In Praise of Bones

[haparnold]

I've been buying and smoking Chris Morgan's Bones pipes for about a year now, and I think they're among the best low-cost options for a briar. They have consistently good drilling, and I really enjoy the aesthetic, esp. watching them color over time.
Now don't get me wrong-- these are no substitute for a higher-end pipe, particularly in regards to the stem work, but for truck pipes, hiking pipes, etc. they've become my go-to, and I vastly prefer them to cobs. Any other fans on here?
And now for a few pics:
Here's an unsmoked one vs. one I've been using for about a year now.

And lastly a little sitter finished by the Dagners. I bought this off a member here about 10 months ago.

 

[mityahicks]

I'd like to add one to my inventory, but am tapped out from PAD.

 

[scloyd]

They color nicely. I don't have a Bones...yet.

 

[ashdigger]

I have a Bones for my Wiebe Radiator that is coloring very nicely. I just pulled the trigger on a Short Apple Bones......time will tell.

 

[haparnold]

The lower pipe in my second pic is the short apple, Ash. I like it, but it's very short indeed. Short enough that I have to change how I clench.

 

[hawky454]

I love my Bones! I was in search for a virgin briar but it’s surprising how few are out there and the ones that are demand a lot of money. I remembered seeing Bones Pipes in the past but I had no idea how budget friendly they were. After I bought a Bones Dublin, I smoked it once and immediately turned around and bought a billiard. I love what he’s doing with this line and you cannot get a better pipe for the price! I also love to watch them color. Great picks above! I’ll try to post mine later when I get the time.

 

[hawky454]

Here are the two I have. I love your bulldog, I said had no desire to add anymore pipes but I could definitely add one of those. They weren’t available when I made my purchases.

Each pipe cost me $45 shipped! Outstanding!

 

[haparnold]

That's another kind of fun aspect to buying Boneses. The shapes change pretty regularly, but at the price point, it's not prohibitive to buy a new shape you fancy. I'd looooove to have a Belge, but I missed the boat on that shape.

 

[hawky454]

I just now looked, he’s got a whole lot of shapes available that he didn’t have at the time I purchased mine but I’m a totally happy customer either way.

 

[homeatsea]

Hawkeye, I remember seeing a few virgin grain Nordings when I was recently looking through their selection on smokingpipes. Price point was a bit higher if I remember correctly, in the $60-$70 USD range. But if you’re happy with the Bones I don’t see any reason to switch!

 

[crashthegrey]

I have a quite a few.

 

[bnichols23]

I only have the one myself, but if it's representative of them I'd buy another in half a heartbeat. A fill & a couple of small pits, but in return a heck of a knockaround pipe that I don't have any worries about. Great little apple that I came across by sheer dumb luck!
Bill

 

[hawky454]

homestsea, yeah, I have a Nording Signature that’s colored really nicely over the years but I looking for a sandblasted virgin pipe in a more traditional shape. I found a few Radice and Castello that fit the bill but I wasn’t looking to spend that much money, however both those brands make some stellar pipes. But $45 shipped, that’s just stupid cheap. I love that he fits a delrin tenon on all of his pipes as well.
My Dublin has absolutely no flaws, superficial or otherwise. The billiard has a pit but it’s just superficial and that’s the whole point of this line so I embrace it. Bill, I’m surprised to hear yours has a fill? It was my understanding that Bones doesn’t do fills.

 

[bnichols23]

Could just be a smudge on the bowl, or something that got on it, who knows? It's very small. According to the seller its initial owner returned it because the bowl was a little too small. It was still unsmoked when I got it. I think I paid $30 or so on eBay for it. Heck of a deal I figured.

 

[hawky454]

Definitely a heck of a deal! Whoa!

 

[alexnc]

good steer - thanks for the post!

 

[mso489]

Nice looking pipes, rough and ready, no anxieties about losing them, which makes them less prone to be lost. I have really enjoyed unfinished pipes, Sav's in my case mostly, except for a Peterson recently purchased.

 

[haparnold]

MSO, I have an unfinished Savinelli second, which is a good smoker, but I prefer my Bones. For one thing, the Sav has a very large fill on the front of the bowl (none of my Boneses have fills), and I prefer acrylic stems to vulcanite. Both great no-frills options, but I'd pick a Bones.

 

[daniel7]

I have only one unfinished pipe, a Savinelli Ghibli and the colouring over time is indeed very nice. It is something like with meers.

 

[writingraav]

I have a Belge and a Dublin and find them both most satisfactory for what they are. Great to travel with.