Estate Pipes-OK?

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Zack Miller

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 13, 2020
643
1,948
Fort Worth, Texas
I initially had reservations about estate pipes, but also realized that with a reputable vendor and the availability of alcohol, there really isn’t a problem.

The references to restaurant utensils and medical equipment as noted by prior posters are valid, not to mention all the dental tools that have been in hundreds of mouths.

Think of all the people on this forum who have used estate pipes and are still with us.
 

trouttimes

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
5,169
21,491
Lake Martin, AL
"Hell, it's no different than eating at a restaurant or do those repulsed by estate pipes bring their own plates and silverware?"

Big ... big difference. What health organization provides routine inspections with regard to used pipes? In my town kitchens and eating areas are inspected for temperature, cleanliness and so forth. To my knowledge, there is no regulation with regard to selling used pipes. Well, except for customer feedback. Which includes what insurance the vendor carries should sold pipe result in illness or death? A far fetched idea to sure but, not out of the realm of possibility.

Check the vendor's rep before buying is all I'm suggesting.
You obviously know very little about what goes on in many restaurants. I have owned one in a small Colo. town. I know about “inspections”. 😂🤣😂
 

Zeno Marx

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 10, 2022
238
1,264
I would imagine a quickly rinsed glass at a bar has more bacteria and cooties on it than a properly cleaned estate pipe. And after the bartender has handled money, credit cards, peoples smart phones, etc...and then handled the rim of your glass, I'll put twice the money down that a properly cleaned estate pipe has less potential for harm than many things we encounter each day.

But heck, I grew up in a time when pipe trading was hot and heavy. 2nd hand pipes were every bit as normalized as new pipes. My first handful of pipes were new (that had been handled tens, if not hundreds, of times by many people), but then my next hundred or more pipes were estate pipes.

By the way, I'm likely a certified germaphobe.
 

trouttimes

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
5,169
21,491
Lake Martin, AL
I would imagine a quickly rinsed glass at a bar has more bacteria and cooties on it than a properly cleaned estate pipe. And after the bartender has handled money, credit cards, peoples smart phones, etc...and then handled the rim of your glass, I'll put twice the money down that a properly cleaned estate pipe has less potential for harm than many things we encounter each day.

But heck, I grew up in a time when pipe trading was hot and heavy. 2nd hand pipes were every bit as normalized as new pipes. My first handful of pipes were new (that had been handled tens, if not hundreds, of times by many people), but then my next hundred or more pipes were estate pipes.
This is why I only drink strong liquor in bar glasses. Nothing can survive the shit I drink.
I love estate pipes. I hate breaking in a new pipe.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I enjoy both my new pipes and my estate pipes. A good cleaning brings most estate pipes up to sanitary standards. I guess most of my pipes were bought new because I can maintain them from the outset. I don't build cake, just scoop out the ash, and wipe out the chamber with an abrasive paper towel. This maintains a thin carbon layer but maintains the original diameter of the chamber and eliminates the need for reaming. I don't own a reamer. But my estate pipes have all been without cake, so that hasn't been a problem. If I were germaphobic about estate pipes, I wouldn't smoke them. It's all personal preference. Buy the pipes you like. One isn't better than the other except on a pipe-by-pipe basis.
 

Briar Tuck

Lifer
Nov 29, 2022
1,109
5,737
Oregon coast
I also never send food back or piss off the server.
I never make crazy special orders either and won't dine with people who do. I had a former boss who would always make ridiculous special requests for his food every time we went out for lunch. I have no doubt that his food came with some special seasonings courtesy of the kitchen.
 

Briar Tuck

Lifer
Nov 29, 2022
1,109
5,737
Oregon coast
I've definitely been grossed out by unclean glassware in a restaurant or bar, but not by a used pipe that's been properly sanitized. My preference is to buy estate pipes with no toothmarks on the stem though. I don't need a reminder that some dead slob used to drool and slobber on the same stem I'm currently drooling and slobbering on. YMMV
I used to be the same until I discovered how easy it is to repair even deep indentations. Now that I'm confident in my stem restoration skills I won't pass up an estate pipe with a chewed or highly oxidized stem if the price is right.

I agree that those tooth marks have to be removed though before I'll smoke one. Even though it's not harmful, it bothers me.
 

Briar Tuck

Lifer
Nov 29, 2022
1,109
5,737
Oregon coast
Most of my pipes are estates. I quickly discovered that buying estate lots is the most cost effective way of trying out the various shapes, brands, materials, and sizes of pipes. I also enjoy the history of estates and restoring them has become a fun hobby.
 

ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,378
70,055
60
Vegas Baby!!!
I never make crazy special orders either and won't dine with people who do. I had a former boss who would always make ridiculous special requests for his food every time we went out for lunch. I have no doubt that his food came with some special seasonings courtesy of the kitchen.
I used to be a professional chef.

Never send your food back. Simply make a mental note to never give them more business if that’s your inkling.

Super crazy special orders. Nope. The back kitchen doesn’t give a shit.
 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,083
49
Las Vegas
There’s no way in hell this 1887 LB is being produced today. So it’s estates for me with two exceptions a new Peterson (I’m human after all) and a new Alden here and there.

This is an 1887 L B Spigot. It’s an Ox Blood Meer with Amber Stem.

View attachment 195251View attachment 195252View attachment 195253
I spy a $110 price tag on that. I'll give you $120. No? nnnnnnnnnnnn

Absolutely gorgeous. And yes, just one more argument for estates. A pipe like that will never be produced again.