Is Price A Good Indication of Quality?

[mso489]

I have a Dr. Grabow Royalton bulldog. I always marvel at the subtle shaping and care in carving. I think it

was less than $35. It looks like it was made with great care, and it makes me feel like at least some of the

workers at the Dr. Grabow shop in Sparta, N.C., collect and smoke these pipes. It's not handmade, in the

sense of being individually crafted, but it is personal, the care that has been taken in the making of this pipe.

 

[mrdottle]

In one word or less, NO!

 

[matchstick]

Analogy: Always rode Harley. Bought a Honda, took it off the showroom floor, drove it to Sturgis and then the East coast and back. Went back to shop and bragged it ran perfectly and without a problem the entire way. They just looked at me and said, "That's what they are supposed to do." Things being equal, the Harley gives me a more satisfying ride.
Meaning: A good smoke is a good smoke. Do not discount pride of ownership in the equation, though.

 

[apatim]

Learning as I go... tried the "Frank Method" of packing yesterday with great success. Pipe stayed lit unless I ignored for several minutes, tobacco burned to a white ash (except for the last little bit) and bowl lasted for over an hour.
Not sure, but I think I had been packing too loosely before. Too tight, too loose, too cool, too hot, too fast, too slow... damn, pipes are a lot like women! AND I LOVE BOTH! ;-)

 

[mso489]

Pretty soon, you'll get it down so you don't think about it much, unless your mind wanders and you do it wrong.

You'll get pretty good at adapting to different tobaccos, too, though almost no one gets it right every time.

Sometimes you have to adjust with the tamper or even a pipe cleaner, but after a few years, that's rare.

You always tamp some, but you don't usually need to redo the packing.

 

[owen]

What a great thread folks.

I am rereading it for the second time and it really covers everything. As a new piper all my pipes have been bought on line so I have never bought a pipe on feel which has become really important to me. All of my pipes smoke nicely I think, the ones I dont smoke are too light, too heavy, too small, too short or badly ghosting.I am trying to stop buying pipes from ebay now I have a good rotation and will try and buy pipes I have seen and fallen for.

 

[ssjones]

I'm late in on this one. I agree completely with what Allan mentioned several months ago.
But, did anyone in this thread differentiate between New and Estate Pipes?
On a New Pipe, Price is almost always a factor in quality, generally speaking to a point, perhaps around the $250-$300 price point. A $5 cob might smoke as well as a $600 Dunhill, but the stem on the Cob is junk (but easily upgraded). So, by the stem detail alone, an off the shelf cob will never smoke as good as a pipe made with a quality stem, at least by my experience.
With Estate pipes, price can go out the window quickly, particularly on Ebay where a $300 estate might go for $50.

 

[apatim]

Since starting this thread, I've purchased about a dozen pipes of varying prices. A couple of higher end estates smoke great but I can't say they are much better than the Stanwells and Savinelli's that cost under $100. In fact, two recent Purchases - brushed black Stanwells - are spectacular so far. The more expensive pipes are very impressive looking though... You can see and feel the quality in them.
All that aside, MM cobs with forever stems are real winners too at super low price.

 

[hippiebrian]

Coming in late, but here's my 2 cents for what it's worth. MM's smoke amazingly well and are dirt cheap. Good for a short smoke, and when I want a short smoke that's what I grab because they smoke better than any briar I ever tried with a similar bowl size.
That said, I prefer a long smoke, and really can't see a giant cob in front of my face as an option, so I generally prefer to smoke briar for that reason. I've found (for me and not necessarily anyone else mind you) that between 100-200 or so is a sweet spot. I prefer a big bowl size because I am not generally a clencher (with the exception of a MM while working) and have O.J. sized hands, so a bigger bowl just feels right. Outside of the 2 Neerups I have, I lean towards more artisanial pipes just because of the way they feel in the hand, nice and bulky. For me, I've found the best bang for my buck is a Wiley. As a side note, don't tell Randy, but why doesn't Wiley charge more? They are definatelly as good as most 500 dollar plus pipes...

