Mr Brog pipes

[papajoe]

I have seen 2 Mr. Brog pipes foir sale.

One is labeld Mr. Brog Horn No. 18 made by Mr, Brog 5 and the second one is labeld the same but is made by Mr. Brog 2. They are the same. So why the diffrent number 2 and 5?

 

[wyfbane]

No idea. But on the subject of mr Brog pipes, I have seen some on ebay made of morta. I wonder if they are legitimate?

 

[papajoe]

Sorry for the question but what is morta?

 

[wyfbane]

Morta is an alternative to briar for pipe making. It is 2-5000 year old oak that has been submerged an develops into a brown to black hard material that makes wicked good pipes. It's rare and hard to carve, but quite lovely. Good luck on your journey!!

 

[jackmartinwesterns]

I recently became a fan of Mr Brog - I held off for a long time because they are cheap, thinking you get what you pay for but various online reviews made me take the plunge. I have a Pear Wood and an Oak Pipe and both are superb smokers. I can't believe the quality given the low price. The oak pipe is likely my favourite because it is so unusual. It is carved from an old wine cask and smokes beautifully but then so too does the pear wood. I am so impressed that I've just ordered a bog oak (mortar) pipe which is mega expensive by Brog standard (£60) but I'm eager to try bog oak. I think Brog pipes are as good as many of the more expensive brands available today.

 

[khartman]

Looked at a couple on eBay, good looking pipes. Found one "mystery deal", get a random pipe, stand and tamper for $20 shipped! If I could guarantee a bulldog I'd get that!!

 

[dervis]

Mr Brog makes a good product. Briar, pearwood, and others depending on which one. I own 7 or so, good beater pipes for the price. I have done that very deal mentioned by Khartman, got as advertised. The random pipe was a larger sitter Mr. Brog. The Mr. Brog Kentucky make up 3 of mine, something about the shape feels comfortable to hold.

 

[khartman]

I'd go with factory with those numbers. I did see they came from NY, not Poland. Other deals still right around that price but no stand or tamper. How much do those thing really cost and how cheap is this seller get them for in bulk? I think for the price, if it is a fake, not the end of the world. But numbers and statements do raise flags of suspicion.

 

[brewshooter]

Well it's a well known fact sonny-jim that there's a secret society of the 5 wealthiest people in the world, known as The Pentaverate. Who run everything in the world including the newspapers, & meet tri-annually in a secrect country mansion in Colorado known as The Meadows. (So who's in this Pentaverate?)The Queen, the Getty's, the Rothschilds, the Vatican & Colonel Sanders before he went tits up. Ooh I hated the Colonel, with his wee beady eyes and that smug look on his face! Ohh you're gonna buy my chicken! Oohhh

:wink:

 

[dukdalf]

Try making sense of this: http://mrbrog.com/history.html

 

[stvalentine]

Found a Mr. Brog Morta on the german Ebay. 36.00 Euros is quite tempting though.... :?

 

[mephistopheles]

On the Mr. Brog Official site they state:

We stock the products in the USA so you can get them within 3 days from ordering.

The started that practice because of the demand by U.S. based pipe smokers for their product. That same demand is also the motivation for their Amazon and Ebay pages. That said, the Mr. Brog facility is still located in Poland. If you go onto Ebay you can use the "Mr.Brog-Direct" ebay seller link and you'll see that they ship directly from Poland. It makes sense that they've started stock piling pipes in the United States. It's simply good for business. Looking at Ukrainian made pipes, it would make sense if they eventually started to do the same thing.

They are not buying anything more than a factory made shaped piece of wood that is mass produced.

Okay... And? Can't that be said for most pipes? If the engineering is correct then what does it matter? Some people say that their best smokers are in-fact basket pipes or cobs. You don't think people realize that the numbers are high? A moment of thought about those numbers would suggest a factory.
We all know that the working definition of "hand made" varies from business to business. Finding out their working definition would be worthwhile. Regardless, they aren't producing modern art masterpiece/artisan pipes and their price doesn't reflect them being that in the first place. Also, so what if there is a mark-up on the price? Everything is marked up for profit sake. There are a lot of reviews on the web in support of Mr. Brog pipes and their customer service. Those reviews aren't just from noobs, but experienced smokers.
If we are going to scrutinize this company the focus needs to be on the sale numbers and their working definition of "hand made". A couple minutes of digging explains why they are being shipped from a particular location.

