Peterson Pipes Advice?

[sparrowhawk]

Greetings, all,

This is a message especially for Peterson owners. I'm currently looking at both a Peterson 69 billiard fishtale, and another straight stem fishtale. Both are from the Dracula series--I currently have a Peterson Dracula straight stem pot-style and I find it smokes very well. Actually, I'm looking to get a kind of "triad" of the Dracula series but before I make that kind of purchase I'd like to hear from both Peterson loyalists and detractors. Are these pipe good smokers? Thanks in advance for any thoughts you'd like to offer.

 

[petes03]

I have a Peterson Dracula "03" sandblast, it's a good smoker! I love my Petersons! I currently have 10 Petes in my collection, and all are great smokers!

 

[jah76]

I have 7-9 Petes? I love them but I've never bought a new one so I've never had to break any of them in really.
Out of the the bunch I've got one I can't get a good smoke out of but I think the stem was incorrectly bent and affects the draw.
Two of my future dream pipes are Peterson's.
As far as negatives go, I think they tend to be over priced on the secondary market. Sometimes I also wonder about the amount of fills I see in some smooths and wonder why they just didn't rusticate it.
Course then there's a loved and hated p-lip thing. I've had good ones and bad ones. On the bad ones I just swap out to a fishtail military stem that's pretty much interchangeable. One day I'll send them to be fitted with some new fancy custom stems so I can be pretty like Kash.

 

[mrenglish]

If purchasing them online, ask to make sure the draft hole is lined up properly and to run a pipe cleaner through to make sure it can make it into the bottom of the bowl. Odds are on the bent shapes it will not or it might need a twist to get to the bottom of the bowl.
There may be stain inside the shank that will cause your cleaners to come out black. I just take bristled cleaners and use denatured alcohol to remove it. Only takes 10-15 minutes or so until they come out clean.
I've been purchasing a lot of Peterson's over the past few years and have not had any issues with the way they smoke. I've turned a few down due to engineering issues so just ask questions before you purchase them and you should be OK. I've been thinking of checking out the Dracula series myself so may pull the trigger on one.
I'm smoking my 23rd Peterson, I picked it up at Smokers Haven yesterday. A 106 Ebony that was an un-smoked estate. Its fitted for a 9mm filter, unfortunately, but the price was definitely right. Not using a filter and smoking Old Dark Fired in it. Its smoking very well. Oddly, the Peterson's I have had issues with are the few estates I have picked up. Go figure.

 

[shutterbug]

With Petersons, it's a love hate thing with many people. Whether you love hate their quality, or love hate their p-lip, one thing I can say about the 12 Pete's that I have are that they all smoke relatively well. Some are GREAT smokers, and some are just meh. I have had a bit if issues regarding staining, but not on the dark pipes coming from them... Mostly reds. As many have said, I also believe they are getting to be overpriced for what you are getting, and unless you fork out the money for some of their top end models, you will have to put up with the uncertainty of QC issues from them. Don't let this discourage you though, I don't regret buying a single one of them.
Shutterbug

 

[sparrowhawk]

Thank you for your input, gentlemen. The tip from mrenglish about running a cleaner through to ensure proper alignment is especially valuable; I would never had thought of that. It makes me wonder why a Brebbia Dublin I owned a couple of months ago was so impossible to get a good smoke. I thought it was the Dublin shape; now I wonder. (I've since sold that pipe, and the new owner seemed happy.) Again, thanks.

 

[rcstan]

The 03 bent apple is one of my favorite shapes, I have three of them ( Aran, Kapet and System Rustic ). Can't add much to what the others have said. Some have issues with cosmetic flaws and off-centre airways that won't pass a pipe cleaner. Incidentally, the only bent Peterson in my collection that DOES pass a cleaner all the way to the bowl tends to smoke wetter than the one which does not.

With Draculas, I have no experience smoking them, but I did notice the swirls on the stem have to be in the right places, else they look awfully cheesy ( to me ).

 

[mrenglish]

Even the non system Peterson's have a little well that collects moisture and I think this is why most bents wont pass a cleaner easily. I stick with Peterson bents that have a military mount to avoid the cleaner issue, but its wise to have them check even on straight pipes. Most people think I look like a dork when I do this, but I've had several straight pipes not pass a cleaner. Its better to find out before the purchase though, esp if mail order.
I almost purchased a seriously nice hand made billiard from a well known English maker once, until I ran a cleaner through and found the way it was drilled prevented a cleaner going all the way into the bowl. Mistakes happen, it's just something that should be done regardless of who makes the pipe.
I agree with Roth as well on the clear/lacquered finish. I snagged a nice Claggaugh (sp) 106 but the varnish caused it to smoke hot. Shame, because it was practically a straight grain. Oddly though, the Peterson's I have in an ebony finish smoke like champs and do not heat up beyond the norm.

