Giving Peterson Some Love

[lordofthepiperings]

All this bashing of Peterson is getting annoying.
I love my Petersons. I have 16 in my collection and they all give a reliable quality smoke. I've never experienced any problems aesthetically, with banding, or in their drilling.
The system pipes are a great value and something I'd recommend to any newbie. They really do reduce the moisture in the smoke and cool it down. Plus, they come in fishtail and PLip.
I also love how they stay true to their Irish heritage and create lines based off of important people, sites, or events from the Emerald Isle.
No matter what anyone says or what pictures they post I'm still going to buy Peterson pipes because I've only ever had a good experience with the brand

 

[weezell]

:clap:

 

[mikestanley]

I don't know that bringing real problems to light is really "bashing". Peterson is (as Ivy Ryan states) a 4th tier pipe company which is capable of making 1st tier pipes. In my experience, the dipped staining can leave a very undesirable taste that can be difficult to get rid of. I have seen too many instances of pretty sloppy drilling, fit and finish. It isn't something that makes me happy to note, it just is what it is as they say.These things are what one would expect from a 4th tier maker I guess. Good news is that I will never outbid any forum members on a Peterson pipe on eBay. lol. In all seriousness though, all Petes aren't poorly drilled and some are probably excellent smokers. If you get one of these, none of the preceding matters a bit.
Mike S.

 

[ivapewithfire]

I only have 4 pipes. One of which I made myself.
I actually have a jar on my desk at work. It's labeled "Peterson Shannon Briars 69 Fishtail". I'm saving for that specific one. The spare dollar and change add up.
While there are some that express their displeasure, I think it's by far the vocal minority.
I know that when I was researching the purchase, I found a whole lot more positive comments about Peterson as a whole. Those comments were usually reserved for new purchases (showing off a new pipe) or someone defending Peterson.
Who knows, maybe I'll change my tune once I am an owner. But I don't feel the things I've read from the detractors has turned me off to the brand at all.

 

[meatballj]

My best smoker is a Peterson Donegal Rocky 999 rusticated. Love that pipe and its my dedicated latakia pipe. My dedicated aromatic is a Peterson Standard Quality Smooth 306 (it lets me sit it down to cool off so it doesn't run hot). For lunting, I have a Peterson Irish Made Army 120 for easy breakdown to place in my pocket when finished. And to round out my Petersons I have a Sherlock Holmes Lestrade smooth. All are manufactured well and I've never had a problem with the stain affecting the quality of a smoke.
Wouldn't trade my Peterson's for anything in the world!

 

[pitchfork]

I don't know that bringing real problems to light is really "bashing".

I agree. I like my Petersons -- I have 5 or 6 and I'm often tempted to buy one or two more. But the quality control issues are real and noticeable. As recent threads have shown, their old-fashioned style of drilling (high in the mortise, not flush with the bottom of the bowl) adds another element to some people's disappointment with their pipes.
My first real pipe was a Peterson 80s -- I still have it and would never part with it. It smokes as sweet as any pipe I own, but I've had to open up the airway to make it smoke right (for me) and the stem-shank fit is crap. I have Stanwells that are perfectly made, but Stanwells leave me a little cold compared to Petersons, which just exude old-fashioned pipey-ness.

 

[warren]

Pete's are built to satisfy Peterson smokers. I've owned a number of Peterson pipes over the past 50+ years and never found one that wasn't a good smoker. I've owned Pete's from the lowest range to the highest and everyone was an acceptable acquisition. All of that said, I do not purchase pipes unseen nor unfondled. The last pipes I purchased were in person, from the Peterson store in Dublin. One of them, a 300.00 euro pipe had a small dent near the bottom of the bowl. Someone one, employee or customer, had dropped in the retail grade carpet and the ding was not noticed. I purchaed the pipe for 225 euro.
I am not saying that Peterson never lets a "lemon" out the door of the factory. I'm just saying that people with no understanding of the engineering of a Peterson should not purchase one until they have secured that understanding.
In the recent thread regarding the "misdrilling" of a Peterson the new owner was upset with an acceptably drilled (judging from the pictures) pipe. The dipping to stain is not an issue for me as I don't taste it. It is however how Peterson builds certain pipes and a buyer should know that and shun the brand if that method of finish is a problem for them.
If I purchased a pipe that had an engineering defect this forum would be the last place I would post my complaint. This is particularly true as no-one on this forum is in a position to do anything about the problem other than commiserate or comment. Neither of which solves my problem. This applies to people who encounter a one-time problem with a retailer. Take it up with the retailer! My problems with a pipe or retailer are just that, my problems. So, why would I wish to burden the membership. It is one of the facets of forums that I do not pretend to understand.

