On The Question Of Quality

[a3zname]

Hello and good -Time of the day at your current location across the globe- !

Over the years, my father always said - The cheaper, the more expensive it is (a rough translation from my native language).
As time went on, I found it to be accurate across all fields in life, if its cars, light bulbs, cloths or this very computer Im writing this post from.

In general, when you buy something cheap, you will eventually buy more of it/replace it more often than you would if you got the pricier one (lets consider the price corresponds with the item's quality and the changeover of the items is due to malfunction).

Lately Im finding myself in not one, but many dilemmas where I catch my eyes on a set of pipes I would like to add to my collection, and turning my eyes towards the more expensive ones, backing myself with my father's philosophy,which turned out true and pretty consistent through my life, claiming the expensive ones will be much better overall because it will endure longer and i will enjoy it more - Knowing in our hobby, this philosophy is not exactly true due to the fact that beyond a certain pricepoint quality will not always be the reason for that price tag on the piece.

So my question is now to you all, have you found yourselves facing the same dilemmas? anyone else has some good one-line phrases which always at the back of your heads?
Do you prefer less pipes but expensive ones, or more pipes but cheaper?

 

[autumnfog]

Your father is absolutely right.
I have the same experience; clothes, furniture, shoes, tools - I'd rather pay for quality than end up with a cheap "bargain" that breaks down shortly after.
Example: I was foolish enough to buy the cheapest hair trimmer once.
It lasted one hair cut, then it said thank you and goodbye.

With pipes I am perfectly happy with my mid range Stanwells.
Pipes don't have to cost a fortune to deliver a good smoke.

 

[peregrinus]

Do you prefer less pipes but expensive ones, or more pipes but cheaper?

I would prefer good pipes whatever the cost , but good pipes for less money is the best of all. .
Value vs. price is often a fiercely debated topic here and I‘ve found there are definitely diminishing returns as prices increase.
Simply, price is what you pay, value is what you get and paying more doesn’t always guarantee quality or value, certainly in pipes.
I have many great smokers that are in $25.00 to $100.00 rage, particularly estates and believe that while I’ve often paid more I haven’t always received more in return for my money.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

In all aspects of life, have come to conclusion, buy as expensive as your money can afford, paying for it,it only hurts once

 

[workman]

Your father was right. But there is, as you also state, a point where price stops following quality but keeps going up due to other factors like looks, brand popularity, rarity etc.
With pipes, through trial and error, I have concluded that Stanwell, Chacom and Savinelli make good quality pipes that can be had for somewhere between 80-200$ new, depending on where you purchase your pipes and how particular you are with certain features.
Anything above 200$ is unnessecary regarding function, when it comes to new pipes.

 

[autumnfog]

With an exclusive artisan pipe in the four figure range I would be to wary of rim charring, tooth chatter, scratches etc to have a relaxed smoke.
It would be more like a chore to smoke such a pipe, thus a less quality moment.
The concept of quality is complex.

 

[Casual]

Be careful in applying this advice. Pipes, for example, are two markets: one for a utility item to smoke tobacco, and one for art. It’s the same with fountain pens, and many other items.

So the principle to buy a better item so you need to only buy it once only goes so far. After that, you’re buying art, not functionality.

 

[MikhaelDavid]

Well there is the saying "I am not rich enough to buy cheap things".

Though I think most struggle we are having these days is not the cheap vs good enough, but the good enough vs nice to have. For my hobbies, if I can afford it, I go for nice to have. We all know finding excuses to do that is not very difficult

 

[warren]

With an exclusive artisan pipe in the four figure range I would be to wary of rim charring, tooth chatter, scratches etc to have a relaxed smoke.

I'd have to agree completely. If one is mentally constructed that they can't enjoy the finer things in life, no sense buying them. Thank goodness that doesn't apply to me. Imagine owning a top end auto and being scared to get a rock ding. I'm not writing about collector cars or pipes but, the mentality of spending moneys for items not to be used.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Things that I know for a fact that I will only use once, I might consider buying from Harbor Freight, like a U-joint puller to use on a car that I know won't last through another u-joint. use it, it breaks, toss, at a fraction of the cost of paying someone to do the work for me.

But yeh, as a jeweler, either I make the tool myself or buy the best quality.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Greetings! Where do you hail from?

"Do you prefer less pipes but expensive ones, or more pipes but cheaper?"

Yes! Fewer in general. Though now with around 100 pipes, I look for something I don't have, damn the price.

Welcome from the Central Coast of California!

You can put your location in your Profile, which will save questions in the future as to where you live should you mention local stores, weather, tobacco prices, availability, regulations, location of photos of surroundings, and so forth.

