Has Peterson Quality Really Declined?

[numbersix]

I think its safe to say that quality on Peterson's is up and down, but overall I will say that I would buy another if I liked the looks of it. I have a Rosslare Royal and it had it's fair share of issues, but Peterson fixed them and now it's a thing of beauty and smokes nicely.
I find myself reaching for it again and again.

 

[mrgunnar177]

Iv gone to Savinelli instead of Petersons. I used to have 4 Pete's. I now have one and its am estate. But I have two new savinellis and one estate one.

 

[erichbaumer]

Ghost- Thanks, glad to be here.

And you are right, but for me at least, I know I'll end up doing similar damage through years of consistent smoking anyway. I don't think I own a pipe that I haven't dropped. However, regardless of my own satisfaction with this pipe, it is less than acceptable quality from such an esteemed brand. Here's hoping they correct it soon.

 

[undermidnight]

I am taking mine to Tinderbox this evening in hopes they will help me out with this. I should have taken it back sooner.. Not expecting for Tinderbox to do much, but who knows, they may be able to talk with Peterson for me.
Jason

 

[undermidnight]

Well, he said that I smoked it too hot to begin with. He polished it up which made it look better, but the areas where the briar is exposed is not green anymore.
Oh well.. guess it has character. Shame too.. only smoked it three or four times.
Jason

 

[madmurdoc]

I'm glad I stumbled over this thread, I was considering either a new Peterson, or a new Savinelli Churchwarden as my next buy, now I'm thinking about going for a Churchwarden first then shopping around for an estate Pete. Any opinions on shopping Ebay for estate pipes? Are there quite a few knockoffs on there?

 

[madmurdoc]

The better you know the pipes, their value, their condition and more you know about the Seller

I guess it's better to wait on ebay till I learn a bit more and know what I'm looking at then.

 

[cortezattic]

I got a Peterson Donegal Rocky bulldog (80s) a few years ago for around $75. It is arguably one of the most comfortable

pipes I have ever owned. However, for me the draw was a little too open, and the smoke stream had a thin, airy mouth feel

that I didn't like. I put up with it for a few years, but I finally decided to do something about it.
Some testing revealed the source of the problem: the inside diameter of the stem was too large. Stopping it down with a

round toothpick produced a perfect draw; but that was just temporary. I got a $3.00 replacement stem from Tim West that

(fortunately) had a smaller inside diameter. A little tweaking and bending and voila! The fix was like coming into possession

of a brand new pipe! Now, I look forward to it coming up in the rotation. ::

 

[pitchfork]

However, for me the draw was a little too open,

Wow. That's not something you hear too often. I have the same model in the Kenmare finish and I hated smoking it until I opened up the airway in the stem -- the proverbial milkshake through a straw. Makes you wonder what kind of QC is going on at Peterson if they can produce essentially the same pipe with vastly different draft holes. Glad it worked out for you. I feel the same way about my Pete after opening it up a bit. Sweetest latakia blend smoker in my collection.

 

[undermidnight]

I wanted to comment that Petersons wrote me back and asked me to send it to them. They stated if they determine that it was a defect, they would repair or replace it. So I am shipping it off to the Emerald Isle.
Jason

 

[numbersix]

And be sure to keep a copy of the letter as well as pictures of the pipe; so you have all this data on hand for reference later. It will also come in handy if your pipe is lost or damaged in shipment to collect on the (also critically important) postal insurance.

I agree with everything Roth says.
For what it is worth however, I sent mine without insurance (twice!) with no issues. Had I sent it insured both times, it would have cost nearly $70 (more than half the cost of the pipe itself) - so I took my chances. Not saying you should do the same, just thought I'd mention it.

 

[pastmaster]

I have been a pipe smoker for forty years, since I got out of college. I have about 30 pipes in my collection, about 6 of which are Petersons. As much as I love Petersons, and they ARE my favorite make, they are the only ones in which I have experienced burn-outs in the bowl. Over the past 15 years, I have returned two, and the tobacconist has graciously exchanged it, sending the original back to Peterson. He wanted to advise me on what I might be doing wrong, but I am not smoking these pipes any differently than all the others in my collection, most of which have performed beautifully and developed healthy cakes.
I now have two more that have developed burn-outs. I've almost reached the point where I am embarrassed to take them back to the tobacconist. Until I build a healthy cake in a Peterson, I treat them like a newborn baby, nursing each bowlful carefully, being careful not to pack it too tight, or burn it too hot. There is no room for conversation, or any other distractions while smoking a new Peterson. I must devote my full attention to the pipe and carefully watch its progress from the first light to the last puff, lest I end up with a burned out hole on the inside of the bowl.
Is Peterson using inferior briar? Are they not letting it dry and cure properly? Any ideas?

