It Is Official... Rad Davis Has Retired

[cigrmaster]

I received an email from Rad and he told me that he has officially retired from making pipes. It is a sad day for me personally as I love every pipe I have of his and I will miss working with him on commissions. I believe that the pipe world has lost one of the best artsians out there. He is a gentleman of the highest order and his integrity is second to none. His practice of making awesome smoking pipes for prices that were more than reasonable is what set him apart from any artisan I have done business with. For years he kept his prices down even though he could have gotten way more, which shows that he was not just about the dollar, he was about getting his pipes into as many hands as possible and there are a lot of people out there that should think about the example he set.
Rad, if you read this, I want to thank you for producing the best smoking pipes I have ever owned and you will be missed by so many of us. I hope you enjoy your retirement in good health and God Bless.

 

[pruss]

Unfortunate news, if not wholly unexpected.
I am very happy I was able to buy my one and only Rad from the man himself at last year's Chicago show. I hope to gather a few more of his pipes through the estate market over the coming years. His work is/was excellent.
Harris, I don't want to thread-jack your thread... But what if we used this thread to collect images of all the Rad Davis pipes that forum members have as a tribute to the man's body of work?
-- Pat

 

[jmill208]

Good news for Rad, bad news for us. Hope he enjoys his well-deserved retirement. ::

 

[tobyducote]

All the best to Rad in his retirement

 

[cigrmaster]

Pat, that is a great idea. I won't post all 19 of mine as that will be a little much, but I will show a few of my favorites.
Here is my first Rad that changed how I viewed my pipes from that point on. I purchased it on August 5th 2012.



Here is my first commission with Rad.



Here is one of my favorites.



Here is my last commission with Rad.

 

[pruss]

Here is my one and only. Thanks for bringing me great joy, Mr. Davis.



-- Pat

 

[tarak]

Nooooooooooo! I never had my chance at a comission!

 

[cigrmaster]

Pat, great looking Rad.
Tarak, better keep your eyes open for a nice estate pipe, they will probably be going quickly.

 

[philobeddoe]

Fuuuuuuuuuudge!!!!!!

 

[mrjerke]

I really admire his work. He was going to be my first commission for the longest time and I never got around to it. Looks like I'll be regretting that for a long time. Best wishes to him in retirement.

 

[dermotfahy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XyMePUidzs

 

[ebklodt]

I was lucky enough to be allowed to stand over Rad's shoulder one day as he crafted my second commission from him years ago. That day is why I make pipes today. Very inspiring artist. He will be missed in our hobby.

 

[delkhouri]

My one and Only Rad.
I have thought about selling it or trading it a few times, not because I don't like it but because it is larger than I prefer and do not smoke it often. But since it is unlikely that I will ever find/afford another Rad this one is probably staying with me.
Stats:

Finish: AMBERBLAST

Size: 2 x 5 3/4

Bowl: 7/8 x 1 3/4

Weight: 72 grams

 

[dread]

My only Rad, I just got it in the last month or so off of EBay. I debated would I like the shape or not, but in the end took a chance and I LOVE it. I had thought Rad was done and decided to get one, selling several other pipes to pay for it. I am glad I did.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

A few pics of some of my Rads - enjoy the retirement Rad!

 

[jguss]

I have a wonderful prince by Rad, with a gorgeous ring grain blast and cumberland stem that I was given by a friend. I'm too lazy to post a picture so you'll have to imagine what it looks like.
Rad is one of the great originals of the pipe world; a flaming liberal, perhaps, but a nice guy and an incredibly talented carver. Moreover he always understood how to run his business, and managed to keep a constant flow of beautiful pipes to happy collectors.
[Before I get assaulted, I should probably add that for those who don't know Rad personally the "flaming liberal" part is sarcasm]

 

[brass]

Hi work have that touch that raises craft to art. I guess my Rad will have to be an estate pipe. And I expect that prices will be even higher.

 

[aldecaker]

How soon until we see our first counterfeit Rad Davis on ebay? We should probably start a pool...

 

[cigrmaster]

Great pictures guys, thanks for sharing.

 

[yazamitaz]

Good for him and bad for us that haven't acquired one. I can see that his shapes have inspired MANY carvers.