I have lurked around this forum for about 6 months lol. I feel like I know some of you through your posts as I enjoy spending hours reading different stuff here in the forum. When Peck posted his pics of the dual XXL Layton pipes he had ordered, the light tan sandblast reached out of the computer screen and smacked me upside the head. I was looking at name brand pipes, Dunhill, Castello, high end Peterson (yeah I love Petes for some reason!), but not a single one I looked at sang to me.
Then I read in a thread here in the forum about why buy something like any of those as they are “factory” pipes and (perhaps) attention to detail may have slipped a bit? Instead, the OP indicated, find a good carver and commission a pipe as it is a much better value. You now have one person taking care of the entire process and the end result will be something worth treasuring as long as the carver is squared away while a commissioned pipe from a poor carver, not so much. I bought into that idea hook line and sinker. Members here spoke highly of Clark and his pipe caving abilities and from what I can see in pictures he deserves the praise. This is my first commission and I wanted only one change, the Cumberland stem on the light sandblast otherwise the same design, color as the light colored XXL Clark carved for Peck. Clark has been very helpful to me, he answered all my questions quickly and completely, and IMHO knocked it out of the park! I cannot wait for it to arrive.
Then I read in a thread here in the forum about why buy something like any of those as they are “factory” pipes and (perhaps) attention to detail may have slipped a bit? Instead, the OP indicated, find a good carver and commission a pipe as it is a much better value. You now have one person taking care of the entire process and the end result will be something worth treasuring as long as the carver is squared away while a commissioned pipe from a poor carver, not so much. I bought into that idea hook line and sinker. Members here spoke highly of Clark and his pipe caving abilities and from what I can see in pictures he deserves the praise. This is my first commission and I wanted only one change, the Cumberland stem on the light sandblast otherwise the same design, color as the light colored XXL Clark carved for Peck. Clark has been very helpful to me, he answered all my questions quickly and completely, and IMHO knocked it out of the park! I cannot wait for it to arrive.
