Italian Stanwell

[mso489]

The Stanwell summary at the smokingpipes.com site mentions that the Danish pipe

maker Stanwell has moved their manufacturing to Italy, which is of course also a major

historical center for pipe making and has all the necessary expertise. Is this likely to

have any affect on the Stanwell line? Will it produce exactly the same product, or

something better or less good? Any ideas on what happens when pipe makers change

countries? Jobey went from France to the USA and (I think) back. I trust Dunhill won't

move to Northern Ireland or New Jersey. What does anyone think of Stanwell's move?

 

[numbersix]

I've heard lots of opinions on this. Some feel they will be worse, some feel they *are* worse, and others feel they will be just as good.
I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt. Still, Danish Stanwells are fantastic pipes, so to be honest, I'd seek one of those first, but if I saw an Italian one that looked nice, I'd prolly go for it.
I guess my only concern would be that the transition between locations, craftsmen, etc will likely cause some hiccups early on.

 

[jah76]

I bought an Italian made one in the 120ish dollar range. Everything was drilled spot on, fit well, and seemed fully functional. The grain is pretty "meh" and it's got a bunch of fills. As far as smoking it...it feels pretty bland, but I've only smoked it a few times.
BUT at the same time I realize I bought a hundred buckish factory pipe unseen. If I could redo it all and if I had to stay in that price range I would have bought a Sav. However I'm not bashing Stanwell because it was my choice to buy the pipe in that price range as well as smoke the pipe.
I just am not getting a good vibe from the pipe. I'd rather buy a nice estate, sock the money away for another pipe, or if I had to do it all over again I'd buy a Sav. I'll probably take it to work with me with the rest of my "truck" pipes.

 

[juni]

I have old Stanwells and new ones. The quality on all of them is excellent. I hear rumors about the "bad new Stanwells" but I never see any pictures or other evidence.

 

[mso489]

Because of a modest payment for some writing, I have a stake in a new pipe. Stanwell was a candidate,

and I may try one in the future, but at this point, I think I will wait until April and plan to visit a carver

I know at an upcoming pipe show and see what his new crop looks like. That has the advantage of allowing

me to eye-ball the pipes. I could still try for the Stanwell if what he has doesn't click with me. I have four

of this carver's pipes (Jerry Perry) and all of them are excellent: A poker/pot I bought in 2002, a bent ball

with line drawing carving, a rusticated billiard from last year's show, and a great bent billiard pocket pipe

that is about perfect. I'll wait for further word on Stanwell; anyone else have recent experiences? Do you

think when smokingpipes.com lists the source of the pipes as Denmark they are just forgetting to change

the listing, or are they still selling Danish pipes? They have some new ones that are visually quite good.

 

[Perique]

Both countries have honorable pipe making traditions. I think the issue with new pipes is: are they made by a craftsman or are they made on an assembly line? This distinction is probably a better indicator of quality than Italy vs Norway. As with any product. IMO,..

 

[puffdaddy]

I have a couple of Italian Stanwells, a smooth shape 32 straight bulldog and a sandblasted shape 139 bent billiard. Both pipes are drilled spot on, smoke wonderfully, and look great. I can't tell any difference between these and the almost dozen Danish Stanwells I own. The new Stanwell manufacturing facility is the Barontini pipe factory in Livorno, Italy. Seems they're doing an excellent job.

 

[mso489]

Puffdaddy, thank you for the testimonial for Stanwells, both Danish and Italian made. I'll put them

back on my list, taking in consideration some of the cautionary comments above as well. A guy

(or gal) likes to know the experiences people are having. I have 32 pipes in rotation, including two

MM cobs. They are in rotation; that is, I smoke them all. I'm getting pretty selective now, not wanting

pipes to disappear into drawers or just fade from use on the pipe racks. Part of the joy of pipes is

to have every one feel like your favorite when you pack it up. The way you hope to feel about kids

or pets, every one your favorite when its turn comes around in equal measure. I asked smokingpipes

about their Stanwell inventory, and I'll let you know what they say. I'm glad someone has smoked

both the Danish and Italian versions and finds them both good quality. My main "force" are Petersons,

Johs, Savs, and Jerry Perry's, and I can recommend them all on the basis of my experience. I have a number

of others, but I won't list them again here. This has been a good discussion for me; I'll welcome any

other comments on Stanwells, or other pipes that have changed location from one country to another.

 

[yadan]

My only experience with a pipe moving its manufacture to a different country is the Falcon, which was originally produced entirely in the U.S. (except for the briar harvesting, naturally). Despite some initial technical problems with the frame, the quality of the entire pipe very quickly became equal to its American counterpart, which is now available only through vintage sales and auctions.

 

[misterlowercase]

http://vimeo.com/30847109

. . . . . . . . . . . .

