Favorite Factory Pipe Brands

[mso489]

I hold Peterson and Savinelli in equal esteem with Kaywoodie, Nording, Chacom, Genod, Ropp, and others. Factory favorites among discontinued brands include the Danish Bari, the Italian Luciano, and the U.S. Edwards and its Benton line.

I also recommend much of the MM line, both cobs and hardwoods, and especially those offered with acrylic stems, since I chew through he stock soft plastic stems. MM is the largest U.S. factory pipe maker, I believe.

 

[trouttimes]

Castello Dunhill Charatan old Comoy

 

[Briar Lee]

Oh my ! The unthinkable !
Lee has been jilted
Shock ! Horror !

Let me be more precise, the WDC Wellington was the best factory pipe ever made. Before WW1 the customer could pay fifty cents and up to buy a perfectly made, engineered and finished, specially cured French briar pipe guaranteed for life against burnout.



Pre WW2 high grade Kaywoodies had the best briar, post war Lees the most stylish.

WDC Wellingtons were the best factory pipe.

 

[LeafErikson]

I haven’t smoked nearly as many pipes as many forum members, and I hate to be boring, but Savinelli pipes are my choice. I think that current Savinellis are so well made that in 60-70 years, this era of Savinelli pipe will be seen as collectible in the same way that some currently collect early Dunhills, Barlings, Petersons, etc.

 

[OzPiper]

Let me be more precise, the WDC Wellington was the best factory pipe ever made. Before WW1 the customer could pay fifty cents and up to buy a perfectly made, engineered and finished, specially cured French briar pipe guaranteed for life against burnout.

View attachment 192996View attachment 192997

Pre WW2 high grade Kaywoodies had the best briar, post war Lees the most stylish.

WDC Wellingtons were the best factory pipe.

A knock-off of the Peterson system.
P-lip and all

As for "the best factory pipe" - their claim and your opinion.

I respectfully beg to disagree
We'll leave it at that.

 

[sablebrush52]

The William Demuth Company was one of the premier pipe makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Eventually the Wellington became their mainstay, but before that they offered a variety of pipes including high sought after meerschaums, two of which were owned by President James a Garfield.

But, superlatives like "best pipe ever made' factory or artisan are not meaningful.

A lot of fine pipes were made by well known companies, and by small little known companies and were much prized by their owners. I love my Barlings and I also love my Piersels. Someone else loves his or her cobs. The finest pipe is the pipe its owner believes to be his or her finest pipe.

 

[lraisch]

Family era Sasieni, older GBD and Comoy and the many old Savinellis I have are all great. For current production, I would choose a Castello or Ser Jacopo. I second the contention that Brebbia is an excellent brand for a reasonable price.

 

[kcghost]

I like Castello's a lot.

 

[Briar Lee]

Why was the Wellington best?

It cost fifty cents and up.

They might have paid royalties to Peterson, or Peterson might not have had a valid USA patent.

William Demuth might have made the very finest, or among the finest, pipes that ever existed, but it took two years to carve for the 1893 World’s Fair.



In a lot of ways the Wellington can be compared to the Ford Model T. Not the first car, but the one that started it all.

For fifty cents, at the local drug store, the man who wanted a pipe got one that cannot possibly be improved on for smoking qualities and with came with a lifetime guarantee.

If his wife wanted a deluxe model to give him, WDC made those Wellingtons as well.



The Wellington Pre dates the modern Camel cigarette, even Prince Albert in a pocket tin.

Changing fashion killed it.

But today you can buy one for $40 that equals the best and biggest “house pipe” offered by Peterson.



The success of the Wellington inspired all the other factory pipes that came after.

 

[Grangerous]

Danish Stanwell and Royal Danish make up the bulk of my collection.

 

[Alejo R.]

I haven’t smoked nearly as many pipes as many forum members, and I hate to be boring, but Savinelli pipes are my choice. I think that current Savinellis are so well made that in 60-70 years, this era of Savinelli pipe will be seen as collectible in the same way that some currently collect early Dunhills, Barlings, Petersons, etc.

