Good sub $100 briar pipes

[seldom]

Some companies have "seconds" products sold under a different name. Typically these are pipes that aren't up to the standard of the main company for whatever reason (perhaps a visual blemish). Often they smoke just as well but are cheaper. For example compare the Rossi 8320 to the Savinelli 320.

 

[mso489]

The first requirement of your pipe is that it has to make your heart beat a little faster, and only you can assess that. There are hundreds of pipes in the sub-$100 price range, new and estate. I lean toward prompting new pipe smokers to new pipes, just because it makes things easier, more predictable, but that's me. I'd stick to well-known quality brands at first, new or estate, such as Savinelli, Stanwell, Nording, Butz-Choquin, Chacom, Genod. Those first three are especially dependable. Learn enough about filters so you know what you are, and are not, buying on that score. I'd stick with fishtail bits (the standard) before trying P-lip, if you do. There are quality great-smoking pipes in the fifty to seventy range too. Rossi are made by Savinelli and are just fine -- I own two -- with good smoking characteristics in many of the Sav shapes, just not as highly finished. Incidentally, I like my Dr. Grabow Royalton's (with the acrylic stems) very well. I have some beautiful up-market pipes, but I enjoy the others too, the result of careful, patient shopping. You can sometimes find terrific prices on sale.

 

[elguapo]

Along with all the suggestions mentioned above, I'd like to mention a couple that I really like. The Nording signature series is a great option, I have one and I smoke it more than many of my more expensive pipes. They are larger pipes, but I believe the stems only come in vulcanite.

I really like Mario Grandi pipes, I've bought several, all new, for 40 to 80 dollars from futurepipes on ebay. They're hand made and come in shapes from traditional to wild, and they have acrylic stems. It costs $18 to ship coming directly from them in Italy, but they combine shipping if you buy 2 or 3.

 

[mso489]

Big Ben and Johs are also good brands to look at, along with many others. Johs can be a little pricier, but makes black blast pipes below $100, nice Danish briars.

 

[bambam]

I am a huge fan of Molina Pipes they are fantastic smokers :puffpipe:

 

[smittyd]

Stanwells, Rossi and estate pipes are the way to go.

 

[smokingcricket]

Thanks guys.Now to spend a couple day on research.I will let everyone know which way I went.

.

 

[bnichols23]

That's the classic question around here -- "what's your advice on....?" It's like dropping a lit match on a pool of gasoline. -Huuuuuge laugh-
Btw, much as I like Nording (& I LOVVVE them!), I personally really prefer lucite bits. Tough, comfortable, & artsy. Smokingpipes.com has a nice selector feature you can use,& is also a fine source for new pipes as well as estates.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I remember when I first started out I thought every pipe should cost $20. I also was shocked by some of the price tags and vowed I’d never spend more than $100 on a pipe. These days I’ve upped my budget threshold to $500.
What’s been mentioned are good advice. Ropp, Rossi, Savinelli, Stanwell, Brigham are all good brands in the price range. Estates are an underrated area where you can get really good bargains on solid pipes.
Definitely check Pipes And Cigars and SmokingPipes.com. I hear 4Noggins is pretty good as well.
I’d also suggest checking out Don Warren’s Etsy shop. His Del Rio line (rusticated finish) runs around $110. It’s hard to beat a hand carved and cut stem pipe from a carver for $110. The drilling and stem work will be much more precise than a factory pipe and it’ll give you a better experience.

 

[franklyn22]

I just bought a new Comoy's Tradition pipe and it was around $100 new. I really like it so far.

 

[bnichols23]

Agreed fully. I've always had a liking

for Comoy's; in rebuilding my collection three were among the first I went for.

 

[mso489]

Just to backtrack momentarily, there are many many lesser known pipes that are high quality at low prices, but there are also junkers and lesser pipes. So for starters, get something mainstream, and explore other more outlying brands over time. A good pipe can easily last a long lifetime, so you don't want to clutter your life with pipes you eventually don't use. Likewise, if you eventually are able to spend more for a pipe or pipes, a few moderately priced quality pipes will give you time to learn about pipes until you're ready to get your money's worth.

 

[bnichols23]

As usual, I concur with mso. Any decent B&M shop will have selections of either "barrel pipes" or manufacturer second-lines that will provide good smokes, the occasional sandpit or fill absolutely notwithstanding. As with everything of nature, there will be a few boat-anchor pipes, but they're usually easy to spot -- excessive number of size fills, poorly fitting stem, really muddy grain. The only saving grace is that they're usually dirt cheap. A good shop owner will check his shipments of barrel pipes & get rid of the worst of the worst before the customer ever sees them.
[ "Boat anchor" was the term my old Tinder Box boss Jim McCloud used whenever somebody would ask him what he thought of Kaywoodie, Grabow, etc. "Well, if you tie a rope around it & stick it in a bucket of fast-drying cement, it makes a pretty fair boat anchor." He was from Texas, what can I say? ]

 

[smokingcricket]

Haha I like that

 

[Chasing Embers]

"Boat anchor"

My new word for Dunhill.

 

[echambers]

+1 on Savenelli, I have several now and they all smoke great.

 

[voorhees]

crappypipes.com
Not crappy at all.

 

[mso489]

I found a La Rocca, an Italian factory pipe, at my local independent shop, a tall poker with carved curlycue carving, a little homespun for me. It was $59 as I recall. I dismissed it because it was a tad down home. But it gnawed at me over two weeks, and I finally decided I'd go back, and if it was still there, I'd buy it. It's a fine smoker, light weight for its size, good big bowl, swallows burley blends and lets them go a long time. You can find individual pipes that you might not buy even if you saw them, until you think it over. Having shopped a lot of pipes and smoked quite a few, helps.

 

[mackeson]

Rossi, Nording, some Savinelli, Ropp....

There are probably many more, but I've had good luck with these.

If they were still available, I'd say an Edwards is the way to go. Sadly, I only bought one of these house brand pipes that I considered inferior (for whatever silly jaded reason at the time). It turned out to be one of my best smokers.

 

[seanv]

As Mso says stick to name brands for the beginning and branch off from there. I started with an estate Savinelli and Peterson. The comment on the Brigham pipes is accurate too. They are great smokers and generally come cheaper.