I sent Peterson and the vendor a lengthy email about the flaws and my disappointment. The vendor called me, Peterson never acknowledged the email.
Peterson "Makers Series" - Rant
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Al, yours was the pipe I thought of when I started this thread. First the Amber spigot series, then these. I count 3 or 4 pits just in the product photos alone. Granted, the grain is spectacular, but something of this caliber shouldn't have pits. This is the cream of the crop, their best bowls. Maybe the grain was just too good to pass up.
"The Amber Stem Spigot line was created, in part, as a way of showcasing some of Peterson's highest quality bowls, which were sorted and selected specifically for this prestigious series. From that cream of the crop, so to speak, the Irish workshop went one further and chose 10 of the best blocks out of that lot to present as part of the special edition Makers Series."
"The Amber Stem Spigot line was created, in part, as a way of showcasing some of Peterson's highest quality bowls, which were sorted and selected specifically for this prestigious series. From that cream of the crop, so to speak, the Irish workshop went one further and chose 10 of the best blocks out of that lot to present as part of the special edition Makers Series."
That's actually another complaint I have about Peterson. It seems their customer service department is lacking. I understand that they employ about 40 people at the factory in Sallynoggin, so you'd think someone or someones might be employed strictly for customer service. But then I also wonder if that with the amount of pipes they are pumping out, the customer service department might well have their hands quite full. Needless to say, it still doesn't excuse them for the mistakes with your pipe. I could let the sandpit slide on a lower grade pipe, but not on a $400+ Amber Spigot.
Edit to add. I'm still surprised by the whole thing, however as most of my Petes are lower grade, with a few higher, and even my lower grades don't have a flaw like that.
If anyone wants to contact Petersons and get a response, email their Commercial Support Manager, Glen Whelan, directly. His work email is Glen@Peterson.ie
I had an issue which necessitated me sending my pipe to Sallynoggin. After I hadn't heard for some time I emailed Glen and he sorted it within a week.
Mike
I had an issue which necessitated me sending my pipe to Sallynoggin. After I hadn't heard for some time I emailed Glen and he sorted it within a week.
Mike
Back in the 70ties a local tobacconist had a BBB Canadian straight grain in his window.It had a flaw in the shank
so I did not buy it.One day it was gone.I am still dreaming of it at night.
I have bought one of these amber stem Petersons. A shape 65, a fine pipe in any way.
If Als 999 had been located in England ( import tax,VAT etc from US) I would consider to buy it,if
I had the money ( read, if the madam would sponsor it) and take the flaw as a part of nature.
As far as I know 17 people are makeing pipes at Peterson, not 40.
so I did not buy it.One day it was gone.I am still dreaming of it at night.
I have bought one of these amber stem Petersons. A shape 65, a fine pipe in any way.
If Als 999 had been located in England ( import tax,VAT etc from US) I would consider to buy it,if
I had the money ( read, if the madam would sponsor it) and take the flaw as a part of nature.
As far as I know 17 people are makeing pipes at Peterson, not 40.
I’ve never understood the hate for Peterson’s and believe like some of the above that most people complaining have never owned one.
I own a lot of different pipes from different carvers, and I’ve only ever sent 1 Peterson back but that was because the stamping was off and just irritated my eye. Plus, for the price I wasn’t going to accept a blemish of bad stamping. That being said, the thing was a beauty and was drilled really well.
Also, my old beater pipe that smokes like a champ and never lets me down is a $60 Pete I got 10 years ago and the ones I’ve gotten since smoke fantastic.
My issue I have with arguments like this is that I can look at a Dunhill that costs $2k-$5k and there’s nothing special looking about it, it’s more than likely sandblasted, and I’m left scratching my head why anyone would pay that much for such an ordinary looking pipe. You’re just paying for the name of anything. That’s my opinion but I stand by it.
Same with some of these extremely expensive artisanal pipes. They have pits and certain parts that may be blasted and sell for even higher.
About sand pits on briar - they’re going to be there on most every block. It’s a part of the business of carving and some pits are small and barely visabke while others are much more obvious, but to me it’s just a natural part of the craft.