 

[psychpipes]

The first pipe I ever bought was a Peterson Donegal Rocky #69. I still smoke it. Yeah it had some stain issues and the drilling isn't perfect, but I love to smoke it. Now, I haven't bought any others, and probably won't. I like Italian pipes more, and prefer Savinelli pipes of similar value. Every pipe brand has flaws, especially those made by machines. There aren't good or bad pipes. There are the pipes you, as an individual, prefer and those you don't. I couldn't care less what the next person is smoking, as long as he or she is enjoying themselves.

 

[daimyo]

I bought a Peterson once... it slapped my wife, kicked my dog and got my daughter pregnant.

 

[edgreen]

got my daughter pregnant

That explains the gurgling

 

[mso489]

I am smoking my Peterson Around the World/Ireland bulldog, one of seven or so Petersons I own from a tiny

rustic Belgique to a K&P author, and two B11 bent billiards. Right now I'm smoking a bowl of Cornell & Diehl

Dark Burley, well suited to the sturdy serious little pipe. I've been well pleased with each of them over five or

six years since I bought the first one. They are a valued and dependable part of my stable of pipes, show little

wear, and never let me down. I'm sorry that Peterson has seemingly faltered and not met expectations for some

of its customers, but I am here to say they are capable of fine workmanship and of anchoring a devoted pipe

smoking clientele.

 

[lifeon2]

I own 3 petes, a kildare, a standard and a meer they all smoke very well and I wouldn't keep them if they didn't so no problems here. Also if you poke around a bit you can find them for a song I don't think I paid more than a total of $40 for all 3

 

[leacha]

I love the looks of most Peterson pipes and want to own and collect 'em. But when I'm batting a 50% success rate with ownership, I have to move on. I am one guy but how many "one guys" does it take before Peterson acknowledges they have a problem?

 

[warren]

leacha: If I was you, and I'm not, I wouldn't purchase anymore. Is that one of two, two of four pipes or is the total higher?
I buy them to smoke and do not understand why someone would want to collect them. Shapes? The marque? In general they are a pretty run of the mill pipe, excepting the high ends. What is it about the marque that makes you want to collect them?

 

[wyfbane]

Bent Pete was one of my first 5 bought. Love it. I have a gold spigot as one of my finest pipes. Love it. Have 3 others. Love em. Probably won't buy more as I have discovered Castello, Rad Davis, and JT Cooke. But I am certainly not selling my Petes

 

[billypm]

I own more Petersons than any other brand by a good bit. I love the look, heritage, and vibe. Through experimentation I have found that I don't like the way non-system bent Petes are drilled-- not that they are exactly "mis-drilled" but I don't dig the performance of the design--so I don't buy them anymore. But my straight ones, and my little 303 system bent are as good as it gets. I will probably buy more, most likely starting with a Belgique or Barrel for strong plugs and flakes. I usually buy estate pipes, so the long break-in period many Peterson smokers complain of is pretty much moot.

 

[buroak]

Like many of my fellow participants in this topic, I own several Peterson's. The bent shapes are drilled too high, but otherwise are excellently-made pieces. I knew about this issue with Pete's and bought more of them anyway because my experiences with my first bent Pete's were sufficiently good. My only straight-shanked Peterson's is also the only Pete I have that would qualify as 'properly drilled". That pipe,though, despite being a special edition, has several prominent fills that rob it of its luster. Sadly, I have seen other pipes of the same shape and edition with even worse fills.
I think my status as a Peterson's owner grants me some privilege to "bash" on the sometimes questionable quality of Peterson's pipes. I would not go as far as mikestanley does in accepting Ivy Ryan's pronouncement that Peterson's are a fourth tier maker. Ivy Ryan is simply not all that credible, and Peterson's are not that bad.
Probably the bigger issue with today's Peterson's is the doubts about where they are made. My youngest Pete was born in 1990 and bears the "Made in the Republic of Ireland" stamp. I have no idea where current Peterson's pipes are made.

 

[daimyo]

I love the 999 shape, especially when they have the yellow stem like on the Kapp Royal and Rosslare lines. Then there is their Spigot bulldogs and billiards that look spectacular.

 

[tppytel]

Another generally satisfied Peterson customer here. The entry level (~$100) lines are far from the most polished pipes on the market, but they're fine, reliable smokers. My lowly Kapet Dublin is every bit as good a VA smoker as my Ferndowns, Dunhills, Ashtons, etc. My Irish Made Army Dublin smokes Navy Flakes like nobody's business. And my Aran Bent Billiard and Rock of Cashel Author handle whatever I throw at them respectably. I'm sure Peterson could tighten up their production and QC, but at what cost? I'd much rather pay $100 for the pipes I've bought rather than $120 for functionally identical versions that get better forum reviews from people expecting artisan craftsmanship at a bargain price. When I need a solid, no-frills smoker to fill out a gap in my pipe rotation, I look to Peterson first.

 

[pipebaum81]

More than happy with my Shannon XL02. With all this Peterson talk I am shopping for another!