 

[michiganlover]

Peterson pipes are factory made. Missouri Meerschaum pipes are factory made. Dr Grabow pipes are factory made. Even the highly regarded Dunhill pipes are factory made!! I don't see factory made as being a slam against a pipe.
Factory made doesn't mean made in a factory with automation/ not touched by human hands. MM pipes for instance are made on old equipment by skilled trades men who have been working at the factory for many years. There is certainly skill involved in their manufacture.

 

[wyfbane]

You sure get your skivvies in a bunch easy. lol
You need to meet 'pam. She or one of her sisters will mellow you right out:
Bentazepam

Bromazepam

Cinolazepam

Clonazepam

Clotiazepam

Diazepam

Helazepam

Lorazepam

there are some others I am missing.
Just get in touch with your health provider. You will be much more relaxed.

 

[beastkhk]

I think Billy Budd might be one of Pam's relatives too; every time I hang out with him it is "nothing box" time.

 

[brewshooter]

Turns out Mr. Clean, Mr. Coffee and Mr. Mister aren't real people either. This is turning out to be the WORST Friday the 13th EVER!!!!

 

[jcury]

Well I am a new pipe smoker but after buying a few pipes I gave Mr brog a try, can't be happier. I have the Kentucky and #14 can't remember the name but love them. Just placed an order for 4 more Mr brog pipes.

So I don't care if they are factory made or if they are advertised as handmade I love these pipes for sure.

 

[wyfbane]

There was a guy at the SPC dinner who won an auction for a massive Brog poker. Bowl was 5" Tall and over 2.5 " in diameter.

 

[mso489]

Mr. Brog has many loyal pipe owners who enjoy the pipes and give good reports on their smoking characteristics, durability, and

other good qualities. Off hand, I wouldn't expect to get as long a life from a pear wood pipe as from quality aged briar, but I'm

going on hearsay. I don't own a Mr. Brog. My only advice would be, you can get many quality briar pipes at low prices. Just one

example are the Comoy-made Chapuis-Comoy pipes carried by tobaccopipes.com. These are great for new pipe smokers starting

a rotation, or as they brag on the site, great for travel pipes, so you don't lose your expensive briars. Chapuis-Comoy run from

about $30 to about $50, and I believe shipping is $5. And there are many other extremely reasonably priced briar pipes. So don't

feel you are compelled to go the Mr. Brog route; if you like the pipes and they serve you well, you can't beat that. But if you prefer

briar, there are many good briar pipes easily within a modest budget.

 

[oklansas]

@papjoe

So why the diffrent number 2 and 5?

The different numbers denote the different models or shapes that Mr. Brog produces. I think, in all, they have around 50 different models. However, it is important to note that sometimes they use a same shape for different models...as in the wood portion of my Mr. Brog No. 19 (a straight billard) is essentially the same shape as my No. 14 Churchwarden - the main difference being the length and bent of the stem.
@newbie

I might be totally wrong and off base on this but something about that just smells like stanky fish...

I would say you are off base. Mr. Brog is a solid producer. As @mso489 said, several members on this forum have these pear pipes and quite like them. I've owned, still own, and plan to own more Mr. Brog pipes. Their use of pear wood, instead of briar, comes out of a general eastern european tradition that didn't have as ready and access to briar as their western cousins.

When they advertise as "Hand Made by Mr. Brog" but are factory made that is just 100% bogus advertising...

Its not a lie, but it is advertising.
Mr. Brog has four tiers of pipes:

1. -- The first and cheapest tier is 100% machine made and heavily finished. They are made of rosewood and very cheap $5 - $10. I've had one, it wasn't that great.[/*]
2. -- The second tier is the one most people are familiar with - their pear wood pipes. These are machine made, but hand finished. They typical cost from $20 - $40. These are wonderful, I have several. My favorite pipe is one of these. Pear wood is NOT as durable as briar, but it still holds up pretty well.[/*]
3. -- The third their are their briar pipes. These are both machine made/hand finished and completely handmade (depending on the model). Only a few models of these are available in the US, and they aren't that well known. These cost around $45 to $70ish. I have a few friends that have them, they say they are solid smokers.[/*]
4. -- The final and fourth tier is what I'll call their "specialty pipes" - these are fully hand made offerings and are made of more exotic materials, like olive wood. These cost from $80 to $120ish.[/*]

Personally, I love my Brog pipes and have always had fantastically good customer service with them. When I had a crack flaw appear in a pipe, I contacted them through Amazon, sent them pictures of the crack, and they refunded the money without asking for the pipe back. Their customer service does seem to vary based on how you contact them (they have a separate CS for US customers and you need to make sure you are talking to them) so i just make sure I purchase their pipes via Amazon.