I’m not one to tell people how to spend their money, but I would buy one of these if I had the money to do so. The grain is gorgeous and the stems alone are expensive by themselves. Not crazy about the silver on the rim but it ads to the package.
I own a lot of different pipes from different carvers, and I’ve only ever sent 1 Peterson back but that was because the stamping was off and just irritated my eye. Plus, for the price I wasn’t going to accept a blemish of bad stamping. That being said, the thing was a beauty and was drilled really well.
Also, my old beater pipe that smokes like a champ and never lets me down is a $60 Pete I got 10 years ago and the ones I’ve gotten since smoke fantastic.
My issue I have with arguments like this is that I can look at a Dunhill that costs $2k-$5k and there’s nothing special looking about it, it’s more than likely sandblasted, and I’m left scratching my head why anyone would pay that much for such an ordinary looking pipe. You’re just paying for the name of anything. That’s my opinion but I stand by it.
Same with some of these extremely expensive artisanal pipes. They have pits and certain parts that may be blasted and sell for even higher.
About sand pits on briar - they’re going to be there on most every block. It’s a part of the business of carving and some pits are small and barely visabke while others are much more obvious, but to me it’s just a natural part of the craft.
I’m not one to tell people how to spend their money, but I would buy one of these if I had the money to do so. The grain is gorgeous and the stems alone are expensive by themselves. Not crazy about the silver on the rim but it ads to the package.
At what magnification was the picture of the 999 flaw taken?
Same with some of these extremely expensive artisanal pipes. They have pits and certain parts that may be blasted and sell for even higher.
This! I get the JT COOKE emails and for the life of me can't figure out who is paying $900+/- for these.
Same with some of these extremely expensive artisanal pipes. They have pits and certain parts that may be blasted and sell for even higher.
This! I get the JT COOKE emails and for the life of me can't figure out who is paying $900+/- for these.
I would personally never pay more than 300 CAD for a commissioned pipe made by a pipe artisan and I would make sure that it has no sand pits.
But for those who do, you're paying for the Peterson amber and silver, not the briar. At this price it should be flawless, no excuses. We're talking about a status symbol that's not perfect.
But for those who do, you're paying for the Peterson amber and silver, not the briar. At this price it should be flawless, no excuses. We're talking about a status symbol that's not perfect.
Oh, I believe the cost of the briar is included. It's a pipe, a spectacular pipe with a flaw. For many people, whose tastes in pipes we are judging, the amber and silver fittings out weigh the flaw in the briar.
Who would pay for such a pipe? Who cares? He will obviously be someone attracted to the pipe and, in the end, that is all that matters.
Who would pay for such a pipe? Who cares? He will obviously be someone attracted to the pipe and, in the end, that is all that matters.
The briar has a flaw, even a minor one downgrades it for what it's supposed to be. I' not judging people's tastes but the price to quality ratio. If anybody buys this pipe, the only thing I will not question is his bank account, the maker of dreams.
And till today I thought that such a reputable company as Peterson does have full time customer care personels on their payroll,but at the same time I was wondering why they do not take time to answer to queries excluding their repair division,good to know to whom address should need arises in the future.
I think some of the logic is getting twisted around here, and arguments are being presented that have nothing to do with the original post.
For those saying, “Who cares, don’t buy it if you don’t like it, someone else will” - You missed the point.
For those saying, “Look, I have a Peterson that’s perfect and I only paid X” - So do I, and you also missed the point.
The point is, Peterson has a perceived quality control problem, and if you doubt that just search past posts in this and other forums. You’ll find people saying not to buy blind, that they won’t touch a Peterson made before 1990, etc., not because all Peterson’s made today are junk, but because it’s perceived that you are far more likely to get a poorly crafted pipe than not.
So, when you take that reputation, and turn out a series of Amber stemmed pipes touted as the best bowls you have, and they’re flawed, it’s a symptom of bad QA that bleeds all the way down to your lower end lines. Then, when you release an ultra high end line, touted as the cream of the crop, the very best wood you have at your disposal, and THAT wood is also flawed, it’s a glaring testament that your QA issues stem to the root of your company. The point of me writing this post was to say I wish Peterson would fix the root of the problem.
