New Peterson Question

[dpkrause]

I just got my brand new Peterson Harp 408 Fishtail in the mail.

I have been very excited to get this pipe as it is my first new pipe purchase. With that in mind, I was a little disappointed in the fit of the silver band to the shank and the stem/tenon fit to the shank. The silver band has a small gap near the top facing the shank.

The stem and shank have a small gap and the tenon is more loose in the shank than I expected.

Am I being overly nit picky? I spent a lot of money on this and the fit is not as nice as the estate DiMonte or the Bjarne I bought for half the price. Should I contact the vendor or Peterson about this?

 

[johnny]

If the pipe doesn't live up to your expectations you shouldn't hesitate to contact the vendor about a replacement. If they won't help you, Peterson certainly will. No sense in hanging onto a pipe you aren't happy with

 

[lordofthepiperings]

That's a line I've been craving for sometime now. Beautiful stem and grain on it. I'm thinking of maybe picking one up in the 150 or 69 shape. Can't decide yet.
I've heard that Peterson's silversmith is nearing reitrement and is training replacements, so maybe this is one of those made by an apprentice. If not, I greatly apologize to Peterson's silversmith. I've heard of QC problems with Peterson, but have never experienced it much myself personally with the five Petes that I own. If it worries you I'd definitely ask the vendor about it and go from there. You probably won't enjoy the pipe as much if you don't ask.

 

[dochudson]

as already mentioned simply return it to the vendor and ask them for a replacement (and to check it before sending it) if there's any push-back Peterson's will take care of it. Anymore, I always ask for pictures of the actual pipe I will be getting. None of the usual vendors have had a problem doing that for me.

 

[dpkrause]

Thanks for the advice. I have sent the vendor a message. They have a very good reputation, so I do not expect any issues. I am just very disappointed as I was so looking forward to smoking this pipe tonight. It has been a rough week. Lesson learned here is that I prefer buying estate pipes as I get see exactly what I am buying.

 

[foggymountain]

Return the pipe immediately if you are not happy with it. Peterson can be sloppy about craftsmanship. They take a little more care with the high end pipes, but still the stems don't always fit right and sometimes the bands are loose. There is also a considerable space between the tenon & mortise on all Petes which wouldn't be there on carefully made pipes. Despite all these drawbacks, the best Petes smoke very well and are full of character.

 

[captainsousie]

If you don't love it, get it exchanged. That said, I love my 2 Petes with "issues" as well as my one without. I'm not counting my 2 estates that still need restored. One has a nickel band that is a bit loose but it smokes so well I wouldn't give it up for the world. The other has a little stain bleed on to its band but it smokes beautifully so I just don't look at the bleed spot. Best of luck with yours.

 

[cigrmaster]

I would not think twice about sending it back. In my opinion the seller never should have sold that pipe in the first place and it should have been sent back to the factory the minute they saw that one. I think it is disgraceful that they would try and pawn that off on a customer. Bad business practice if you ask me.

 

[gwtwdbss]

I totally agree. Send that thing back. It is a pity that Peterson is failing so much lately. Incorrectly aligned stems bug the crap out of me. They are probably my biggest pet peeve. I would take a dozen fills over a misaligned stem to shank any day. I wouldn't even buy a basket pipe aligned that way.

 

[lankfordjl]

If everyone settles for low quality, then that's what will be manufactured. Expect perfection; that's my opinion anyway. You'll feel relieved when you send it back. Call the dealer and have him examine the details of next pipe that will be sent to you before shipping.

 

[cigrmaster]

Dave, I was at my local b/m recently and was looking over his Pete's of which he has a lot of. I was shocked to see the bad quality on so many. Improperly drilled, stems not flush to shanks, numerous fills. They are so noticeable to the naked eye that it is obvious to me that Peterson does not care one bit about quality control. I wanted to ask the owner why doesn't he send them back but I didn't feel it was my place. I did show him a few of the flawed pipes and he was wow, those do look bad, and just put them back on display. It is a shame that dealers do not demand that Peterson take back their flawed pipes, if I was a dealer I know I would never sell something like that to a customer. For years I sold high line pool cues and if the cue wasn't perfect, I would never sell it and on the few occasions the sticks came in flawed, off they went back to the company.

 

[dpkrause]

I got a reply back from the vendor in less than one hour on a Sunday. Here is what they had to say:

Hello,
We will send you out a new pipe first thing Monday morning. I will make sure we check the shank to verify it is a tight fit. Sorry for the troubles. You will receive a prepaid return label for the pipe you currently have by email. Please just return to us in a timely manner.
Thank you!
Ben Atanat
TobaccoPipes.com

Glad I listened to everyone's advice and I am really pleased with TobaccoPipes.com customer service.

 

[rd02sir]

thats a good response from the vendor. Make sure they are sending it in one piece (assembled) as there was an article stating that because of temp and humidity changes, it can make the stem to shank fit imperfect.

 

[captainsousie]

Glad to hear they're making it right.

 

[deleon]

I'm a designer and I pay close attention to detail and if I had a Peterson witth flaw I would return it. It would kill me that I know that imperfection is there, especially for the money.

 

[dpkrause]

Today I received my first brand pipe purchase ever, a Peterson... for the second time. Much better pipe this time. The stem is tight and the silver band is seated correctly.

I can't wait to break this bad boy in.

 

[vinvin]

Congrats! It looks great!

 

[ghost]

Really glad to hear they made it right, and in a timely fashion too. Good stuff!

 

[badbriar]

I have several Petes and ALL have a superb fit and finish. Now, there are known issues, such as the finish on smooth Kinsales. Good bets in Petersons are the system Standard line of pipes. the military mounts ensure that the stem fit is correct. I have rarely seen bands that do not fit properly. Stuff happens with the production they do. You did right in sending the pipe back. Personally, I don't care if a $100.00 or $150.00 pipe is considered 'entry level'. It's still got their name on it and it's your hard earned $$$. As someone said, expect no less than perfection and you will probably get it. Beautiful Pete - enjoy!

bb

 

[dpkrause]

Thanks. Got a short smoke on it tonight. The smoking properties of this pipe definitely lived up to the Peterson reputation. I smoked Boswell's Piper's Pleasure that had a very tiny bit of the Raspberry Cream in the pouch. It made for one the most pleasurable smokes I have had to date. I guess the tobacco was very aptly named. I can't wait to sit down and spend some time smoking a whole bowl of this tobacco at a nice leisurely pace.