Dunhill now made in Italy?

[cosmicfolklore]

They are still some of the most beautiful classic pipe designs out there. I can't think of one company that makes a pipe like that. Even the French pipes, as great as they are, don't put the combination stemwork nor blasts that they do. And, the history... All of those wonderful English pipemakers that came out of there.

I still drool over those pipes, that were "made" by Englishmen, under that ancient roof.

The rest of all of this is just gobbledy gook legal splitting heirs. The White Spot will still be a classic for years to come.

 

[mingc]

If GM bought Porsche, they’d still be Porsche cars.

Or, if GM bought Porsche, they'd still be GM right? Like, you can't polish a turd, can you? ?

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I saw that earlier today when I googled it also, but I’m not sure how that works into the discussion. If GM bought Porsche, they’d still be Porsche cars.

Not unless they continued to use Porsche engines, and didn't put their own crap in, in the same way that they ruined Saab.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Well, I think we've learned a lot, which will make these posts that keep coming back a little easier to understand. But, I've posted more than five times here, so I imagine John is wanting to close this one down, ha ha.
IBTL

 

[sasquatch]

I often wonder how many pipes AD carved himself ?
Consensus ; Dunhill pipes are no longer Dunhill pipes since Richemont took over ?

Dunhill never carved a pipe that I know of. He hired pipe carvers and gave them very specific mandates.

You keep using the word "consensus" incorrectly.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Dunhill never carved a pipe that I know of. He hired pipe carvers and gave them very specific mandates.

You keep using the word "consensus" incorrectly.

Dunhill never carved a pipe that I know of. He hired pipe carvers and gave them very specific mandates.

You keep using the word "consensus" incorrectly.

That is a matter of semantics ; no offence intended

 

[mingc]

Dunhill never carved a pipe that I know of. He hired pipe carvers and gave them very specific mandates.

No way! Worked done by a hired hand is no less one's work, I'd say! ?

 

[sablebrush52]

Dunhill pipes are made in London
in the 1920s they may possibly have used French stummels, but since then they have sourced their own briar, and all the pipes have been made in London.
End of story.

They did outsource stummels in the teens and twenties, and when Barling attempted to have Merchandise Marks Act amended in 1928 so that only pipes wholly made in England or London could be stamped as such, Dunhill led the charge to defeat the amendment. Their arguments are part of the legal record.

They also made pipes in Paris, which is why some Dunhill pipes are stamped Paris.

This does leave me wondering why the staff in the Dunhill store I used to visit in the 1990's, told me that they used pipes made in Italy. I assumed it's like the practices of the early 20th century where some of the work was outsourced to allow more units to be produced, and finished in the home factory.

 

[georged]

When humans encounter something that they cannot personally verify, they make up their minds about the subject in three basic ways:

1) Through research, identify sources that are reliable and truthful, and accept their take---provisionally---as the "truth" or "answer". (rinse, repeat, and refresh periodically)

2) Find out what their friends think and agree with them so they will be liked/accepted BY them. The End.

3) Choose the explanation that feels the best emotionally, disregarding everything else. The End.

 

[mikethompson]

If GM bought Porsche, they’d still be Porsche cars.

I would have a brain aneurysm and heart attack at the same time.

I suppose this is entering the minefield of philosophical differences

This is nothing like the filtered / non-filtered pipe debate

 

[karam]

They are still some of the most beautiful classic pipe designs out there. I can't think of one company that makes a pipe like that.

+1

 

[daveinlax]

I understand the standard shape bowls are turned by Barontini in Italy and finished in England. Collectors and other unique shapes are carved start to finish in England.

 

[mingc]

I often wonder how many pipes AD carved himself ?
Consensus ; Dunhill pipes are no longer Dunhill pipes since Richemont took over ?

I think I should tell you that I made everything in my post up. Well, not everything. Most things.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I understand the standard shape bowls are turned by Barontini in Italy and finished in England. Collectors and other unique shapes are carved start to finish in England.

Can you provide a link that confirms this.
I can't find anything that's mentioned this on Google.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Can you provide a link that confirms this.
I can't find anything that's mentioned this on Google.

I really doubt they’d market that. But, of you wanted…. they’re a public company. You could go through their books on spending and to whom. But, I doubt they’d make it easy for someone to do that.

 

[bullet08]

Damn it. I was gonna say Dunhill is made in Taiwan and see who would volunteer to defend the nationalist Chinese a la Flying Tigers.. with pipe.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Good day gents, first time poster here. I recently bought a new Dunhill pipe at my local tobacconist/pipe maker. While he was not there his assistant told me they have not recieved a new Dunhill in over two years as they all go to China now and the small shops here in Europe are lucky if they get any at all. And they won't even bother to try to order anymore.
She then went on to say something so sacrilegious that I was sure I didn't hear the words that just came out of her mouth properly. A conspiracy theory that makes UFO's killing JFK look like childs play. She said,.......wait a sec,.....she said,.......oh, man....how do I say this?.....

She said......errrrrr....DUNHILL PIPES ARE NOW MADE IN ITALY.

There, I said it. (That was hard)
PLEASE tell me this woman has no idea what she is talking about. Please tell me Dunhill pipes are still and will forever be made in England.

Why did she have any apparent credibility?

 

[georged]

This Pipedia article shows pictures from a factory tour in April 2019. The factory is located in Walthamstow, as Sasquatch indicated. Certainly appears to be more than just a stem fitting operation.

Too funny...

Even today, when pipe making hasn't been a commercial contact sport for a half century, a tradition of secrecy prevails.

Like Castello's "no vistors allowed" wood starage and aging facilities, Dunhill's stem making method remains (largely) a mystery. Shaping rod stock segments of widely varying diameter and length into a uniform geometric, flat-sided wedge/triangle is an exquisitely fussy, unforgiving business to do by hand, never mind do rapidly enough to be profitable in a high volume environment.

And sure enough, exactly HOW they do it appears nowhere in all those lovely photos.

I wonder if the shop employees must sign some sort of "The following procedures must never be disclosed" agreement in order to work there?

 

[jmill208]

I would have a brain aneurysm and heart attack at the same time.


This is nothing like the filtered / non-filtered pipe debate

Let us not forget the classic and still unresolved “chili-soup or stew?” debate of a few years ago.

 

[sasquatch]

Too funny...

Even today, when pipe making hasn't been a commercial contact sport for a half century, a tradition of secrecy prevails.

Like Castello's "no vistors allowed" wood starage and aging facilities, Dunhill's stem making method remains (largely) a mystery. Shaping rod stock segments of widely varying diameter and length into a uniform geometric, flat-sided wedge/triangle is an exquisitely fussy, unforgiving business to do by hand, never mind do rapidly enough to be profitable in a high volume environment.

And sure enough, exactly HOW they do it appears nowhere in all those lovely photos.

I wonder if the shop employees must sign some sort of "The following procedures must never be disclosed" agreement in order to work there?

Lots of "info" from about 1:30 on in this video George, some really specialized cam-driven operations, and some hand work. Lots of hard and soft disc sanding. And this results in certain aspects being very very standardized, and some aspects being a little Friday-ish sometimes.