Hello, and Please Don’t Judge Dunhill.

[Sig]

Here is my take on Dunhill pipes.
Ive bought and owned a few.....maybe 12 or so.
I bought them cheap due to the seller not knowing what they had, or just missed by the masses in a lot from ebay.
Ive cleaned them up and smoked them all.
I currently own one, a birth year Shell.
The reason ive sold all but one is that after smoking them, the $200-$300 resell price seemed WAY more attractive than the quality of the pipe compared to others I own.
I have other higher end pipes but my favourites are still hit or miss as far as "quality" or prestige.
My favorite pipes to smoke are from $10 basket pipes to Rad Davis and S Bang and Larrysson. I also have a couple VERY high end pipes that are on the chopping block because they are just blah.
Ive never smoked a BAD Dunhill, but ive also never smoked one that dethroned my $10 LaStrada Billiard basket pipe I got NOS 15 years ago. This pipe smokes my Virginia blends like NO other.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A thought occurred to me that not only are Dunhills judged-—good, bad, indifferent—every pipe that gets shown or talked about is judged! Now, that may just be me, but I thought about it before and after viewing several WAYS threads. Each pipe is judged, however superficially: Like it? Yay or nay. Super gorgeous? Fugly? All done inside of one second, and often not consciously. Mileage varies!

 

[anotherbob]

Here is my take on Dunhill pipes.
Ive bought and owned a few.....maybe 12 or so.
I bought them cheap due to the seller not knowing what they had, or just missed by the masses in a lot from ebay.
Ive cleaned them up and smoked them all.
I currently own one, a birth year Shell.
The reason ive sold all but one is that after smoking them, the $200-$300 resell price seemed WAY more attractive than the quality of the pipe compared to others I own.
I have other higher end pipes but my favourites are still hit or miss as far as "quality" or prestige.
My favorite pipes to smoke are from $10 basket pipes to Rad Davis and S Bang and Larrysson. I also have a couple VERY high end pipes that are on the chopping block because they are just blah.
Ive never smoked a BAD Dunhill, but ive also never smoked one that dethroned my $10 LaStrada Billiard basket pipe I got NOS 15 years ago. This pipe smokes my Virginia blends like NO other.

One thing that might be true is the price comes down to quality control and rejected any pipe that doesn't meet a certain level or criteria. Who knows but there may be some truth to that statement. Or at least that's what a Dunhill smoker told me. (also said that Petersons are the other acceptable pipe, so add a few grains of salt if you want).

 

[ssjones]

Welcome from Maryland!

If you have a Dunhill itch, it likely needs scratched. When they are good, they are very good and when they are bad, they are must mediocre. I'd recommend one made before 1970, the ratio of great pipes was higher in the early eras. My experience with a new White Spot was entirely adequate, but I couldn't get emotionally attached to it.

 

[Tony.A]

Welcome from Maryland!

If you have a Dunhill itch, it likely needs scratched. When they are good, they are very good and when they are bad, they are must mediocre. I'd recommend one made before 1970, the ratio of great pipes was higher in the early eras. My experience with a new White Spot was entirely adequate, but I couldn't get emotionally attached to it.

Everyone revered Cuban cigars, too, until other tobacco growers caught up to their quality - or exceeded it. Then Cuban high standards became the new normal. Wonder if the same thing happened to Dunhill.

 

[wilblee]

Welcome from the Texas Hill Country! I have 3 Dunhills, a ‘57, ‘58 and a ‘74. You’ll not hear any Dunhill bashing from me.

 

[lraisch]

Welcome from Washington state.

I have three Dunhills including a birth year shell (and yeah, I'm very old!), they all smoke well but nothing exceptional.

One is a Red Bark prince which is a virtual twin for a Savinelli Punto Oro I have. The Savinelli smokes better.

To my mind, the price of new Dunhills is not justified by any exceptional quality.

 

[sablebrush52]

Everyone revered Cuban cigars, too, until other tobacco growers caught up to their quality - or exceeded it. Then Cuban high standards became the new normal. Wonder if the same thing happened to Dunhill.

