Hell no I wouldn't.
Estate Pipes-OK?
- Thread starter colt54
- Start date
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What a relief! I was gonna go to bed here in a little bit, but that was going to keep me up.
If I’m correct in my guess, this $30 delivered WDC Milano Extra was made before the 1925 Hesson Guard patent and it will equal the best English pipes of the era.
The plain Milano cost $3.50 before there was a Kaywoodie. This is a Milano Extra.
1922 Milano Ad
You cheat only yourself when you only buy unsmoked pipes.
A pint of 190 proof Everclear is cheap, and will sterilize any plastic straw or vulcanite stem. If you are more frugal, then use isopropyl alcohol or even soap and water.
But those that won’t smoke dead man’s pipes leave more for me.
The plain Milano cost $3.50 before there was a Kaywoodie. This is a Milano Extra.
1922 Milano Ad
You cheat only yourself when you only buy unsmoked pipes.
A pint of 190 proof Everclear is cheap, and will sterilize any plastic straw or vulcanite stem. If you are more frugal, then use isopropyl alcohol or even soap and water.
But those that won’t smoke dead man’s pipes leave more for me.
The vast majority of my pipes are estates.
I like old Britwoods, and most have not been in production for decades to over a century - a la @ashdigger
and @sablebrush52
There are estate pipes and then there are estate pipes. They are not all equal
Estate just means pre-owned
Some are NOS = New Old Stock ie pipes sitting unsold at some tobacconist or an unsmoked present that has been sitting in someone's drawer for decades
Others have been very lightly smoked and are almost new
Some sellers/vendors are meticulous in their cleaning.
Their pipes arrive in a "can be smoked now" condition
EBay pickings range from the pristine to those you "handle with gloves/Hazmat suits".
Some vendors clean the exterior only, but don't touch the internals (veritable sewers)
Be sure to ask the vendor if you are not sure.
I've been stung a few times by seemingly pristine-looking estates (in pics).
Apart from buying out of production pieces, you can buy high end pieces, usually at a substantial discount (of their new price)
2 good enough reasons for me.
Disclaimer: I clean every pipe I receive, whether they are estates or new.
I like old Britwoods, and most have not been in production for decades to over a century - a la @ashdigger
and @sablebrush52
There are estate pipes and then there are estate pipes. They are not all equal
Estate just means pre-owned
Some are NOS = New Old Stock ie pipes sitting unsold at some tobacconist or an unsmoked present that has been sitting in someone's drawer for decades
Others have been very lightly smoked and are almost new
Some sellers/vendors are meticulous in their cleaning.
Their pipes arrive in a "can be smoked now" condition
EBay pickings range from the pristine to those you "handle with gloves/Hazmat suits".
Some vendors clean the exterior only, but don't touch the internals (veritable sewers)
Be sure to ask the vendor if you are not sure.
I've been stung a few times by seemingly pristine-looking estates (in pics).
Apart from buying out of production pieces, you can buy high end pieces, usually at a substantial discount (of their new price)
2 good enough reasons for me.
Disclaimer: I clean every pipe I receive, whether they are estates or new.
I love old stuff so no problem with estates the ghosts can be intense I had one that probably only smoked Ennerdale and it was renamed to the wood when I got it but The Ennerday ghost was still hiding in the mortise and shank, did the ol sea salt Everclear treatment and it got fainter after many bowls of Five Brothers...
A dirty old fork was left at a restaurant. Covered in crusty old food remnants and saliva for months or years. The chef then showed you a picture and gave you the fork. " It's cool, I cleaned it".
I suppose you'd still use it??
Ok maybe a slight exaggeration. I mean, I have smoked one estate once....
Just think about all of those hands that touched your new pipe on the way to you and where those hands have probably been.
This guy gets me.
I make it sound like I'm a really clean germaphobe.
Quite the contrary. Estates are just one of my things.Growing up in M’sia and going out for meals, I recall my mother demanding large bowls of freshly boiled water in which she would wash all the utensils and bowls, then polishing them with serviettes before allowing us to eat
Needless to say I became increasingly embarrassed by her germ phobia in my teen years
Well this digressed rather quickly didn't it?
Back to the actual OP question @colt54 the answer is this:
If you know (or learn) how to clean a pipe and you don't have a mental blockage against the concept then estates are the logical choice as you can either get something normally out of your price range, something with a rarity aspect to it, or simply just get a good deal.
Conversely, if you have a mental opposition to the estate concept then no amount of savings or rareness will overcome your blockage and estates simply aren't for you.
Back to the actual OP question @colt54 the answer is this:
If you know (or learn) how to clean a pipe and you don't have a mental blockage against the concept then estates are the logical choice as you can either get something normally out of your price range, something with a rarity aspect to it, or simply just get a good deal.
Conversely, if you have a mental opposition to the estate concept then no amount of savings or rareness will overcome your blockage and estates simply aren't for you.
The majority of my pipes are estates.
Estate pipes are a great way to buy pipes provided you are dealing with a reputable person. There are several guys on eBay who are just great to deal with. Steve Fallon and Chance Whittacre are bona fide pros to deal with and there are many others.
Also site sponsors SmokingPipes, Blue Room Briars, Mkelaw Pipes, The Danish Pipe Shop and of course, Pipestud (Steve Fallon)
Members’ offerings on the “Pipes for Sale” section almost always come with full disclosure
There is a lot of logic in your reasoning, I would never trust a seller to tell me that a pipe is clean and disinfected.
But there are no regulations or inspections to sell new pipes, which you do like. I bet that the only disinfection that a mouthpiece has undergone is when it has been heated to give it curvature and only if it is a curved mouthpiece.
I would recommend that you also clean them before putting them in your mouth. The same with cans or bottles of Soda, beer, etc.
As for estate pipes, I clean them myself and leave them in good condition.
Regarding restaurants, at least where I live, whoever cleans the cutlery is the newest and lowest paid employee in the restaurant industry. Here it is called Bachero.
When it comes to Estate pipes, most of the fun is in the hunt.
And sometimes you get some great weird pipes.
Of course sometimes you get a turd.
A smoking turd to be exact.
And sometimes you get some great weird pipes.
Of course sometimes you get a turd.
A smoking turd to be exact.