In praise of Dr Grabow pipes

[05venturer]

I'm particularly fond of Dr. Grabow, because as I have mentioned before in another thread my father's family is from Sparta; hell, my family pretty much started the town way back when. Sparta is a small town, lovely to behold, but a decade or so behind the rest of the world - which is a bit of a benefit IMHO. Many members of my family worked at the Dr. Grabow factory making pipes over the past 60 years and I am quite proud of that.
Sparta is a town unlike pretty much any you've ever seen. When my Great-Grandmother, Betty Poe Reeves, passed away, everything within the town proper (which the Dr. Grabow factory is not; it's on the outskirts) shut down during her funeral, even the convenience store. Police closed the roads for anyone who was not part of the procession (and emergency personnel, of course), cars were pulled over on the side of the road and their occupants stood along side of the road. The men removed their hats and they and the women stood there as we passed by. Why?
Respect and kindness. And I've never forgotten it. Sure, there's a lot more expensive (and in some ways, better) pipes out there on the market, some of which I own too. But for me at least, there's a real sense of pride and honor in owning a Grabow. These people of Sparta are good, hard-working people with a love of God, country, and family. And when you purchase a Dr. Grabow pipe you're helping to pay those people's paychecks. You're helping them earn a living, and let's be honest about it - there's not many other jobs close to Sparta, not at least many better paying manufacturing jobs. If Dr. Grabow were to go out of business or decide to move their factory it would most likely completely destroy the town.
A Grabow isn't a Dunhill or a Brigham or a Peterson or a Stanwell, and yes - they are machine-made and not always perfect; I can't slide a pipe cleaner all the way through my Omega without removing the bit. What it is, however, is a pretty good pipe at a price that the average man can afford and a great pipe for a beginner to the hobby of pipe smoking, and there's always a place for that in a world of $600.00 pipes. If you've not smoked a Grabow because of the 'Drug Store' connotation, I would hope that you would set that aside for just a moment and give a Dr. Grabow a puff. You might be surprised.

+100 :clap:

 

[nsfisher]

Nothing wrong with a good Grabow mate.

 

[ghost]

Nothing wrong with a good Grabow mate.

Agreed! Mine stay in my rotation.

 

[fnord]

What a great thread. I'm sorry I missed it three months ago but I'm glad I picked it up tonight.
Rondyr, your post was exceptionally good - truly heartfelt and very well written. Thank you for sharing your family ties to Sparta and thank you as well for waving the DG flag.
One of my favorite estate resellers on eBay always lists the following when he's moving a DG:
"Dr. Grabow pipes are made from the same high quality Mediterranean stock as the high priced brands and having produced millions of pipes in over a century of operation, Dr. Grabow's set a standard. Always a good smoke, always a reasonable price. In my not so humble opinion, DG offers better smoking products at a reasonable price on a consistent basis then any other brand, regardless of Country of origin."

 

[portascat]

I have several Grabows in my regular rotation. They smoke well enough, and whenever I grab one, I am not thinking "I am going to have a worse smoke than the Peterson, but I am going to have to deal with it". If I don't like how a pipe smokes, it just doesn't stay in the rotation.
I will say that Ed (EJames) is about as good at restoring the Grabows and "drug store" pipes, as anyone is. If you want to try a Grabow, I suggest you try two. Buy a factory fresh one, and then check out some of Ed's auctions for a restored one.

 

[austinxpipe]

I am the proud owner of a Grand Duke, a Royal Duke, and a Viscount. I had an Omega at one point but it has long since disappeared. The ones I have right now are all very old and in terrific shape. They smoke like dreams.

 

[rondyr]

Thank you, Brothers. I love that little town. When the Good Lord says that my days are up, I will be buried in the Reeves Family Cemetery there.
If you ever get the chance to drive through and spend a day or two there, I wish that you would. It's a lovely place, and the views of the mountains are amazing. And the ladies aren't shabby either!

 

[zanthal]

Here is the above mentioned Royalton
$32 on Amazon

::

 

[colorduke]

Grabows are great pipes,I enjoy all of mine everytime I lite 1 up and I give praise to all the hard working folks in Sparta NC.If more folks would support American made this country might be in a little better shape.