Has Peterson Quality Really Declined?

[numbersix]

Break-in was longer on my two Petes than my other new pipes, and much longer on my Aran than my Rosslare. I cannot swear to it, but my guess is that it was due to stain in the stem.

 

[troutface]

My first (and only) Peterson is a bent Kapet that won't pass a pipe cleaner, not even close. I'm sending it back, which means I'll probably spend $10 shipping to replace a $70 pipe. That stinks.

 

[troutface]

I bought it at a B&M while on a trip out of state, so I have to send it to Peterson. Sorry, I should have been more clear about that. And while I'm venting I have to send my Xikar lighter back because it takes 10 or 15 pulls to get a light. It's less than a year old. Arrrgh.

 

[hfearly]

Haha, my local BM guy told me he won't sell me that Xicar lighter he has in the display case because "he'd grew tire of me returning ti every 3 months". I guess I should mark his words ;-)

 

[mrenglish]

Yeah, I had three of the Pipe Masters, the Old Boy knock off. On each one, the post holding the flint tube came loose or fell off. After that, I wrote Xikar and they nicely sent me a a 4th one, but I do not use it. I picked up a different lighter of theirs, the one that has the three tools in it. It's pizo-electic and is so-so. The tools are very hard to get out of their slot, with the pick tool being next to impossible unless you pry it out with something.
As for the Peterson's taking longer to break in, I used to agree with this. Of all the Peterson's I have picked up this year, only two were difficult and they were Kapet's. It was the stain inside the shank that needed removed. They are smoking fine now.

 

[rigmedic1]

The newest Peterson that I have is a 2009 St. Patrick's Day pipe, a 150 bulldog. Since it was an estate purchase, I cannot attest to the break-in period, but it smokes well. It does have a hotspot on the lower right side of the bowl, which may develop a burnout if I am not careful. The fit of the band and stem is not very good for a pipe that retails in the $100 range. It is an okay pipe, and I like how it looks and smokes, but all of my older Petes seem much better made.

I have a Kildare X105 billiard that I bought from an overseas vendor, around 2007. The fit and engineering seem superior to the 2009 pipe, but it has a matte finish. It is very good for an entry level pipe, and sold for under $50.00 new.

The last newer Pete I have is a Grafton 999, again, from the European market. It is spot on for construction, fit, and finish. It has no flaws that I can find, other than a less glossy finish than say, a Rosslare. Part of the "Grafton" nomenclature is gone, either rubbed off or not stamped correctly (another estate, btw.) It smokes very well, and I use it for Virginia tobaccos.

Also, I bought a new Dublin style churchwarden to replace a K&P Dublin churchwarden that I lost. The bowl is differently carved and sized, and seems... cheap. Smokes ok, but I was sentimentally attached to the one I lost, as it was a gift from my late wife.

I have a '98 XL315 System, an Emerald 264, and a Shamrock from the 1940's. I think they are well made, they are pleasant to smoke, and have no issues.

So, I guess what I am getting at is my older estates seem better made than the newer. I think I shall stick with the older.

 

[numbersix]

I hate to report this, but as some of you may know my Peterson Rosslare Royal had a few issues, so I sent it back to Dublin for repair. Then sent it back again because they didn't replace the stem when I felt they should have.
The other day I took the stem off to clean it as I hadn't done so in a while and the small band fell off and onto the floor. :crying:
I was able to do a quick repair by rubbing some beeswax on the stem and place it back on - so no harm done. I still love the pipe all in all, but I may have to rethink my earlier statement that their fit and finish is okay.

 

[undermidnight]

I bought one of the Peterson Christmas pipes last Christmas from Tinderbox. The finish started bubbling. Thinking I was smoking it too hot, I consciously make sure I was not smoking it too hot. Still bubbled in new areas. I was pretty upset about it. I never took it back, but one of the guys from Smoker's Haven said to take it back to them and see what they can do. If they can't do anything (i.e., take it back for another) he may be able to do something with the finish.
I was pretty bumbed about it. Only smoked it 4 times
Jason

 

[orionpyoung]

My first new pipe was a Peterson Aran bulldog. The fit and finish seemed good to me and it smoked well. But I couldn't stand the P-Lip so I have recently sent it in with hopes of getting some tins in exchange for it. My wife bought me a Peterson green churchwarden last Christmas and as rigmedic1 mentioned it seems cheap. Mine also smokes wet no matter how dry the tobacco is. I just hang onto it because its a gift and hey it takes up space on my pipe rack which helps me avoid PAD.

