Dr. Grabow, The U.S. Briar Factory Pipe King?

[mso489]

I think I can remember when there were at least a dozen makers of U.S. briar factory pipes widely available for sale. Now there are fewer. Just from shopping online over some years, and visiting pipe shops and reading catalogs, and going to Walgreens, I would guess Dr. Grabow is the single largest seller of U.S. made briar pipes. You can still buy new Kaywoodie when they pop up at online retailers, but the inventory is often gone in weeks or days. You can still buy the occasional Yello-Bole or Medico, but they are still rarer. Is Dr. Grabow of Sparta, N.C., in fact the highest volume briar pipe maker in the U.S. in 2020?

 

[ray47]

I just wish Dr. Grabow would bring back some the pipes like they made in the 60's. I loved the shapes back then.

 

[BROBS]

I just wish Dr. Grabow would bring back some the pipes like they made in the 60's. I loved the shapes back then.

I feel like they could make a slightly better finished pipe, charge $10 more, and people would love them.

 

[rushx9]

I feel like they could make a slightly better finished pipe, charge $10 more, and people would love them.

I think some of the Royalton models are basically that, and folks that own them seem to love them (MSO talks his up quite a bit).

 

[ray47]

I feel like they could make a slightly better finished pipe, charge $10 more, and people would love them.

I'd be willing to pay more for sure.

 

[rushx9]

I live about 2 hours from Sparta, but travel there a couple times a month. Would love to tour the factory, but understand they don't do tours anymore. I heard they still have a factory store though, and I'd love to go there and pick out an Omega or Royalton. Was planning on going right before the lockdown started.
The biggest thing I dislike about their business model is that online they are often offered as "random selection", you get whatever shape they send you. I guess that works for drugstores, but not for folks used to websites like Smokingpipes where you see the exact pipe you're purchasing. If I wanted a Dublin but got a Prince, or vise versa, I'd be less than thrilled.
It would be really cool to see them bring back many of the more interesting shapes and grades they made in their heyday.

 

[Chasing Embers]

They used to be great. Over ten of their modern offerings bought in the past few years have had the metal tenon chew up the inside of the mortise.

 

[Parsimonious Piper]

Grabows in the estate market are so common you just about can’t find a lot which doesn’t include at least one. From a volume standpoint it appears they may be the king.

 

[mikethompson]

I can't speak to newer Grabows, but the older estates I've seen have been solid.

If there only was a member who smoked a single Grabow exclusively for a year to chime in.

 

[samuelgawith01]

I have an old one(70s)and a new one purchased last year.The old one is built to last,with a threaded metal tenon and a threaded metal insert for the mortice.My new one isn't near as heavy duty.The drilling is accurate and the draw is good on both pipes.In 2018,I purchased two new Grabow pipes where the tendons loosened in the stem and mortice to where they were unusable.Tossed both pipes.I think they're just being cheap.They could make a better product with some effort.

 

[logs]

The older models seem more stylish. Half of the models I see now have hideous Frankenstein scars carved into them like some halfwit with a pocket knife tried making "art".

 

[Old School 3319]

all mine except one are old grabows. I have too old medico one is a bulldog that i like

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I believe the old ones are better. I have a few I bought used, they are much nicer than the new one I have.

 

[mso489]

Both my Dr. Grabow are Royaltons, the no-bead-line slightly bent bulldog and a kind of billiard/apple. I haven't experienced the unfortunate wear that chasing' describes, and hope I don't. I feel fairly certain that Dr. Grabow must be the largest volume factory briar pipe maker in the U.S., unless there is another brand making pipes almost entirely for export, and I don't know who that would be. So without any data or confirmation, that's my assumption for now. I think the estate market is huge, which may chew into sales. My two seem to be good old work horses, with that funky fifties (to me) charm. If I didn't know, I'd wonder if the bulldog is an artisan pipe, because of the nuanced shaping, which I assume was done by one of the old hand craftsmen at Sparta.

 

[davet]

Love my Dr Grabows, have about 50 with the newest being from the seventies and a dozen or so Linkman's from way back at the beginning. I've looked at the new ones but never found any that look as good as the oldies.

 

[mso489]

davet, oh boy, I think those Lineman's go back to when the factory was in Chicago. Like me, Dr. Grabow migrated to North Carolina.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I live about 2 hours from Sparta, but travel there a couple times a month. Would love to tour the factory, but understand they don't do tours anymore. I heard they still have a factory store though, and I'd love to go there and pick out an Omega or Royalton. Was planning on going right before the lockdown started.
The biggest thing I dislike about their business model is that online they are often offered as "random selection", you get whatever shape they send you. I guess that works for drugstores, but not for folks used to websites like Smokingpipes where you see the exact pipe you're purchasing. If I wanted a Dublin but got a Prince, or vise versa, I'd be less than thrilled.
It would be really cool to see them bring back many of the more interesting shapes and grades they made in their heyday.

I'm thinking tobaccopipes sends you the exact shape you order. I was concerned about this when I ordered the new one I have, but it turned out to be the right pipe.

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

I have four bought-new Grabows: a straight and a bent Dr Grabow "Excel" which was their 2019 pipe, and two straight "Eagle '69" pipes celebrating the first Lunar landing, 2020's pipe, one smooth and one carved. Still wondering whether or not to get the Eagle '69 bent pipes.

 

[kg.legat0]

I am not knowledgeable about pipes but I love both of my Dr. Grabow pipes...I have a Riviera I bought at a cigarette shop for $25 and a Royalton. I definitely see them around at almost all of the local cigarette shops (but strangely not at my local B&M)