Do You Have a Disappointing Pipe ? And Why

[OzPiper]

Have you any pipe(s) in your collection you find disappointing or plain irritating to look at ?

I bought this Peterson XL90 new a few years ago


I accepted that it wouldn’t pass a cleaner - so that is NOT a deal breaker

I have kept it in a cupboard all this time.
Because of a large rotation, it has been smoked only a few times

Despite that, the stem oxidises if you so much as look at it.
And the silver band constantly needs shining.

I tried using toothpaste (the least abrasive agent I could think of) to remove the stem oxidation. Only to result in several micro-pits.
Obviously very poor quality vulcanite was used.

But worse of all, and this causes me no end of angst, is the sloppy stem work.
There is not a smooth gradation and transition in the taper.
It looks like someone with a thunder thighs and skinny calf and ankles - most unpleasing to the eye.
I do like my pipes to double up as eye candy

It looks like someone’s effort after an extended lunch at the pub

It’s fine as a smoker, but it’s definitely not a looker

Lest anyone thinks this is another Peterson bashing thread, I have several Pete’s, and this is the only one I’m unhappy with.

 

[LeafErikson]

I generally trade in or sell pipes I don’t agree with. If I deem it to be seriously unsatisfactory, I throw it in the trash.

It definitely sucks though when you get a pipe that you think is going to be a good smoker and for whatever reason it just doesn’t click with your smoking style.

 

[jaytex1969]

Soon into my pipe smoking journey, I decided I wanted a Falcon.

I bought a nice, slightly bent model with a brown finish and got a meer lined bowl for it.



No matter how I smoked it, I could not get satisfactory performance from it. I've come to find that I like larger bowls, for one thing.

I got a taller meer bowl for it but still couldn't bend it to my will.




I eventually sold it for a song to Weezell and went back to the briars.

Another lost forum member, God rest his soul.

 

[OzPiper]

It's perfectly fine as a smoker, so I will keep it.
I love it's heft and the pronounced, stout Peterson shank.

This pipe was bought during the early Laudisi period.
So it is very likely a remnant from the old regime when there were grumblings galore over quality control issues.

 

[OzPiper]

Soon into my pipe smoking journey, I decided I wanted a Falcon.

I bought a nice, slightly bent model with a brown finish and got a meer lined bowl for it.

View attachment 330070

No matter how I smoked it, I could not get satisfactory performance from it. I've come to find that I like larger bowls, for one thing.

I got a taller meer bowl for it but still couldn't bend it to my will.

View attachment 330071


I eventually sold it for a song to Weezell and went back to the briars.

Another lost forum member, God rest his soul.



View attachment 330072

I had a Falcon which I bought in the mid-70s
I gifted it to a friend who was getting back into pipes and was looking at buying one
It wasn't getting a go because of its small bowl size - I was looking for 30-45 min smokes

 

[craig61a]

I have two Falcons, both with Meer lined bowls. They are good for a short smoke. I don’t smoke them much though. The only reason I bought them was that they were reminiscent of my neighbor who smoked one back in the 60’s…

Some of the first pipes I bought were Petersons, back in the late 1980’s early 1990’s. I enjoy those pipes to this day. I’m not too impressed with post 2018 Petersons, although I have bought a few.

People like to bag on Palmer era Petersons, while talking about how great everything is now that Laudisi taken over. Most of the stummels come from Italy, as they have for decades. I’m not so sure that the old Palmer era employees are still around in any numbers, and the new regime has had to go through a learning curve. I mean being a pipe and tobacco distributor is one thing, running a manufacturing company is completely different.

 

[craig61a]

It's perfectly fine as a smoker, so I will keep it.
I love it's heft and the pronounced, stout Peterson shank.

This pipe was bought during the early Laudisi period.
So it is very likely a remnant from the old regime when there were grumblings galore over quality control issues.

I don’t t think they had years worth of inventory sitting around when Laudisi took over… that’s just the nature of manufacturing for last few decades; Just In Time - Low Inventory. That’s just money sitting on a shelf not earning interest or gaining margin.

 

[kcghost]

I have a Michael Parks pipe that turned out to be too large for me. Ended up selling it to Pipestud. It was a good smoke, but I just couldn't get over its size.

 

[VDL_Piper]

This pipe was troublesome as it had a flavour in the bowl that was incredibly unpalatable. It was only after reading a Greg Pease article where he had a Tom Eltang that by description seemed very similar to this Castello that I was able to formulate a remedy of sorts. Now after much love, sanding and careful smoking is it rewarding me and represents one of my best smoking instruments.

