Never owned one, and that is only because I like very large pipes and Danish shapes. Saw some Petes on SPC the other day with bright orange stems that were very attractive, just too small for my liking.
Giving Peterson Some Love
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@warren
I've purchased 3 and acquired one in a trade. The trade pipe is a phenomenal smoker and the 1 purchased pipe I kept is fine. It just hasn't grown on me. I've been willing to get one more but the poor engineering has soured me.
As for collecting, any thing I collect gets used. 0'mI not a "sealed in original package" guy and I would collect them because I find their shaped to be the most pleasing to my eyes out of all the pipes out there.
I've purchased 3 and acquired one in a trade. The trade pipe is a phenomenal smoker and the 1 purchased pipe I kept is fine. It just hasn't grown on me. I've been willing to get one more but the poor engineering has soured me.
As for collecting, any thing I collect gets used. 0'mI not a "sealed in original package" guy and I would collect them because I find their shaped to be the most pleasing to my eyes out of all the pipes out there.
leacha: Thanks for the response. I guess it's a matter of semantics. I jumped to the conclusion that you were "collecting" Peterson pipes as opposed to simply "acquiring" them to smoke. I put it in the context of a large collection of Petes all polished up and sitting on a shelf to be admired and traded or sold as the need or urge dictated, always acquiring more for the collection. If I'm reading this correctly you sir, are a smoker and not a "collector" per se.
Words mean something of course, in some instances, words may mean many things. Again, thanks for setting me straight.
Words mean something of course, in some instances, words may mean many things. Again, thanks for setting me straight.
Yes Warren I guess I worded incorrectly. I am a collector/smoker. Jay Leno collects cars and motorcycles but he also stated everything in his collection gets ridden or driven. On the other hand someone with and art collection is a collector.
Yes Warren I guess I worded incorrectly. I am a collector/smoker. Jay Leno collects cars and motorcycles but he also stated everything in his collection gets ridden or driven. On the other hand someone with and art collection is a collector.
Anyways back to the OP... I'm glad you admire Pete's and love 'em. I feel the company is just putting out bad products in with the good and some people seem to get the good (you) and some the bad (me).
Anyways back to the OP... I'm glad you admire Pete's and love 'em. I feel the company is just putting out bad products in with the good and some people seem to get the good (you) and some the bad (me).
I sincerely hope that nobody considers this post inflammatory in anyway because that really is not my intention but I feel compelled to demonstrate my experience with Pete's.
I would not call any of what I have seen Pete bashing but rather people demonstrating their concerns regarding the product they have received. Someone mentioned that they don't understand why people come to the forum with these concerns as there is nothing any of us can do about it. Well that may well be true but I see it this way, I appreciate people showing their doubts or possible flaws of manufacturing. Especially with pictures. I feel it allows myself to make a more informed decision on my purchases.
I own 3 Peterson's. The latest of which arrived this morning. My experience is as follows. My first one was a Kinsale XL 15 smooth. At first I got frustrated because the pipe cleaner would not pass without some manipulation of the cleaner due to the high drilling in the mortice. This bothered me frankly but have of course since learnt that this is normal practice for Peterson so fine. It took a while to break in and now smokes well. I never smoke it any more though because I don't like the P-Lip. It makes the roof of my mouth feel nasty and I just don't like it. Of course this is not Peterson's fault and actually I think I will send it to them to get a fishtail fitted instead.
My second and this one irritates me as I do not consider this one a cheap pipe. I also had to wait 7-8 months for it. It is a Rosslare Royal Irish 221 with the sterling silver banding. This is a beautiful pipe. It has the most dense birds eye on either side of the bowl I have ever seen. However, The drilling in this is really very high in the bowl. Again I understand this is common in the full bent pipes they produce and as I tend to fold and stuff flakes most of the time this is not the end of the world for me but it gets worse. The silver band on the stem was cut quite poorly and required a little work with a file and polishing from me. Then one day when I was cleaning up the silver and the silver band popped off. Easy to fix but should not really be happening. There are scratches on the rim of the bowl that did not make themselves known until it was smoked and if I am completely honest the stem does not fit on completely straight. It is hard to explain but it is not quite right. The other thing with this one is it gurgles like no other pipe I own. No matter what tobacco and no matter how I smoke it. If there is a Crystal in the sump or a piece of tissue or even nothing it gurgles.
Thirdly the one that arrived this morning. It is the 2014 Christmas pipe shape 107. Not an expensive pipe by any means but I do expect a pipe to be a pipe. That is to say I expect to be able to draw air through it. I could not. It was completely blocked. I could not even get air through it let alone a pipe cleaner. I had to actually get a drill out and and clear the blockage which was just before the hole entered the bowl. Okay so it was only a 2 minute fix but I really should not have had to do it. I believe it was blocked with some very compacted sawdust. Possibly hardened by the bowl coating. It was so compacted I could not actually force it through with my pipe tool. It needed to be drilled.