 

[mordy18]

I’ve stopped buying pipes for now. I own 12 which from a utilitarian standpoint is more than enough to rotate regularly and even dedicate a few to particularly stinky tobaccos. As others have said it depends on your goals and desires. I am not a collector and dont have a desire to be one. Other than two cobs and a basket pipe, the pipes i bought range between 80 and 130 dollars, with one castello that cost around 250. The 80 to 150 range seems to be the sweat spot for quality construction and reasonably attractive finish.

 

[lawdawg]

I agree with your general sentiment, OP. However, there is a point where the law of diminishing returns comes into play.

Your father is absolutely right.
I have the same experience; clothes, furniture, shoes, tools - I'd rather pay for quality than end up with a cheap "bargain" that breaks down shortly after.
Example: I was foolish enough to buy the cheapest hair trimmer once.
It lasted one hair cut, then it said thank you and goodbye.

With pipes I am perfectly happy with my mid range Stanwells.
Pipes don't have to cost a fortune to deliver a good smoke.

+1

You can get as good a pipe as you'll ever need for between $100 and $150 brand new, and sometimes even less. Anything above that, and you're more likely to be paying for a fine level of craftsmanship rather than just a good factory pipe. Of course that's all good if fine craftsmanship is what you're looking for and you want your pipe to be a work of art in addition to being a good smoker. However, there are lots of $100 pipes out there that will smoke as well as any pipe that costs many times more. The fit and finish just won't be the same. Think Ford truck versus Mercedes SUV.

To me, the sweet spot in any purchase is the price point where you are buying a high quality item made with good materials and without cutting corners, and where spending any additional money would only result in an incrementally better product.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

also, with pipes, the price is not always an indicator by itself. $100 worth of pipe from one company maybe inferior to a $100 pipe from another. Chacom for instance makes some very good low priced pipes, whereas (I hesitate to mention a company name) :::cough cough::: a $100... lets say a hypothetical company named "McIrish" pipe... might not cut it for you.

So, it pays to do a little research, ask owners of the pipes you are thinking about getting.

 

[mso489]

Don't take the "cheap is more expensive" adage too literally. I think it is a good principle in two ways, then I'll explain why it isn't in other ways. First, it is a good rationale when you finally decide to spend more than you intended, when you feel the better item would serve you better or please you more, and that's okay. Second, sometimes it guides you away from truly shoddy items toward something that might be moderately priced but is visibly better, and that's the best usage of the saying. However, if you are just using it to justify a splurge, you need to confess that. You want to spend the eight hundred dollars on the pipe and you are willing to take the loss -- but it's not some morsel of wisdom from the ages inspiring your business sense. You splurge, you splurge, own up to it. I'm not a high-price-pipe guy. I have a few treasured up-market pipes, so I know what they are, and I enjoy them thoroughly. However, a lot of my sport in pipe buying is doing enough research and having enough patience to get some excellent smokers at breathtaking low prices. Sometimes I goof up, but not too often. And I sure don't urge new pipe smokers to spend hundreds of dollars on a first pipe they might use for two weeks. You can get into the pipe smoking activity for about sixty bucks including accessories, tobacco, pipe cleaners, a tamper, and etc.,including a a good briar pipe that smokes well and will last your lifetime, and less than that if you start with a cob. So don't snow me with highfalutin talk; in those instances, I know you're wrong from extended life experience. Said the crotchety old guy.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

When in doubt take the middle choice but... save money when you can!

I face this question on a daily basis.. supporting my family and trying to save. There are a lot of things that are cheap and good. Cheap and good is the ticket.

 

[sablebrush52]

Over the years, my father always said - The cheaper, the more expensive it is

That's often, but not always, the case.

People who judge everything by price are suckers, whether they only buy cheap, or only buy top dollar.

Purchasing based on the price alone is unintelligent. Price is a lousy determinant of value. There are basic costs associated with the making of anything, and when those basic costs are barely being met it's more likely that quality has taken a necessary hit.

On the other side, a famous name created by marketing, resulting in a very high price, doesn't necessarily translate to increased quality,

Whatever it is that you're buying look for a good value, which is different than price alone. For me, value equals price plus quality plus capability plus durability. I buy based on quality, capability, and durability, and I do research before buying anything I'm going to be using and relying upon and then I buy the finest quality I need and maintain it.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

My work truck, it'll haul about 2000 lbs of sheetrock.. Its cheap and good. 250k miles, paid 1500. I'm sure it will last another 100k but, if it doesn't I got my moneys worth long ago. Way cheaper than a truck payment even if i have to buy one a year, and belive me I don't.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I stopped using oil last year. Haha

 

[mso489]

As Funk' so aptly illustrates, a modest expenditure combined with good judgement in the purchase and determined ingenuity can stretch money a lot. It's smart; it works; bravo.