 

[OzPiper]

People like to bag on Palmer era Petersons, while talking about how great everything is now that Laudisi taken over. Most of the stummels come from Italy, as they have for decades. I’m not so sure that the old Palmer era employees are still around in any numbers, and the new regime has had to go through a learning curve. I mean being a pipe and tobacco distributor is one thing, running a manufacturing company is completely different.

I have Petersons which were bought in the 1970s - no issues with those except for their size as I was into shorter smokes then. I gifted most of those.
The XL90 was the first Pete bought in recent years (2020).
I waited a while before purchasing a Pete, as I was aware of the rumblings of discontent.
I have bought several other Petes since, and have been happy with all of those.

 

[OzPiper]

This pipe was troublesome as it had a flavour in the bowl that was incredibly unpalatable. It was only after reading a Greg Pease article where he had a Tom Eltang that by description seemed very similar to this Castello that I was able to formulate a remedy of sorts. Now after much love, sanding and careful smoking is it rewarding me and represents one of my best smoking instruments.
View attachment 330084

I had the exact experience with a brand new Tom Eltang.
The coating tasted like a brew made from rotted, fermenting herring guts.
Some patient sanding and smoking 2-3 bowls got rid of that.
Thankfully

 

[bullet08]

Have you any pipe(s) in your collection you find disappointing or plain irritating to look at ?

I bought this Peterson XL90 new a few years ago
View attachment 330055

I accepted that it wouldn’t pass a cleaner - so that is NOT a deal breaker

I have kept it in a cupboard all this time.
Because of a large rotation, it has been smoked only a few times

Despite that, the stem oxidises if you so much as look at it.
And the silver band constantly needs shining.

I tried using toothpaste (the least abrasive agent I could think of) to remove the stem oxidation. Only to result in several micro-pits.
Obviously very poor quality vulcanite was used.

But worse of all, and this causes me no end of angst, is the sloppy stem work.
There is not a smooth gradation and transition in the taper.
It looks like someone with a thunder thighs and skinny calf and ankles - most unpleasing to the eye.
I do like my pipes to double up as eye candy

It looks like someone’s effort after an extended lunch at the pub

It’s fine as a smoker, but it’s definitely not a looker

Lest anyone thinks this is another Peterson bashing thread, I have several Pete’s, and this is the only one I’m unhappy with.

As much as I love Peterson, their stem work sucks. Just a fact.

 

[Sigmund]

I have a Nording that is irritating, at least so far. Its drilled for a 9mm pipe and has a tapered chamber. With a filter that thing will not stay lit for anything. I will have to experiment with different packing but its a pain. If I yank out the filter its great. I just dont think it has the right draw for a filter pipe...that or Im still packing it wrong. I dont own many pipes with a significant V chamber.

 

[Uguccione]

Really disappointing, none. However, there were pipes with which, once you had them in your hand, you didn't get the feeling and they remained stuck on the rack.
After a while, they moved from the rack to ebay.

 

[thomasw]

I know what I prefer and what annoys me with regard to a pipe; and two things do annoy me: one, if the weight of pipe is above 60 grams; two, if it won't pass a pipe cleaner. I do currently have a couple of pipes that are good pipes but are too massive for my taste and one that smokes dry but it now bothers me as it isn't designed to pass a cleaner easily. Life's too short to stick with them; I plan to trade them for something I prefer. I am not wedded to them; there's no vow to break

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I have a kaywoodie "redroot" Woodstock that I loathe. I dislike the thin walls, the plasticky finish, the stinger, the way fillings are starting to come out (though I rarely smoke it), the shape of the pipe--basically everything except the stem, which is nylon, and is actually pretty good. The thing gets hotter than a clay no matter how slowly I smoke it. I need to chunk it as I'd hate to pass a pipe like that off on anybody.

 

[tobakenist]

Pipes are made to smoke, not for just looking at them.

 

[OzPiper]

Pipes are made to smoke, not for just looking at them.

I admit readily that I am shallow
For me, it’s functionality AND looks

Life’s too short to put up with the worst looker in the room
Mind you, my idea of beauty may not be everyone’s.
After all, I have a bunch of Bulldogs

 

[Chasing Embers]

Pipes are made to smoke, not for just looking at them.

Pipes are made for revenue. The use is up to the buyer.

 

[captainsousie]

I have a kaywoodie "redroot" Woodstock that I loathe. I dislike the thin walls, the plasticky finish, the stinger, the way fillings are starting to come out (though I rarely smoke it), the shape of the pipe--basically everything except the stem, which is nylon, and is actually pretty good. The thing gets hotter than a clay no matter how slowly I smoke it. I need to chunk it as I'd hate to pass a pipe like that off on anybody.

Had a Redroot that was terrible. Gave it away and the next owner loves it. Just put it up here as free if they pay shipping and let someone else try it out.