Or how metal decorations improve appearance ???I love how the assumption is that Savinelli and Petersons are NOT cheap pipes, ha ha.
Cost vs. Quality….
- Thread starter Frasermac
- Start date
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are you just being an asshole, or did I miss something in this thread about "metal decorations"?
I am being an ass hole. Can't I be like you? I mean, I live in the same state?
I still don't get the need for it pass a pipe cleaner.
Totally agree.
First my $200 Peder Jeppesen Stack had the glued in tenon fall off, then the $260 Peder Jeppesen Stack Churchwarden doesn't pass a pipecleaner.
$150 for an Estate Caminetto Bulldog came with a repaired tenon that was very loose, not a problem with Caminetto, but even buying the best quality Estate pipes you will find problems.
And of all my high end Radice, Ser Jacopo, Ashton, and Ferndown pipes, none of then are drilled with a draft more open than your average basket pipe.
Price is never a guarantee of quality.
@Frasermac - I hear your pain.
Most of my pipes are estates (all bought online) and apart from a couple, are good smokers (meaning I'm happy with them). I've been very lucky with my purchases.
I have a few which I got for under $50 which I'd hold fast onto while letting go ones that cost several times that.
You might get a better looking pipe (grain, bling eg silver, exotic shank extension) if you paid more, but not necessarily better quality.
I wouldn't let your experience turn you off briars - look at estates from some of the "better" makers like Danish era Stanwells and older (pre- corporate era) Britwoods like BBB, GBD, Comoy, which can be more than affordable. And more so if you look at their sub-brands.
Most of my pipes are estates (all bought online) and apart from a couple, are good smokers (meaning I'm happy with them). I've been very lucky with my purchases.
I have a few which I got for under $50 which I'd hold fast onto while letting go ones that cost several times that.
You might get a better looking pipe (grain, bling eg silver, exotic shank extension) if you paid more, but not necessarily better quality.
I wouldn't let your experience turn you off briars - look at estates from some of the "better" makers like Danish era Stanwells and older (pre- corporate era) Britwoods like BBB, GBD, Comoy, which can be more than affordable. And more so if you look at their sub-brands.
Having started smoking pipes in college, all my pipes are cheap pipes. I've parted with many, yet the ones that remain are excellent smokers and none of them I'd consider being premium.
That I enjoy smoking them is enough.
That I enjoy smoking them is enough.
I believe you could smoke dried fescue out of a Wellie and it would taste good walking about some of the scenery you get to enjoy! Amazing.
That's all I've got.
My experience says price and quality are at best a soft guideline when dealing with pipes. I've had great basket pipes. My first pipe 3/4 bent large chambered oxblood rusticated billiard stamped Italy. Took a pipe cleaner with ease the drilling was perfect. And it was slightly prone to gurgle when I'd chain smoke it. Cost me 20 some bucks. My more expensive pipes smoke better but nothing dramatic and might just be that I know what I am doing now. I gave it away to a friend who couldn't afford to get a basket pipe (we were under age at the time) when I bought my next pipe another basket pipe that I largely forget what it was like.
The cost VS quality question must be a popular topic since it comes around again and again, though I have to admit that the OP is a bit vague on direction.
"Quality" is too broad a word to be anything other than vague. What makes for a "quality" pipe will be different things to different people.
is there a linear ratio between cost and "quality"? From a utilitarian standpoint, anyone who's been around the "hobby" for a while knows the answer is no. A $5 cob will burn tobacco as well as a pipe costing a thousand times that amount.
So other factors are in play that matter more to some than to others, and those people are willing to pay for those factors. What is it you are looking for from your pipes?
How would you define a "quality" pipe? How does that translate into a "quality" smoke?
"Quality" is too broad a word to be anything other than vague. What makes for a "quality" pipe will be different things to different people.
is there a linear ratio between cost and "quality"? From a utilitarian standpoint, anyone who's been around the "hobby" for a while knows the answer is no. A $5 cob will burn tobacco as well as a pipe costing a thousand times that amount.
So other factors are in play that matter more to some than to others, and those people are willing to pay for those factors. What is it you are looking for from your pipes?
How would you define a "quality" pipe? How does that translate into a "quality" smoke?
A blockage in the flow can sometimes create turbulence that leads to condensation.
but how often does that happen? I could count how many times it has one a high school shop teachers hand.
On every bent pipe I've had that didn't pass a pipe cleaner. When you come across straight ones that won't, that's just lazy craftsmanship.
There may be a piece of tobacco or ash stuck in the airway. You may tamp too hard and blocked the airway. Perhaps the tobacco was a bit too moist and you have moisture in the airway and bottom of bowl. All that aside from considering a poorly drilled pipe is possibly a sign of other quality issues. It's personal preference but I have no use for a pipe that won't easily pass a pipe cleaner.
I like estate briars. If you poke around you can get a good smoking pipe for a reasonable price. Put a little elbow grease to it and you can have a nice pipe.
If you just want good briar and a tenon that fits well then factory seconds are the way to go, Rossi is a primary example, in the U.K. you can get blemished pipes from Blakemar Briars that are great pipes at a bargain price, or retailer branded pipes from James Barber or GQ Tobaccos which are using Dunhill briar.
All of these sell for well under $50 and will smoke as well as nearly any other pipe on the market.
All of these sell for well under $50 and will smoke as well as nearly any other pipe on the market.
There was a pipe repair guy who retired several years back, I can’t recall his name now, but one of the discussions he had was on blueprinting pipes to make them smoke better.
The crux of the discussion was that the airway should be smooth and a relatively consistent diameter from the base of the bowl to the bit with no interruptions as much as possible.
When I make my hardwood pipes I use ash that is fitted into the bowl section and drilled straight through to the base of the chamber. They smoke quite well, actually some of my best pipes.
I figure whoever makes the pipe, if they can get the internals nailed, well that’s half the battle…
The crux of the discussion was that the airway should be smooth and a relatively consistent diameter from the base of the bowl to the bit with no interruptions as much as possible.
When I make my hardwood pipes I use ash that is fitted into the bowl section and drilled straight through to the base of the chamber. They smoke quite well, actually some of my best pipes.
I figure whoever makes the pipe, if they can get the internals nailed, well that’s half the battle…
That's what I love about Scottie's pipes. The metal sheath in the shank, terminating in a reverse tenon onto which the stem rotates, provides a completely smooth and uninterrupted airway.
1+... I have one long pencil shank pipe of hers and I love it. Smokes like a dream.