Jack Su: Anyone Smoke One of These?
- Thread starter jayski
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I got a Jack Su pipe about a year ago and quite like it! The ebay seller has lots of interesting pipes made in China. They usually sell quite cheap for the quality, but as more people start to see the value in them the bidding has gone higher. I think there was some talk about the seller and the quality of the pipes here in the past, and to be honest I was skeptical about them too. But after buying one I don't see much wrong with them other than some seem to be copies of some high end artisanal pipes. When I first smoked it, I thought it had a funny flavor, but after a couple of bowls it went away. Now if I could just get rid of that third nipple that appeared on my chest since smoking it, I'll be a happy camper! :lol:
Here's my Jack Su
Here's my Jack Su
Bamboo is really easy to over do. I find most pipes with bamboo to be jarring to my eye. I'm a bit too conservative in my pipe preferences for bamboo, colorful bits, and odd shaped bowls. I can appreciate the workmanship, etc, just wouldn't own one.
I have one Jack Su, as well as a couple 'road town' pipes from the same guy on Ebay.
The Su is a bent and would not pass a pipe cleaner...until I 'fixed' it. The straight ones no problem with the cleaner, and all smoke just fine for the 35-50$ I paid.
The craftsmanship for the price is good, look similar to some multi-hundred dollar handmades I've seen.
I'm a sucker for sitters...pipes I mean.
The Su is a bent and would not pass a pipe cleaner...until I 'fixed' it. The straight ones no problem with the cleaner, and all smoke just fine for the 35-50$ I paid.
The craftsmanship for the price is good, look similar to some multi-hundred dollar handmades I've seen.
I'm a sucker for sitters...pipes I mean.
The'road town'... they all have acrylic stems (not my preference).
Seems the Chinese work somewhat cheaper than the Japanese...I gotta love a 'workers paradise' heh.
I'm guessing that Tsuge takes more time with his work as I said the bent would not pass a pipe cleaner, I'll wager yours did.
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Seems the Chinese work somewhat cheaper than the Japanese...I gotta love a 'workers paradise' heh.
I'm guessing that Tsuge takes more time with his work as I said the bent would not pass a pipe cleaner, I'll wager yours did.
Indeed it does. I do appreciate the craftsmanship of Tsuge. Out of most of my pipes this one smokes probably the cleanest. No gurgle and very light. The extreme bend on the bowl makes it a little hard to keep the top of the rim clean. I plan on purchasing another Tsuge as soon as I find another that catches my eye. The problem is that most of his hand crafted ones are very expensive! None the less it seems the Japanese continue to put out high quality in most things the decide to do.
Expensive is a relative term of course, $50 for mine, $150 for yours, $500+ for some others I've looked at.
As long as it works for everyone involved...if my wife knew I paid $500 for a pipe, I would get the 'look'.
(I don't tell her...unless it's cheap.)
Nice pipe you got there, Happy New year and good smokin' to ya.
As long as it works for everyone involved...if my wife knew I paid $500 for a pipe, I would get the 'look'.
(I don't tell her...unless it's cheap.)
Nice pipe you got there, Happy New year and good smokin' to ya.
I have not tried one of Jack Su's pipes. I did try an early Road Town and was not impressed. That was 2 or more years ago. I recently purchased another one. A bent Dublin with horn shank application. Cost around $70.00 on E-Bay.
Cost to quality ratio is excellent! The fit and finish is far better than I've seen on some pipes priced over $300.00. The junction between horn and shank is smooth and seamless. One of the keys I look at when assessing pipes is the tobacco chamber, right at the lip. I see lots of very talented carvers, that allow dye "splash", close to the upper edge. This is easily corrected with fine sand paper. If the chamber is coated, I look to see if there is any "splash" on the rim and if it applied evenly. The Road Town / HS ( Huge Stone ) pipes pass with flying colors.
The fall downs are ( for me ), the chamber coating has a slight bitter taste. So far, after 4 bowls it has become less noticeable. Stem button thinness and drilling is very very good. Stem in Ebonite. No sharp edges. Thin and very comfortable. Drilling through the air passage is ok. Not as open as I prefer, but more than acceptable. I have since opened the stem a small amount, which did make it better. The big down fall for me is the metal tube used to connect horn to shank, is a small diameter. Slight issue passing a cleaner. Due to drilling angle and not having the correct drill bit I may not adjust at my end. However the pipe, plus a few others will soon get to George, and all shall be made fine.
