Just a little addition, at this is an observation at the $100 Peterson Pipes ($100 in my currency translates to 6900-7100 so its not a small amount by any means. you cna buy a Lenovo A6000 cellphone with it).
The 2014 Peterson Christmas pipes were VERY well built, no problems at all. Infact it is my best English blend pipe (a B35 Zulu, love the stem).
Fast forward to 2015 Christmas Pipes, the stem, not only it isn't flush with the shank, it leans towards the left more making my OCD horrible. The drilling in the 999 I got is a tad high which wastes tobacco in the chamber, but the bowl it seems has been bruised by the drill that it reaches to the middle of the bowl.
Even a middle-class person earning minimum wage in the US will have to sacrifice around 10 hrs of their life to get a pipe from the same price range excluding the $10 shipping from the retailer.
Just my 2 bits.
Chris :puffpipe: