New Ranger by Macqueen

[ravenwolfe]

I just got my new Macqueen Ranger and smoked my first bowl of Autumn Walk in it.The draw and feel of the pipe is great however the angle of the bowl makes it a bit difficule to light evenly and it burns more toward the back of the bowl?Anyone else have one of these that could possibly lend some hints.
P.S. The bowl is similar in shape to what i have seen as a "Cutty" i believe

 

[brdavidson]

How long did you have to wait to get it? Against the very good advice of some veteran posters here I ordered directly from MacQueen and they simply aren't answering any of my questions at this point and my pipe is 3 weeks over due.

 

[ravenwolfe]

I got mine and a Wizard from a seller on ebay got it in 4 days.I didnt want to try my hand direct with Macqueen because of the reputation of the waits.The Wizard smokes great.

 

[wnghanglow]

What Roth said about the hair dryer I warm the stem and bend it does work for plastic stems, but I beleive your specific pipe has a wooden stem correct? There's not much of anything you can do for that. Like Roth said there just not made to be good smokers, there made to be nice looking. On the plus side by the time you he your pipe at least you'll know it's aged wood, took me 8 months to get mine and that is about average.

 

[brdavidson]

Ya, feeling pretty stupid right now, this was actually my first online purchase when I started smoking. I didn't do my research and now I'm kicking myself. Fortunately its not a ton of money, but it still ticks me off.

 

[wnghanglow]

Yes 8 months! I hear they go over there estimated time so I was ready for a wait, but that surprised me. The pipe I ordered was the secound I ever owned and fest I bought online so needless to say, I didn't research either lol we all make mistakes, the only reason to feel dumb is to not learn from them.

 

[juvat270]

I don't get the feeling they were ever made to be smoked, really. Poorly designed for it, if they were. They're built to sell to movie fans more than anything else, I think.

I have the Wizard (briar bowl) and the White Wizard. I can't speak for the Ranger pipe, but these two smoke just as well as any other pipe I've smoked. Having said that, you're not the only one to have said that. There were several video reviews I saw once where each person said the pipes didn't smoke very well and now just sit on their shelves as props. I don't know what I'm missing, but like I said, mine seem to smoke just fine and are two of my favorite pipes.
BTW, I also went the Ebay route. Back when I was looking to buy, MacQueen actually responded to my email and stated that there was (at the time) a 30-60 day back order.
Edit: I should add, I'm not defending the company. I realize they are a small family run operation. However, there is simply no excuse for their atrocious customer service.

 

[bigvan]

I owned a Ranger a few years ago and agree with whomever said that it was a movie prop, not a real pipe.

 

[rigmedic1]

Never had a MacQueen myself, but I have had a couple of Peterson Churchwardens and a Brebbia Lectura, which has a log curve in the stem. They smoke ok, but I don't find them different from their standard sized brethren. If you like the style, go for it! I only regret that the prices on Churchwarden style pipes are so inflated since LOTR came out on the big screen.

Brebbia Lectura

Was $25.00 in 1998.