 

[sablebrush52]

Some threads come back from the dead. So I will add one other bit. Pipes made with better materials and more labor will cost more - basic economics. They may, or my not offer a better smoke. But pipes made with better materials, better briar, better vulcanite, are more likely to hold up to a long lifetime of use.

 

[cobguy]

... really can't see a giant cob in front of my face as an option

What are you trying to say?? :D
If you like the way cobs smoke and like a larger bowl you have to try the Country Gentleman.
It's my favorite and the shape is great for so many different blends.

 

[ravkesef]

This is one of those interesting threads where everybody is right. If by quality we mean a good smoke, or even a great one, you can have that at just about any price point. A cob will give you a quality smoke, indeed even a great one, for a very low price. I'm awaiting my brushed black Stanwell, and I know it will be a quality smoke. (At least all my other Stanwells deliver.) moving up the price scale, I've got a few Dunhills, and several artisanal pipes that do the job. (Sablebrush is right on target here.). In his book, "The Perfect Smoke," Fred Hanna shares an anecdote about asking some of the leading Danish pipemaker a if they could distinguish some of their very costly pipes from one of lesser grade by taste, and they acknowledged that they couldn't. Yet of course, their pipes are one of a kind works of art, and for those who can afford them, worth every penny, while the rest of us can only sit back and admire. By the way, Fred buys only near-perfect straight grains, but they don't smoke one bit better than any other pipe of well-made quality briar. So there you have it. Price will be a determinant of quality, but the price could be the price of a corn cob, or the price of a Bo Nordh.

 

[hippiebrian]

I've got a Country Gentleman and love it, but it's about a 45 minute smoke. For me, that's a short one. My bigger briars give me (of course depending on the 'baccy) up to 2+ hours, which is nice exploring how a tobacco changes in a smoke that long. A General would last that long, but again, there's this giant yellow thing in front of me all the time. I generally have bents because a normal sized straight puts the bowl weirdly in my eyesight which I don't like so I know a giant cob would drive me crazy (come on, guys, nothing Freudian...)

 

[ssjones]

C&D's last comment reminds me that last year or so, there was a pipe released with that wasn't made the traditional way and priced very high ($300-$400). The pipe community at large disparaged the pipe and I suspect it was not a successful product. I can't remember the name of this pipe, it was pretty distinctive (and might have been available in different colors?).

 

[ssjones]

Ah, found it. I was thinking about the Swedish made "Stiff Pipe". Neill did a blog article on the release and cool factor. These babies are listed for $800 US. I've never encountered a pipesmoker in person or the various forums who has taken that plunge.
http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2012/11/30/cool-and-the-geezer-factor.html
http://stiff.tictail.com/

 

[easterntraveler]

This depends on the person kind of like certain higher cost alcohol. Sometimes a rare bottle of alcohol doesn't taste better than the cheaper, however for some people knowing that it's rare or more expensive enhances the experience and therefore it taste better to them. Same thing with a pipe. For some people knowing that the pipe is more expensive for whatever reason enhances the experience.

 

[tbradsim1]

East I think you hit the nail on the head. Not all the time but most of the time it's all in your head.

 

[misterlowercase]

This guy will buy a Stiff Pipe.
In the most ridiculous request dept.:

(Recycle: send in your used pipe for it to be recycled and used in a new Stiff product.

Prepaid envelope is included).

Here is a Stiff Pipe rack:

If you like Stiff Pipe,

you may also like:

http://www.instash.com/bugatti-releases-100000-limited-edition-shisha-pipe
8O

 

[tbradsim1]

The only Stiff Pipe I want is below the belt. And 800$ would be a bargin. :laughat:

 

[hippiebrian]

800 bucks for a Stiff, and you can send it back for recycling. If I ever pay 800 bucks for a pipe, It had better be being passed on to the kid to either smoke or sell! Wow.