So I consider this a fail on 2 out of the 3. That is a pretty bad rate as far as quality control is concerned I believe. Make no mistake I am a fan of Pete's. I don't want them to end up with a bad reputation. I feel the pipe world would be somehow empty without them. But quality control needs looking at. From my perspective with the numbers I am looking at regarding my own experience it is just a fact. I won't say I will never buy one again but I don't see me buying another soon without holding it in my hands first. For those of you that have had nothing but good results I am genuinely pleased for you and wish you the same success rate in the future but please don't say that those of with real concerns are bashing. Or at least bashing without cause. I feel I owe it to my fellow pipers to tell them of my experience just as I feel I owe it to Peterson to tell them which I will now do after today's adventure with the drill.
I would not call any of what I have seen Pete bashing but rather people demonstrating their concerns regarding the product they have received. Someone mentioned that they don't understand why people come to the forum with these concerns as there is nothing any of us can do about it. Well that may well be true but I see it this way, I appreciate people showing their doubts or possible flaws of manufacturing. Especially with pictures. I feel it allows myself to make a more informed decision on my purchases.
I own 3 Peterson's. The latest of which arrived this morning. My experience is as follows. My first one was a Kinsale XL 15 smooth. At first I got frustrated because the pipe cleaner would not pass without some manipulation of the cleaner due to the high drilling in the mortice. This bothered me frankly but have of course since learnt that this is normal practice for Peterson so fine. It took a while to break in and now smokes well. I never smoke it any more though because I don't like the P-Lip. It makes the roof of my mouth feel nasty and I just don't like it. Of course this is not Peterson's fault and actually I think I will send it to them to get a fishtail fitted instead.
My second and this one irritates me as I do not consider this one a cheap pipe. I also had to wait 7-8 months for it. It is a Rosslare Royal Irish 221 with the sterling silver banding. This is a beautiful pipe. It has the most dense birds eye on either side of the bowl I have ever seen. However, The drilling in this is really very high in the bowl. Again I understand this is common in the full bent pipes they produce and as I tend to fold and stuff flakes most of the time this is not the end of the world for me but it gets worse. The silver band on the stem was cut quite poorly and required a little work with a file and polishing from me. Then one day when I was cleaning up the silver and the silver band popped off. Easy to fix but should not really be happening. There are scratches on the rim of the bowl that did not make themselves known until it was smoked and if I am completely honest the stem does not fit on completely straight. It is hard to explain but it is not quite right. The other thing with this one is it gurgles like no other pipe I own. No matter what tobacco and no matter how I smoke it. If there is a Crystal in the sump or a piece of tissue or even nothing it gurgles.
Thirdly the one that arrived this morning. It is the 2014 Christmas pipe shape 107. Not an expensive pipe by any means but I do expect a pipe to be a pipe. That is to say I expect to be able to draw air through it. I could not. It was completely blocked. I could not even get air through it let alone a pipe cleaner. I had to actually get a drill out and and clear the blockage which was just before the hole entered the bowl. Okay so it was only a 2 minute fix but I really should not have had to do it. I believe it was blocked with some very compacted sawdust. Possibly hardened by the bowl coating. It was so compacted I could not actually force it through with my pipe tool. It needed to be drilled.
So I consider this a fail on 2 out of the 3. That is a pretty bad rate as far as quality control is concerned I believe. Make no mistake I am a fan of Pete's. I don't want them to end up with a bad reputation. I feel the pipe world would be somehow empty without them. But quality control needs looking at. From my perspective with the numbers I am looking at regarding my own experience it is just a fact. I won't say I will never buy one again but I don't see me buying another soon without holding it in my hands first. For those of you that have had nothing but good results I am genuinely pleased for you and wish you the same success rate in the future but please don't say that those of with real concerns are bashing. Or at least bashing without cause. I feel I owe it to my fellow pipers to tell them of my experience just as I feel I owe it to Peterson to tell them which I will now do after today's adventure with the drill.
After reading various threads I think I see the problem. I have no idea how to solve it as many of the members appear to only have recourse to buying pipes on-line. Way too many members are receiving pipes which are obviously not inspected by the retailer prior to being packed up and shipped (see above re: plugged airway). Now this is not an excuse for the pipe producers lack of quality control, it is more of an observation. If I was retailing over the net no pipe would leave my premises without a close visual inspection and a cleaner test.
There is simply no excuse for shipping pipe with obvious defects. I could see posting problems with a new pipe if the steps taken to rectify the problem were also noted. Otherwise, it just appears to be venting as none of the members can fix the problem.
Now getting a "bad" pipe and not getting satisfaction from the retailer . . . that is a problem I understand and should be posted for the edification of the members. Lack of consideration for customers is a valid complaint and forewarns the members.
So, all of you posting problems with pipes of any marque, please post what steps you are taking to rectify the problem. Returning the pipe? Complaining to the manufacturer? Passing the pipe on to others to deal with, eBay, trading, etc.
There is simply no excuse for shipping pipe with obvious defects. I could see posting problems with a new pipe if the steps taken to rectify the problem were also noted. Otherwise, it just appears to be venting as none of the members can fix the problem.
Now getting a "bad" pipe and not getting satisfaction from the retailer . . . that is a problem I understand and should be posted for the edification of the members. Lack of consideration for customers is a valid complaint and forewarns the members.
