Dunhill Pipes Are Overrated

[craiginthecorn]

Wow. I believe that's the first time I've ever heard Escudo slammed. Just curious. How do you feel about Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls, dethmutt?

 

[recluse]

I would have found a better blend to dedicate to that dunhill. But congrats on the Dunhill!!!!

Ha. To each his own. Thank you.

 

[mso489]

I hate to say it because it always sounds sour grapes, and I don't mean it that way. But in looking at high end pipes, you do have to contend with the fact that some inexpensive pipes smoke exceedingly well. If the stem happens to be your cut, it is not crucial that it isn't hand cut. If the chamber and airway are just the right draw for you, you probably aren't going to do much better. I have some higher end pipes that I treasure, but I have some ordinary pipes, in terms of price, that I also find excellent.

 

[jpmcwjr]

...people were afraid the tobacco would taste like shit and also about exactly where to place their lips when smoking a bowel of tobacco.

I have to ask: pun intended? Either way, great....

 

[workman]

I don't know if older Dunhills are overrated. I do know that new Dunhills are overpriced. The older Dunhills' appeal to collecters and nostalgic pipe smokers is well described above, and that is probably what drives prices of new Dunhills as well.

 

[alialansari]

I can honestly say that as far as English made pipes are concerned, Dunhill is the most consistent throughout the years. I'm not saying they're the absolute best but very steady in their production. Some other cheaper or less known brands like Sasieni or Hardcastle produced pipes that were on par if not better than Dunhill ones. This opinion is based on my personal experience and doesn't of course conclude anything. My advice would be to invest in an estate Dunhill as it will be cheaper than a new one and perhaps better (pre 1968 pipes were oil cured).

 

[pappymac]

My one Dunhill is a 1926 one that is a great smoker. It was a gift from a friend. I am just as impressed with a Salmon & Gluckstein billiard dated around 1896 that is also a great smoker and far more rare.

 

[mahew]

To say that any pipe maker as a whole is overrated seems unfair. I have seen some brand new unsold Dunhill’s with horrible and uneven finishes from the 80’s-90’s era in a local shop that I would refuse to spend a dime on. I have a tan shell from my birth year that I am rather fond of. To say they have lacked consistency over the span of their existence seems more in line than saying they are overrated. Just my two pennies.

 

[ashdigger]

No pipe is overrated, yet every pipe is overrated. Are we sure that the abilities of the judges aren't overrated?

 

[mso489]

Dunhill pricing is entirely separate from its quality, which is high. But the pricing started out high, but then the company found it could crank it up beyond normal pricing and pushed that to the limit. The pipes are comparable to pipes at half the price or a third, and still expensive. One of several gimmicks was to supply stamping that allowed the pipes to be dated, and hence made it an expensive pipe that was amenable to birth year purchases, and bingo, a rationale for paying double the price. Other pipes, like artisan pipes etched with the date, or Luciano pipes stamped with the year, have this feature but not the vast name recognition. The resale of birth years pipes didn't accrue to the company itself but contributed to the brand price structure. The marketing strategy was even better than the pipes, somewhat brilliant, and the English have a good feel for class-based snobbery so know how to play that emotional keyboard with customers.

 

[sablebrush52]

One of several gimmicks was to supply stamping that allowed the pipes to be dated, and hence made it an expensive pipe that was amenable to birth year purchases, and bingo, a rationale for paying double the price.

That's not why the year date code was stamped onto the pipes. It was simply a way to verify the age of the pipe if it needed repair or replacement since Dunhill only offered a 1 year guarantee, unlike some others whose guarantees were longer. That the stampings have become an obsession for some wasn't in their thinking when Dunhill first instituted them.

 

[georged]

Sable is correct.
(Do your Barlings know your brain cheats on them by thinking about Dunhills occasionally?) :lol:

 

[warren]

I believe Jesse is absolutely correct on the "why" of dating. I doubt anyone at Dunhill gave a care to resale. No reason for them to, they make/made zilch on the sale of used pipes. There are many logical reasons, Jesse cited one, for dating manufactured products. It's the "after market" and "resale market" that has a vested interest in dating with regard to value.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I have lots of Dunhills: https://www.smoke.co.uk/acatalog/Barber_B-Line-p1.html

Great value for money there.

The stems aren't amazing but the sandblasting is about as good as you'll get on any factory made pipe.
At one point I was skeptical of the claim but by now it doesn't even matter whether or not the stummels actually come from any "famous" factory, I just see them as a good source of decent sandblasting.

 

[foggymountain]

They are better than they used to be. As far as price goes, buy directly from Europe and save some real money

 

[danielplainview]

@sablebrush
You bring a wealth of substance to any topic. I always enjoy reading your posts. :clap:

 

[ashdigger]

^^^ very true!!

 

[brian64]

They are better than they used to be.

If I'm interpreting that comment correctly, it's something you don't normally hear. And coming from Foggy makes it interesting. The conventional wisdom always seems to be that older Dunhills are better...even significantly better.

 

[rodo]

Years ago my younger bro was also a pipe smoker, and rich, and he sent me an estate Dunny for my birthday. I think it is a seventies vintage. The straight poker was not terribly appealing to me but I was impressed with the name. Okay, fine, fancy pipe. Then I smoked it. I recall actually being a bit annoyed as it smoked hands down better than any of my other pipes. (Granted, I had only a couple back then.) It was strange: I'd smoke in my Peterson, or my meerschaum, but the Dunny always somehow was cooler, stayed lit, just better.

 

[ricebiscuit]

I was able to find a patent era dunhill (1953 shape 137 to be exact) earlier this year on ebay for about $120. Took a shot on it to see what all the fuss was about. It is now one of my favorite pipes. Amazing smoker. I would vouch for older dunhills being worth their price. Plus they are fun to collect with the history.
Now would I pay current prices for a new dunhill? no chance.