This is a post in praise of Kaywoodie pipes. As I've said, maybe a little too repetitiously, Kaywoodie was the premier pipe back in the fifties, with Dunhill running second. Since then, Dunhill/White Spot has pumped its prices through the roof, and Kaywoodie has been relegated to being an old name U.S. factory pipe that starts at about forty bucks, with some handmade versions topping out in the two hundreds. I know there are whole sites devoted to Kaywoodie, mostly collecting the pipes from the past. I'd just like to quietly comment that it is my impression that while the image of Kaywoodie has retreated, the pipes themselves remain what they were in the 1950's, surpassing high quality even at the forty dollar price. Two aspects I would highlight: They have unusually light weight models with thin bowl walls that do not heat up much, an excellent and rare quality. And their fit and finish is still as crisp and sharp as it was in their premier pipe days. If you don't want to afford a White Spot, buy a Kaywoodie for forty or eighty bucks, and you may do just as well. One of the finest of factory pipes. Credit for this post is due to the late foggy mountain, a Forums member who worked in Manhattan pipe shops in the 1950's and sold both brands of pipes, and smoked mostly White Spots.
