So this is my part 2 to BigVans review of Dr. Grabow. This is my first real review on a pipe and, as some of you already know, I'm a novice piper, so I thought it would be cool to get a green horns perspective on things. I smoked the Grabow about a half dozen times and the Parker about a dozen.
SO we will start with the Grabow
Because this was received already used, I couldnt get a feel for it in the package, but by reading the description from BigVan, I had a general idea.
First thing I noticed when I picked it up was the weight. It is quite heavy for the size, which makes me believe that the wood was not aged very long, still containing moisture. I look down the bowl and inspect the draft hole, looks to be in some what proper location with the draft hold a millimeter or two off the very bottom.
Inspecting the bowl, it seems like there was a precarb on it. Looking at the outside of the pipe, the rustication, to me, seems a bit ugly. You can see where the tool was spinning unevenly, meaning that its not a very even "gouge". The metal ring around the stem where the shank meets is a nice touch though. The shank is shiny with what I'm guessing is their logo. The bit seems a bit rough and unrefined. When in my mouth, the bit seems to be quite thick and bulky, and the button is a bit rough around the edges. It clenched pretty well, and I for see long use out of it because of the thickness, you won't be biting through anytime soon.
Moving to the inner workings, it is a filtered pipe, using an aluminum tenon to hold the Medico pipe filter. The stem hole is drilled like a square, which is kind of odd to me. The draw is quite good, not too restrictive with a filter inside, and a bit less than a wide open draw.
First smoke is with a filter.
Loading the bowl, I definitely get a sense of how small this pipe really is. I found it a little difficult to pack with the longer cut tobacco, and much easier using the stuff from the bottom of my jar.
The first charring light goes like normal. The actual light goes well, lighting the entire surface, leaving no hot or cold spots (as my eye thermometer looks down).
The bowl lasts for about 10-15min, depending on pace and packing style. I found this pipe to be quite temperamental keeping lit. It required more attention and maintenance that any of my other pipes. It smoked down right to the bottom with very little dottle.
I tasted the weird taste from the bit BigVan was explaining, but it eventually went away (or i got used to it).
My second bowl was unfiltered, pretty much ending in the same result of many relights, and little dottle.
My overall thoughts of this pipe are O.K. Nothing special really. I will give it a thumbs up for price (about $30USD). But a thumbs down for the looks and feel in the mouth. This is a good buy for someone who is just getting into the sport, and have little money and is LOOKING for a SMALL pipe. For the same price, I bought a Savinelli Duca Carlo that smokes wonderfully, has a beautiful finish, smokes well and is quality made (I'm not saying Grabows are not well made, but there can be some improvements).
Pic of said Savinelli Duca Carlo
Not the best picture, but you get the idea. For the money paid, you can get something that looks much better.
Good:
-Availability
-History
-Price
-Small
Bad:
-Button is rough around the edges
-U.G.L.Y.
-Feels "cheap" in the hands and mouth
-Heavy for size
-Small
Bottom line of the Grand Duke:
It is a decent pipe for the money. Considering you can pick one up just about anywhere and it smokes well is a good selling point. But it is just too damn small!
The second pipe i received from BigVan was a Parker Jockey Club billiard pipe.
Upon looking over this pipe, I started to fall in love with it. It has a very nice finish on it, and the shape and style was more to my liking. It has a very nice black lacquer rusticates look. This pipe reminds me of the pipe Robert D Jr was smoking in his first Sherlock Holmes movie.
The bowl of the pipe is much more to my liking as well. The bowl is a bit shallower than some of my other pipes, but makes for a good smoke. The draft hole was dead on. Right in the middle and at the very bottom. Right away, I could tell it was going to be a good smoke. The shank is very shiny and the bit/button feel very nice in the mouth. The bit is much thinner than the Grand Duke, which makes for a more comfortable mouth feel.
The first char went as usually and so did the second. The initial light also went well, lighting the entire surface. This pipe needed much less attention ad maintenance than the Grabow. Usually only needing one or two relights to get to the very bottom. Very little dottle remains after the smoke. I smoke aromatics and found that this was a nice cooler smoke than some of the other pipes I have.
This pipe has definitely became one of my favorites. Balance in the and feel in the mouth are good, is much more refined than the Grabow. The pipe is lighter than the Grabow for the amount of wood used. Making me believe that the Parker briar was aged much longer.
My over all thoughts on the Parker:
Its a very good pipe for the price ($50USD). If I had to choose between the two, Parker gets the win hands down. The way the Parker was drilled makes this pipe a real winner. Not to mention the looks. You can really tell that there was much more workmanship put into the Parker. And thats why I would spend the extra $20 more for the Parker.
Good:
-Price
-Workmanship
-Quality
-finish
-Nice smoke
Bad:
-The lacquer was put on a bit thick.
Bottom line o the Parker Jockey Club
This is a very nice pipe for the price. Draft hole is properly drilled, and smokes well. Quality is much much better than the Grand Duke, and is definitely worth a look at.
I probably wont smoke the Grand Duke that much, it's just too small for me, I would just use my cob if i wanted a shorter smoke. SO, if anyone would like to make a review of THEIR thoughts of the Grand Duke, PM me "I'd like to review it!" and i'll send you the Grnad Duke. First person gets it!