So yes, buy what you like, and if pits don’t bother you on a $1500 pipe, that’s fine. But it doesn’t negate the fact that Peterson has a percieved, if not very real, QA issue that many wish would be addressed.
For those saying, “Who cares, don’t buy it if you don’t like it, someone else will” - You missed the point.
For those saying, “Look, I have a Peterson that’s perfect and I only paid X” - So do I, and you also missed the point.
The point is, Peterson has a perceived quality control problem, and if you doubt that just search past posts in this and other forums. You’ll find people saying not to buy blind, that they won’t touch a Peterson made before 1990, etc., not because all Peterson’s made today are junk, but because it’s perceived that you are far more likely to get a poorly crafted pipe than not.
So, when you take that reputation, and turn out a series of Amber stemmed pipes touted as the best bowls you have, and they’re flawed, it’s a symptom of bad QA that bleeds all the way down to your lower end lines. Then, when you release an ultra high end line, touted as the cream of the crop, the very best wood you have at your disposal, and THAT wood is also flawed, it’s a glaring testament that your QA issues stem to the root of your company. The point of me writing this post was to say I wish Peterson would fix the root of the problem.
So yes, buy what you like, and if pits don’t bother you on a $1500 pipe, that’s fine. But it doesn’t negate the fact that Peterson has a percieved, if not very real, QA issue that many wish would be addressed.
My photo was taken with my cell phone, 8x magnification I believe. The flaw is visible to the naked eye. I probably should have gotten one of the sand blasts.
I've not waited more than one business day for a response to a query to Peterson. Just my experience.
And, I've not purchased a Peterson with any of the problems noted by others over the years on this site. I can only speak from my experience and really, quite honestly, could care less about the calamities of others with the brand. If an expensive pipe arrives with a flaw, for you mail order guys, send it back. My understanding is most vendors will refund or replace an unsmoked pipe. I'm still failing to see a problem with Peterson.
As to Peterson's quality control problems, inspect the damned pipe. If you think it is of inferior quality ... return it. The problem seems to be mostly with the buyers, not the producer. If you are not happy with Peterson's products, avoid them. I sincerely doubt they would notice the loss of your business. Perhaps some here are not the customer Peterson is targeting.
And, I've not purchased a Peterson with any of the problems noted by others over the years on this site. I can only speak from my experience and really, quite honestly, could care less about the calamities of others with the brand. If an expensive pipe arrives with a flaw, for you mail order guys, send it back. My understanding is most vendors will refund or replace an unsmoked pipe. I'm still failing to see a problem with Peterson.
As to Peterson's quality control problems, inspect the damned pipe. If you think it is of inferior quality ... return it. The problem seems to be mostly with the buyers, not the producer. If you are not happy with Peterson's products, avoid them. I sincerely doubt they would notice the loss of your business. Perhaps some here are not the customer Peterson is targeting.
Curiously a few days ago, I wrote Peterson telling them that they were taking a beating in our forum. I invited them present some sort of counterargument to the many remarks made about Peterson . Never heard anything back about them nor have I seen any representative remarks . Maybe they're just getting tired of getting beat up so much. By the way , how does the House marque differ from the Makers Marque? Peterson once presented me with a House Pipe with all with all the silver trimmings to apologize for some problems I had been having with their pipes , but it wasn't my type of pipe and I sold it on eBay for a modest amount , far below what it was actually worth ; perhaps I should've kept it . I didn't notice any fillers by the way . I haven' searched for fillers, save for one cheaper Peterson where I found fillers appearing after a few years of use as a car pipe. I did do some reading from some credible sources that indicated finding a grain free piece of briar is almost impossible to do . For what it's worth.
Addendum: I recently picked up two of their Christmas offerings, a 106 and and a LX11 and found them to be fantastic smoking pipes . Of course I wouldn't notice any filling because of the exceptional sandblasting.
Addendum: I recently picked up two of their Christmas offerings, a 106 and and a LX11 and found them to be fantastic smoking pipes . Of course I wouldn't notice any filling because of the exceptional sandblasting.
I find Ivy Ryan's thoughts on Peterson are pretty much spot on, based on my experience with the brand.
Mike S.
Mike S.
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