I'm somewhat tolerant of fills. Years, decades ago, I bought three house pipes from Iwan Ries, a billiard, a Canadian, and a pocket pipe sort of Hungarian/Oom-Paul. These were Algerian briar, oil cured, made by the U.S. pipe maker Edwards in their sub-brand Benton. They each have a visible fill or two, maybe more under close examination, but well finished and solid after all these years.
The two larger pipes have bigger than average chambers, and all three have retained their newish look despite years of smoking. Those years ago, I think they were around $37 each, which would be at least twice or three times as much today. This experience has made me inclined to overlook fills and look to the overall quality of a pipe, which with these, is excellent.