It will never happen due to lack of consistency. Too many lines and too many qualities.

 

[Alejo R.]

The most influential brand of manufactured pipes has been Stanwell. One of my favourites.

 

[K.E. Powell]

That's tough. I'd say Peterson has my favorites, but Stanwell is more consistent in their quality. Both their Danish and current Italian pipes are absolutely fantastic for the price (I seriously don't understand why the newer pipes get so much hate; I've pipes from both eras, and both smoke just as well). You can't go wrong with either. I'd probably give the slight edge to Peterson, because aesthetically they have pipes that I'm attracted to more often, and I do enjoy a good deluxe system pipe. They smoke very coolly, good for taming certain blends.

Other good factory brands are Neerup, Brebbia, Chacom, and even Genod. All wonderful pipes for the price. They don't get enough love, but most pipes I've gotten from those brands have been excellent.

 

[Smoke Wagon]

Let me be more precise, the WDC Wellington was the best factory pipe ever made. Before WW1 the customer could pay fifty cents and up to buy a perfectly made, engineered and finished, specially cured French briar pipe guaranteed for life against burnout.

View attachment 192996View attachment 192997

Pre WW2 high grade Kaywoodies had the best briar, post war Lees the most stylish.

WDC Wellingtons were the best factory pipe.

That sure looks like a Peterson in a lot of ways…

 

[5star]

Everyone has mentioned some excellent factory pipes - current and vintage.
One comment I’ll add is that previously I only had older Petersons. I stayed away from what was current production, - because of quality control issues. But I recently gave them another shot, and bought a 2022 Christmas Dublin with copper army mount. Its drilling is right on the money & I like the bowl coating they used. It produced nice tasty smokes from the very first time. I also bought a new production bent bulldog & it looks excellent too. (I haven’t smoked it yet). So my prejudice against new Petersons has been reversed. I already have enough pipes & enough Petersons for now. But I don’t reject their new pipes for consideration like before.

Mac

 

[judcole]

Just to toss in something different - I have two Ropp "Vintage" pipes that I am quite fond of. I really like the horn stems in that series.

 

[judcole]

Everyone has mentioned some excellent factory pipes - current and vintage.
One comment I’ll add is that previously I only had older Petersons. I stayed away from what was current production, - because of quality control issues. But I recently gave them another shot, and bought a 2022 Christmas Dublin with copper army mount. Its drilling is right on the money & I like the bowl coating they used. It produced nice tasty smokes from the very first time. I also bought a new production bent bulldog & it looks excellent too. (I haven’t smoked it yet). So my prejudice against new Petersons has been reversed. I already have enough pipes & enough Petersons for now. But I don’t reject their new pipes for consideration like before.

Mac

I really like this year's Christmas Petes - I got two, a billiard and a tankard.

 

[5star]

If you add current ‘small shop’ pipes - Castello and Radice would probably rank # 1 & # 2 for me. Every one I own - new & estate- smokes great.

Mac

 

[Briar Lee]

That sure looks like a Peterson in a lot of ways…

My guesses about that, is that an Irish (then U.K.) made Peterson was heavily tariffed, and the Wellington (not the other WDC briars) was sort of an American Peterson, made under license.

The exact same protective tariffs caused the Remington Automatic Shotgun (later Model 11) to be an American made Belgian Browning Auto Five.

I think WDC’s problem was they became a one pipe company.

My guess is younger customers all associated WDC with the Wellington and had a big one back at home, while they walked around smoking Kaywoodies, Webers, Lees, Mastercraft, Grabow and other standard shaped, portable straight pipes.

After three quarters of a century, the young customers all wanted a real Peterson instead.

 

[LeafErikson]

It will never happen due to lack of consistency. Too many lines and too many qualities.

I’m glad your crystal ball can show you what pipe smokers will deem as collectible seven decades from now. Now, can you ask it when the stock market will recover?