I’m thinking of treating myself to a hand made pipe later this year. Who are your favorite handmade pipe makers?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Favorite Handmade/Higher End Pipes
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My answer would depend on what style/aesthetic you prefer. There are so many carvers out there who make high quality pipes. Do you want classic styling?
I tend to favor more traditional looking pipes but truthfully I’m not chasing a particular look or style. i just want some name so I can look.
You can't go wrong with a pipe from artisan Ron Powell of RdPipes...http://rdpipes.briar.club/ ...check it out his email add. is 1rdpipes@hughes.net
That's a tricky question considering this type of pipe can range from $50 to well over $5000.
That being said, 2 of my favorites are Rolando Negoita (for a briar pipe) and Sadik Yanik (for a meer pipe).
Jack Howell, who's a member here, and Jose Rubio. Given the unfavorable exchange rate with the Euro right now, Jose's pipes are pretty pricy. Jack's pipes look great, smoke better and he's great to work with on a commission.
There are dozens of fine pipe carvers to choose from. My favorites are Scotty Piersel, Lee Von Erck, Paul Tatum, Trever Talbert, and Tony Fillenwarth. For more traditional shapes look at Scottie Piersel and Trever Talbert's Ligne Bretagne pipes.
Scottie can produce any traditional shape, but she's best known for her Scottie pipes, some of which are her take on the traditional pencil shank cutty, others offer clean variations with her signature pencil shanks supported by a stainless steel tube running from the chamber to the stem. Scottie's pipes are a joy to smoke. At the last West Coast Pipe Show the only pipe I bought was a Piersel. Everyone I sent to her table ended up buying a pipe. We had quite a little Piersel pipe club going on at the show.
The Ligne Bretagne pipes are primarily made from 30 to 40 year old stummels that Talbert finishes. They're often quite traditional in shape and offer a pretty good value for the money. Talbert's high end pipes are quite wild shapes, and his Halloween pipes sell out instantly.
Paul Tatum hasn't made a pipe in about 15 years, and his pipes, when they appear, quickly disappear. His designs often present a darkly humorous take on pipe shapes and often feature hand poured acrylic stems.
Lee Von Erck's pipes are distinctive and unmistakable in appearance. All of the Von Erck pipes I own are spectacular smokers. I prefer his blasts. All of his pipes have an angular quality, often featuring twist shanks and rotating panels. He's become something of a sensation in Japan over the past several years, so his pipes have really shot up in price. That said, I know of no better smoking pipes.
Tony Fillenwarth also created very individual looking pipes, many sporting beautiful rustication, and made some of the best wax drip pipes available. His site is still up, but I don't know if he's still carving.
There are plenty of other carvers whose work is every bit as good as these four, but I'm limiting my remarks to makers whose pipes I've collected.
Scottie can produce any traditional shape, but she's best known for her Scottie pipes, some of which are her take on the traditional pencil shank cutty, others offer clean variations with her signature pencil shanks supported by a stainless steel tube running from the chamber to the stem. Scottie's pipes are a joy to smoke. At the last West Coast Pipe Show the only pipe I bought was a Piersel. Everyone I sent to her table ended up buying a pipe. We had quite a little Piersel pipe club going on at the show.
The Ligne Bretagne pipes are primarily made from 30 to 40 year old stummels that Talbert finishes. They're often quite traditional in shape and offer a pretty good value for the money. Talbert's high end pipes are quite wild shapes, and his Halloween pipes sell out instantly.
Paul Tatum hasn't made a pipe in about 15 years, and his pipes, when they appear, quickly disappear. His designs often present a darkly humorous take on pipe shapes and often feature hand poured acrylic stems.
Lee Von Erck's pipes are distinctive and unmistakable in appearance. All of the Von Erck pipes I own are spectacular smokers. I prefer his blasts. All of his pipes have an angular quality, often featuring twist shanks and rotating panels. He's become something of a sensation in Japan over the past several years, so his pipes have really shot up in price. That said, I know of no better smoking pipes.
Tony Fillenwarth also created very individual looking pipes, many sporting beautiful rustication, and made some of the best wax drip pipes available. His site is still up, but I don't know if he's still carving.
There are plenty of other carvers whose work is every bit as good as these four, but I'm limiting my remarks to makers whose pipes I've collected.
A sea of great makers out there...really a great time to be an artisan pipe buyer. The below are whose pipes I'm smoking/buying most often these days:
Jesse Jones
Jose Rubio
Ryan Alden
Silver Gray
Jack Howell
Jesse Jones
Jose Rubio
Ryan Alden
Silver Gray
Jack Howell
Tom Eltang
Former
Lee von Erck
J Alan
Tokutomi
Geiger
Tsuge Ikebana
Ryan Alden
Michael Parks
Former
Lee von Erck
J Alan
Tokutomi
Geiger
Tsuge Ikebana
Ryan Alden
Michael Parks
Of the carvers I collected (when I did, cuz I no longer do), the two who are still in the business on my short list would be Trevor Talbert and Larry Roush. I have commissions from both, and they are very good to work with.
I love blasted pipes and ring grain above all others. Every time i see one of his pipes i am sort of stunned by how great they look. Bruno nuttens sandblasts do that too.
Jesse Jones of site sponsor Blue Room Briars makes incredible pipes for much less than other artisan makers and, IMO, nobody does classic shapes better! He does non traditional shapes, as well. If I'm not mistaken, he is a 4 time winner at the North American Pipe Makers contest! Plus, he will clean/refurbish and pipe you buy from them once a year... for free! The 4 on the right are Jones pipes. I also like the look of Rad Davis pipes, but I've never owned one, so I cant speak on how they smoke.
Hey, lets not forget a few guys who started making pipes while being very active on this forum, Walt Cannoy, Ryan Alden, Dan Chlebove, to name a few whom I admire their work.
NOBODY does classic shapes better then Jesse Jones, Blue Room Briars!
I remember talking to Jesse at the New Orleans show, and I admire his pencil thin shanks.
I'm not much of a high-end pipe guy, but the ones I own that I like very much are Ferndown (Les Wood); Ser Jacopo; and Kemperling (Austria). My home-state go-to carver, who sells only at the State Fair and the TAPS show, is Jerry Perry; I bought my first pipe from him in 2002. His prices are generously moderate, but I find them good smokers and durable, as well as unique and well designed.