So, all of you posting problems with pipes of any marque, please post what steps you are taking to rectify the problem. Returning the pipe? Complaining to the manufacturer? Passing the pipe on to others to deal with, eBay, trading, etc.
I love the history of Peterson and I'm an Irish citizen to boot, so I would really love to see the brand do well.
My personal experience with Peterson has been excellent. I have two of them in the rotation - both sandblasted House pipes that I purchased at the Peterson shop in Dublin. They were my first pipes, and I still smoke them. They are drilled perfectly. The only thing i am not a huge fan of is the p-lip that they both have. I don't hate the p-lip, but I prefer a normal bit. Still, they are both great pipes.
However, I will admit that all the horror stories I have heard make me reluctant to buy another. I had always thought quality issues were confined to the cheaper Peterson lines, but when I hear Jazz's stories about his Rosslare Royal Irish I just wince. There are too many good pipes in that same price range made by other makers for me to risk adding another Peterson to my stable and having to add my singing to the seemingly growing chorus of Peterson detractors.
My personal experience with Peterson has been excellent. I have two of them in the rotation - both sandblasted House pipes that I purchased at the Peterson shop in Dublin. They were my first pipes, and I still smoke them. They are drilled perfectly. The only thing i am not a huge fan of is the p-lip that they both have. I don't hate the p-lip, but I prefer a normal bit. Still, they are both great pipes.
However, I will admit that all the horror stories I have heard make me reluctant to buy another. I had always thought quality issues were confined to the cheaper Peterson lines, but when I hear Jazz's stories about his Rosslare Royal Irish I just wince. There are too many good pipes in that same price range made by other makers for me to risk adding another Peterson to my stable and having to add my singing to the seemingly growing chorus of Peterson detractors.
I have a few Petersons, a tankard, a Rusticated 999, and a Meer (I know not technically made by Peterson I'm still counting it)and I enjoy them. I have been on a big rustication and sandblast kick lately and it is by far my favorite finish and I shy away from Peterson not because of any smoking issues or poor craftsmanship, but because the Peterson Rustication doesn't overly appeal to me. I like the sandblasts of Rattray and Brigham more and that is the only reason I don't own more Petes. Any mass produced pipes are gonna have the odd misdrilled air hole and the like but just doing a good visual inspection of the pipe can alleviate getting a bad pipe.
I feel I should add after my earlier post regarding my new Christmas pipe that after drilling I gave it a smoke. Just after I posted actually. I stuffed it with some Marlin Flake and it smokes wonderfully. Normally I find it takes quite a few smokes before they taste good. Easily the best of my Pete smokers already.
I also like the way this one feels in the hand. In order to get this pipe I had to go out of my comfort zone actually. By the time I decided I was going to buy it the 107 shape of it was sold out all over Europe and as a result I had to order it from the USA. (I live in the UK) This added to my frustration as sending it back would have been a bloody nuisance. I don't normally do rusticated pipes but there was something about the way these Christmas pipes looked this year with the colour they used that really appealed to me. Basically I had to own one and it had to be the 107. The only other rusticated pipe I own is not rusticated but a sand blasted Ser Jacopo. (A Gem)
So as it turns out a good ending to a rather frustrating start. It seems that I am converted to the ways of a nicely rusticated pipe too. Only fair I post the good with the bad I figure.
I also like the way this one feels in the hand. In order to get this pipe I had to go out of my comfort zone actually. By the time I decided I was going to buy it the 107 shape of it was sold out all over Europe and as a result I had to order it from the USA. (I live in the UK) This added to my frustration as sending it back would have been a bloody nuisance. I don't normally do rusticated pipes but there was something about the way these Christmas pipes looked this year with the colour they used that really appealed to me. Basically I had to own one and it had to be the 107. The only other rusticated pipe I own is not rusticated but a sand blasted Ser Jacopo. (A Gem)
So as it turns out a good ending to a rather frustrating start. It seems that I am converted to the ways of a nicely rusticated pipe too. Only fair I post the good with the bad I figure.
I've returned my unsmoked defective pipes to the 3 different e-tailers with no problems. One of the e-tailers actually relisted the pipe and I'm assuming the other two placed it back in stock after an inspection. I guess they figured there are too many smokers willing to accept inferior pipes.
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I have two Peterson pipes and both are wonderful smokers and perfectly crafted. I guess it's the luck of the draw. I suppose it goes both ways too because I have a Stanwell and an Ashton that aren't "perfectly" constructed, but nevertheless are wonderful smokes too. I do remember my first Peterson, a silver spigot, having a pretty harsh first few smokes. But that was 6 years ago and today it is a wonderful pipe. In fact, all my pipes have become great smokers. I suppose that with a little patience and persistence almost any pipe will do its job fairly well.
Luck me! I have yet to have a problem with any Peterson. I must admit, however, that most of my Petersons are estate pipes - used for years - as opposed to merely being second hand pipes which could have been deep sixed because of problems. I am currently awaiting two new, bent, p-lip, standard pipes. If they exhibit the blemishes, flaws and downright shameful to have been released, I swear I will go off by myself and pull off my own head. (Apologies to Monty Python)
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