Depends on who you talk to. I’ve had conversations with 3 major Dunhill dealers, one of whom was Dunhill’s leading US dealer in the 1980’s. They all said that Dunhill made great pipes, and they all preferred Barlings for their own use. They felt that Barling was the best of the best when it came to overall quality.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries BBB sat at the top of the mountain.
I’ve smoked them all for decades, Dunhill, Comoy, Charatan, Sasieni, Barling, BBB, GBD, Ben Wade. No one make is uniquely superior. They all made great pipes and they all made some stinkers.
It comes down to what Britwood works best for you. For me it’s Barling, Comoy, and Ben Wade. For someone else it’s Charatan, Sasieni, BBB, GBD, Loewe, Ben Wade, Delacour, or another fine maker. Nobody caught up with Dunhill because nobody was behind Dunhill. Dunhill simply entered a field already occupied by makers of the highest order and carved out their part of the market.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Everyone revered Cuban cigars, too, until other tobacco growers caught up to their quality - or exceeded it. Then Cuban high standards became the new normal. Wonder if the same thing happened to Dunhill.

Alfred Dunhill was just a marketing and promoting genius. The pipes really aren't any more impressive than any other factory pipe.

 

[craig61a]

Hello from Minnesota…

IMHO, Dunhills smoke no better, or worse than just about any other good quality factory pipe.

 

[craig61a]

Everyone revered Cuban cigars, too, until other tobacco growers caught up to their quality - or exceeded it. Then Cuban high standards became the new normal. Wonder if the same thing happened to Dunhill.

Cuban cigars were “revered” because they were basically unobtainable in the U.S.

They were cigars of good quality. Unavailability of fertilizer and other things has seen the quality of Cuban cigars decline in recent years.

Nicaraguan tobaccos developed over the lash 50 years are all the schizz now. There are many to choose from; Padron 7000 is my fave.

 

[Sigmund]

When you ask people not to judge a brand you realize they are going to dont you? With out the added request no no one would have mentioned it.

 

[Alejo R.]

Hi, I’m Tony. I’ve been reading the forum for a couple of years without commenting. I’ve been smoking pipes for about three years. I’ve noticed a few threads about whether dunhills are worth the money. in the spirit of “you don’t know something untill you learn it”, I welcome reading the reply’s that actually answer with honesty instead of chiding the OP for asking a question that we’ve all asked. Are they a wise purchase for someone who is still figuring out what they like? Only that person can answer that in my opinion. I will say that good solid briar is not cheap.

Welcome from Buenos Aires.
It is a repetitive and a bit tiresome theme. I have a handful, maybe a few more, of Dunhill pipes. I've never really spent any money on them and they came at the price of any other pipe, maybe that affects my opinion.
My opinion, in terms of industrial pipes, they are not inferior to any other, the quality is evident and they do not save on stupid costs.
From there, it's just good marketing.
The white dot looks nice on the pipe rack.
But, but, but there have been millions of Dunhill pipes in over 100 years of manufacturing, you can find thousands and thousands of bad experiences out there about Dunhills.
I read that you bought a Savinelli Punto Oro, for me they are just a regular Savinelli with a brass dot on the mouthpiece, not bad at all, but not superior to the regular Savinelli either. I would go for an Autograph.
Greetings.

 

[rmcnabb]

I just could not make myself pay new retail for Dunhill. And I can get new retail pipes by the twos and threes of my other favorite brands (Peterson, Neerup, Brebbia) for what estate Dunhills sell for. I would like to have a 1965 Bent Bulldog/Rhodesian Dunhill only because it's my favorite shape in my birth year, neither of which have anything to do with Dunhill's quality but the more pipes and pipe smokers in this world the better and I think there are far, far worse places to put your money than a rack full of beautiful old Dunhills. Or new Dunhills!

 

[Alejo R.]

The reason ive sold all but one is that after smoking them, the $200-$300 resell price seemed WAY more attractive than the quality of the pipe compared to others I own.

That's an honest and interesting point of view.

 

[Alejo R.]

Alfred Dunhill was just a marketing and promoting genius. The pipes really aren't any more impressive than any other factory pipe.

View attachment 322895

Sometimes you don't even need that, you just have to avoid failure, provide an acceptable product over the years and you will make your reputation precede you.
Dunhill and Rolex are examples of this, do things well, do it for a long time and your reputation will speak for you.

 

[Alejo R.]

But, I think, that the possibility of dating the pipe and the white point (Identifiable, durable and easy to manufacture), whether they were created as a marketing strategy or by pure chance, are great and two characteristics that have contributed a lot to the the brand is legendary.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Dunhill& White spot make pretties classic shape pipes on earth, are they superior to any others? In most cases yes, but not always,,yet I have to admit they are somewhat overpriced, estate and brand new alike

 

[jpmcwjr]

I think this has been hashed around enough for this thread.
No fretting; it will come up again within three months, I Gar-on-tee it , to paraphrase my favorite Cajun..