Opinions on "Trading Up"
- Thread starter iamn8
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The only "high-end" pies that I have are 2 Ser Jacopos that I purchased on ebay for $93 and $117. as well as a couple freehands that are Nording/Preben seconds. These are all very good smokers.
I also have a $7 Alpha pipe that blind-tested as good a smoke as the Jacs. I would personally never spend new price money on a high-end pipe, and prefer to save money and purchase estates. But that is just me. I have more important things to spend my money on.
I would rather have a few dozen good smoking pipes and a 10-year cellar than to have a few high-dollar pipes and a 6-mo supply of goodness.
I also have a $7 Alpha pipe that blind-tested as good a smoke as the Jacs. I would personally never spend new price money on a high-end pipe, and prefer to save money and purchase estates. But that is just me. I have more important things to spend my money on.
I would rather have a few dozen good smoking pipes and a 10-year cellar than to have a few high-dollar pipes and a 6-mo supply of goodness.
So true Warren.
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Nate, what you seem to be looking for are "the most highly regarded pipe makers", and there are many many darlings to the "ultra high end" collectors - but that doesn't mean the pipes actually smoke any better than anything else, what makes them "the best" is the esteem and regard that whatever individual maker has established, where deep-pocket people are willing to spend extraordinary sums of money based on the makers place in the pantheon.
In "real pipe world", any perception of "the best" goes right out the window, it's quite possible that a $5 basket pipe can smoke better than a $1,500 masterpiece - that's a well-known fact.
If your goal is to establish a collection based upon and consisting of the classic pantheon of acknowledged master artisan pipemakers, then you have a very daunting task ahead of you because not only is that list extremely expensive to acquire, but the competition is very fierce --- sometimes a "masterpiece" with a super high price tag will sit on a sellers shelf for a long time, but in many cases they're snatched up quicklike, and most of the seriously desirable examples get exchanged between well-established advanced collectors and never see the light of day anyways.
The search may be exhausting, for example, finding a really nice Jorn Micke is a difficult task.
The best strategy, or what I would do if I were in your shoes, would be to narrow my focus to a specific aesthetic style or shape, or certain country, it'd make the process a bit simpler.
It is a noble quest, but Galahad never actually found The Grail, and most pipe collectors don't either - in most cases we are all chasing windmills, tilting a valiant fight but often failing to meet perceived expectations, at least in regard to the ever elusive "perfect magic pipe".
I remember reading a Rick Newcombe passage where he was asking a well-respected collector about how his Bo Nordh pipes actually smoked, and the honest collector said "...about the same as my old Stanwells."
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If the pipes you have aren't doing it for you and you're not attached to them, then selling them to buy something you want is no big deal.
I guess what is leaving people aghast is the fact that you have some pretty nice pipes which they might like to have. That just means you'll get a better return on them. Sell away!
I guess what is leaving people aghast is the fact that you have some pretty nice pipes which they might like to have. That just means you'll get a better return on them. Sell away!
I just went thru a "trade up" at a lower price point (spent a little bit more than I should have). Before when I looked at my pipe rack I would think "good smoking pipes". Now when I look at my pipe rack I think "good looking pipes". Realistically the before pipes and the after pipes smoke about the same but it just seems better and makes me happier knowing I have a better looking, feeling, balanced, etc. pipe in my hand.
In the end the decision will be yours based on worth, value, feel, etc. Would I personally do it - Nope.
In the end the decision will be yours based on worth, value, feel, etc. Would I personally do it - Nope.
I kinda went through the same phase as gigger and traded off a lot of the same brand names. My reason for doing so was a shifting focus in where I wanted my collection to go. If that is the reason for you doing so, then go for it. But if you are doing it just for the name recognition then don't trade off the good smoking pipes you have.
The most expensive pipe I ever bought, a $900 (retail) Larsen Pearl that was a site to behold. Birdseye so deep you could get lost just staring at it. Damn thing smoked wet, incredibly wet. A friend tried it out and had the same result. Ended up sending it back to Denmark where they modified the drilling a bit, but it did no good. Point is, hang onto your excellent smokers unless you realize you will not smoke them for whatever reason (shape, weight, etc). The expensive brand names are not always going to get your a better smoking pipe. The odds are more in your favor though.
In my opinion, if you smoke the pipes the ultimate goal should be getting a stable of pipes that smoke incredibly well. There is nothing wrong with trading up, its how I have obtained a lot my current pipes. There is also nothing wrong with wanting the big names you mentioned, just understand they might not smoke any better than what you already have.
The most expensive pipe I ever bought, a $900 (retail) Larsen Pearl that was a site to behold. Birdseye so deep you could get lost just staring at it. Damn thing smoked wet, incredibly wet. A friend tried it out and had the same result. Ended up sending it back to Denmark where they modified the drilling a bit, but it did no good. Point is, hang onto your excellent smokers unless you realize you will not smoke them for whatever reason (shape, weight, etc). The expensive brand names are not always going to get your a better smoking pipe. The odds are more in your favor though.
In my opinion, if you smoke the pipes the ultimate goal should be getting a stable of pipes that smoke incredibly well. There is nothing wrong with trading up, its how I have obtained a lot my current pipes. There is also nothing wrong with wanting the big names you mentioned, just understand they might not smoke any better than what you already have.
Same opinion as others... If you don't like the pipes you have then find some that you do like. I would guess, by the pipes you have, that you already know more $ doesn't mean better smoking. It just means people value that name more.
End of the day its YOUR collection, and it should be YOU that it satisfies.
End of the day its YOUR collection, and it should be YOU that it satisfies.
I know you are just busting Sam's balls, but for the record: I have purchased pipes from him that smoke very very well.
:lol:
For the OP: Not much to add to Brad, Mike and the others. If you are patient, you can move your Dunnies for a fair price and then be waaay more patient and land one of your uber pipes.
Busting balls?
I seriously can't believe nobody has posted this video up yet.
C'mon guys,
lets get back on form!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L09qnRfZY-k
I seriously can't believe nobody has posted this video up yet.
C'mon guys,
lets get back on form!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L09qnRfZY-k
Sure, I traded eight lower end smaller Dunhills for those two pipes, an S Bang and a Baldi. I did this through a very repudible ebay dealer and all pipes were estates. We came to an agreement on the retail value of each pipe and a percentage he'd give credit for in the auctions I'd won, with the understanding he's in this to make money. When I first began this hobby, I purchased pipes that, as my tastes evolved, weren't favorites and remained unused in the back of the case. In the end I decided I'd rather have the two pipes I loved rather than the eight I liked.
With all the back and forth in this thread, I found the one part that matters:
"I decided I'd rather have the two pipes I loved rather than the eight I liked" - iamn8
That's pretty much what pipe smoking is all about for me. In the end, it's all about what I like the most.
Good looking pipes man.
"I decided I'd rather have the two pipes I loved rather than the eight I liked" - iamn8
That's pretty much what pipe smoking is all about for me. In the end, it's all about what I like the most.
Good looking pipes man.
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