Disappointed With My New $180 Morgan “Workshop” Pipe

[HawkeyeLinus]

Hawkeye- you have twice now posted fanboy defenses of Morgan. Please show us all where a buyer of this $180 pipe was warned that it would arrive in a cheap plain white box (like a second-hand eBay purchase) and that the name Morgan (as appears above the listing on its website) would be nowhere to be found. That name adds value in the secondary market.

Have you ever seen the way a $179 Savinelli Miele (a far superior pipe in my opinion to a Morgan Workshop) arrives packaged? See photo. It’s the way an expensive pipe should be presented. Rest assured I’ll never buy another pipe from Morgan’s website, so you won’t have to defend it any more.

I want to support American pipe making but that industry has to step up to its European competitors, and frankly I’m not seeing it.

“fanboy”? - I’d quote Beth Dutton, but will just say I don’t speak hipster internet.

If it was that big of a deal you’d have returned it the minute you saw the white box of deception. It’s not that big of a deal.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I’m a “function over form”, “define the job and pick the right tool for the job” guy.
It’ll be a long time before I spend more than $100 on a pipe unless it’s a history or rarity thing, and that being said I doubt I’ll ever buy a pipe to not smoke it.

If it’s not right and I know it before I smoke it, it’ll be going back.

By the way @Mike N, what did Morgan say when you contacted them with your concerns?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

So a great morning - apparently I have a $1 pipe that smokes as well as many of my $100+ pipes and a nice little bag with decoration/design/mark that make it worth $44 (and sky’s the limit on the secondary market)!

 

[NomadOrb]

I hesitate to say anything, and I'll probably regret it later, but you both can be right here.

There is no reason for this spat. @Mike N is entitled to be upset if the pipe disappoints him, he's the one who purchased it.

@HawkeyeLinus is entitled to enjoy his Morgan Bones pipe as well. You have both shared your opinions on this particular issue, move on.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Hawkeye- you have twice now posted fanboy defenses of Morgan. Please show us all where a buyer of this $180 pipe was warned that it would arrive in a cheap plain white box (like a second-hand eBay purchase) and that the name Morgan (as appears above the listing on its website) would be nowhere to be found. That name adds value in the secondary market.

Have you ever seen the way a $179 Savinelli Miele (a far superior pipe in my opinion to a Morgan Workshop) arrives packaged? See photo. It’s the way an expensive pipe should be presented. Rest assured I’ll never buy another pipe from Morgan’s website, so you won’t have to defend it any more.

I want to support American pipe making but that industry has to step up to its European competitors, and frankly I’m not seeing it.

American pipe makers are killing it in my opinion (YMMV). Ryan Alden, Jeff Gracik, Nathan Armentrout, Jason Patrick, Jesse Jones, Nate King, Todd Johnson, Trey Rice, Scotty Piersel, Michael Morgason, Neil Monier, etc... the list is endless and covers all price points. I'd actually say the American pipemaker community is thriving in all aspects. To say that American pipe makers need to "step up" because you had one bad experience is a bit dramatic. Due diligence is your friend when buying a pipe.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I hesitate to say anything, and I'll probably regret it later, but you both can be right here.

There is no reason for this spat. @Mike N is entitled to be upset if the pipe disappoints him, he's the one who purchased it.

@HawkeyeLinus is entitled to enjoy his Morgan Bones pipe as well. You have both shared your opinions on this particular issue, move on.

LOL, no "spat", it's more like "Miracle On 34th Street" - challenge the delusion and all of the sudden you get labelled and a cane to the head!

This is about ragging on and on and getting "louder" about one maker (makers in this instance) over nothing but packaging for a pipe that was fully refundable.

I'll continue to express an opinion about that, thanks.

 

[fireground_piper]

Also just to call out, the “workshop” brand is not just Chris Morgan. It’s a Morgan and Reum line according to the site so it kind of makes sense his name isn’t on it as it’s a collaboration project.

I own none of these products, for the record.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

American pipe makers are killing it in my opinion (YMMV). Ryan Alden, Jeff Gracik, Nathan Armentrout, Jason Patrick, Jesse Jones, Nate King, Todd Johnson, Trey Rice, Scotty Piersel, Michael Morgason, Neil Monier, etc... the list is endless and covers all price points. I'd actually say the American pipemaker community is thriving in all aspects. To say that American pipe makers need to "step up" because you had one bad experience is a bit dramatic. Due diligence is your friend when buying a pipe.

Well said and yep, the OP is all about the Italian pipes he loves and more power to him, I tend to favor the Irish, but yes, overgeneralized drama about American pipe makers won't go unchallenged and shouldn't - tons of great makers and I'll add a couple here, Doug Finlay and Jason Beveridge - taking swipes at American carvers because of a personal packaging crisis is unfair and not even intelligent.

 

[Chasing Embers]

that the name Morgan (as appears above the listing on its website) would be nowhere to be found.

With a logo that big, you'd have seen hints of it in the photos supplied.

Have you ever seen the way a $179 Savinelli Miele (a far superior pipe in my opinion to a Morgan Workshop) arrives packaged?

Apples to oranges. Difference between factory made and artisan.

It’s the way an expensive pipe should be presented.

Excluding budget pipes such as cobs, Grabows, and Rossi, $180 is kind of small potatoes for a pipe since prices on everything have skyrocketed. Savinelli's upper grade pipes come with red socks, often a matching tamper, and a leather hinged box with a magnetic lid. Even my pipes from Bruce Weaver and Lee Von Erck only came in cardboard boxes with leather socks. Even my Morgason's arrived comically in blue striped kids socks.

 

[captpat]

I've had good luck with the 2 Bones pipes I have, never been tempted by the other offerings.

