Kaywoodie Revisited

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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
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.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
It's true, distribution on Kaywoodies is limited, though wvsmokeshop seems to maintain an inventory. I surmise that Dr. Grabow in Sparta NC is the largest volume factory briar pipe maker in the U.S., not the last one standing, but apparently the highest volume maker. I think their pipes are good quality beyond their price level. I suspect for shear volume, Missouri Meerschaum cobs are the champ, but they are not briars of course.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I have three Kaywoodie, a nice trim straight blast billiard, a straight blast panel, and a Ruff-Tone Drinkless with the old screw-on stem stinger which is quick and easy to clean and a good smoker like the others. I am much tempted by one or two others, but have too many pipes, despite myself. wvsmokeshop has quite a few Kaywoodie but also has many series and models out of stock, so the available inventory is limited. They have Yello-Bole listed, but all are out of stock. Dr. Grabow are more widely available; I like the Royalton series on those. If the shaping on the bulldog were an artisan pipe, it would be remarkable. There are some good old senior carvers there who do it right.
 
Aug 1, 2012
4,587
5,131
Another source (no affiliation) for Kaywoodie pipes is Greywoodie. Great guy and participates on this forum occasionally. The handmades and POTY pipes are fantastic and rival many artisan pipes. The only complaint I have on those is the button is a bit thin but that's it. Otherwise the newer stuff is top notch.
 

Civil

Lurker
Jun 17, 2021
14
29
Vancouver, Canada
Hey, hope this doesn’t constitute a hijack.
Following mso489’s comments on buying a Kaywoodie (from my “should I buy a dunhill” post)- i picked this up off of eBay.
I did a bit of research and have learned that it is very hard to date a Kaywoodie - although you can get a range.

Imprinted on the side it says:

Kaywoodie
Standard
Imported Briar
On the other side it says 76D

Also there is a small crack in the stem that is filled with the varnish the pipe is coated with. You can’t feel the crack when you rub it.
Can anyone tell me about this pipe?
63EB488A-8065-4D6F-8293-C7C8D72CB2B2.jpeg42EE4DE2-B6BF-4EAB-97A4-925AEBB005F5.jpeg6642AD79-C313-46CB-93A0-86D64400B6C8.jpeg1F53A655-B06C-4298-83B2-596D147390AC.jpeg
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,677
29,395
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Hey, hope this doesn’t constitute a hijack.
Following mso489’s comments on buying a Kaywoodie (from my “should I buy a dunhill” post)- i picked this up off of eBay.
I did a bit of research and have learned that it is very hard to date a Kaywoodie - although you can get a range.

Imprinted on the side it says:

Kaywoodie
Standard
Imported Briar
On the other side it says 76D

Also there is a small crack in the stem that is filled with the varnish the pipe is coated with. You can’t feel the crack when you rub it.
Can anyone tell me about this pipe?
View attachment 89966View attachment 89967View attachment 89968View attachment 89969
it is a handsome pipe. Beyond that I can't tell you much.
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,849
553,791
Back in 2014, Kaywoodie made a hundred POYs for another forum. The wood used had been stored since the 1970s, so Lord knows how old that wood was then or at the time the pipes were made. Just a great smoker with no stinger. It was the best fifty bucks I ever spent with a great acrylic stem.
PSF_KaywoodiePOY.jpg

Recently, I was gifted some very old BBB Kaywoodies. The two I have cleaned are from the late 1920s, and are great smokers. I have others cleaned that I'm deciding on what blend to smoke in them, and a couple more to clean.
 

jlawitzke

Lurker
Oct 28, 2014
9
23
Bellevue, MI
"Modern" Kaywoodies are great pipes that smoke far above their price tag. I tend to collect and smoke high end pipes, but I was quite impressed at the quality when a friend showed me a modern Kaywoodie that he had bought. I now have two Kaywoodies in my collection, a Straight Grain Apple and a Shellcraft Natural oval shank Billiard.

Cg1fkZM.jpg

tYGtZTz.jpg
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,849
553,791
"Modern" Kaywoodies are great pipes that smoke far above their price tag. I tend to collect and smoke high end pipes, but I was quite impressed at the quality when a friend showed me a modern Kaywoodie that he had bought. I now have two Kaywoodies in my collection, a Straight Grain Apple and a Shellcraft Natural oval shank Billiard.

Cg1fkZM.jpg

tYGtZTz.jpg
Beautiful pipes, man!