 

[mso489]

I have five or six Petes, all non-system, mostly mid-level with one Kapet (low) author. I have only one with a

P-Lip stem, a Rhodesian. I guess I'm a lucky Peterson buyer, because all of these pipes are well-drilled,

extremely nicely finished, and have broken in well. The low-end Kapet took a little longer to break in, but

now that it has, it is as good as the most expensive of the Petersons I own. I haven't bought any Petes in

the last year and a half or two, so I may have been drawing on inventory from several years back, when the

quality control was better. I have no complaints.

 

[drwatson]

The Dracula series is one of my favorites! I have the 03 and the 221, both smooth finish. I really and thinking about getting the 69 rustic. I love my Peterson pipes. The only real issue I have ever had is the bands come loose from pipe. Simple fix if your careful, but only happens in my newer ones.

 

[plateauguy]

I have 4 Petes, none of them had stain inside the bowl:

Irish Sea 68 - I only smoke it twice a year on St. Patricks Day and my Grampa's birthday

Kilarny 69 - Has a small sized bowl so it's OK for a fast puff

Kildare 999 with a P-lip (I'm one of the few that actually like this stem)by far my favorite

Kapet 03 - hard to break in, so far I'm not wild about it
My dream pipe would be a Rosslare 999 - without the filter

 

[numbersix]

+1 on everything mrenglish wrote.
I have several Petes and I like them all - but some came with issues - so your best bet is to ask the dealer to examine it for you and then triple check the pipe once rec'd.

 

[effektor]

I only have one Pete and it is my least favorite pipe. It isn't terrible, it just has a lot of fills and was slow to break in. I also have found that I like smaller bowl than the Pete has, obviously not a knock on Peterson. I really wanted to like that pipe, it just didn't smoke as well as my cheaper pipes and had more fills. I would go with what the others said and check it out before buying. I will probably try to pick up a 999 style, but will do so in person to inspect it first.

 

[foggymountain]

After being a Peterson enthusiast for many years, I have to admit that the quality of the briars has become spotty. Some of my favorites are Petes, but for every one I have I had to sell 1 or more that just wasn't very good. I have mostly Sherlock Holmes pipes.

 

[sparrowhawk]

Hmmm, I'm getting a little nervous about the two pipes I had hope to get. There appear to be a lot of QC issues. BTW, isn't it difficult to get any pipe cleaner to run through a bent tip through to the bowl? The straight tip billiard shouldn't be to hard to test. Now both pipes I'm considering are smooth finished; will they both have a clear sealer coating?

BTW, I notice that my designation is now "member." Do I get a prize or something? :D

 

[mrenglish]

Not all smooth finishes have the lacquered coating, it just depends on the line. The two I know of for sure are the red stained Killarney's, the Claddaugh and maybe the Irish Harp.
Just ask questions before you purchase the pipe and this will take care of any QC issues you may encounter. Yes, their quality has slipped on the lower end pipes but that should not stop you. Only a small percentage have issues.
1. Ask if the air flow is unobstructed

2. Will it pass a pipe cleaner

3. Is the draft hole properly centered and flush to the bottom of the bowl.

4. Does the stem fit flush with the shank
Those are the four questions I typically ask when ordering online. Others may chime in with more questions to ask.
As for bent pipes passing a cleaner, if the pipe is properly made it should pass through. There may be issues with pipes like oom-pauls but your typical quarter or half bent should, even if you have to tweak the cleaner a bit. With Peterson's there seems to be a little well that catches the cleaner, even on non system pipes. I had a Kapet B10 that would pass a cleaner with a little tweak. This will catch any moisture but if you get tobacco clogging the draft hole it is more difficult to remove if the cleaner cannot make it into the bowl. This is why I prefer the military mounts as it is easy to remove the stem while smoking.
Most of my Peterson's are in the $100 range and all are smoking wonderfully. I have refused some based on the questions above and had one Rosslare 03 that I had to apply pipe mud to bring up the bottom of the bowl. The draft hole was too high from the base of the bowl. It smokes like a champ though.
Apparently, business is booming for Peterson pipes so they are cranking them out. Not an excuse for shoddy workmanship but I think for the price point, they are excellent pipes. I will not hesitate to purchase another if I find one that calls to me and if it passes my questions above.

 

[numbersix]

Another +1 on mrenglish's post.
For me, Petersons are worth the trouble of checking the QC issues. However, I don't blame anyone who feels there should not be these QC issues and looks elsewhere.
But you gotta love your pipe, even if it's a great smoker, if you don't love the look and feel of it, you won't be picking it up as often as you should.