 

[foggymountain]

You know, I have been a Peterson smoker and advocate for 55 years. Yesterday I went to clean the stain off the inside of a new system pipe that had been here a while. This pipe cost $205. I couldn't get a cleaner down it WITH THE STEM OFF. I had to take a paring knife that was sitting on the table and cut the bit of wood off that was blocking the hole from going cleanly into the bowl. As of now, new Petes are off my approved list. I love the character of the pipes, and they are often a very good value on the high end, but enough is enough. Not drilling the hole all the way cleanly is like not bolting down the engine in a new car. I was going to apply for a Peterson dealership for my internet store. It is a camera store but I sell estate pipes too. No longer interested. I hate it when I have to make excuses for a faulty product. Wake up PETE!

 

[cigrmaster]

I really like the looks of many Pete's, but I will not give them my business. As a consumer it offends me that they refuse to practice quality control. I went to my local b/m looking for a Pete and was disgusted at what I saw. Yes I found one pipe that was very nice and was drilled correctly and finished nicely, but I did not buy it because there were so many poorly made pipes sitting next to it. I will not give my money to a company that does business like this. If we as consumers continue to buy their pipes, they have no reason to get better. No one should have to preform surgery on a brand new pipe to make it smokeable. To my mind it is unconscionable to let a pipe leave the factory in that kind of condition. If I sound pissed off it is because I am, I think they are preying on the uninitiated and doing a disservice to pipe smokers all over the world. I have seen a couple of Dublins that I would love to own, but I cannot in good conscience give them my money. I could say screw it, and buy the pipe I like, but then I would be perpetuating their bad behavior and that I cannot do.
Rant over.
It really doesn't matter because we are all gonna die in a couple hours anyway. lolol

 

[ghost]

I really wanted to get one of the Dracula pipes too. I can't justify buying one based on looks if quality control is an issue.

 

[baronsamedi]

"I really wanted to get one of the Dracula pipes too. I can't justify buying one based on looks if quality control is an issue. "
+1 I have no problems with my one new Peterson, but I will only buy Estates from here on out unless I hear that Peterson is taking serious steps to fix quality control. I scored my old (1960s-70s) Peterson Meerschaum for $35 and I've scored a used Dunhill for $100 so I see no need to risk $100 on a new pipe with quality that is more sketchy than an old one.

 

[revbish]

Well, I really didn't want to believe that quality had gone down at Peterson. I love everything about Petersons and the very thought almost makes me ill. Surely, those currently in charge at Peterson wouldn't desecrate all those years of history, tradition, reputation, etc....would they?? I wanted to chalk it up to people just being too finicky, and to me, life is too short to worry about little stuff.

And then it happened to me. The very first new Peterson I bought was online, an 01 Killarney with P-lip, and arrived with the draft hole entering the bowl in the side of the wall rather than at the bottom!

I still love Petes and everything about them but this seeming decline in quality control. I'll still buy Petes but will now take extra care to make sure there are no obvious basic flaws, especially ones that would affect the smoking quality of the pipe. I just didn't think it was necessary before, staking it all on the dependability of the Peterson name, like you could in the past.

 

[seacaptain]

Interesting thread. I like the looks of Pete's but don't care for filtered pipes, so I generally skip them when looking at new pipes. Now I have a better reason to skip them.

 

[shawnofthedead]

I bought two Peterson Standard army mount pipes, they really didn't impress me: the briar doesn't seem particularly good, the metal ring is not even shiny, and the stems are a bit rough. My Vauen pipes of the same price range are of a much better quality, but I thought these are Standards, so perhaps I shouldn't expect too much.

Then I bought a Peterson Ebony Spigot pipe, this cost about twice as much as the Standards. Now it is better no doubt, very smooth wood, and beautiful sterling silver cover on both the shank and stem; yet the stem wasn't bent properly, it's slightly twisted in the clockwise direction, so when I'm attaching the stem to the shank, I would have to twist it slightly to the right for the mouthpiece to be horizontal to the rim of the bowl.

That said, I'm still a huge fan of Peterson, their pipes' shapes, and their design does help you get a drier smoke and reduce tongue bite. I just hope their quality is on the same level as their price tag.

 

[sablebrush52]

Everything I've read over at least the past 7 years points to quality control problems, from poor drilling, to foul flavors from the stain being slopped into the chamber, to burn outs from poor quality wood. The production quality appears to be very uneven with very good pipes and very bad pipes emerging from the line and it's becoming a toss of the coin as to what you will be buying. It's a great marque with a long history and great designs. But somewhere along the line, the owners decided to coast on that illustrious history rather than add to it.