Chronicling an AliExpress Pipe and Purchase for Science

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Kottan

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 5, 2020
508
1,329
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
When I weigh in with ebay sellers, I look for an anime character as their logo.

Keep in mind @Kottan , your pipe was $1. This was a premium $3 pipe.
Mike,
If you (contrary to expectation) should be disapointed by your premium purchase, I can offer you my second Chinese handemade briar pipe for a fair price. It has the same features as the one before but another shape. Unsmoked, of course.
Strawberry Calabash SD-723 China.jpg
 
Mar 1, 2014
3,646
4,916
This company has a line of unfinished pipes, at least if you're just worried about the stain you can cross that off your list of worries and sand out the bowl.
Among the half dozen Chinese pipes I've bought they're extremely good at drilling and shaping, they just don't have access to high quality Briar (for that matter it sounds like almost no-one has access to high quality Briar).

The real problem with Chinese pipes though is that good Italian or British made pipes aren't expensive to begin with.
Both my Lorenzo Titano and Blakemar King's Imperial are some of the cheapest pipes I own, and that in a shape where the equivalent product from any well known brand (like the Peterson House pipes) usually costs 5x more.
(I just placed another order with Blakemar, I still don't quite fathom how they can afford to sell pipes so cheap).

It's not too difficult to find well established Pipemakers selling pipes on low margins, so even if the Chinese can cut the price in half, the starting price for the genuine article is so low the savings with Chinese labour are inconsequential.
 
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mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,327
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I can offer you my second Chinese handemade briar pipe for a fair price

You own TWO? Surely that is too much luxury for one man, no?


Chinese pipes I've bought they're extremely good at drilling and shaping
I'm curious as to the drilling on it to be honest. How careful are they with a $3 pipe?
 

Kottan

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 5, 2020
508
1,329
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
@frozenchurchwarden
I saw a video report from the international trade fair 'Inter Tabac' in 2017. Among the well established brands there was also a Chinese newcomer with pretty fine pipes. The commentator said, the Chinese pipemakers would learn quickly and that in few years they would enhance their quality level much more.

The problem I can imagine is, that because of the lower manufacturing costs in China a European pipe label let's say 'Butz Choquin' could transfer parts of their production to China, what would cause some unpleasing consequences.

@ mikethompson

I can't disagree but at least once in my life I wanted to get a feeling of luxury.
 
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Kottan

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 5, 2020
508
1,329
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Imagine when pipes are stamped "Made in France with International Components"
Yeah, that would be correct but who would buy such honestly declared pipes?

Since the shut down of the Stanwell factory in 2009 the pipes are completely produced in Italy. Before this date the pipes were stamped ' Made in Denmark', now the stamping reads 'Danish Design', Italy is not mentioned and they are still sold as Stanwells.

After Dunhill sold the Charatan brand to James B. Russell, in 1988 the entire production of the pipes was moved to France probably to the BC factory. The markings and the logo on the stems were altered again. (Before that the old Charatan-logo was already discontinued by Dunhill in 1981). The two standard lines
'Charatan's Make
'London England'

were changed to

' CHARATAN '
'of London' (smaler scriptfont) s. below

Some of the Russell-era Charatans are stamped with 'France'.
However the customers buy or bought them as good old (british) Charatans ignoring the long gone craftsmanship of this brand.
s-l400.jpg9
 
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Update!

Guess who is eligible for a discount on their next purchase?

View attachment 49721
Damn, look at you!!!
giphy.gif
 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,323
11,093
Maryland
postimg.cc
I placed my recent order on 9/5/20 and received it in Maryland on 9/18/20. I thought that was pretty fast. But my previous order was placed on April 30th and received on July 2nd. Most of the order time was spent traveling thru China in each case.
 
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