Since the above purchase I bought 2 more, yet to arrive. Both very similar in shape to the one above. Both ran around $70.00 on E-Bay.
I have emailed the seller and offered the above insights. They have replied and let me know they will take the suggestions to heart. I am told they are always looking to improve and do take suggestions seriously. As I may be in China in April I asked if I might visit their operation in Shanghai. That has yet to be arrange / confirmed.
I have no affiliation with the seller or the makers of the Road Town / Huge Stone pipes. I do not sell their products. I have no intention of trying to arrange that. I am however very impressed with the quality for the spend.
Regards
Michael J. Glukler
Cost to quality ratio is excellent! The fit and finish is far better than I've seen on some pipes priced over $300.00. The junction between horn and shank is smooth and seamless. One of the keys I look at when assessing pipes is the tobacco chamber, right at the lip. I see lots of very talented carvers, that allow dye "splash", close to the upper edge. This is easily corrected with fine sand paper. If the chamber is coated, I look to see if there is any "splash" on the rim and if it applied evenly. The Road Town / HS ( Huge Stone ) pipes pass with flying colors.
The fall downs are ( for me ), the chamber coating has a slight bitter taste. So far, after 4 bowls it has become less noticeable. Stem button thinness and drilling is very very good. Stem in Ebonite. No sharp edges. Thin and very comfortable. Drilling through the air passage is ok. Not as open as I prefer, but more than acceptable. I have since opened the stem a small amount, which did make it better. The big down fall for me is the metal tube used to connect horn to shank, is a small diameter. Slight issue passing a cleaner. Due to drilling angle and not having the correct drill bit I may not adjust at my end. However the pipe, plus a few others will soon get to George, and all shall be made fine.
Since the above purchase I bought 2 more, yet to arrive. Both very similar in shape to the one above. Both ran around $70.00 on E-Bay.
I have emailed the seller and offered the above insights. They have replied and let me know they will take the suggestions to heart. I am told they are always looking to improve and do take suggestions seriously. As I may be in China in April I asked if I might visit their operation in Shanghai. That has yet to be arrange / confirmed.
I have no affiliation with the seller or the makers of the Road Town / Huge Stone pipes. I do not sell their products. I have no intention of trying to arrange that. I am however very impressed with the quality for the spend.
Regards
Michael J. Glukler
Michael, if you are able to visit their factory in China, please report back. I am a big fan of HS Studio. Their price point is excellent. I have two HS Studio and one Road Town clencher/nosewarmer, and I think they are fantastic.
Handsome pipes including the one in the original post. With the tastefully crafted bowl with intriguing grain, it looks like the $300-up artisan pipes. China could give pipe carvers a hard life if they use the discrepancy in labor costs to market pipes in volume, especially hand-crafted pipes. My only bamboo shank is a pipe by the late Bob Hayes, an award-winning N.C. carver who sold me this at a TAPS pipe show for a startlingly reasonable price, an offer I couldn't refuse.
I have a few of the Road Town pipes and I concur with what Michael says. Some are spot on and others not so much. I do personally like the narrow stem button. I have a couple that are great smokers for very little money. Hit or miss depending upon what you like.
]I would be interested in a first hand report on their facilities in China...good luck with that.
Since Mr. Gluckler stated that they are vulcanite stems, I just examined my four, and may have to amend my previous opinion and state they MAY just be a harder vulcanite than I am accustomed to and not plastic as I said before. Certainly not the 'softer' vulcanite I prefer as in a old estate pipe.
I also saw a thread here about some questionable business relating to this guy in the US that distributes these in regards to counterfeits, I believe this was some time ago, and the pipes I refer to are not fakes, but some he has or had may be.
That being said, in my opinion, they can be a bargain...but so can a good estate pipe. Being of Scots descent, I'm thrifty.
Since Mr. Gluckler stated that they are vulcanite stems, I just examined my four, and may have to amend my previous opinion and state they MAY just be a harder vulcanite than I am accustomed to and not plastic as I said before. Certainly not the 'softer' vulcanite I prefer as in a old estate pipe.
I also saw a thread here about some questionable business relating to this guy in the US that distributes these in regards to counterfeits, I believe this was some time ago, and the pipes I refer to are not fakes, but some he has or had may be.
That being said, in my opinion, they can be a bargain...but so can a good estate pipe. Being of Scots descent, I'm thrifty.
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