Expensive Factory Pipes Vs. Handmade & Cost Difference.

[fishnbanjo]

I've said this elsewhere on this forum but for the sake of discussion I'll state it again. For my sense of style and pure great smoking quality were I to only spend money on one brand of factory pipe it would be a Radice, for handmade it would be by Becker, neither have ever been disappointing for me. The other pipe I would be remiss were I not throw it into the mix are the Ligne Bretagne series by Trever Talbert, each of the pipes mentioned are bargains.

banjo

 

[pappymac]

Some people just want the big name pipes for the prestige of owning what are considered to be the very best. If I had the money and the opportunity, there are a couple of Dunhills I would like to add to my pipe collection. I have four artisan made pipes that retailed in the $275 - $400 price range and they are all good smokers. I have 5 different Savinelli's and they all are good smokers also. I think price has less to do with a good smoking pipe then some people credit it.
I have no doubt though that pipes made by Dunhill, Castello, Barling, etc are of the highest grade briar that's available. I'm pretty sure that they pay top dollar/Euro for it and that is part of the reason they cost more. The same with artisan pipes.

 

[cigrmaster]

gloucesterman, did you ever think that it is user error and you have no idea how to smoke? :lol:
Thanks for the tip, I know people who say they don't smoke better and those that do, it is hard to know what to believe.

 

[shutterbugg]

I know how to smoke the "little cesspools" I guess, and thoroughly enjoy my Petes, system and non.

No, it has nothing to do with knowing how to smoke them. It has to do with Peterson's wildly variable quality, especially in the last few years, and especially in the drilling. It's a total crapshoot nowadays finding one drilled right so it doesn't gurgle. I tried everything with mine...drilling them out, deepening the sumps, chamfering the tenon end. Nothing was enough to do the trick. I've been in a B&M and opened boxes of the same shape Pete systems and of four identical pipes, none of them was drilled the same. Or correctly.

 

[warren]

Never experienced such fit or finish problems. Not saying it doesn't happen, just that I've never experienced such.
Gurgling does not usually attract my attention. If it does, my first cure is a gentle blow back or two. Usually works. If not I poke a cleaner into the bowl, disturb the packing from the bottom and soak up what I can of the moisture. If the gurgle continues still, I ignore it as I read or work. I do not find a wee gurgle disturbs my satisfaction of the blend or pipe in the least. I am a sloppy smoker I suppose, not that demanding. But, for those that dislike any gurgle, try a gentle blow back. Might work for you.

 

[shutterbugg]

Those tricks work fine with regular pipes but not Pete systems. The problem is the slipshod drilling causes them to collect a ton of condensation at the tenon and it does not drain down into the sump as it should. To get it to stop gurgling using your method I would need to blow so hard I'd have ash spewing out the bowl. What I needed to do was pull the stem mid-smoke several times and shake/blow out the moisture. Tolerable outdoors alone, but outdoors in the company of others, or indoors, not so much!
Then to prevent a buildup of sticky tar in the sump, I would need to take it apart and swab out the sump after each smoke, then leave it apart so the sump could dry out, otherwise it would sour on me. Between the excess gurgle and the excess maintenance, I found them a PITA. I had a Pete system years ago which worked fine, so I know it has to do with poor drilling quality in recent years.
OTOH my Falcons actually deliver on their claim of cooling and drying the smoke, and they do not gurgle. With a homemade dry ring I can get 3-4 smokes out of them without dissasembling. All I need do is run a pipecleaner through the stem and set them in the rack like any other pipe.

 

[fordm60]

I am with warren on this as I have two Peterson System pipes. I find both to be very good smokers. I find that the moisture level of the tobacco and my cadence seriously effect the amount of fluid in the sump. YMMV.
I would like to thank all who chimed in on this topic. I love surprising view points that I had not even considered!

 

[warren]

My Falcon doesn't gurgle either. Like you, I use an appurtenance which prevents such. The deflector may also help to smoke dry. Not much on looks to my eye but, very convenient when stalking a subject. I fill five bowls, into a sandwich bag and the kit, when one is done I simply screw on another. A very handy little system, I love it. Not as disposable as a cob but, economic (5 bowls, one stem fitting) it is.

 

[renfield]

Harris,

I have to second what gloucesterman said. I have 2 1963 Dunhills. One is a straight, the other 3/4 bent. The straight smokes like you'd think that range of pipe should, very well indeed. The bent is easily out-performed by any Savinelli I've had. YMMV.

Ren

 

[shutterbugg]

My Falcon doesn't gurgle either. Like you, I use an appurtenance which prevents such. The deflector may also help to smoke dry. Not much on looks to my eye but, very convenient when stalking a subject.

