Peterson or Savinelli?

[mso489]

I'd guess I have eight Petes and maybe a dozen Savs. I love the bulk of Pete designs and have been altogether lucky with quality. However, recommending pipes to a new pipe smoker not familiar with all the considerations and issues, I'd steer them toward Savinelli. I think their quality is better and more consistent; there is a huge range of shapes and finishes; and the designs are snappy and lithe. I might say, buy a few Savs and then try a Pete.

 

[dcon]

Like many here, I own Savs, Petes, and Rossi’s. More Savs than Pete’s. Like differing blends of tobacco, I like them each for different reasons. My expectation level is proportional to what I pay. That being said, I concur with those that believe that the Rossi and Savs are probably a ‘better’ purchase in the sub-$100 range.

 

[krizzose]

I prefer Savinelli, but I love the Peterson army mounts

 

[irishearl]

I've always bought pipes based on style preferences-shape of bowl + other stylistic elements-and have never been let down in the process. For my preferences that means Peterson usually. They have 1 of the larger arrays of shapes. Now I do own several sav's including a Rossi 320 and absolutely love that shape and pipe. So, I simply recommend you go with a shape you love from either maker. Now, you might find that entry level pipes from either maker to have some clunkers, though my 1 and only Rossi is mighty fine.

 

[luigi]

Savinelli. Too risky to invest in Petersons and trust their quality control these days.

 

[Jef]

One of the things that upsets me is the fact that if I "only" spend around $100 for a pipe, that I should expect to come across flaws such as bad drilling etc. I understand paying more for a better grade of briar, silver work, or a hand made pipe. In my opinion any company should have enough pride in their work to make sure that at least the basics of making a pipe are correct.

Jef

 

[olkofri]

One of the things that upsets me is the fact that if I "only" spend around $100 for a pipe, that I should expect to come across flaws such as bad drilling etc. I understand paying more for a better grade of briar, silver work, or a hand made pipe. In my opinion any company should have enough pride in their work to make sure that at least the basics of making a pipe are correct.

Jef

Absolutely. And that's why I stay away from Peterson: if one can't be trusted with the little things, how can one be (en)trusted with the big ones?

 

[aro222]

What a gorgeous collection!

Thanks Padre I appreciate that
I love sav's and so far all the ones i have purchased have been great smokers. My only problem now is deciding which one to smoke... hahaha
Cheers brother.

 

[alaskanpiper]

The bottom line really just depends on what you want to buy. High end Savinellis and High end Petersons are comparable pipes when it comes to quality and value (although very different when it comes to shape, system, etc.) However, lower end Savinelli's simply blow lower end Peterson's out of the water. When you hold a low end Pete in your hands you can tell that it is cheap, and you will occasionally find QC problems. Not to mention, Savinelli in general dominates Peterson when it comes to the variety of shapes and finishes available at any price point.

There is a lot of support for Peterson when it comes to system pipes and silver mounts, which is valid, but I would encourage you not to forget that Savinelli also makes dry system pipes, and does some great work with silver mounts as well, although certainly not to the extent (quantity wise) that Peterson does. In fact, there are very high end sterling spigot mount Savinelli's on sale on SP right now for as little as $120. I own two of them, and they stack up against any silver mounted Peterson.

 

[pipebuddy]

Savinelli all the way baby!

 

[didimauw]

I agree agree with embers...Savinelli ? What’s that ?View attachment 5003

Those don't even look smoked!!!

 

[kingjon]

Interesting discussion. Surprising, I would have thought the opposite of what’s been discussed in this thread. I have two Pete’s and no Savinelli’s. Time to broaden my horizons.
Jon

 

[smittyd]

I own both, but I prefer Petersons

 

[logs]

I can't speak for Savinelli but I have a number of Peterson's and all but one has problems--the most common being the stem fitting being overly tight. They smoke very nicely, but seriously... it's a real pain to remove the stems.

 

[irishearl]

I can't speak for Savinelli but I have a number of Peterson's and all but one has problems--the most common being the stem fitting being overly tight. They smoke very nicely, but seriously... it's a real pain to remove the stems.

Odd, never had that problem with a Pete. The few pipes that have that issue in my collection are dealt with via the freezer treatment in the event I wish to take the stem out.

 

[bullet08]

yes. get that other pipes. more peterson for me. all my pipes are peterson, ones i smoke now days, and no issues with my pipes. they smoke fine, and look good to me.

 

[skydog]

I have half a dozen savinellis and most smoke good with a few being great smokes. All my petersons are great smokers. I have one pete that I bought off ebay that had off center drilling, still smokes amazing. I haven't really even thought about it recently but I just tend to like petersons better than most other pipes so that is what I end up buying more of. Especially the army mounts. I've got one savinelli army mount that smokes fine but it's not as special of a smoke for me as my pete's.

 

[Jef]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my Petersons. They both smoke well. The problems that I have with the X220 are partly my fault because I was too busy chatting with the salesman instead of paying attention to the business at hand. But my first pipe was a basket pipe made in Italy. It only has the stamping of EU on the side. It is drilled perfectly and passes a cleaner through it. Smokes wonderfully. My second pipe was also a basket pipe from Czechloslovakia. It just has Czech stamped on the side. It is a bent billard and also passes a cleaner. That pipe is so sweet that I call it my little Dunhill. My thought is if 2 pipes that cost less than $50 are made well and smoke beautifully, why can't a $100 plus pipe be made as well?

Jef

 

[trubka2]

I've had stinkers and gems from both brands. I don't think it really matters - just get what you like, and then try out a different one after a while. Rinse and repeat. The OP is asking about pipes on eBay, presumably estates. IMHO, both these brands are totally overpriced in the estate market, especially some of the more popular/interesting shapes. Fred Hanna has some interesting arguments in his essay on the "myth" of pipe brands.

 

[Jef]

I've had stinkers and gems from both brands. I don't think it really matters - just get what you like, and then try out a different one after a while. Rinse and repeat. The OP is asking about pipes on eBay, presumably estates. IMHO, both these brands are totally overpriced in the estate market, especially some of the more popular/interesting shapes. Fred Hanna has some interesting arguments in his essay on the "myth" of pipe brands.

Read Freds article last night. Really enjoyed it.

Jef