 

[Hillcrest]

In my limited experience, pipes with dark grain always smoke terribly hot so I avoid them now. I believe the phylum transfers too much heat.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I understand that a Chris Morgan handmade pipe can sell for $800 or more. But after watching an old Virtual Pipe Club interview with Morgan, I decided to check out his website. I settled on a $179 “Workshop” model. The pipe arrived unceremoniously in a plain white box with the Morgan name nowhere to be found on the briar or bag. (Yes, I know it is a “collaboration” pipe.)

The bit end of the stem is so thin that I (begrudgingly) added a rubber bite protector to it or I knew this clencher would ruin it during the break in. The first few smokes have been hot and mediocre and much less pleasant than a similarly priced $179 Savinelli.

Heck, even the label for Morgan’s lower line $45 unfinished ”Bones” model pipes has “Chris Morgan Design” on the label. Oh well. Anyone else own a “workshop” pipe from that website and how do you feel about it? Does it smoke better after a long break-in period?

I was looking at that very pipe recently and thought the grain and contrast stain looked great.

I’m sorry you were disappointed with your purchase. The pipe may not have the Morgan stamp you prefer, but it does appear to be stamped “workshop,” so, it will never be mistaken for a basket pipe.

 

[AroEnglish]

Hawkeye- you have twice now posted fanboy defenses of Morgan. Please show us all where a buyer of this $180 pipe was warned that it would arrive in a cheap plain white box (like a second-hand eBay purchase) and that the name Morgan (as appears above the listing on its website) would be nowhere to be found. That name adds value in the secondary market.

Have you ever seen the way a $179 Savinelli Miele (a far superior pipe in my opinion to a Morgan Workshop) arrives packaged? See photo. It’s the way an expensive pipe should be presented. Rest assured I’ll never buy another pipe from Morgan’s website, so you won’t have to defend it any more.

I want to support American pipe making but that industry has to step up to its European competitors, and frankly I’m not seeing it.

Don’t have a dog in this fight but I think why Sav does this and Morgan doesn’t is because of their difference and volume and therefore the profit they need to make on the pipe.

Sav has a ton of volume and so chooses the spend more on the ephemera and have smaller margins but in the end they get the profits they want.

Morgan on the other hand has much less volume and tried to maximize profits on each item to get where he wants to be.

 

[Auxsender]

Wait, really ? Briar quality, stem-making abilities, drilling, finish quality, accent materials, grain, experience or apprenticeships under the greats, stem material, etc... all of those have just been marketing tools all along ? Well I'll be.

 

[onestrangeone]

I’ve always had a problem with smoking the box and the sock taste like burnt cotton!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Hey OP, if you're not going to shit rainbows and eat the shit, grin, and like it, we have forum members who will just crap all over your threads, ha ha. You're not allowed to complain about any brand in the pipe hobby, because it hurts fragile egos that will have to temper tantrum up and down the thread.

That said... I have Neerups with no logo. It did take me by surprise when I got them, but now I like the idea, so I sand off all logos on pipes that I get.

I don't care for the bones pipes, because they're just too cheap for me. I prefer more expansive pipes, so this guy should have charged more, IMO. The reason is that I don't want to be smoking my pipe, and some poor homeless bum to walk up smoking the same pipe as me. Sorry, I forgot that they don't like being called homeless bums; they prefer cardboard enthusiasts.

I think it's just fine to hate this pipe for whatever reason. I honestly have no opinion on these. BTW, pipe socks are a waste, IMO. I just toss them. I used to have a box in the bottom of a closet that i kept them all in, but after ten or more years of never doing anything with them, I tossed them. It's all like those fancy boxes iPhones come in. I had to get onto my youngest daughter for keeping every damn one of those Apple boxes. Such a waste of materials,

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Hey OP, if you're not going to shit rainbows and eat the shit, grin, and like it, we have forum members who will just crap all over your threads, ha ha. You're not allowed to complain about any brand in the pipe hobby, because it hurts fragile egos that will have to temper tantrum up and down the thread.

That said... I have Neerups with no logo. It did take me by surprise when I got them, but now I like the idea, so I sand off all logos on pipes that I get.

I don't care for the bones pipes, because they're just too cheap for me. I prefer more expansive pipes, so this guy should have charged more, IMO. The reason is that I don't want to be smoking my pipe, and some poor homeless bum to walk up smoking the same pipe as me. Sorry, I forgot that they don't like being called homeless bums; they prefer cardboard enthusiasts.

I think it's just fine to hate this pipe for whatever reason. I honestly have no opinion on these. BTW, pipe socks are a waste, IMO. I just toss them. I used to have a box in the bottom of a closet that i kept them all in, but after ten or more years of never doing anything with them, I tossed them. It's all like those fancy boxes iPhones come in. I had to get onto my youngest daughter for keeping every damn one of those Apple boxes. Such a waste of materials,

Just in case someone didn't notice, I was being as sarcastic as hell. Sometimes I have to point this out.
Have a nice day

 

[Briarcutter]

Presentation is well worth the expense but it does cost money, and that cost is passed on to the buyer. On a low cost pipe every penny counts. A nice sock is practical, it can be used the life of the pipe if desired. A box on the other hand is seldom used after the purchase and delivery, except on the occasions of resale. IMO, every pipe should have it's makers mark and country of origin.

 

[Pipeoff]

Just in case someone didn't notice, I was being as sarcastic as hell. Sometimes I have to point this out.
Have a nice day

Thanks for the clarification. I first thought it was bombastic !

 

[Smoke Wagon]

As long as the pipe is exceptional, the packaging wouldn’t bother me. Did you get a $180 pipe, op?