6" pipecleaners are too short for my Bings so had to buy a bunch of 12" which are too long. I cut 4" off them and the remnants each make 3 Falcon dry-rings. Yeah they're kind of fugly (I remember when they were sold in every drugstore alongside Kaywoodies and Grabows) but they do work as claimed. I normally use separate stems for each bowl, except when I travel then I take just one stem and several bowls.
Say is that a 500 f/4-P AIS Nikkor you're hauling?

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

For long stem pipes I just take the stem off and use a regular pipecleaner in both ends. It's an extra step but the price of long pipecleaners is ridiculous (if you care about saving a few cents per cleaner. At two bowls a week I shouldn't flinch at spending an extra five cents on each bowl, but that's 3.5 times the price of regulars! And a long pipecleaner certainly isn't 3.5 times longer than a regular. And those 52 foot coils actually still cost 3.5 times more than the regular bundles).

 

[cosmicfolklore]

. It's an extra step but the price of long pipecleaners is ridiculous (if you care about saving a few cents per cleaner.

Just put the pipe cleaners in a pillow case and run them through the washing machine. ::

 

[warren]

600mm f/4, the latest as it was three pounds lighter than my older model. At my age, three pounds is important.

 

[shutterbugg]

For long stem pipes I just take the stem off and use a regular pipecleaner in both ends.

I like to run a cleaner through during the smoke, and don't want to pull the stem off a hot pipe. I cut 4" off a 12" pipecleaner and use the short piece to make 3 dry rings for my Falcons. After I've used the 8" part for a Bing, I cut the soiled inch off each end and have a fairly clean standard pipecleaner left. So the cost is negligible. Of course I already owned wirecutters so I didn't have to factor in buying one

600mm f/4, the latest as it was three pounds lighter than my older model. At my age, three pounds is important.

I had the 500 f/4 P because John Shaw raved about it and it was chipped for the F4 and F5 matrix metering. When I went over to the dark side (actually, the white side ) I got a 600 f/4-L with IS but very quickly sold it for a 300 f/2.8-L IS and EF 2x. Those big fast teles really are a bear to lug around, even with a CF tripod.

 

[warren]

Canon's 300 2.8 is a class piece of glass. I personally detest using a tele under any but dire circumstances. I prefer to pick a crop mode first, go to a longer lens or work closer to the subject where possible. I really hate giving up light.
I waited until digital imaging was somewhat competitive with Kodachrome 64 before giving up film. The bigger pixels on the full frame bodies and newer internal software really make digital the only way to go. Well, except for those that are wedded to film through sentimentality. It is a different look but, very few can tell the difference. And a couple generations of editors have never worked with film. One really needs a lens designed for digital though to fully realize the quality.
I've sold both Canon and Nikon (pre-digital days) and there is only a difference in products for a moment. They spend millions playing "catch up" and "get a head." I do feel Nikon has a slight edge on body sealing with their so-called "pro" bodies. Which means nothing if you are not shooting in a desert, a storm or what not.
I do like to brag about my ability to handhold the 600 when necessary. Not as long as I used but, I'm still quite proud of myself. Oops! Just dislocated my shoulder patting myself on the back.

 

[shutterbugg]

Sounds like you work a lot like THIS GUY. He was a K64 guy for a long time, also likes getting in close with as short a lens as possible. When I switched to C, N didn't even have the AF-I teles yet, and the ones they had with the driveshafts were really slow. I've stuck with C since then, they can leapfrog all they want, I'm not playing that game. I don't do much nature photography anymore so I sold my 300 and never upgraded from the original EOS 5D. Most of what I shoot(travel)is with a Leica rangefinder. Hard on the wallet but easy on the back Plus because the viewfinder eyepiece is on the far left there's room to clench a pipe!

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Just put the pipe cleaners in a pillow case and run them through the washing machine.

Cosmic, I would do it if I had a spare washing machine.

But now that you got me thinking, a hot bucket of bleach works wonders on a lot of stuff.

 

[warren]

I do not swap back and forth. I like the ability to fit a couple of 40 year old lenses, a 10mm and a 60mm micro, on my latest bodies.
Hard to beat that Leica glass. And the build, tough. My binoculars are Leica, very good, light gathering capabilities.
Herr does good work. I stick with what I know and very rarely shoot scenics or plants. And, then usually for my own enjoyment. I'm starting to toy with architecture and am learning the ins and outs of PC lenses. Again, just for my personal enjoyment, at least so far.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

...then just hang them out on the line to dry, but you'll need little bity clothes pins.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

BTW, I'm totally kidding. I'm not that cheap. ::