(the video above is the factory in Italy)
This is a somewhat sad topic for me because I was quite upset about the move, but I'll offer what I can here.
Brief summary of Stanwell:
1942-1982 the family era

1982-2003 Rothmans International (absorbed by British American Tobacco in 1999)

2003-now Scandinavian Tobacco Group
Italian produced pipes began 01/01/10.
Here's an official news release about the move:

http://www.st-group.com/index.php/press-releases/148-move-of-the-stanwell-pipe-production
via email direct from Stanwell, I was told this:

In Denmark Stanwell still has its: business management, development, warehouse, final quality control, engraving, packaging and dispatch.
Here's a nice photo tour of the old factory in Borup:

Eckhard Stöhr Goes to Stanwell -Briar Tour II 2009
Essentially the whole issue boils down to perspective, either that of a pipe-collector or a pipe-smoker.
The pipe-collector is very interested in nomenclature, as well as timeframes of production periods. Such is the case with Pre-Transition Barling's or Pre-Lane Charatans. There's also a romantic side on the emotive level which invests heavily in tradition and mystique. These are important considerations of course, but has not much to do with the actual smoking qualities of the pipe itself.
The pipe-smoker simply wants a well-performing pipe and in this case I'd say the Danish Design pipes are pretty close to equal with the final years of Stanwell production, what I call the "decal era". I have around 15 of the same Stanwell pipe, 63M, and 3 of them are Danish Design, 2 are equal to Denmark-made, but one is not and I chalk it up to a heavy laquer/polyurethane (or something) finish that seems to make it smoke hotter than average, it's a Silke Brun which was once known as Majestic --- the Majestic I have is a cool matte finish, I have no idea why they had to make the Silke Brun all shiny?!?!?
Regardless, I think any bumps with early production quality have been sorted and the new Stanwells are indeed well made and the pipes perform excellent considering the price range.
Here's a blog where the issue is commented on:

http://thepipesmoker.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/stanwell-christmas-2011/
Here's a couple of discussions on the topic from European forums, not so much as to offer help, but as a curiosity about perspectives:
badly translated Italian
badly translated German

 

[misterlowercase]

Thanks Roth...but my knowledge is far from extensive, I just spend time bouncin' around lookin' fer stuff and then share it best I can and try not to come off too much like a pedantic weirdo! :lol:
Likewise, I much respect your long-time experience and real world expertise, especially your open willingness to share and advise. Your activity here is greatly appreciated! :clap:

 

[mso489]

Thanks from me too, misterlowercase. I need to take the time to watch and study all you've presented

here. Having the Stanwell line continue is a good thing, if they can maintain the concept of the pipes,

as well above average so-called machine made pipe with Danish design concepts and quality materials.

When companies get passed around for financial and management reasoned, the danger is that they

become corporationed out. It's like restaurant chains where the cooks are briefly trained and working

from a looseleaf binder on the recipes and everything arrives in a freezer truck. If Stanwell can retain

enough of the old pipe craftspeople who like pipes as much as they like money and won't let it go to

seed, moving may not matter. All politics are local, and all pipes are local, down to the individuals who

make them and get cranky about quality control, before there is a problem. You are the expert,

misterlowercase, and I appreciate your glimpse into this whole question. Any other experiences with

Stanwells, Danish and Italian, are appreciated. They do still make a fine looking pipe.

 

[numbersix]

Thanks misterlowercase - great info you provided.

Part of the joy of pipes is

to have every one feel like your favorite when you pack it up.

+1

 

[foggymountain]

The Danish Stanwells were very good for the price. I had 2 made in Italy and did not like them. I don't think they really moved to Italy, but that they have contracted out the manufacture of their pipes to an Italian factory. They are not the same pipes.

 

[jogrefoln]

I was also advised that I couldn't go wrong with a Stanwell as another first pipe to have for my rotation. I picked up this Vario 179 S Bang from the bay for $75. It's stamped Made in Denmark. Hell, it shipped from Denmark. lol

I really liked the looks of the smooth/blast.

Any comments, experiences, opinions on this pipe would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[juni]

That is a pretty pipe.
My four favorite pipes are two danish made Stanwells and two italian Stanwells.

 

[jogrefoln]

Thanks juni. I look at tons of pipes daily and always spend a lot of time looking at the Stanwells. They all look nice to me.

 

[misterlowercase]

I have a confession to make, I actually despise Italian-made Stannies! I was trying to be objective about it but the whole damn situation is just wrong. I ain't got no logical explanation besides being a romantic traditionalist, but I could try to argue about briar quality (among other things as well) because Stanwell always had very fine briar blocks, they even sold their finer specimans to Dunhill, and there may even be something about curing briar in northern climes that affects it somehow. Barontini is making a decent pipe, but it ain't no Stanwell, just like the current version of 3Nuns without perique sure as hell ain't really 3Nuns!
I haven't been with pipe very long, so when starting out I had to build a rotation and a large chunk of my collection are Stannies. I had no clue at first and ended up with several Danish Design pipes and when I discovered that the Denmark factory had closed and the current pipes were made in Italy, it kinda pissed me off!
There it is.
The best Stanwell enthusiast site can be found here:

http://www.stanwell-tabak-pfeife.de/f5-STANWELL-TOP-THEMA.html

...it's in German, but there's plenty 'o pix!

