Ferndown / Les Wood Experts: Opinions Please on this Ebay Pipe

[kane]

Found this on Ebay, a Ferndown, Les Wood. Seems like it could be a nice alternative to a Dunhill and sounds like it's a nice example, but I don't really know much abut these pipes, and am always cautious of Ebay as I know that there forgeries and crooks out there. The seller in in England, he has a good rating but sells a variety of stuff, not just pipes.

For those of you who can tell about a Ferndown and Les Wood: does this look legit? Is it s good buy.....approx. $180 USD. Any caveats for these pipes or this auction? For example the stamp this one looks like "LJ8", not "LJS" like I've seen in most pics.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferndown-Les-Wood-Pipe-/111579086413?ssPageName=ADME:SS:SS:US:3160
Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[buroak]

I have been looking at Ferndown pipes for a while but have yet to bite. The pipe is most likely legitimate, though it would be nice if there were a picture of the shank stampings. Personally, I would avoid buying from a seller in the UK because, if necessary, returning the pipe would be much more costly/difficult.

 

[iamn8]

I agree. Overseas buying is too sketchy, unless you're in the UK . If not, checkout BriarBlues.com. Michael is amazing to deal with and negotiates pricing. Very fair and VERY honest... Almost to a fault if such a thing is possible. If using eBay ONLY buy from the legends, COOPERSARK, TREASUREPIPES, GREAT-ESTATE-PIPES, PIPESTUD, etc.... They are the best and will always have what it is you seek.

 

[pitchfork]

Well, genuine or not, it says it's "unmolested," so I guess that's a good thing. 8O

 

[tarheel1]

If you want to spend that much you can get a new one. I would buy either from Maxim or from James Barber.

 

[tarheel1]

The prices on James Barber include Vat so it will be 20% cheaper than the listed price. I love Ferndown pipes as well as Northern Briars. I currently have both and no longer have any Dunhills. I do also like Dunhills, Ashton, and Askwith pipes.

 

[elpfeife]

The ebay seller with this listing shows he does not accept returns. I would pass.

 

[pipebaum81]

I am no expert but I own one 2* Bent Bulldog and have another Les Wood on the way. I would say that it is very likely a true Les Wood. If you check the second to last photo provide on the auction you can barely make out the strummel and foot of the pipe. (Exterior lower surface moving into the outside radius of the bowl. On Ferndown Bark pipes this area is left smooth and has a star rating for size * or ** or ***. I can't find a photo of a bark so here is the typical marking for Ferndown on an REO smooth.

As mentioned, in the auction you linked the second to last photo shows the beginnings of this marking area and from the little you can see it looks legit.
I would simply ask the seller for a photo of that area if you are seriously concerned about authenticity. I would also ask for a better picture of the chamber itself because it is heavily shadowed and there is no way of knowing it's status.
You can check this ferndown thread I started when I was in the initial buying stages. There is a wealth of great info from some of our PM All-Stars. You can also reference here for many photos of Ferndowns as well as my own!
Hope this was helpful,
j/B
editI have purchased both my Ferndowns through pipese2smoke and have had great service and pricing.

 

[jmill208]

+1 on Maxim.

Good prices. Good Service.

 

[voorhees]

Don't own a Ferndown, but for the price they seem a great alternative to a Dunhill in the looks dept. I did handle several at a pipe shop...molested really- :lol:

I did find them a bit pricey at the B&M.

Much better pricing on pipe2smoke

 

[kane]

Is there any vintage or era for these pipes that are best? Is a new pipes just as good as one from the past? As I understand they started in the 80's.

 

[buroak]

Kane, I will be interested to see what answer you get. I have been browsing on the assumption that current pipes are as good as the early Ferndowns.
Pipebaum81, Are you in the US? If so, what was your experience with your pipes2smoke purchases getting through customs?

 

[tarheel1]

It is no problem getting a pipe through customs. I have bought pioes from Canada as well as the UK and they clear customs quickly.
As for older Ferndowns vs modern ones. My current one is from theearly 90s and the ones i had before were from 2005 and 2006. Les has kept the quality up and they are just as good as they were. No need to orry about them.

 

[mso489]

An incredibly generous Forums member sent me an estate Ferndown, a bent billiard, and it is a fine pipe. It has spot-on

traditional design, expert craftsmanship and engineering, and a bowl even bigger than it looks. It's a great pipe for smoking

Tabac Manil Semois, complex English blends, or non-aromatic burleys -- those are my favorites in it so far. If I were to buy

another up-market English pipe, Ferndown is where I'd look first, new or estate.

 

[kane]

Cool. Thanks. I didn't know if there was an old briar vs. new briar thing with these. I guess all of the briar is aged anyway. Are pipes like guitars, where the really old ones smoke (sound) the best? Old wood and all that?

 

[pipebaum81]

buroak, I currently live in the pan handle of Florida but find myself deployed to Southwestern Asia. Our mail here comes through American APO (Army Post Office) and receives the standard USPS Form CN22. No issues transporting tobacco, or pipes thus far to include the one I purchased from Maxim. As mentioned I have another on the way.
EDIT I have spoken directly to Maxim and he makes it well known that he ships successfully to the US all the time.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've got one Ferndown. I think that buying an estate one is best, because someone else has suffered through their terrible tasting bowl coating. Just my opinion. That is a nice one, and if you don't pick it up, I may have to snipe it :wink:

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Also, if you are comparing it to a Dunhill, and wanting it because it's cheaper. There are quite a few cheaply priced Dunhill estates out there, ($150-200). Check out some of the smaller sponsors of this site. I see them on there occasionally. I have found Ferndowns to be relatively larger heavier pipes than most Dunhills. Same with Northern Briars. I love all of my pipes, but as a clencher, I don't tend to grab my Fern or NB as often as most of my other pipes.

 

[tppytel]

I have little doubt that the linked pipe is an authentic Ferndown. It looks exactly like I'd expect a Ferndown to look, I've never heard of them being counterfeited before, and I wouldn't expect someone to bother making such a high-quality fake of a pipe at that price level. I think a lot of people here are way too paranoid about fakes on eBay. Outside of a few edge cases of shady sellers listing ostensibly old Barlings, Dunhills, etc. with easily modified or misrepresented nomenclature, making a convincing fake of a decent quality pipe can't be worth the trouble. That being said, I'd never buy an eBay pipe of any value with a no returns policy - it's just too easy for either party to overlook important details.
As for Ferndown vintages, I'm definitely not an expert. I have two Ferndowns myself - one recent one and one of unknown vintage. The recent one is a fantastic smoker, the other not so much. But then that may just have to do with my smoking style and tobacco preferences. In my completely unscientific browsing of various forum posts, there seemed to be more concerns voiced about smoking quality 10 years ago than there are now. But that's a small sample of posts compared to all the Ferndowns out there.
I will say that you shouldn't underestimate how *big* Ferndown's 3* pipes are. It's not just the chamber size, but the overall length, wall thickness, and chunkiness of the construction. My two Ferndowns (both 3*) feel significantly bigger and heavier than my Dunhill Group 5. So make sure that's what you want. I'm definitely keeping my eye out for more Fernies, but I'll probably stick to 2* pipes going forward.

 

[tarheel1]

Ferndown does not coat the bowls and the size and weight is comparable to the size Dunhill as is Northern Briars.