I don’t buy Brighams that are made in Europe. I am still looking for the Valhalla that speaks to me. I don’t love the VIP range, but there are some older POTY that I might restart the PADmobile for.
Keep looking. There are some wonderful Canuckian briars out there.
— Pruss
Looks like this is the Brigham thread.
My Brigham is new Italian manufacture and it did have some issues… The deep bend and well were problematic and it couldn’t handle a full sized rock maple insert but I DIY’ed it a bit and it smokes like a champ now (sans filter). It has become one of my favorites.
My Brigham is new Italian manufacture and it did have some issues… The deep bend and well were problematic and it couldn’t handle a full sized rock maple insert but I DIY’ed it a bit and it smokes like a champ now (sans filter). It has become one of my favorites.
Hello All, Picked these up from an online auction over the weekend. The Bringham Norseman is unsmoked which is a huge bonus. The Old Pal and other one (stamped Pura Filter on one side and Genuine Imported Briar on the other - help identifying this please?!?) have been reamed and cleaned, but need some work on the stems and a shine. Clay pipes are interesting, but more of a decoration I'd think than anything I'd ever smoke. All for under $50. Nice haul!