 

[hfearly]

Undermidnight, Peterson will exchange the pipe no questions asked when the finish bubbles.
I talk from my own experience here, happened to me as well. I was talking in person to the Peterson sales rep for my local B&M and he said that it's probably a faulty bowl when that happens, i.e. hidden sandpits or knots in the wood that cause excessive temperature on that spot which leads the varnish/shellac to bubble, regardless how careful or slow you smoke.
Downside is that it took Peterson 9 weeks to procure a replacement pipe. In hindsight I should have just stripped of the bubbled varnish with some acetone and re-finished it myself. But in any case, I told them that kind of crap can't happen with a 350$ pipe and they completely agreed (at least)!
Here is a picture of the bubbled finish after about five to six minutes into the first "smoking pleasure".

I know, I don't seem to have anything good to say about Peterson, reporting one horror story after the other, but that's truly my current experience with Peterson: one crap thing happens after the other. I'm beginning to hate all things Peterson...

 

[undermidnight]

Yep, that is exactly what my pipe did. I will take it to Tinder Box and see what they say. If I have to send it back to Peterson, so be it. It is a beauty of a pipe.
Thanks for the info..
Jason

 

[briarfan63]

I have never purchased a new Peterson pipe, so I am of no help as I have seemed to look very little at new ones at my local tobacconist. I have always enjoyed estate pipes and plan to continue purchasing them.

 

[badbriar]

One line in Peterson's offerings that is reported to have not so infrequent issues with finish bubbling is the smooth finish in the Kinsales. Was about to pick up one in a beautiful estate that looked like new, but decided to pass after reading about the potential of problems with the smooth finish. Unfortunate because that pipe sure was a real looker! I'll wait for the same style in rusticated to come up. My only smooth Pete is an older 307, which is stellar - a favorite. My 4 others are rusticated and they have no issues at all as expected.

Must admit that I've been fortunate with no problems with any of my Petes - but they are all older pipes in fine condition. Do not have any newer than 2007.

bb

 

[rondyr]

Santa is bringing me a new Peterson Aran for Christmas, and now y'all have got me a bit nervous about it. :|

 

[swhipple]

Long time lurker, first time postin. I just purchased my first Peterson from Smokingpipes.com. The only flaw I could find is that it is drilled slightly off line. The pipe smokes well but you would think a machine made pipe would be more accurately drilled? I've got some pipes made my amatuer cravers that show better alignment.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

rondyr, I have three Arans and mine are all wonderful smokers. They're all drilled well and have a good draw to them. The nickel band on all of them has been done wonderfully and I haven't had any problems with that either. The only flaw in them that I can notice is about two or three noticeable fills on them, but you don't really notice them unless you're closely examining the grain. Right now my 05 Aran is in my top three favorite pipes to smoke. I find myself reaching for it very often these days.

 

[morton]

I have a great many Peterson pipes (at least 25 at last count), some newer but most at least 10 or more years old. I agree with foggy and rothnh that the older Petes are of much better quality and that caution is the byword when purchasing newer Petes. Part of the problem, I think, is that craftsmen who actually smoked pipes have been replaced by semi-skilled (if that) poorly paid factory workers who wouldn't understand a properly drilled draft hole or more likely, wouldn't even care. Older estates are the way to go and ask questions of the seller. Remember as well, that no system pipe will pass a cleaner well because the system doesn't work that way - take them apart after and clean them then.

 

[hfearly]

Fills and pits are a common (even to be expected) "flaw" in a low-end and even mid-range Peterson (or most any brand, for that matter).

None of the 1950s-1970s "low end" Comoy's and GBDs that I have acquired lately have a single flaw - properly drilled and no fills. Maybe the grain is not as spectacular as in the higher end models but that's that. Mind you, that was during the time where pipes were 1) cheap and 2) in such high demand that factories used whatever briar blocks they could find. Both aren't true anymore and regardless quality has declined, quite upsetting, no?

 

[erichbaumer]

I tried to get a used Pete on ebay, but was always outbid, so I broke and bought a new System Rustic 312 from an ebay vendor. After reading this thread, I may not do that again...

I suppose I, like others, got lucky. The pipe smokes beautifully-dry, smooth and incredibly cool. Oddly enough, there was very little break-in period, so maybe I was extraordinarily fortunate. There are some cosmetic flaws. The stamping was done too lightly once and then redone, so there is a ghost "St" in "Standard. The nickel cap is chipped, but it's on the back of the shank. Neither is easily noticeable, so I'm pleased with the pipe, but I would expect a little better for a $100 pipe.

I love the Peterson styles and features and don't plan on buying many, if any, pipes from other brands in the future, but I will definitely be much more careful after reading the horror stories here.

 

[ghost]

Hi Erich, welcome aboard!
I'm glad that you have a good smoking Pete, but for $100 that's a lot of cosmetic flaws. I'm a Pete fan, but I don't think I'll be looking at getting a new one any time soon myself. I'm always looking for estates, that seems to be the way to go...