I look at tons of pipes daily and always spend a lot of time looking at the Stanwells. They all look nice to me.

jogrefoln, that's a sweet one! The Vario finish is my absolute favorite.
I'm not currently buying pipes right now, but at one time I was in a sort of frenzy, especially looking for the Made in Denmark pipes because so few of the new ones were available stateside and estate buying on ebay can sometimes make you very crazy, here's a bunch of links for "off the beaten path" places for looking at Stanwell...
...first on the list is my friend William in Denmark, he's a great guy and has a wide selection, he's set me up with some rare birds and right now he's having a 25% off spring sale, he takes paypal and ships 'em over quickly.

http://www.estatebriarpipes.dk/stanwell.html
...and now just a big clump of stuff to click:
http://www.tecon-gmbh.de/index.php?cPath=236&osCsid=ab93a6f9a3d5e848b452d9473c27aab4
http://www.pfeifenkonsulat.at/shop/index.php?k=29&lang=eng
http://exilesplace.dk/stanwell.htm
http://www.piber.dk/group.asp?group=717&lang=uk
http://www.skjoldburne-hjoerring.dk/us/smoking-pipes/stanwell-pipes/
http://www.pfeifenstudio-frank.de/
http://www.aab-taxfreepipes.com/group.asp?group=1363&vat=false&lang=hk#.UU1AhhyG3DU
http://www.pbase.com/martinrr/pipes_for_sale
http://kp-marked.dk/index.asp?side_id=52&kategoriid=&produktid=&ukategoriid=92&cmslink=ja&forwardtarget=indre
http://www.pfeife-tabak-zigarre.de/Pfeifen--Pfeife--Pfeifen-Shop--Bryere--Meerschaum--Tabakpfeifen/Stanwell-Pfeifen--Tabakpfeifen--Pfeife/
http://www.lepipe.it/ing/catalogo.asp?scat=60
http://ipipe.taobao.com/category-384224438.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w803250350.2.IfwZy6&search=y&catName=%B5%A4%C2%F3Stanwell%CA%B7%B5%A4%CD%FE#bd
http://www.havnens-vin.dk/category/152-stanwell-piber.aspx
http://www.tabaccheriarizzi.it/rizzishop/results.php?categoryName=PIPE&secondary=32&Submit=cerca
http://www.dba.dk/soeg/?soeg=stanwell
http://www.novelli.it/eng/pipes/testdiv2.asp?produttore=%20Stanwell&modello=S2&opdb=1
http://www.pipetrader.de/artikelauswahl.php?kat=Estate+Pfeifen~Stanwell

 

[misterlowercase]

Yeah, he's a cool cat!
His prices are excellent and he willingly reserves certain pipes for you as well if you have to save a few weeks for it (or them, I was buying multiple pipes at one time!), he's also a taster for Mac Baren -- talk about a dream job, it's only a part-time thing of course, but MB employs about a dozen tasters, he sent me a special sample too!
Here's a video from a news story, it's all in Danish, but just seeing his little workshop is very cool!

http://www.tv2fyn.dk/article/281660?autoplay=1&video_id=28689
...and another news article, when you click the picture there's a set of 12

http://www.fyens.dk/article/1471518:Fritid--Alle-piber-har-en-historie
He's a true enthusiast!

 

[jogrefoln]

Thank you kindly for those links misterlowercase; I guess I know what I'm doing for a bit. lol
It's nice to know that I'm not buying trash out there, unless I'm doing it on purpose. I have bought one sad looking bulldog for $13 as a tool to get started learning how to repair/refurbish.
I'm not much on materialism and everything I own will pretty much fit in the trunk of a foreign car, but when I do buy stuff I like it to have a traditional, nostalgic, or rare quality. I like to imagine it's history and where it has been. If I can "know" the history it makes it even better. It makes me feel like I have been placed in the care of something worth having. If it started off in one form and then changed over to another, it is my experience that the change is seldom for the better. I prefer the classics.
My motorcycles "were" Honda early 70's CBs, my safety razor is a '47 Gillette Aristocrat, my last truck was a '65 Ford F100 (I'm hoping my next one will be a '56) and my pipes will likely always be estate. I am sure I will buy new at some point, but it will be from an admired craftsman, and I will know mine is the only one like it. Perhaps my son will carry their history on for me.
The only thing I ever got new was my wife, and I got lucky 'cuz she just gets better with age.