Peterson versus everyone else

[numbersix]

After all this talk about Petersons, and my own trials with Peterson, I'd still buy another one.
I grant you Savinellis and Stanwells in the $80 price range seem to be more consistent (and damn good pipes too), but sometimes you just got to have a Peterson. Whenever I look at new pipes, I am drawn again and again to Petersons. The silver or nickel band is stylin', the nice briar. All in all, it's a fine pipe and a good value.
I bought a new $80 Peterson Aran Canadian - pipe is very well made, quality throughout, nice grain, no issues whatsoever. It took longer to break-in I'll grant you, but it's a beauty and it's a pipe I reach for again and again.
I also have a Peterson Rosslare Royal. This one had some problems with it, crooked bowl, overly tight stem - BUT, Peterson made it right and I now love the pipe. Beautiful briar, nice lucite stem, and a stylin' silver band. And I got it for only $105 (usually these go for a lot more brand-new).
The thing I've seen time and again is that any pipe in the $70-80 range, no matter if it's a Sav or a Stanwell or a Pete, sometimes have issues but they are all a great value.

 

[undecagon]

Yea I love my Pete. My buddy's sister went to Ireland and brought him back a green finished churchwarden that he also really enjoys. I, too, would buy another.

There it is, it's this guy with a dress finish.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I second loving Pete's. I have five of them currently, three Arans, a Dalkey, and a Killarney. They all smoke very well and have few flaws if any. They draw very nice as well. I'm sure part of my love for Peterson of Dublin is my Irish-German heritage, but from my experience they're good-great pipes at a reasonable price.

 

[mrgunnar177]

I have 3 currently a system, a tankard and rosslare

 

[hobie1dog]

Got two, love 'em

 

[keith929]

Totally agree numbersix. There is just something about Peterson that makes them my most frequent smokers in my rotation.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I think another point for Peterson is their longevity. The company has been around since '65, that's 1865 and the Peterson System Pipe has been on the market since, I believe 1890. That kind of history says a lot about the company.

 

[pitchfork]

What numbersix said... nice briar, good looks, good price. Peterson has an almost 19th-century style about them that I love. I have two.

 

[frtimmyd]

I've got two ARAN's, a Kapet, and a Kilarney and they are probably the pipes I reach for the most. The beauty of those pipes always gets comments and they smoke as well or better than any of my other pipes. Gotta love the Pete's!

 

[photoman13]

I've never had a pete so I can't attest personally to their pipes. I do agree that their higher end pipes have good reviews. If you like them I'm happy for you. Based on all the problems the lower end ones have I would probably buy from someone else like Brebbia or Winslow. Again though I have no personal experience with Peterson. To each their own. Maybe one day I will pick one up and judge for myself.

 

[foggymountain]

I have 21 Peterson briars and 8 of their Turkish (made) meerschaums. They are on the high end pricewise, so there are no fills and no stain in the bowls and air passage. I consider them the best pipes in their price range. I've had almost 20 meerschaums. The Petes are the best because of superior plumbing and pipe design. The briars smoke as well as much more expensive pipes once well broken in. Petersons have a great character. The shanks are thick and unlikely to crack. The silver bands would help if they did. Overall my favorite pipes.

 

[grizzly86]

I'm definitely going to have to add one when I can afford it. Hmmm....maybe I can talk the wife into getting me one after I finish Fire I and II.

 

[ghost]

I have no complaints with my Petes, but seeing all the problems some here are having is a bit concerning. I'll have to get a Stanwell and a Savinelli to best compare them all. Science demands it.

 

[baronsamedi]

I only have one Pete. An Ebony System 303. No complaints. I agree with the need for a Sav and a Stanwell, too, though. Purely in the interest of science, of course.

 

[slowwideturns]

I love my 2 petes and i have many more on my purchase list

 

[jchaplick]

My first brand new briar pipe was a peterson, its also the first pipe over 20 bucks I bought. I had some disagreements with it in the beginning, we had our arguments, but we are on the same page now and its one of my best smokers. Its a great amount of burn time, and just feels good.

 

[sixmp]

I have 5 Peterson pipes and i have no complaints what so ever. They all smoke as well as can be expected from their price ranges. I mean you cannot expect a cheap thin walled pipe to smoke as well as a pipe worth 3 times as much with really thick walls (most of the time at least :P )
I hope to have many Peterson pipes and i expect with any popular brand to find some duds along the way.
I come across this kind of thing with guitars. The popular brands churn out far more guitars than the less known brands and because of it more complaints show up on forums. People then presume the brand make crappy guitars.
I can only presume it is the same with pipes.

 

[ohin3]

I only have one Peterson. It's an Irishmade Army 102 and though it did take a bit longer to break in, it is a fine smoking pipe. I have owned 3 Savinellis in the past and all 3 of them sit on my shelf now. They just seem to be too problematic. One smokes terribly hot, one is poorly drilled and the other is drilled high and gurgles a lot. I own 3 Stanwells and they all are trouble free smokers. I will have to get a couple more Petersons before I can truly compare them. This thread seems to have been very good for Peterson sales. Has us all wanting to pick up more pipes.

 

[dochudson]

I've never had a pete so I can't attest personally to their pipes. I do agree that their higher end pipes have good reviews. If you like them I'm happy for you. Based on all the problems the lower end ones have I would probably buy from someone else like Brebbia or Winslow. Again though I have no personal experience with Peterson. To each their own. Maybe one day I will pick one up and judge for myself.

I have a Tankard, System 314, SH Hudson and a couple of St Pat's.. just ordered a SH Original in black blast with military mount. Either I have had really good luck or you guys have had really bad luck as I have had no problem with any of my Pete's. If you can't inspect in person ask for pictures of the actual pipe you will be getting and ask the vendor to check the drilling. Vendors don't like dealing with returns or unhappy customers anymore then you like being one.

 

[jsiddle]

I only have one Peterson. It's an Irishmade Army 102 and though it did take a bit longer to break in, it is a fine smoking pipe. I have owned 3 Savinellis in the past and all 3 of them sit on my shelf now. They just seem to be too problematic. One smokes terribly hot, one is poorly drilled and the other is drilled high and gurgles a lot.

Seems like all these brands have their problems. All can have a little defect along the way... I am not discouraged from buying a peterson because of my recent experience with it... If my B&M gets some new ones in and I find one I like, I will TEST it before buying this time buy blowing down into the bowl...
As of right now, this Savinelli has my attention, and it will probably still for a while now