Thanks again BigVan for giving me the opportunity to to a review on these two pipes. Now if you don't mind, I would like to keep the Parker pipe. I just absolutely love this pipe!
Thanks for reading!
SO we will start with the Grabow
Because this was received already used, I couldnt get a feel for it in the package, but by reading the description from BigVan, I had a general idea.
First thing I noticed when I picked it up was the weight. It is quite heavy for the size, which makes me believe that the wood was not aged very long, still containing moisture. I look down the bowl and inspect the draft hole, looks to be in some what proper location with the draft hold a millimeter or two off the very bottom.
Inspecting the bowl, it seems like there was a precarb on it. Looking at the outside of the pipe, the rustication, to me, seems a bit ugly. You can see where the tool was spinning unevenly, meaning that its not a very even "gouge". The metal ring around the stem where the shank meets is a nice touch though. The shank is shiny with what I'm guessing is their logo. The bit seems a bit rough and unrefined. When in my mouth, the bit seems to be quite thick and bulky, and the button is a bit rough around the edges. It clenched pretty well, and I for see long use out of it because of the thickness, you won't be biting through anytime soon.
Moving to the inner workings, it is a filtered pipe, using an aluminum tenon to hold the Medico pipe filter. The stem hole is drilled like a square, which is kind of odd to me. The draw is quite good, not too restrictive with a filter inside, and a bit less than a wide open draw.
First smoke is with a filter.
Loading the bowl, I definitely get a sense of how small this pipe really is. I found it a little difficult to pack with the longer cut tobacco, and much easier using the stuff from the bottom of my jar.
The first charring light goes like normal. The actual light goes well, lighting the entire surface, leaving no hot or cold spots (as my eye thermometer looks down).
The bowl lasts for about 10-15min, depending on pace and packing style. I found this pipe to be quite temperamental keeping lit. It required more attention and maintenance that any of my other pipes. It smoked down right to the bottom with very little dottle.
I tasted the weird taste from the bit BigVan was explaining, but it eventually went away (or i got used to it).
My second bowl was unfiltered, pretty much ending in the same result of many relights, and little dottle.
My overall thoughts of this pipe are O.K. Nothing special really. I will give it a thumbs up for price (about $30USD). But a thumbs down for the looks and feel in the mouth. This is a good buy for someone who is just getting into the sport, and have little money and is LOOKING for a SMALL pipe. For the same price, I bought a Savinelli Duca Carlo that smokes wonderfully, has a beautiful finish, smokes well and is quality made (I'm not saying Grabows are not well made, but there can be some improvements).
Pic of said Savinelli Duca Carlo
Not the best picture, but you get the idea. For the money paid, you can get something that looks much better.
Good:
-Availability
-History
-Price
-Small
Bad:
-Button is rough around the edges
-U.G.L.Y.
-Feels "cheap" in the hands and mouth
-Heavy for size
-Small
Bottom line of the Grand Duke:
It is a decent pipe for the money. Considering you can pick one up just about anywhere and it smokes well is a good selling point. But it is just too damn small!
The second pipe i received from BigVan was a Parker Jockey Club billiard pipe.
Upon looking over this pipe, I started to fall in love with it. It has a very nice finish on it, and the shape and style was more to my liking. It has a very nice black lacquer rusticates look. This pipe reminds me of the pipe Robert D Jr was smoking in his first Sherlock Holmes movie.
The bowl of the pipe is much more to my liking as well. The bowl is a bit shallower than some of my other pipes, but makes for a good smoke. The draft hole was dead on. Right in the middle and at the very bottom. Right away, I could tell it was going to be a good smoke. The shank is very shiny and the bit/button feel very nice in the mouth. The bit is much thinner than the Grand Duke, which makes for a more comfortable mouth feel.
The first char went as usually and so did the second. The initial light also went well, lighting the entire surface. This pipe needed much less attention ad maintenance than the Grabow. Usually only needing one or two relights to get to the very bottom. Very little dottle remains after the smoke. I smoke aromatics and found that this was a nice cooler smoke than some of the other pipes I have.
This pipe has definitely became one of my favorites. Balance in the and feel in the mouth are good, is much more refined than the Grabow. The pipe is lighter than the Grabow for the amount of wood used. Making me believe that the Parker briar was aged much longer.
My over all thoughts on the Parker:
Its a very good pipe for the price ($50USD). If I had to choose between the two, Parker gets the win hands down. The way the Parker was drilled makes this pipe a real winner. Not to mention the looks. You can really tell that there was much more workmanship put into the Parker. And thats why I would spend the extra $20 more for the Parker.
Good:
-Price
-Workmanship
-Quality
-finish
-Nice smoke
Bad:
-The lacquer was put on a bit thick.
Bottom line o the Parker Jockey Club
This is a very nice pipe for the price. Draft hole is properly drilled, and smokes well. Quality is much much better than the Grand Duke, and is definitely worth a look at.
I probably wont smoke the Grand Duke that much, it's just too small for me, I would just use my cob if i wanted a shorter smoke. SO, if anyone would like to make a review of THEIR thoughts of the Grand Duke, PM me "I'd like to review it!" and i'll send you the Grnad Duke. First person gets it!
Thanks again BigVan for giving me the opportunity to to a review on these two pipes. Now if you don't mind, I would like to keep the Parker pipe. I just absolutely love this pipe!
Thanks for reading!
