My second briar Stefano Santambrogio, did I do good?

[withoutink]

Happy Tuesday gents....
I started pipe smoking about a month or so ago. With the help and advice of some folks here. I started with two corn cob pipes. Then I picked up a Dr. Grabow Westbrook off of eBay, which was a marked improvement over the cobs. I think the Grabow was a little on the small side, so I was looking at some estate pipes at a shop in Atlanta (Edwards Pipe and Tobaccco). The owner was super helpful and guided me through some options he had. I ended up buying a hand carved Stefano Santambrogio from Italy. It was the shop owners pipe, and he said he smoked it a couple times, and it sat for awhile. Nothing wrong with it. Large hole, nice draw, cool smoke. He said that I'll still need to break it in with a few more bowls. But she should be a sweet smoke.
Any idea of the model pipe this is? Or the brand itself? I suspect it's not super high end or anything, but hopefully it is worth more than what I paid for it.

Plus, more important... That they are indeed nice smokers? Any ideas?
I can't smoke it, as I'm traveling for work and my coworker is super sensitive to smoke. So it will have to wait until Friday when I'm back home. Meanwhile the wait is killing me. I'd love to know people's thoughts on the brand. Etc.
The pipe was priced at $85 but i got him to go to $70. It's a pretty, and it sits well.
How'd I do? What shall I expect?
Excuse typos I'm on my iPhone.

And lastly here's a pic of my eBay Westbrook by Grabow....

Thanks in advance
Matt

 

[7ach]

I have one and like it. I would pick up another if the right shape/price comes along.

 

[papipeguy]

Looks like a very nice pipe and they are still in business after 100 years. that says a lot about their products. Enjoy.

 

[withoutink]

Thanks guys, would $70 be a decent deal on it. Owhat would this retail new?

 

[withoutink]

Hi Sparks,
There are a few reasons I was asking about the cost/value etc... one is because I have only one pipe (aside from two MM cobs). A Dr. Grabow Westbook, which was an estate I bought for $12, it smokes better than the MM's. But probably still not the greatest. I was very hesitant on buying a nicer pipe, as I am so new, and my feelings towards pipe smoking have not been fully realized yet.
My MM's smokes like an ash tray, those presented me with a bad experience. The Dr Grabow is a step up... But was also rather inexpensive. I know its not the most prized brand, but at least the experience was a 'bit' finer. I consider this SS pipe from Italy is my first 'real purchase', as I don't really call a $5 or $12 pipe so much true investments... $70 bucks for me was a huge, mostly blind leap of faith. So I wanted to be sure that it is a pipe, if needed, I could get my money out of...
Again, I have had such bad experiences, I wanted to know I could get the $70 or close to it back... if I abandon the hobby. This in my opinion is my last attempt to start to get this all right. I felt I needed to double down, get something realativly nice. Maybe my experience would improve... But I couldn't see myself spend $100++ on a new pipe, or even on an estate. On the chance I discontinued and wanted to sell my stash.
Knowing that the the pipe is probably worth more than the $70 I paid, tells me I can rest easy, when my wife gives me the evil eye... and the "why did you buy another one, if you are not happy" talk...
Hope that explains it a bit?

 

[jah76]

When I got into the hobby I'd look at $50 pipes and go, okay that's my limit.

Then it moved to $80-$100.

Then it was $200. Now it's creeping a bit to $250-300.
I think at $70 bucks you did good. Bare in mind, I think a lot of new people (myself included) make instant judgement on 1 or 2 smokes with the same pipe. I've got pipes, that I've noticed get remarkably better after about a year of smoking, due to my technique getting better, or finding a certain type of tobacco that works well in it, and building up the cake.
Glad your enjoying your Grabow. I've got a few and while their bowls a bit smaller then I like, they are great driving pipes. Nice and light.
Cobs: I LOVE cobs. However I find their wide open draw can get a bit hot and messy for a puffer like me. I found that using the air pocket method works best for me, but your mileage may very.
If you decide to stick with it, there are some fantastic values in estate pipes out there- including the sponsors like Mkelaw pipes and other gents like Briar Blues and my personal favorite Marty Pulvers. I've bought a bunch of inexpensive estate pipes from Marty over the last two years, and those tend to stay on my rack. You can get some great deals for $35 bucks.
I tend to spend very little money (compared to most) on this hobby for the short time I've been in it. I focus more on tobacco then my pipes, but I think I've built up a very nice collection of pipes (mostly estates) for a reasonable amount of money. Now I tend to be really picky and focused, concentrating on a little higher end pipes, instead of just grabbing a bunch to fill my rack.
As Jud always says, "It's a journey." Enjoy it!